Let’s set the scene: Two sibling businesses, born from the same family and raised together, but with different timelines and goals. One’s a younger face in the neighborhood, eager to make friends and grow followers fast. The older sibling already has deep roots in the community and a loyal circle; they’re focused on keeping the friendships they’ve worked hard to get, converting their followers to fans. Each takes their own approach to social media, through organic posting and paid ads, to fill out their proverbial table.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you should put money behind your social posts with paid ads or let them spread their own wings organically… this blog post is for you.
A Tale of Two Sisters
Imagine these two businesses like sisters getting ready to host a Thanksgiving dinner.
The Younger Sister: She’s the new kid on the block, still making friends and hoping to fill her table. With Thanksgiving coming up, she’s got her eye on all the empty seats, so she starts sending out invitations to new neighbors, schoolmates, and friends she hasn’t yet met. She spends extra energy making introductions (think: paid ads) to get as many new faces around her table as she can.
Since June, putting a little spending money behind those invitations made a world of difference for this new sister business. Her following jumped from just 17 friends to over 500 in 5 months! In addition, her posts were seen by more than 22,000 people, and she welcomed 86 new followers last month, almost all thanks to those “meet-cute” paid ads. The younger sister’s table is filling up, fast.
The Older Sister: She’s been part of the community for decades, and her Thanksgiving table is already full of familiar faces. She isn’t rushing around with extra flyers this year. Instead, she’s in the kitchen perfecting her meal, planning the stories she wants to share, and thinking about who needs a little extra encouragement. Her energy goes into the feast and the conversation, organic posts focused on deepening personal relationships and loyalty. Her follower count doesn’t change much (only three new this month), but her faithful crowd shows up hungry for connection. And when she posts about community events or gives a shout-out to a neighbor, the interaction at her table (likes, comments, shares) more than doubles.
What Paid and Organic Each Do Best
It’s a difference of converting followers versus fans. Think of it like this: Paid social is the invitation to your Thanksgiving celebration. It’s what you use when your table has empty seats and you want to bring in fresh faces, new energy, and build a circle that’s bigger than the one you started with.
Organic social? That’s the meal itself including the stories, laughter, and connection that make people want to linger long after the pumpkin pie has been served. When the table is already surrounded by friends, it’s not about how many show up but how much they enjoy being there and how many will look forward to coming back again.
So here’s the heart of it: paid ads get more people to your social table, especially when you’re just starting out or want to add new faces. Organic posts are what keeps them coming back, hungry for the next gathering, and eager for a place around your table next year. At times you need both: one to bring in followers, the other to make them fans.
It’s Not Either/Or… It’s Both
Let’s make something clear: organic and paid social are not mutually exclusive. Your organic posting efforts should never pause or be relegated to the back burner. Just like relationships, they need steady care to stay healthy. Paid is the complementary layer, the timely invitation you turn up for launches, seasonality, or new market pushes. Paid ads work best when they show up alongside your organic posts, not in place of, giving your table a boost for special occasions or when you want to add a few more seats.
Always keep organic posting going…
- It’s how you serve up what makes people stay: warmth, stories, and belonging.
- It keeps your regulars engaged, turning followers into true fans and friends.
- It reminds everyone why your table is worth returning to—week after week, season after season.
Add paid posting when…
- Your engagement has started to slow down and your table could use new energy. Paid offers a way to invite fresh faces who are truly interested in what you offer and not just bodies filling a seat.
- You’re new and need a jumpstart introducing yourself.
- You want your latest service, offer, or announcement to reach people beyond your usual circle.
- You’re aiming to quickly fill open seats with fresh faces, like boosting your table size for a big holiday.
The truth is, you can’t skip the meal and expect people to stay, just like you can’t fill a bigger table if nobody knows about the party. Paid advertising extends that first invitation, helping newcomers find your table. But it’s your ongoing, genuine organic social posts that give them a reason to pull up a chair, and to keep showing up year after year.
Lessons from Our Case Study
Looking at our “sisters” case study:
- The younger sister, using both paid and organic, welcomed nearly three times more people, multiplied her following, and brought loads of newcomers into the fold. Paid got the invitations out; organic kept the seats filled.
- The older sister focused solely on the quality of her organic posting. She didn’t add as many new faces but saw her usual crowd contributing to the conversation, more than doubling engagement.
Here’s the lesson: don’t put away the good china just because the party’s over. Keep nurturing your fans and friendships with regular organic posts, even as you send out more invitations with paid ads. Growth is exciting, but it’s the relationships around your table that turn followers into true fans.
How to Start Growing BOTH Followers AND Fans
- Start by Knowing Your Why: Are you hungry for growth, or are you nurturing what you already have?
- Post organic content regularly. Show up three times a week if you can. Share real moments such as team shout-outs, happy customers, stories behind the work. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun, even if you make a mess from time to time. Sometimes that’s the honesty that people need to see you as more than a sales pitch.
- Set aside a weekly ad budget, even if it’s small. Pick your best-performing post (the one with the most likes, comments, or shares) and put a little money behind it. Let it extend your invitation to folks who haven’t pulled up a chair yet.
- Always match your message to your audience. If you’re reaching out to new people, welcome them in. If you’re talking to your loyal regulars, thank them and keep the conversations going.
- Watch the right numbers. Yes, follower growth and reach matter. But so do comments, shares, and the warmth of your audience’s feedback. Are you building relationships or just filling seats?
Common Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)
- Don’t pass out invitations to just anyone. It’s important to think about who you want at your table and invite with intention.
- Don’t send newcomers confusing directions. If you’re inviting folks over, make it easy to find your house and their seat at the table (with a well-crafted landing page to your website or welcoming post).
- Don’t stuff your table with people who won’t stick around. A smaller, connected group is more meaningful than a crowded room full of wallflowers. (And Meta’s algorithms like it, too!)
- Don’t expect everyone to become family after one meal. We build fans over time, one story and shared moment at a time.
Your Next Steps
Still unsure how to make paid and organic social posting work for you? Unsure if you should be focused on converting fans versus followers (or perhaps both)? Let’s talk. At Cup O Code, we see ourselves as party planners and your biggest cheerleaders, here to help you set the table, send the invitations, and keep the stories and connection flowing long after the last piece of banana pudding is gone. Want the big crowd and the engagement, too? You can have both.
Let’s make sure you do.
