You know your company needs YouTube. You've seen competitors growing their channels, you understand the long-term value, and you're ready to invest. But when you start researching YouTube agencies, the pricing is all over the map.
Some agencies quote €2,000 per month. Others want €30,000. One freelancer offers to 'handle everything' for €1,500. Meanwhile, that premium agency your friend recommended won't even discuss pricing until after a discovery call.
What's actually reasonable? What should you expect to pay? And more importantly—what are you actually getting for your money?
After analyzing pricing from 50+ YouTube agencies and spending 15 years in the video marketing space, I'm going to give you the transparent breakdown most agencies won't: what YouTube marketing actually costs, what you get at each price tier, and how to avoid overpaying for underwhelming results.
The Quick Answer: YouTube Agency Pricing Tiers
Before we dive deep, here's the landscape at a glance:
Freelancer / Solo Creator: €1,000-€3,000/month
Typically handles editing only or basic optimization. Good for very small channels with minimal requirements.
Production-Only Agency: €2,000-€5,000/month
Provides video production services—filming, editing, maybe some basic graphics. You handle strategy, scripting, and optimization yourself.
SEO/Optimization Agency: €3,000-€8,000/month
Focuses on making your existing content more discoverable. Includes keyword research, metadata optimization, and analytics reporting. You still need to create the content.
Ads Management Agency: €5,000-€12,000/month + ad spend
Runs YouTube advertising campaigns. Typically charges a percentage of ad spend (15-20%) or flat management fee. Doesn't include organic growth.
Full-Stack Growth Agency: €10,000-€30,000/month
End-to-end channel growth: strategy, content creation, production, optimization, analytics, and integration with your marketing ecosystem. This is what Humble&Brag provides.
Now let's break down exactly what you get at each tier—and why the pricing varies so dramatically.
Tier 1: Freelancer / Solo Creator (€1,000-€3,000/month)
What You Get:
Video editing (typically 2-4 videos/month)
Basic thumbnail creation
Simple title and description writing
Maybe some basic SEO (tags, categories)
What You DON'T Get:
Channel strategy
Content research and ideation
Scriptwriting
Production/filming support
Analytics and optimization
Consistent availability
Best For:
Personal brands, very small businesses, or companies that already have strong internal YouTube expertise but need extra hands for execution.
The Reality:
Freelancers can be great tactical support, but they're rarely equipped to drive strategic growth. You're essentially hiring an extra pair of hands, not a growth partner. If your channel isn't already performing well, a freelancer won't change that.
Tier 2: Production-Only Agency (€2,000-€5,000/month)
What You Get:
Professional video editing (4-8 videos/month)
Motion graphics and animations
Custom thumbnail design
Sound design and mixing
Color grading
Sometimes: on-location filming
What You DON'T Get:
Content strategy or planning
Topic research
SEO optimization
Analytics or performance reporting
Channel growth strategy
Best For:
Companies with a dedicated internal YouTube strategist who knows what content to create, but lacks production capacity.
The Reality:
Production agencies make your videos look professional, but they won't make your channel grow. If you hire a production agency without a clear content strategy, you'll end up with beautifully edited videos that nobody watches. We see this constantly—companies spend €5k/month on production and wonder why they're stuck at 500 subscribers after a year.
Tier 3: SEO/Optimization Agency (€3,000-€8,000/month)
What You Get:
Comprehensive keyword research
Title and thumbnail optimization
Description and tag optimization
Playlist structure and organization
Competitor analysis
Monthly analytics reports
A/B testing recommendations
What You DON'T Get:
Content creation or production
Strategic channel positioning
Format testing and innovation
Business outcome tracking (leads, revenue)
Best For:
Established channels (50+ videos) with consistent publishing but low discoverability.
The Reality:
SEO agencies can absolutely boost your visibility—but only if your content is already good. If your videos aren't engaging, no amount of optimization will save them. The YouTube algorithm doesn't reward well-optimized mediocre content; it rewards content people want to watch. SEO amplifies good content; it doesn't fix bad content.
Tier 4: Ads Management Agency (€5,000-€12,000/month + ad spend)
What You Get:
YouTube Ads campaign setup and management
Audience targeting and segmentation
Ad creative testing
Budget allocation and optimization
Performance reporting (CTR, CPV, conversions)
Sometimes: basic video ad creation
Pricing Structure:
Typically 15-20% of ad spend OR €5-12k flat fee, whichever is higher. So if you're spending €50k/month on ads, expect to pay €7.5-10k in management fees on top of that.
What You DON'T Get:
Organic channel growth
Content strategy or production
Sustainable brand building
Best For:
Companies with proven offers, clear conversion funnels, and budgets of €30k+/month in ad spend.
The Reality:
YouTube Ads agencies are specialists in paid traffic. They're excellent at what they do—but the moment you turn off ad spend, your growth stops. There's no compounding effect, no owned audience, no asset building. For most startups and scale-ups, investing in organic growth first creates the foundation for more effective paid campaigns later.
Tier 5: Full-Stack Growth Agency (€10,000-€30,000/month)
What You Get:
Comprehensive channel strategy and positioning
Content format research and testing
Topic ideation backed by data
Professional scriptwriting
Full video production (filming, editing, graphics)
Custom thumbnail design
SEO optimization
Conversion funnel design
Distribution strategy across all channels
Analytics and continuous optimization
Revenue attribution and business impact tracking
Integration with your marketing ecosystem
Deliverables:
Typically 4 long-form videos per month, 8-12 Shorts, plus strategic consulting and optimization work. Some agencies (like Humble&Brag) also include quarterly strategy reviews and workshop facilitation.
Best For:
Startups and scale-ups that need YouTube to drive measurable business results, not just visibility. Companies that want to build YouTube as a strategic asset but lack the internal resources to do it themselves.
The Reality:
Yes, it's the most expensive option. But it's also the only approach that delivers end-to-end growth. At Humble&Brag, our clients typically see measurable business impact (leads, revenue) within 3 months, not 12-24 months. Why? Because we're not just optimizing or producing—we're building complete growth systems.
The math is straightforward: if YouTube drives €50k in annual revenue in year one and €200k+ by year two (conservative based on our track record), is €120-240k in annual investment unreasonable? Not when you compare it to paid ads that generate little compounding value.
Hidden Costs to Watch Out For
Beyond the monthly retainer, be aware of these potential additional costs:
Onboarding Fees: €2,000-€10,000
Some agencies charge upfront for strategy workshops, channel audits, and initial setup. This is reasonable if it includes comprehensive strategic work.
Revisions Beyond Scope: €500-€2,000 per video
Most contracts include 2-3 rounds of revisions. Additional rounds cost extra.
Stock Footage/Music Licensing: €200-€800/month
Sometimes included in the package, sometimes billed separately.
On-Location Production: €2,000-€5,000 per shoot day
If the agency needs to travel to film at your office or event, expect travel costs and day rates.
Paid Promotion Budget
Some agencies recommend (or require) a minimum ad spend budget for initial traction. This is separate from organic growth services.
What ROI Should You Expect at Each Price Point?
Let's be brutally honest about what each investment level typically delivers:
€1,000-€3,000/month (Freelancer)
Expected outcome: Professionally edited videos, slightly better presentation. Unlikely to move the needle on channel growth unless you have excellent strategy already.
€2,000-€5,000/month (Production)
Expected outcome: High production quality videos. Growth depends entirely on your internal strategy capability.
€3,000-€8,000/month (SEO)
Expected outcome: 20-40% increase in impressions and views within 90 days, if content quality is already solid. Won't transform a struggling channel.
€5,000-€12,000/month (Ads)
Expected outcome: Depends on ad spend and offer. Good agencies deliver 3-5x ROAS. But growth stops when ads stop.
€10,000-€30,000/month (Full-Stack Growth)
Expected outcome: Measurable business impact within 90-180 days. Sustainable compound growth. Channel becomes self-funding through leads/revenue by month 6-12. Our clients typically see 2-5x ROI by end of year one.
When Does €10k+/Month Make Sense?
The €10-30k/month tier seems expensive—until you run the math. Here's when it's not just reasonable, but necessary:
You're a B2B company with €50k+ average contract value
If YouTube generates just 3-5 qualified leads per year that close, you've 3-10x'd your investment.
Your customer lifetime value is €5,000+
At €15k/month investment (€180k annual), you need 36 customers to break even. That's 3 per month from YouTube. Very achievable for most B2B SaaS companies.
You're currently spending €50k+/month on paid ads
Reallocating 20-30% to organic channel building creates a compounding asset that reduces paid dependency over time.
Your market is getting crowded
When everyone's running the same ads to the same audiences, owned media becomes your competitive moat.
You want to build a media brand in your space
Companies that become the go-to content source in their niche inevitably capture market share. Think HubSpot for marketing, Loom for async communication, or Rippling for HR.
Questions to Ask Before Signing a Contract
Regardless of price tier, ask these questions to avoid buyer's remorse:
About Deliverables:
"How many videos per month are included?"
"What exactly is included in one 'video'? (scripting, filming, editing, etc.)"
"How many revision rounds are included?"
"Do you handle Shorts in addition to long-form?"
About Strategy:
"Who develops the content strategy?"
"How do you determine what videos to make?"
"What happens if a video or format doesn't perform?"
About Team:
"Who specifically will be working on our account?"
"What's their experience with business channels vs creator channels?"
"Will we work with freelancers or in-house team?"
About Results:
"Can you show me a channel you've grown from zero?"
"What metrics do you use to measure success?"
"What's a realistic timeline for seeing results?"
About Contract:
"What's the minimum commitment period?"
"What's included vs what costs extra?"
"What happens to the content if we end the relationship?"
If an agency can't answer these clearly and confidently, that's a red flag.
The Bottom Line: You Get What You Pay For
YouTube agency pricing ranges from €1,000 to €30,000/month for a reason: the scope of work is radically different at each tier.
€1-3k gets you execution. €3-8k gets you optimization. €10-30k gets you transformation.
The mistake most companies make? They hire for what they can afford, not what they actually need. They pay €5k/month for production when they need €15k/month for growth. Six months later, they're frustrated and ready to give up on YouTube entirely.
Here's what I recommend: if you can't afford a full-stack growth agency (€10k+/month), don't just hire the cheapest option available. Instead, start small with strategic consulting, develop your internal capability, and scale up when you're ready to invest properly.
Want to discuss what a YouTube growth partnership would look like for your company? Let's talk.
