Insights

Social media managers wear a lot of hats: creator, strategist, editor, community manager, analyst and sometimes designer. The right tools help you move faster, but too many tools slow you down. Here are the essential tools for every part of the job, plus how to build a lean stack that actually works together.

The short list

• Planning, scheduling and approvals: Rella

• Docs and brainstorming: Google Workspace or Notion

• Graphics: Canva

• Video editing: CapCut or Adobe Express

• Analytics: native platform insights, plus Rella or Metricool for reports

• Social listening: Sprout Social or Brandwatch

• AI: ChatGPT, Claude or Ella in Rella

• Running a client business: Julip and HoneyBook

• Learning: communities of other social media managers

Planning, scheduling and approvals: Rella

Your planning tool is the center of your stack. Rella is project management built for social media, with a content calendar, Kanban boards, tasks, client approvals, auto-posting to 9 platforms and analytics reports in one place.

• Plan and preview your grid before you post

• Send clients an approval link, with no login needed

• Auto-post to Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and more

• Share analytics reports by link or email

• Manage every brand in its own Social Space

Comparing options? See 7 Top Social Media Scheduling Tools for Teams and 5 Top Project Management Tools for Social Media Teams.

Docs and brainstorming: Google Workspace or Notion

From brainstorm notes to content briefs, a docs tool keeps the thinking behind your content organized.

• Storing content ideas and research

• Drafting scripts and briefs

• Keeping brand guidelines in one place

• Sharing strategy docs with clients

Tip: Rella connects to Google Drive, so assets can move straight onto your content calendar.

Graphics: Canva

Canva is the go-to design tool for social content, and it covers most of what you'd otherwise need Photoshop or a freelance designer for.

• Thousands of templates

• Brand kits for each client, with fonts, colors and logos

• Resize designs for every platform

• AI tools for copy, images and backgrounds

• Real-time collaboration with your team and clients

Tip: Rella integrates with Canva, so finished designs can go straight into your content calendar.

Video editing: CapCut or Adobe Express

Short-form video is part of almost every content plan, so you need an editor that's fast on both desktop and mobile.

• Auto-generated captions

• Trending templates, transitions and sounds

• Mobile and desktop sync

• Brand presets for each client

Tip: Batch a week of videos in one afternoon, then move them into Rella for approval and scheduling.

Analytics: native insights plus a reporting tool

Each platform's own dashboard has data you won't find anywhere else, so check Instagram Insights, TikTok Analytics, YouTube Studio and Meta Business Suite regularly.

For reporting across platforms and clients, use a tool that pulls everything together. Rella creates analytics reports you can share by link or email. Metricool is another popular option, with competitor analysis and ads reporting.

Social listening: Sprout Social or Brandwatch

If you need data on sentiment, conversations and competitors, a dedicated listening tool is worth it. It's best for large teams, agencies and brands tracking campaigns at scale. Smaller teams can usually rely on native insights and a reporting tool.

AI: ChatGPT, Claude and Ella

AI is now an everyday creative partner for social media managers.

• Caption ideas and hooks

• Repurposing long-form content

• Research and trend summaries

• Brainstorming campaigns

Inside Rella, Ella, Rella's AI strategist, writes and plans content and runs automated Workflows, so AI works on your actual calendar. Ella is on Premium and Premium Plus. Rella also connects to Claude, ChatGPT and other AI tools through its MCP integration. Learn more in A New Era of Ella.

Running a client business: Julip and HoneyBook

If you run your own social media business, two more tools save hours every week.

• Julip: a simple website and link-in-bio that can replace Linktree, separate booking and payment links, and a hard-to-update website. Show your portfolio, sell service packages, book discovery calls and capture leads.

• HoneyBook: proposals, contracts, invoices and recurring billing for retainers in one flow, plus automated onboarding and a client portal.

Learning: other social media managers

Every great social media manager learns from other SMMs. A few popular spaces:

• Reddit: r/socialmedia

• Slack: The Social Social Club by Slate

• Substack: Link in Bio by Rachel Karten

• Discord: Buffer Community

All-in-one or a stack of separate tools?

Many social media managers end up juggling 10 to 15 subscriptions that barely talk to each other: separate tools for planning, scheduling, approvals and reporting, plus Notion boards, Google Docs and spreadsheets for the same client.

An all-in-one social media platform brings the core workflow together: idea, draft, review, scheduled, published and analyzed. The goal isn't to replace every tool. It's to cut the time you spend switching between them and chasing content across drafts, spreadsheets and DMs.

A lean stack for most social media managers looks like this:

• Rella is where the work happens: planning, approvals, scheduling and reporting

• Canva and CapCut are your creation tools

• Julip and HoneyBook run the business side, if you work with clients

Frequently asked questions

What tools does a social media manager need?

At minimum, a planning and scheduling tool, a design tool, a video editor and analytics. Most also use a docs tool and an AI assistant, and those working with clients add tools for contracts and invoicing.

What's the best all-in-one tool for social media managers?

Rella combines a content calendar, project management, client approvals, auto-posting to 9 platforms and analytics reports in one place, built for social media managers and agencies.

Do I need a separate social listening tool?

Only if you need to track sentiment and conversations at scale. Smaller teams can usually rely on native insights and a reporting tool.

How can I cut down on the tools I pay for?

Start with the tasks you repeat every week. If planning, approvals, scheduling and reporting live in separate tools, an all-in-one platform like Rella can replace several subscriptions at once.

Try Rella for free

Bring planning, approvals, scheduling and reporting into one place. Start a free Rella trial or book a demo.