The Death of Organic Reach: Is Paid Social Your Only Option?

Dawn Ellis
2 days ago
2 min read

Let’s be honest - organic reach on social media feels like it’s on life support. You spend hours crafting the perfect post, pair it with a cracking visual, hit publish… and it reaches twelve people. Two of them, you and your mum. Sound familiar?

It’s not your content. It’s the algorithm.

What Happened to Organic Reach?

Once upon a time, your followers actually saw your posts. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram rewarded consistency, creativity, and engagement. But over the years, the rules have changed. Organic reach has declined across the board - especially on Facebook, where brand posts are lucky to hit 1-2% of their audience without boosting.

Why? Because these platforms are businesses. They want you to pay to play.

So, is it game over for organic? Not quite.

Paid Social Isn’t the Only Way

Let’s be clear: paid social works. Targeting, retargeting, lookalikes - a powerful way to get in front of the right people quickly. But throwing money at bad content won’t fix the issue either.

Instead, a smart social strategy blends paid and organic.

Organic is still valuable for:

Building brand identity - your voice, your values, your vibe
Engaging your existing community - even if smaller, it’s your most loyal audience
Testing what resonates - use organic posts to see what gets traction before promoting

How to Make Organic Work Harder

If you’re not ready to boost every post, here’s how to get more from your organic efforts:

Embrace video & reels - Short-form video is still king. The algorithm loves it. So does your audience.
Post with purpose - Don’t just fill a calendar. Share something valuable, insightful, or entertaining.
Spark conversation - Polls, questions, behind-the-scenes content—get people involved.
Optimise your timing - Consistency matters, but timing still plays a role. Use insights to post when your audience is most active.
Cross-promote - Don’t rely on just one platform. Share content across Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, email, and your website.

So… Is Paid the Future?

Paid social is no longer optional - it’s a core part of digital strategy. But it doesn’t replace organic. It enhances it. The brands winning today are those using paid ads to amplify what they’ve already built: strong messaging, clear branding, and engaging content.

Organic reach isn’t dead. It’s just… evolving. The key is to evolve with it.

Not Sure Where to Start?

If social media feels like a shouting match where no one’s listening, you’re not alone. At Lemon Pip Digital, we help brands cut through the noise - whether that means crafting killer organic content, setting up your first ad campaign, or doing both (beautifully).