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The job big companies pay a forward-deployed engineer six figures to do — as a tool, for two figures.

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Put AI to work—one measurable workflow at a time.

All AI employee roles

An AI social media manager for a business that can't justify a full-time one

Consistent social presence is mostly a volume problem: enough good posts, on schedule, across platforms, forever. That is exactly the kind of work that burns out a founder and is expensive to hire for full-time. This stack handles the grind — generating post ideas from your themes, writing captions in your voice, designing graphics, and scheduling everything in advance — so your channels stay active without you living in them. It will not build genuine community relationships or read a cultural moment the way a sharp human can, and we say so plainly below. But for planning, drafting, and publishing, it replaces most of the busywork. The prices shown are live from our catalogue with dated evidence; the $99 one-time setup unlocks the plan packaging this, and an optional $29/month subscription keeps it current so a tool changing its pricing doesn't quietly break your budget.

See if this is your plan See full plan

What it handles

  • Generate a content calendar

    Turn a few themes into weeks of platform-specific post ideas.

    3–6 hrs/wk
  • Write captions & hooks

    Draft scroll-stopping captions and variations in your brand voice.

    2–5 hrs/wk
  • Create graphics

    Produce on-brand images, carousels, and thumbnails from templates.

  • Schedule everything

    Queue posts across channels so your presence never goes dark.

    2–4 hrs/wk
  • Repurpose top posts

    Reshape your best-performing content into new formats automatically.

The stack behind it

The exact tools at the recommended budget, each with its own last price-check date.

ChatGPT· Plus

Batch captions, hooks, and a month of post ideas.

$20/mo

Canva· Free

On-brand graphics with built-in AI — free to start.

$0/mo

Save from 16% with yearly billing; AI Pass add-on available on Pro/Business

Buffer· Free

Schedule and publish across channels — free tier.

$0/mo

14-day trial on paid plans; yearly billing saves 20%; 50% discount for nonprofits/charities

Descript· Free

Trim clips and add captions for free.

$0/mo

Save up to 35% with annual billing

≈ AI stack$20/mo

Prices last verified: Aug 12, 2026

AI stack vs hiring — what you'd keep

Compare the yearly cost of a hire against the AI tool stack that does the repetitive work.

Hiring: Social media manager$86,775 / year
AI stack (Social Media Manager)$339+ / year

This stack includes usage-based pricing, so the exact monthly cost depends on volume — see the live prices below.

This compares cost only, and deliberately understates hiring (it excludes recruiting, onboarding, equipment, software, and management overhead). An AI stack does specific tasks with your oversight — it doesn't replace judgment, relationships, or accountability. The plan is a one-time cost added to year one.

Salary source: U.S. BLS OES, May 2023 (SOC 27-3031) · U.S. BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation

See if this is your plan

What an AI social media manager can't do

The honest limits. This is a tool with your oversight, not a person.

  • Reply with real empathy in a community crisis or sensitive DM.
  • Spot and ride a fast-moving cultural trend the way a plugged-in human can.
  • Build authentic relationships with creators and partners.
  • Decide brand strategy or handle reputation management judgment calls.
  • Guarantee virality — it improves consistency and volume, not luck.

Questions about an AI social media manager

Can it post automatically?

It can schedule and queue posts through the scheduling tool in the stack. We recommend you review the queue — approval takes minutes, and it keeps your voice and timing right.

Which platforms does it cover?

The stack works across the major networks (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok) via a scheduler. Setup steps are in the template.

Do I need design skills?

No. The included design tool works from templates and prompts, so on-brand graphics don't require a designer.

And what does Dapols cost?

The tool prices on this page are paid to those vendors, monthly, for as long as you use them. This is the separate — and much smaller — cost of the plan that works out which of them you actually need and wires them together.

$99

once, to unlock your plan

The tools, the prompts, the connectors and the order to set them up in, customized to your answers and reviewed by a person before it reaches you. It does not renew, and we keep no card for a later charge.
$29

a month, optional and later

Only if you want the plan kept current as these prices move. We ask about a month in — you start it, we never start it for you, and stopping it leaves the plan you bought exactly as it is.
See if this is your plan See the full pricing ladder

Other roles

  • marketing assistant
  • content writer
  • receptionist
  • customer support agent
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  • executive assistant
  • bookkeeping assistant
  • paralegal assistant
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  • video editor
  • junior developer