How much time should business founders really be spending on social media?

In a time when social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok act as the new shop window for e new shop window for customers, having an active presence has become a non-negotiable for founders – whatever their industry or size. 

Unfortunately, social media management can be a pretty big time drain. According to a 2026 analysis by Glow Social, most founders now spend between 12 and 40 hours on social media a month – equating roughly to the workload of a part-time employee, squeezed into an already full week.

For founders already juggling multiple pressures, this is often a workload that has to be absorbed elsewhere. So, we spoke to founders directly, to find out how true to life these figures are, where exactly that time goes, and what strategies they’re using to keep it under control.

Algorithm fear is pushing many founders to manage the process themselves

For many businesses, generating content isn’t done with the help of a marketing team – it’s a process founders manage themselves. According to findings from Markel, 77% of founders manage their own social media, executing all tasks involved in content creation on top of their daily responsibilities.  

This workload comes with a psychological cost as much of a time one. Ed van der Lande, founder of More Toddler Meals, is candid about the pressure around staying visible on social media: “There’s a fair bit of that and concern that if I post less or irregularly I’ll get punished by the algorithm” van der Lande tells us.

‘I’m hopeful that the biggest arbiter of a successful food business is the quality of the final product. But if a new founder were to ask me if they should be on social media or not, I’d say that they almost certainly should.”

Ineke Nugteren, CEO of healthy snack company Nourish, shares this sense of obligation. “There’s real pressure to keep showing up just to stay visible, and that can feel like a necessary evil – content for the sake of not disappearing rather than content you’re excited to make.”

However, Nugteren still sees real value in posting when it’s done with intention. “When it’s done well, it’s also one of the clearest ways to show people what you’re actually about as a brand and a founder. It’s both those things at once for me” she tells us.

Both founders are in agreement that while content may not directly drive up sales, going quiet on social media is a risk that’s too big to take, even if this means taking on the role of content creator themselves, on top of an already full workload.

This poses the question: How can founders stay on top of their already full workload without burning out?

Being smart about workflow is helping founders avoid overwhelm

Given the fact that founders don’t have unlimited time to pour into managing their feeds, many are getting creative with how they choose to spend the time that they do have – from batch-creating content to repurposing valuable content. 

For example, instead of letting social content balloon to fill whatever spare time it’s given, Connor Gillvan, founder of TrioSEO, sets aside dedicated time to manage the process.

“The key is making it part of the schedule instead of allowing it to interrupt the entire week. Batching ideas, creating content in fixed sessions, and turning one strong idea into several posts makes the workload much more manageable.”

Ben Price, co-founder of home energy installer Heatable, follows a similar playbook. He spends three to five hours a week on content, which is notably lower than the average time UK founders are spending on social media. Price puts this down to treating content as something that emerges from the work itself, not something separate. 

“If we’re installing an interesting system, testing a new product or hearing the same customer question repeatedly, that becomes the starting point… It is far more manageable — and usually far more authentic — than trying to invent content from scratch.”

For founders who want to stay hands-on, these examples prove that clever workflow solutions can save real time. By using your time wisely and treating content as a byproduct of other work rather than a separate task, you’re able to maximise output without maxing out your week.

Delegation remains key for founders with the resources

Not every founder has the option to hand social media tasks off to members of their team, but for those who do, delegation can be used as a valuable way to protect their time without sacrificing their business’s feed. 

Dentist and founder of Invisalign company Invisablebraces4u, Dr Soumaya Zinet, told us she’s able to rely on team members to handle the day-to-day social production: “I don’t personally have to do every part of the process… there is a team around me who can help with filming, editing, planning.”

“I think that is the key to making social media sustainable. If the business depends on the owner personally doing everything, eventually it becomes exhausting.”

Dr Nikki Ramskill, founder of The Female Health Doctor Clinic, shared a similar experience. By relying on her team to plan, create, and schedule content, she was able to stick to the tasks that she enjoyed.

“I have a lovely company helping me to be consistent. We plan out the content in advance and they create and schedule everything for me. It has made my life so much easier and far more enjoyable now. All I need to do is make the videos which I love doing.” 

For both Zinet and Ramskill, delegation isn’t about stepping back from social media completely, it’s what makes the process more sustainable in the long run. 

Many founders play an active role in social media strategy while delegating certain tasks too. For example, Matt Hunt, co-founder of The Protein Ball Co believes that even with support in place, he and his co-founder Hayley feel it’s important to stay personally involved.

“We have support with content now, which makes a huge difference, but as a founder-led business we still want Hayley and me to be genuinely involved and maintain that connection with our audience.“ Hunt tells us. 

However, with most founders forced to wear many hats, outsourcing tasks to the rest of the team simply isn’t an option they can afford. Instead, taking a smarter approach to your existing workload can give you back time without sacrificing your social media visibility. Here’s how to put that into practice.