Organic social definitely still has a place, but only if you treat it like building a garden, not turning on a tap. Too many people expect instantaneous returns from a channel that's really about trust, repetition, and a dash of luck with the algorithm.
Paid ads can get you results quicker, but they also ruthlessly expose any cracks in your offer. if the landing page isn't tight, the angle isn't sharp, or the unit economics don't add up, you're just burning cash to learn what doesn't work.
For early-stage founders, I'd always recommend playing in the organic sandbox first. That's where you discover the language and hooks that actually resonate. once you have a signal-something that makes people stop scrolling and actually care-then layer on the paid spend. Jumping straight into ads without that groundwork is an expensive way to discover your weak spots.