Organic Reach vs Paid Reach — Explained Simply for Small Businesses

If you’re running a small business and posting on social media, you’ve probably heard about organic reach and paid ads. But what do these terms actually mean — and how can you use them to grow your business? Let’s break it down in simple terms.

What Is Organic Reach?

Organic reach is the number of people who see your posts without you paying for them.

Think of it like this: you post a photo of your product on Instagram, and your followers see it in their feed. Some of them might like, comment, or share it, which can help even more people discover your content — all naturally.

Pros:

Free! No money required.
Builds a loyal audience over time.
Great for engagement and community-building.

Cons:

Limited reach — only your followers and those they share with.
Can take longer to see results.

What is Paid Reach?

Paid Reach is basically the number of views you can get by running ads.

Instead of showing a post only to your followers, you show it to a larger audience that matches specific characteristics. This is called Paid Media.

You choose who sees them based on interests, location, age, and more.

For example, you could create an ad for your new product and show it to people who have visited your website or are interested in similar products, brands or behaviors.

Pros:

Can reach a much larger, targeted audience quickly.
Easier to measure results.
Perfect for launching a new product or promotion.

Cons:

Costs money
Needs strategy — ads that aren’t targeted well won’t perform.

Organic Reach vs Paid Ads — How to Decide

The truth is, you need both.

My advice would be to first focus on understanding and dominating your audience. Once you know exactly who you are targeting, you can move on to boosting a post.

But wait… Before you start boosting posts, I recommend reading this blog article: “Jumping into Paid Media.” It covers all the essentials so your ads can actually work effectively and deliver results.
Remember: it’s not just about putting money into ads — it’s about planning them correctly.

When you feel ready, implement both organic content and paid media. Consistency in organic posts combined with well-targeted paid ads is always the best formula for growth.

Organic content is the foundation of your strategy, altho it works more slowly. But paid ads won’t perform well if your organic content isn’t strong.
By that, I mean: communicating your product clearly, reaching the right people, using the right images, and having an optimized website.

So… Think of paid ads and organic content (working hand-in-hand) as your first marketing strategy.

We know that creating organic content can be the hardest part of marketing. It definitely takes work. So, the best advice? Use Bluumly to create your organic content and identify what resonates with your audience.

The best way to do it? set aside time once a week to create 10–15 posts, then schedule them throughout the week. With Bluumly, this will take only about 15 minutes. And your audience will see consistency and clarity in your brand.

Extra info:

If you’re not sure how to identify your audience, know when they are ready to buy, or understand which type of content to show them, make sure to read these blog articles:

Tips for Success

Track your results: See which posts perform best organically — these are great candidates for boosting with paid ads.
Start small with ads: Test different audiences and posts before committing to a big budget.
Be consistent: Regular organic posts keep your brand visible, even when you aren’t running ads.