Organic vs paid social media: Everything you need to know

Weighing the options between organic vs paid social media? We’ll save you some legwork: you’re probably going to want to do a bit of both. The post Organic vs paid social media: Everything you need to know appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.

May 23, 2025 - 21:20

Organic vs paid social media: Everything you need to know

Trying to decide between organic vs. paid social media as a part of your strategy? We’ll let you in on a secret: you’re probably going to want to do a bit of both.

Paid and organic social media are two different beasts best harnessed for different goals. But for a holistic approach that balances awareness with conversion, it pays to know the pros and cons of each.

Let’s explore organic vs. paid social media, the benefits and drawbacks of each, and how you can choose the right strategy — or seamlessly combine the two for the best results.

Bonus!!!

Download a free guide to social advertising and learn the 5 steps to building effective campaigns. No tricks or boring tips—just simple, easy-to-follow instructions that really work.

Download now

What is organic social media?

Organic social media refers to the free or unpaid content (posts, photos, videos, memes, stories, etc.) that all users — people and brands alike — share with each other across social media.

Examples of organic social media activities include:

Sharing regular, non-boosted content to your social media feeds
Encouraging your team to share company content on their own feeds (employee advocacy)
Engaging with your audience by responding to comments and direct messages in a timely and genuine manner
Sharing user-generated content that your community has organically shared with their own followers

As a brand, when you post organically to your account, you can expect that the people who will see it are:

A percentage of your followers (your “organic reach”)
People who visit your social media profile
Your followers’ followers (if people choose to share your post)
People following any hashtags you use
People the algorithm thinks your content will like (i.e., “suggested content”)

It sounds pretty simple, but the reason that organic social media is the foundation of every digital marketing strategy today is because it’s the best way to nurture a connection with your customers at scale.

For example, brands use organic social to:

Generate awareness and conversation around their products or services
Establish their personality and voice
Build relationships by sharing informative, entertaining, and/or inspiring content
Engage customers at every stage of their buying journey
Support their customers with customer service

Here are a few examples of typical organic content.

First, we have an Instagram post where Asian Fusion restaurant CO shares a photo of a dinner dish perfect for the weather: