The Paid-to-Play Trap: Why I’m Done With “Boosting” Social Media Posts (And How I’m Finding Reach in 2026)

After 11 years in the virtual assistant and online business management industry, I’ve probably seen it all when it comes to social media. I’ve watched platforms rise and fall, seen “experts” claim that hashtags are dead (then alive, then dead again), and navigated more algorithm shifts than I care to count.

Lately, the noise has reached a fever pitch as it seems harder than ever to get posts seen. Heading into 2026, the general consensus appears to be that organic reach is dead and you have to “pay to play” to even get your own followers to see your face.

I want to be fully transparent with you: I don’t have a verified Meta or LinkedIn account. I don’t pay for LinkedIn Premium. I don’t run complex ad campaigns. And I absolutely do not “boost” my posts. But I used to.

The 2016 Experiment (And the Hangover That Followed)

Around 2016, I decided to play the boosting game. I put a bit of budget behind a few posts and, predictably, I saw a small uptick in engagement and followers. It felt good…for a minute.

Then I stopped paying.

Almost instantly, my organic reach tanked. It was as if the platform had tagged me as a “payer,” and once the money dried up, so did my visibility. It felt like a trap. After that experience, I made a choice: I’d rather build a slow, steady, and genuine community than be stuck on a financial treadmill just to get seen.

My 8 Pillars for Genuine Organic Reach

You don’t need a massive ad spend to find your people, even with the 2026 algorithm shifts that prioritise “watch time” and “conversation depth.” Here is my personal view on how to build reach organically (and yes, I believe this applies whether you’re on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook):

1. Consistency Over Intensity: If you only show up every few weeks, the algorithm assumes you’re no longer around. You don’t need to post every hour but aim for 3-5 times a week to show you’re a dependable part of the community.

2. Mix Your Media: Don’t be a one-trick pony and only post written content. Try using video for connection, carousels for teaching (I’m experimenting with these right now!), and images to grab attention. On Instagram, use stories to show the “behind the scenes” of your day.

3. The “Pause” Signal: Use strong hooks. Whether it’s a bold headline on an image encouraging people to read on or click more; or a punchy opening line, give people a reason to stop scrolling. If they pause, the platform notices.

4. Engagement is a Two-Way Street: When I’m quiet on my own feed, I spend more time liking and commenting on other people’s posts. Every time I do this, I see my own reach increase.

5. Audit Your Own Success: Look at your stats. Which posts did people actually save or share? Do more of that, but don’t be afraid to try something new – I’m experimenting with carousel posts at the moment and excited to see what the stats show about that!

6. Brand Identity Matters: Ensure your images are branded consistently. Use your colours and your logo so that when someone sees your post, they know it’s you before they even read the name.

7. Build Content With Different Aims: Build content that meets different content types, e.g. educational, sales, entertainment. There are lots of different ‘rules’ to mix content but I tend to go for the rule of 3rds and aim to have a 3rd of my content from each as it keeps your feed from feeling like a constant sales pitch. You can find out more about my content mixes here.

8. Ignore the “Shoulds”: If an expert says you must do Reels but you absolutely hate video, don’t do it. Find the format that you enjoy, because that’s the one you’ll actually stick to.

To Boost or Not to Boost?

If you are considering boosting your social media posts, I want you to go in with your eyes open. A “boost” is just a simplified ad, and it has some significant downsides for service-based businesses:

• It’s Random: Unlike a targeted ad campaign, boosting gives you very little control over who sees your post. It’s limited to people who like your page, their friends, and a basically defined audience with little control over filters. You can find out more about how it works here.
• It’s Expensive: Because the targeting is broad, you often end up paying more to reach the wrong people.
• The Metrics are Basic: You’ll see “likes,” but you won’t get the deep data you need to see if that post actually led to a lead or a sale.

It’s also important to understand the difference between boosting and ads from Meta themselves: you can read about that here.

Ultimately a boost is still an ad and its really about whether or not you want to pay to reach people quicker than you can organically and where that sits with your values and business vision.

In my experience, boosting works better for product-based businesses (where a “see it, buy it” impulse works). For us in the service sector, people buy us. They buy our expertise and our personality, and that requires the kind of trust that is built organically over time, not through a sponsored button.

Time for a Different Perspective?

I recently joined a local networking group and met Alicia Clough (an Instagram expert—you can find her here). She’s a big proponent of using boosts strategically, and it’s made me curious. One of her tips in her free eBook is to boost posts, I’ve not tried this yet but I am considering giving it another go to see what happens.

The 2026 algorithm is supposedly shifting to help smaller business owners find more “meaningful” reach. Your guess is as good as mine as to what affect this will have on our reach but I am hoping it will help us as small business owners.

Whether that’s true remains to be seen. But for now, my advice is this: build your foundation on genuine connection. Don’t let the fear of “the algorithm” force you into spending money you don’t need to.

What’s your take? Have you found boosting to be a waste of money, or has it been a game-changer for you? I’d love to hear your experience.