Paid social refers to social media advertising where businesses pay to have their content or ads displayed to users who fit specific targeting criteria. Organic social, on the other hand, refers to the non-paid, natural content that businesses post on their social media accounts to engage with their followers. While organic social is free, it often has a limited reach and may not effectively target a specific audience. Paid social, however, allows businesses to reach a larger and more targeted audience, but requires a budget to support it.