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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryBrand & Performance MarketingPaid Social

Brand & Performance Marketing

Paid Social

Advertising on social platforms such as Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snap.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Paid social is advertising on social platforms such as Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snap. Advertisers pay to place content in users' feeds, stories, and videos, targeting audiences by demographics, interests, and behavior. It is used for awareness, consideration, and direct response, and creative quality strongly affects results.