I work at a social media agency, here’s what it’s really like

“You just have to give it a go. Anything you do for the first time is not going to be perfect.”

A decade ago, if you told your high school careers counsellor you wanted to pursue social media as a job, they would’ve laughed in your face. Instagram was only launched in 2010 and TikTok is only a mere eight years old – the field of digital creation is a relatively new one, but it’s one that’s taken the world by storm.

Creating content for social media can now be a full-time job. For almost four years now, Melbourne creative Hannah Coombs has been working in the digital space over at Melbourne Social Co, a boutique creative agency. What started as an eager job application accompanied by a box of cookies, has now flourished into her role as Head of Production.

Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.

Previously holding the positions of Junior Digital Marketing Executive, Digital Marketing Executive, and Senior Account and Communications Executive, Hannah has been able to learn and grow in an ever-evolving field. Here, she speaks candidly about what her job entails – the good, the bad and the unexpected.

You’ve now been at Melbourne Social Co for almost four years. How’d you get the job?

This is my first out-of-uni job. I spent maybe three months job hunting and finding the perfect place I wanted to work at. I had time to be a bit picky. I always had an eye on Melbourne Social Co, I thought they were really cool. I saw a job advertisement on the website and I thought I’d get creative and send along a box of customised cookies with my application. 

And it worked! They invited me for an interview and while they didn’t have a full-time role available, they were willing to support me on a small contract to start with. I just worked my way from there and built my client portfolio… demonstrating my ability to manage multiple projects at once, giving the agency confidence to bring me on full-time. 

As I grew within my role, I began to take on larger clients and really leant into managing content shoots, which allowed me to gain a greater understanding of which direction I wanted my career to go in, and which aspects of social media I found most interesting. There are a lot of aspects to social media marketing. There’s strategy, community management, analytics and reporting, there’s influencer outreach and paid ads management. What I found I particularly loved was content creation and the visual side of a social media campaign.

How would you describe what your day-to-day looks like?

Each day is really different, which I guess a lot of creative people say, but the biggest thing is you’re always juggling multiple projects at once. A lot of my days honestly just start on emails and checking in or replying to whatever has come through overnight. 

After that, it’s checking in with team members and overseeing their content projects… From there, I like to get really stuck into a project, whether it be planning and art directing a shoot, working on a brand deck or a client strategy. I always finish my day making TikToks or working on a shoot.

What’s something people wouldn’t expect from your job or something that might surprise them about your role?

I think what’s surprising is how much planning goes into executing just one post. It’s not always as fun, fast-paced and glamorous as it looks from the outside – a lot of it is on your laptop planning and having discussions with clients. It can sometimes be challenging getting the creative posts that you’re really passionate about out into the world after rounds of edits from clients. 

It takes a lot of time. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen content creators talk about [how] a 10-second TikTok can take hours altogether [from] planning, shooting, getting ready, packing up, editing and then publishing the final product. It can be a long process for such a short amount of content air time – but when it works, it’s really worth it! 

What would you say are the most valuable skills to have in your industry?

Being really handy with any sort of digital product and being willing to try anything new. I never [use] the excuses of ‘I’ve never done this before’ or ‘no one showed me how to do this’ because no one showed the first person to try it either.

You have to just give it a go and immerse yourself in the social media experience. When TikTok came along, I couldn’t be like, ‘I’ve never done it before’ [because] no one else had either. You just have to give it a go. [Any]thing you do for the first time is not going to be perfect, but sometimes just getting started is key!

Recently, our agency founder Shelley tasked me with launching a podcast. I’ve never done that before, but I [was] totally willing to learn and I did a lot of research to get the right equipment, map out the podcast direction and unique selling point, build the branding, and of course, launch the first episode. It has been such a fun project to work on and so far, everything’s going pretty smoothly. Like I said, starting something new in the digital space is just about adapting, learning and being hands-on. 

Speaking of the podcast, can you please tell me about it? How did it come about?

It’s called Approved which we thought was really fitting for our industry because, in our world, the magic word is ‘approved’. At Melbourne Social Co, ‘approval’ comes in many forms, from launching new services, navigating platform changes and of course, our clients loving and approving the work that we do. 

… And what’s super exciting about ‘Approved is that I get to host it with my sister. Nicole has worked with us for a little over a year now and we’re a really good duo. Approved will be a fun, fortnightly peek behind the curtains of the social media industry, where Nicole and I sit down to spill the tea about what it’s like to work in social media and all that it entails.

What’s it like working with your sister, especially on a podcast?

Working with my sister is amazing. We have the best bond and the best relationship. Still to this day, I can say we’ve never had a fight. We have a very high respect for each other. I was a bit nervous when she first joined Melbourne Social Co because it’s a space [where] you’re your own success… but it’s really worked out and if anything, it makes me so happy seeing her little wins, and likewise she gets to share mine.

What can listeners expect from the episodes?

In each episode, we will look at pop culture and how platforms like TikTok and Instagram influence our daily lives. We’ll chat with influential up-and-comers in the industry about how they navigate the landscape to promote both themselves and their brands.

A lot of social media news will be touched on each fortnight, but also, there are a lot of personal details about me and my sister’s life and updates there. So it’s a bit of a balance between just getting to know Nicole and me, alongside what it’s like to work for an agency and the crazy world of social media.

Approved is now available to stream from your podcast apps. To find out more and to subscribe, visit @approvedpodcast.