When Should You Use Organic vs Paid Social Media?

Your team is growing. The content is solid. Engagement is steady but not explosive. You have got a few successful posts under your belt, and your followers are slowly climbing.

But now leadership is asking the big question: “Should we start running paid social?” You pause.

Are you ready for that level of investment? Or is it too early to go all-in on ads when organic is still taking shape?

This is a familiar turning point for many social teams. In fact, a recent survey by Social Media Examiner found that only 27% of marketers don't use social ads, but instead rely on organic social activities only.

Meanwhile, industry forecasts reveal that social media ad spend will reach $239 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $273 billion in 2026. 

You've been playing the long game, earning attention through organic content. But with deadlines, KPIs, and revenue goals stacking up, the lure of paid reach and fast results is hard to ignore.

So how do you know what to do next? Before you hit “boost” or build your first campaign, it’s important to understand what each channel is really for.

Organic social media is about building relationships and trust over time. Paid social media is about precision, speed, and scale. Both have their place but not always at the same time.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to know when your team is ready to invest in paid, when to double down on organic, and how to use data to make scalable decisions along the way.

Let’s figure out your next move.

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

Let’s start by understanding the difference between organic and paid social because what you choose depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Organic social media refers to the free content your team shares on your brand’s profiles without any advertising spend behind them. These posts are shown primarily to your followers and, depending on engagement and platform algorithms, sometimes to their networks.

Paid social media involves putting a budget behind your content to reach a broader or more targeted audience. This includes boosted posts, display ads, sponsored content, and full-scale ad campaigns designed to drive specific actions like website clicks, lead generation, or conversions.

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison:

Category	Organic Social Media	Paid Social Media
Definition	Content published without ad spend, intended to engage followers and grow naturally	Content amplified with budget to reach targeted users beyond your existing audience
Reach	Limited to followers and extended network (if content is highly engaging)	Broad and customizable reach with precise audience targeting (demographics, interests)
Cost	No direct cost, but time and resources are required for content creation	Direct financial investment; pricing varies by platform, objective, and competition
Speed of Results	Slow and gradual; growth is organic and builds over time	Immediate visibility and performance metrics as soon as campaign launches
Best Use Cases	- Building community and trust - Showcasing brand personality - Customer support	- Driving conversions - Promoting time-sensitive offers - Testing new messages or products
Longevity	Evergreen; content can continue to generate engagement over time	Short-lived unless you continue to invest in the campaign
Control Over Audience	Minimal; algorithms determine who sees the content based on engagement and history	High; you define who sees your content based on interests, behavior, and location
Data Insights	Platform analytics on engagement, reach, and audience growth	More robust data on impressions, click-through rates, conversion tracking, ROI
Algorithm Dependency	High; success depends on how well the content performs in the feed algorithm	Less reliant on algorithm, more on bid strategy and creative effectiveness
Authenticity Factor	Perceived as more genuine and relatable	May be seen as more promotional or transactional
Scalability	Difficult to scale rapidly	Highly scalable with budget and A/B testing
Examples	Feed posts, Stories, Reels, carousels, Tweets, Threads posts	Sponsored posts, carousel ads, lead forms, app installs, video ads
ROI Measurement	Harder to attribute directly to sales or revenue	Easier to measure direct outcomes (clicks, purchases, leads)

Why does the timing of organic vs paid social media matter?

When it comes to social media strategy, timing isn’t just about posting at the right hour, it’s also about knowing when to prioritize organic efforts and when to invest in paid campaigns.

Using the right channel at the right stage can mean the difference between wasted budget and meaningful growth.

1. Building your foundation with organic

Glossier is a beauty brand known for its devoted community and authentic storytelling. Early on, Glossier focused heavily on organic social, engaging followers with behind-the-scenes content, user-generated posts, and relatable beauty tips. 

This helped the brand build trust and a loyal audience without spending heavily on ads. Their organic presence created a strong brand voice and community that paid efforts later amplified.

If Glossier had jumped straight into paid ads before cultivating this connection, its messaging might have fallen flat with audiences unfamiliar with its brand ethos.

2. Scaling with paid

When launching targeted campaigns like their “Live Anywhere on Airbnb” initiative, Airbnb used paid social media to rapidly reach new audiences across multiple countries.

They took proven organic content, showcasing stunning homes and travel experiences, and boosted it with paid ads to drive bookings and awareness at scale.

Because Airbnb had already tested and refined its messaging organically, its paid campaigns performed efficiently, maximizing budget while hitting clear business goals. 

The campaign received over 223 million impressions and nearly 1 million engagements. Additionally, Airbnb saw a 10% increase in long-term stays during the campaign's run.

3. Timing your strategy

• Early Stage: Prioritize organic to build authenticity and understand your audience. This is where you learn what content resonates and build lasting relationships.

• Growth Stage: Once you identify winning content themes, invest in paid to amplify reach and meet business targets like lead generation or sales.

• Campaign-Specific: Use paid social for time-sensitive promotions or product launches where speed and scale matter most.

  
  

Brands that master this timing, not just doing both at once, are the ones that get the best return on their social investment.

When should you use organic social media?

Organic social media is the heartbeat of your brand’s presence online. It’s where you build relationships, share your story, and cultivate a loyal community without paying for reach. But when exactly should you lean into organic?

1. When building brand awareness and trust

Organic content lets you show your brand’s personality and values over time. 

Patagonia uses organic social media to share stories about environmental activism, product sustainability, and customer adventures, all of which build deep emotional connections without direct sales pressure.

If your goal is to create lasting awareness and foster trust, organic is your best bid.

2. When engaging and nurturing your community

Social media is a two-way street. Organic posts invite comments, shares, and conversations that nurture real relationships. 

Brands like Starbucks frequently post engaging content from seasonal drinks to user-generated photos that spark interaction and loyalty.

Use organic social when your priority is engagement and ongoing dialogue with your audience.

3. When testing content ideas and messaging

Organic is a low-risk way to experiment with different types of posts to see what resonates. Nike often shares new campaign concepts organically first to gauge audience reaction before scaling paid efforts. Testing organically helps avoid wasting ad spend on unproven content.

4. When you have a limited budget or resources

Not every brand can afford a big paid ad budget. Organic social is free (beyond content creation time), making it ideal for startups or nonprofits building their presence with limited resources.

5. When supporting customer service and real-time updates

Organic social is perfect for quick, authentic communication, whether answering questions, addressing concerns, or sharing timely news. Airlines like Delta use organic posts and tweets to update customers about flight delays or safety measures in real-time.

When is it time to use paid social media instead?

Paid social media isn’t just about boosting posts, it’s a golden gateway to reach a new audience base. So, when should your team consider shifting focus or adding paid campaigns to your social mix?

1. When you need faster results

If your goal is to quickly reach a larger or more targeted audience, paid social is the way to go. Unlike organic, which grows gradually, paid ads can amplify your message instantly.

During Black Friday sales, retailers like Best Buy ramp up paid campaigns to drive immediate traffic and conversions. Paid social is ideal when timelines are tight and results can’t wait.

2. When you want to reach new, specific audiences

Organic content clips your wings by limiting your reach. It is mostly viewed by your existing followers and their networks, but paid advertising lets you target by demographics, interests, behaviors, and even custom audiences. 

Brands like Spotify use paid ads to promote personalized playlists and subscriptions to precisely defined groups, helping them expand beyond their organic reach.

If your goal is audience expansion or entering new markets, paid social provides precision.

3. When you have proven content that performs well organically

Before investing money, it’s wise to test and optimize your messaging organically. Once you identify content that resonates, such as a viral video or popular blog post, paid social can help you scale that success.

Booking often boosts top-performing organic content during seasonal campaigns to maximize bookings. Paid social works the best when built on a strong organic foundation.

4. When you're running time-sensitive campaigns or promotions

Paid social shines for limited-time offers, product launches, or events where rapid awareness and action are critical.

Adidas uses paid social media to promote new sneaker drops or exclusive releases, making sure they reach a broad audience quickly. When speed and impact matter, paid social is your best bet.

5. When you need detailed measurement and ROI Tracking

Paid campaigns come with sophisticated tracking tools that let you measure conversions, cost-per-click, and overall ROI. If your business needs clear data to justify marketing spend, paid social reveals granular insights that organic alone can’t provide.

How can you tell what’s working?

One of the biggest challenges in social media is knowing which efforts are actually moving the needle. So here’s what you need to do next.

1. Define clear goals first

Before you dive into metrics, clarify what success looks like for your brand. Are you aiming to:

• Build awareness?

• Increase engagement?

• Drive website traffic?

• Generate leads or sales?

Your goals will dictate which metrics matter most. Measure Studio consolidates your organic social metrics into a single dashboard, giving you a picture of how your content is performing.

2. Track the right metrics for organic social

For organic content, focus on indicators that show audience interest and community growth:

• Engagement Rate (likes, comments, shares) signals how well your content resonates.

• Follower Growth reveals whether your audience is expanding.

• Reach and Impressions indicate how many people see your posts.

• Mentions and Sentiment help gauge brand perception.

  
  

3. Analyze paid social performance with ROI in mind

Paid social gives you details about your return on investment:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR) shows if your ad creative and copy attract clicks.

• Conversion Rate tracks how many users take desired actions (purchase, sign-up).

• Cost Per Click (CPC) and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) help assess cost efficiency.

• Impressions and Frequency ensure your ads reach enough people without overwhelming them.

  

By integrating all your paid social ad accounts into Measure Studio, you gain a holistic view of your campaign's reporting.

4. Use A/B Testing to optimize

Testing variations of your content like different headlines, images, and calls to action can reveal what performs best. For paid social, A/B testing is essential to maximize budget and results. Organic content can also be experimented with by varying posting times or formats.

Beyond individual posts, analyze broader trends over weeks or months. Are engagement rates improving? Is paid traffic converting better over time?

Wrapping up

Now is the time to break down those pesky silos between creative and performance teams. Don’t forget to leave room for a little trial and error. Social media changes faster than TikTok trends, so being quick on your feet beats trying to be perfect every time.

The brands that really crush it aren’t just doing organic posts or paid ads separately. They use both in moderation. And soon, you’ll turn scrolls into conversations and likes into loyal fans.

With Measure Studio, get insights that help you double down on what works and tweak what doesn’t, so every dollar and post counts.

With the right strategy, teamwork, and tools, you’ll build a social media ecosystem that not only grows your brand but actually makes your audience love you. Now, go make some magic!

Get started with Measure Studio today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rely only on organic social media and skip paid ads?

While organic content is great for building trust and community, it usually grows slowly and reaches mostly your existing followers. Paid social helps you speed things up and reach new, specific audiences. True growth happens when you combine both strategically!

How do I know when it's time to start running paid campaigns?

When you have tested content organically and found what really clicks with your audience, and when you have clear business goals like driving sales or leads quickly, it’s time to bring in paid ads. Also, use paid for time-sensitive promos or launches that need fast impact.

How can Measure Studio help me with social media strategy?

Measure Studio puts all your organic and paid data in one easy dashboard. It helps you track what’s working, compare performance, and make smarter decisions so you can focus your budget and energy on content that truly moves the needle.