Guide
How much does social media content cost for a Long Island business?
Updated by Core Media Co.
Monthly social media content for a Long Island business costs $1,500 to $4,000 a month at Core Media Co., a studio in Saint James, on a six-month minimum term. Whoever makes it, the price comes down to three things: how many finished pieces you get each month, who plans, films, and edits them, and how long you commit.
The options and the cost drivers below apply to any studio, agency, freelancer, or hire you are considering, and the questions to ask follow them in one list. We do not quote other providers' rates or salaries here, because we found no local source we could cite with a year. Our own tiers sit in one box at the end.
The options
Four ways to get monthly content made
Each one can work. They differ in who carries the planning, the gear, the editing, and the time, and in what the monthly number actually buys.
A studio or agency on a monthly retainer
One monthly fee covers a set amount of finished content: usually a number of shoot days, a number of finished pieces, and a delivery time. Planning, filming, editing, captions, and the cuts for each platform are the provider's job.
Pin down what the fee leaves out. Posting, replying to comments, paid ads, and raw footage are often separate services or not offered at all, and retainers often carry a minimum term.
Ask: What exactly is delivered each month, and what is not included?
A freelancer, by the piece or by the day
A freelance videographer or editor usually prices by the shoot, the day, or the finished piece. It can cost less per month, and it suits a business that already has someone to plan the content and post it.
The planning and the calendar tend to stay with you, and so does the coordination when one person films and another edits.
Ask: Who plans the content, and who edits it?
Hiring someone in house
A staff content person is a salary plus payroll costs, a camera, lights, audio, editing software, and the time it takes to train them. In return you get someone on site every day who can catch moments as they happen.
The risk is coverage: one person carries the whole job, through vacations and the weeks they are pulled onto something else.
Doing it yourself
A phone and a few hours a week cost little in cash and a lot in an owner's time. It works when the person on camera also has the time to plan, film, edit, and caption every week.
What moves the price
What moves the monthly number
Finished pieces per month
The count of finished Reels, posts, and longer videos sets much of any quote. Ask for a number, not just "content", and ask what counts as one piece.
Shoot days and where they happen
Filming at your place means travel and setup time. Batching a month into one or two content days usually costs less than a crew visiting every week, and it takes less of your staff's time.
Planning
A content calendar written before anyone films is work too. Some providers include it; others expect you to bring the ideas.
Editing, captions, and platform cuts
A vertical cut for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts, a horizontal version for YouTube or your website, and captions on every piece each take editing time.
Turnaround
Faster delivery takes more of an editor's week, so it usually sits on the higher tiers. Get the delivery time in writing.
Posting, replies, and ads
Posting, answering comments, and running paid ads are separate jobs from making the content. Some providers bundle them, some charge for them separately, and some do not offer them.
Term, ownership, and releases
Minimum terms are common on retainers. Ask who owns the finished files, whether raw footage is included, and who collects a signed release from anyone who appears on camera, since all three decide what you can reuse later.
The questions, in one list
Ready to copy into an email or keep open on the call, whoever you are talking to.
- How many finished pieces do we get each month, and what counts as one piece?
- How many shoot days are there, and where do they happen?
- Who plans the content calendar?
- Which platform cuts and captions are included?
- How fast is each delivery, and is that in the agreement?
- Is posting, replying to comments, or running ads included, or a separate service?
- What is the minimum term, and what happens after it?
- Who owns the finished files, and are raw files included?
- Who collects signed releases from anyone who appears on camera?
Our answers
Core Media Co.'s answers
Monthly content for Long Island businesses from the studio at 523 Lake Avenue in Saint James, NY, on the same three tiers in every town.
- Partner
- $1,500 per month: 1 content day per month, 4 to 6 finished pieces per month, 5 business day turnaround.
- Partner+
- $2,750 per month: 2 content days per month, 1 long form video of 5 to 10 minutes, 10 short form pieces, and 3 to 4 static or carousel posts per month, 3 business day turnaround.
- Flagship
- $4,000 per month: weekly presence, 16+ finished pieces per month, 48 hour turnaround.
- Every tier
- Every tier includes shooting, editing, captions, platform cuts, and a shared delivery folder. You own the finished work, with no usage restrictions. Six-month minimum term, then month to month.
- Events
- Event coverage is included on Flagship and available as an add-on on Partner and Partner+.
- Posting
- We make the content and hand it over ready to post. We do not post, boost posts, or run ads; you post the pieces, or pass them to whoever runs your accounts.
Questions
Questions about the cost of social media content
- How much does social media content cost for a Long Island business?
- It depends on the number of finished pieces, who plans, films, and edits them, and the term. At Core Media Co., monthly content is $1,500 to $4,000 a month on a six-month minimum: Partner $1,500, Partner+ $2,750, and Flagship $4,000. Freelancers and in-house hires are priced differently, so compare the finished pieces each option delivers.
- Is a freelancer or an agency cheaper for social media content?
- A freelancer often costs less per month, because the planning, the posting, and the coordination usually stay with you. A studio or agency retainer costs more and covers more of the work. Compare the two on finished pieces per month and on what each one leaves for you to do.
- Should a small business hire an in-house content person?
- It can make sense when there is enough to film every week and someone to manage the role. Count the salary and payroll costs, the gear and software, and cover for vacations, then compare that total with a monthly retainer for the same number of finished pieces.
- Does the monthly price include posting to our accounts?
- It varies, so ask. Posting, replying to comments, and running ads are separate jobs from making the content. Core Media Co. makes the content and hands it over ready to post; the business posts it and runs its own accounts.
- Is there a minimum term for monthly social media content?
- Many retainers have one, so get it in writing before you sign. Core Media Co.'s business tiers have a six-month minimum term, then run month to month.
Keep reading
- For BusinessThe monthly content partnership, how a month runs, and every tier in detail.
- Business Instagram content on Long IslandWhat we make, what the business still does, and what a month looks like on each tier.
- What social media content costs a Long Island businessIn-house hires, freelancers, management programs, and a studio's monthly tiers, side by side.
- PricingEvery package and plan in one place, with the minimums stated.
Contact
Inquire about a service.
Tell us what you are trying to do. If it is a fit, we send an agreement and pick a date.
Prefer to write? Send us a note at studio@thecoremedia.co
Saint James, NY 11780studio@thecoremedia.co
Based in Saint James. Working across Smithtown, Huntington, Port Jefferson, and all of Suffolk and Nassau County.