What Does a Social Media Design Package Actually Include?

You know you need to post consistently. You've heard "content is king" a thousand times. But when you go looking for help with social media design, the options are all over the place — and so are the prices. So what should a social media design package actually include?

Here's a breakdown of what's standard, what's a bonus, and what's a red flag — plus how to figure out what your business actually needs. (For a wider look at design pricing, start with my full pricing guide.)

The Basics: What Every Package Should Cover

At minimum, a social media design package should include custom-designed static posts sized for the platforms you use. That means properly formatted graphics for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or wherever your audience lives.

Platform-specific sizing — Instagram posts (1080×1080), Stories (1080×1920), LinkedIn banners (1584×396), Facebook covers, etc.

Brand-consistent visuals — your colors, fonts, and logo applied properly across every post

Source files — you should own the editable files, not just flat exports

Revisions — at least one round of revisions per design

If a package doesn't include these four things, it's incomplete. Brand consistency is non-negotiable on social — your audience sees your posts more than any other touchpoint.

Mid-Tier: Templates and Content Calendars

Better packages go beyond one-off posts and give you a system. That usually means:

Reusable templates — a set of 5–10 branded templates you can swap content into for quick posting

Content calendar integration — designs organized by week or month so you can plan ahead

Multi-format delivery — each design delivered in feed post, story, and reel-cover sizes simultaneously

Hashtag and caption guidance — not always included, but a sign the provider understands social media beyond just visuals

Premium: Motion, Strategy, and Ads

At the top end, packages include animated content (motion graphics, GIF posts, short-form video templates), paid ad creative, and sometimes full social media strategy. These are typically $2,000–$5,000+/month from agencies.

The question is whether you need all of that — or whether you need great static design delivered fast and affordably. For most small businesses, the answer is the latter.

What Does It Cost?

| Provider Type | Monthly Cost | Posts Included | Turnaround | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Freelancer | $500–$2,000 | 8–20 posts | 3–7 days | | Agency | $2,000–$5,000+ | 12–30 posts | 1–3 weeks | | DaaS (industry avg) | $1,000–$3,000 | Varies | 1–5 days | | Loudest Creative | $749–$1,999/mo | 30–unlimited designs | 1–4 days |

With Loudest Creative's plans, social media posts are just one type of request you can submit. Your monthly credits (or unlimited plan) cover social posts, flyers, menus, ads, signage — whatever you need. No separate "social package" required.

Red Flags to Watch For

"Unlimited revisions" with no turnaround guarantee — revisions mean nothing if each round takes a week

No source files — if they only deliver JPGs or PNGs, you're locked into them forever

Stock-heavy templates — if every post looks like it came from the same Canva template pack, your brand won't stand out. More on the Canva problem →

No brand guidelines adherence — if they don't ask for your brand kit upfront, they're guessing

What Most Small Businesses Actually Need

If you're posting 3–5 times per week across 2–3 platforms, you need roughly 12–20 unique designs per month, plus stories and occasional ad creative. That's a workload that's too much for DIY tools like Canva but not enough to justify a $4,000/month agency retainer.

A design-as-a-service model covers this perfectly: submit requests as you need them, get designs back in days, and scale up or down without renegotiating a contract. See how DaaS compares to hiring →

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Loudest Creative handles social media design as part of every plan — no separate package needed. Submit posts, stories, and ad creative alongside your other design requests. Plans start at $749/month. See plans or start your first request →