Essential insurance types for social media freelancers

Running multiple accounts, managing ad campaigns, and keeping up with constant platform changes—it’s all in a day’s work for a social media freelancer. But what happens when something goes wrong? Without insurance, the financial and reputational risks can quickly spiral out of control. 

If you are a social media freelancer it’s even harder, as you are likely to be juggling content, communities and engagement for more than one business. But you get the benefits of working for yourself, including setting your own hours and projects.  

However, being your own boss can be terrifying as everything sits on your shoulders. This set up can make you feel vulnerable both professionally and financially. 

Do social media freelancers need business insurance? 

Chances are you have a little bit of cash set aside in case of an emergency. But it’s unlikely this would be enough to cover the cost of being sued by a client. That’s why holding business insurance can be so crucial for freelancers. If you take a chance and don’t hold insurance, you will have to pick up the full costs if anything goes wrong. 

Insurance doesn’t just protect you in emergencies; it can also help you look more professional and trustworthy to high-value clients who may require proof of cover before hiring. 

In this blog, we’ll consider how insurance can be an important safety net for your business as you rack up the likes from both your clients and their followers. 

What insurances should a social media freelancer hold?  

Do you have the right protection in place if something goes wrong? Social media can be a minefield of hazards even for the most careful marketing gurus: it only takes minutes for a bad post to go viral. While we can’t stop you getting shamed online, where we can support our social media freelancers is in making sure they have the right business insurance in place to protect themselves, their clients and those around them.  

So before you go hunting down those likes, follows and thumbs ups, make sure you have these crucial policies in place. If you’re unsure where to start, our team is here to help you explore a package that suits your unique needs. Read on for an overview of the insurances a social media freelancer should consider.  

Professional Indemnity insurance for social media freelancers 

Your clients get you in to sort their socials because you’re reliable, trustworthy and you know your stuff. You’ve spent a long time building your reputation and your business, and you need to protect it. Professional Indemnity Insurance provides freelancers and their clients with that extra back-up and reassurance that everybody’s covered if something goes wrong.  

This type of insurance covers you if a client disputes the quality of your work or accuses you of making a mistake. In many cases the cover will provide an expert legal team to build your case, and cover any fees and damages awarded to the other side up to the limit of your policy.  

Professional Indemnity disputes can cover all sorts of things to do with protecting your work, including:  

• Budgeting errors on ad campaigns, strategy missteps, or posting content that unintentionally breaches a client’s brand guidelines 

• Bad advice – if you tell your client this is the right strategy, and it absolutely isn’t 

• Negligence or not taking reasonable care – if your work includes mistakes, which cost your client money 

• Copyright dispute – if you accidentally use material belonging to someone else in a post 

• Defamation, liable and slander – if someone thinks your social media posts are damaging their reputation based on untrue claims 

Example social media freelancer Professional Indemnity claim:  

You run a client’s Instagram ad campaign but accidentally set the wrong targeting criteria, leading to overspending on ads and little to no return. The client blames you for the lost budget and demands compensation. 

How Professional Indemnity insurance can help: 

If you don’t have Professional Indemnity insurance, you will have to try and find money to pay for legal representation in the dispute and could find yourself accumulating large bills, plus ultimately having to pay damages to your client.  

A Professional Indemnity policy will protect social media freelancers in situations like this, with a team of experts able to deal with the claim on your behalf in many cases. Your insurance cover will likely cover all the associated costs, up to the level of your cover, and with no excess to pay. 

Public Liability insurance for social media freelancers  

Public Liability insurance is there to protect those around you: clients, collaborators, and anyone else that you come into contact within the course of your job. It covers any potential damage to someone else’s property and any accidents that might be your fault that causes injury or harm to another person.  

If you deal with anyone else in the course of your work – visits to clients’ premises for meetings, working in public places such as cafes, or even taking taxis, it’s a good idea to have Public Liability insurance in place.  

Even if you mostly work remotely, Public Liability insurance is crucial for client meetings, shoots in public spaces, or co-working environments where accidents can happen. 

Example social media freelancer Public Liability claim:  

While filming behind-the-scenes content at a client’s store, you knock over a display shelf, damaging several items. The client holds you responsible for the loss. 

How Public Liability insurance can help: 

Without Public Liability insurance, you would be scrabbling around, trying to find a solicitor to take on your case, and worrying about how you’re going to find the money to pay someone else’s bills as well as your own. However, a social media freelancer who’s taken out Public Liability insurance will often be assigned a legal team to look after their case. Plus, often the policy will cover any damages (up to the limit stated), which might be awarded to the other side to cover their lost income. 

Business Equipment insurance for social media freelancers 

Okay, so this one is a bit more obvious than the others, but no less important. Your laptop, smartphone, and camera are your lifeline as a social media freelancer. Without them, your business comes to a halt.  

Business Equipment insurance can cover your essential equipment anywhere in the world and protect it against loss, theft or damage. Often a policy will cover for your gear to be replaced or provide the cash in your account within 24 hours of you reporting a loss, so that you can get back to work ASAP. This policy is ideal for freelancers who often work on the go, ensuring that lost or damaged gear doesn’t derail deadlines or income. 

Example social media freelancer Business Equipment claim:  

You’re travelling across London on the Tube to visit a client for a strategy meeting about an upcoming Meta ad campaign. You’re so nervous about the big presentation that you have to give, that you don’t even notice that you’ve lost your bag on the Victoria line – with your nearly new MacBook Pro in it. An uninsured freelancer would have nothing to do but weep and let all their clients know that they are going to be unable to work for a few days while they source a replacement. 

How Business Equipment cover can help: 

As Business Equipment insurance for freelancers covers any gear owned by your business, including your MacBook Pro! A policy will wither replace it with new model within a set timeframe or transfer the equivalent cash straight into your bank account, so you can get back to work straightaway. 

Cyber Liability insurance for social media freelancers 

It’s likely as well as creating content for your clients, you have access to their social media platforms so you can post it too. This means you not only have sensitive data at your fingertips, but you also have the potential of letting scammers directly into your client’s business. 

Cyber Liability insurance provides essential support if you’re targeted by scammers or hackers. It covers costs related to recovering access to accounts, managing reputational damage, and any fines you may face for compromised client data. It can potentially cover you for any regulatory fines that might be incurred.  

Example social media freelancer Cyber Liability claim:  

You click a link in an email claiming to be from Instagram Support. It’s a phishing scam, and hackers gain access to your client’s accounts, posting inappropriate content that damages their reputation. This means you can’t continue working for that client and you have to explain to them why their social media accounts have been comprised. This results in lost income for your business and a dip in your reputation. 

How Cyber Liability insurance can help: 

Holding a Cyber Liability policy means you can immediately access support via the 24-hour support line. The team are able to help return your access and improve your computer system resilience so it’s less likely to happen again. Luckily your client is really impressed everything was resolved so quickly. The Business Interruption helps cover some of the lost business income too. 

Why choose Kingsbridge for insurance for your freelance social media business? 

We know how fast-paced and high-pressure the world of social media freelancing can be. Our insurance policies are designed to offer peace of mind so you can focus on creating amazing content for your clients. Kingsbridge have been providing insurance to social media freelancers for many years. We have a tailored policy package for social media experts, built by our years of expertise. So, you can be sure your insurance package has everything your business needs. 

We understand the challenges freelancers face, so we offer flexible monthly payments to make insurance accessible and affordable. Plus, you can adjust your coverage as your business grows to make sure you are always adequately protected. Plus, our Price Promise guarantees you won’t find the same cover elsewhere for less.  

Don’t wait until something goes wrong—protect your business and reputation today with Kingsbridge’s specialised insurance for social media freelancers. Contact us today for a quote either online or by ringing our team on 01242 808740.