The Organic vs. Paid Debate

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What Organic Content Actually Does

Organic is your social proof.

Think of it as the best way to build trust, show up for your community, and give your brand a personality. It's where you get to flex your expertise without yelling, "BUY FROM ME."

It’s also:

• Where people go after seeing your ad

• What keeps followers from ghosting 👻 you

• How you turn casual lurkers 👀  into loyal fans

Without a strong organic presence, your paid ads are like fancy flyers for a business with no storefront. 🙃 It’s wasted $$ and time.

What Paid Content is Actually For

Some people have a misconception that paid content is just throwing money behind your content to be seen. They see it as a way to get ahead of the competition. And while that’s true, that misconception also carries a sense of “unfairness”… like you’re somehow cheating at a rigged game.

But here’s the reality: Paid content isn’t cheating. It’s strategic.

This is how you:

• Get discovered by new people FAST

• Target your audience based on behavior, interest, and engagement

• Scale what’s already working (instead of throwing $$ at what's not)

However, paid content won’t fix a weak organic strategy. It’ll just expose it. Hence why it’s so important to work on your organic before you ever spend a dime.

Harsh, I know. But necessary.

So... Do You Need Both?

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer? You don’t need to start with both at the same time — but ultimately, you will need both if you want a sustainable and scalable social media presence.

Here’s how it usually plays out:

If you're in the early stages of building your brand, organic content should be your first move. It gives you a low-risk space to test content, connect with your audience, and find your voice.

It’s how you figure out what your people care about, what they engage with, and what makes them stick around.

Once you start to see some patterns — like which posts are getting the most comments, what Reels keep being shared, or which topics make people click your bio link — that’s your sign to lean in with paid.

But paid doesn’t mean blowing your budget.

Even a small budget, thoughtfully spent, can go a long way when it’s paired with content that’s already proven to work.

Think of paid content as a megaphone for your best organic efforts. It gets you in front of more people who look like your current audience (without relying solely on the algorithm gods).

Still not sure if it’s time to blend the two? Here’s a general guide:

• Rely on organic when you’re still building brand awareness or testing offers.

• Add in paid when you’ve got something that converts, and you want to scale it.

• Use paid to get the attention, and organic to keep it.

It’s not either/or. It’s not a popularity contest. It’s a smart strategy — and it’s all about timing.