The 10 best paid social agencies in the UK (2026)

The best paid social agency for your business depends on what you need most: media buying that drives sales, a steady supply of new creative, creator and influencer campaigns, or all three. UK agencies range from global social-first creative groups to small, performance-focused teams. Below are ten good options, what each is genuinely best for, and the questions to ask before you sign.

Full disclosure: this list is written by Brightpace, and we’ve put ourselves at number one. We’d rather say that plainly than pretend to be neutral. Everything we say about the other nine is based on their own websites and trade press, and each is strong at something, so use the “best for” labels to find your fit, even if it isn’t us.

How we chose

Every agency on this list:

• Runs paid social as a core service: Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and other platforms, not just organic posting
• Works with UK brands, from a UK base
• Has a clear specialism, whether that’s performance, creative or creators

We’ve ordered the list by who we’d recommend for a typical brand that wants paid social judged on sales and new customers, which is, admittedly, the brief we built Brightpace around.

At a glance

The 10 best paid social agencies in the UK

1. Brightpace

Best for: brands that want paid social judged on sales and new customers, run alongside search.

Yes, this is us. Brightpace is a founder-led UK paid social agency, founded by a former Performance Marketing Manager at Ticketmaster. We run Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn ads, planned with your search campaigns as one media plan.

Why we’d put ourselves first:

• Creative is treated as targeting. On Meta and TikTok, the ads themselves now do much of the targeting, so we run a steady creative testing framework. See Meta Andromeda explained.
• Tracking that holds up. The Conversions API and server-side tracking, so platforms learn from real sales and leads.
• Honest measurement. New customers and blended results, not just what Ads Manager claims. See incremental attribution vs 7-day click.
• Clear pricing. A monthly fee agreed up front, no setup fee and a 30-day rolling contract.

Worth knowing: we don’t run organic social or influencer programmes. Creative comes from your team or our AI creative add-on, so if you want creators or a content studio, an agency further down this list may suit you better.

2. The Social Shepherd

Best for: eCommerce and consumer brands with bigger paid social budgets.

The Social Shepherd is a specialist social media agency with UK offices in Bath and London, and offices in the US. It covers paid social, creative production, influencer marketing and social commerce. A strong choice when social is your main growth channel and you want creative and media from one team.

3. We Are Social

Best for: large brands that want social-first creative ideas with paid support.

Founded in London in 2008, We Are Social is a socially led creative agency with offices around the world. Its London team runs paid social across Meta, TikTok and Snapchat alongside creative and creator work. It suits big brands that want standout social ideas as much as efficient media buying.

4. Fanbytes by Brainlabs

Best for: brands trying to reach Gen Z through creators and short-form video.

London-based Fanbytes was founded in 2017 and acquired by Brainlabs in 2022. It specialises in creator and influencer campaigns on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube, with paid amplification. If younger audiences matter to you, see also our guide on how to market to Gen Z with paid media.

5. Disrupt

Best for: TikTok-first brands that want influencer-led paid social.

London-based Disrupt describes itself as an influencer and paid social agency, running paid campaigns across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat. Its TikTok work centres on creator content run as Spark Ads. A good fit when creators sit at the heart of your social plan.

6. Socially Powerful

Best for: brands combining influencer marketing with paid social.

Socially Powerful is a London-based influencer marketing agency with offices in the UK, US, Europe and the Middle East. Its paid social service covers Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat, which makes it a natural option when you want influencer content and paid amplification managed together.

7. Found

Best for: paid social planned as part of a wider search and discovery strategy.

London-based Found describes itself as an AI-first “Everysearch” agency, covering paid social, PPC, SEO and content, with a focus on being discoverable wherever people search, including social platforms and AI assistants. A fit if you want social and search planned together by one team.

8. Cedarwood Digital

Best for: lead generation businesses that want paid social and PPC together.

Manchester-based Cedarwood Digital was founded in 2016 and works across PPC, paid social, SEO and digital PR. Its website lists UK and European Search Awards wins, including Best PPC Agency. A sensible option in the North West if your social ads need to work hand in hand with search.

9. Snowball Creations

Best for: purpose-led brands with modest budgets.

Snowball Creations is a small UK paid advertising agency founded in 2017, running Meta, Google and LinkedIn campaigns. Its founder describes it as working exclusively with brands that are making the world better. A good fit for mission-led businesses that want a small, hands-on team.

10. Nautilus Marketing

Best for: smaller London businesses that want Meta ads alongside Google.

Nautilus Marketing is a London-based digital agency whose paid advertising covers Meta, Google, Amazon and LinkedIn, alongside social media management. A practical option for smaller businesses that want social and search ads from one supplier.

How to choose a paid social agency

1. Who makes the creative? Paid social lives or dies on fresh ads. Ask how many new ads they’ll test each month, and who produces them.
2. How do they test? Look for a clear framework, not ad-hoc changes. See our guide to creative testing.
3. What will they optimise to? Sales, qualified leads and new customers, not reach, clicks or cheap engagement.
4. How is tracking set up? The Meta Conversions API and the TikTok Events API should be in place, deduplicated with your pixel.
5. How do they measure what ads really add? Ask about lift tests and blended results, not just platform-reported ROAS.
6. Contract and ownership. Prefer rolling terms, and make sure your ad accounts, pixels and audiences stay in your name.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a paid social agency cost in the UK?

Common models are a percentage of ad spend, often 10% to 20%, or a monthly retainer. Creative production is frequently charged on top. Ask what’s included, especially how many new ads you’ll get each month.

What’s the difference between paid social and social media management?

Paid social means running ads on social platforms, judged on results such as sales and leads. Social media management usually means organic posting, community management and content. Some agencies do both; check which one you’re actually buying.

Which platform should I start with?

For most consumer brands, Meta is the starting point because of its reach and strong targeting. TikTok suits younger audiences and creator-style content. LinkedIn is usually the right choice for B2B. Our Meta ads cost guide and LinkedIn ads cost guide help with budgets.

In short

The UK’s best paid social agencies range from global social-first creative groups to creator specialists and performance-focused teams. Decide what you need most, media buying, creative or creators, then judge each agency on who makes the ads, how they test, what they optimise to, how tracking is set up and whether you keep ownership of your accounts. Selling to businesses? See the 10 best LinkedIn Ads agencies in the UK.

Sources

Each agency’s own website, checked for services and locations, plus trade press where noted. Last checked October 2026.

• The Social Shepherd, The Social Shepherd
• We Are Social, We Are Social
• Fanbytes, Fanbytes by Brainlabs
• Brainlabs snaps up indie influencer shop Fanbytes, The Drum
• Paid social, Disrupt
• Paid social agency, Socially Powerful
• Found, Found
• About us, Cedarwood Digital
• Snowball Creations, Snowball Creations
• Nautilus Marketing, Nautilus Marketing

Want paid social judged on sales, not likes? See our paid social agency services or let’s chat.