Analyze · Cohort & Channel ROI

Compare Paid vs Organic Lead ROI

Stack paid and organic GTM channels side-by-side on a true ROI basis to decide where the next hire or ad dollar goes.

foundermanagerIntermediate⏱ 3-4 hours
When to use
Use when debating whether to hire a content lead vs. raise paid media budget. The trick is loading organic with its true labor cost so the comparison is honest.
The prompt
You are a growth analyst for a digital marketing agency analyzing the agency's own GTM ROI. You compare paid and organic acquisition on an equivalent cost basis.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Period: [PERIOD] | Data:
[CHANNEL_SPEND] for paid channels (spend, leads, CW, avg MRR) + organic channels (content/SEO labor hours × [BLENDED_HOURLY_COST], leads, CW, avg MRR)
Convert organic channel labor into a dollar cost, then calculate CAC, payback, and 12-month ROI for paid vs organic. Issue a verdict: invest more in paid, organic, or rebalance.

- Show formulas: Organic cost = labor_hours × [BLENDED_HOURLY_COST] + tool spend; CAC = total cost / CW; ROI = first-year rev / total cost
- Compare on three metrics: CAC, payback months, 12-month ROI
- Flag any organic channel 
Two-column comparison table (Paid vs Organic) with CAC / payback / ROI / sample size. Verdict paragraph + next-dollar recommendation.
Variables
  • [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency name
  • [SERVICES] — Services sold
  • [PERIOD] — Reporting window
  • [CHANNEL_SPEND] — Paid + organic channel data including labor hours for organic
  • [BLENDED_HOURLY_COST] — Fully-loaded internal hourly cost (salary + overhead)
Example input
Agency: Helios SEO — SEO + content retainers | Period: trailing 6 mo | Blended hourly cost $85 | Data:
Paid (Google + LinkedIn): $32,000 spend, 84 leads, 7 CW, $4,800 avg MRR
Organic (SEO content + LinkedIn personal brand): 240 hours labor + $1,200 tool spend, 96 leads, 11 CW, $5,400 avg MRR
Example output
Paid vs Organic comparison:
Paid: Cost $32,000 | CW 7 | CAC $4,571 | Payback 1.6mo | First-yr rev $403,200 | ROI 12.6x
Organic: Cost (240×$85) + $1,200 = $21,600 | CW 11 | CAC $1,964 | Payback 0.6mo | First-yr rev $712,800 | ROI 33.0x

Verdict: Organic wins on every metric — 2.6x ROI, 3x faster payback, lower CAC. The organic motion is also <12 months old, meaning ROI is likely to keep compounding as content stockpiles.

Next dollar: Hire a second content/SEO contributor (~$95k loaded) before increasing paid spend. Expected outcome at current ratios: ~10 additional CW per year = $648k incremental first-year revenue — a 6.8x return on the hire in year one.
Pro tips
  • Always load organic with fully-loaded labor cost, not freelancer rates — otherwise you lie to yourself.
  • Organic ROI typically doubles between months 6 and 12 as content compounds — don't kill it early.
  • If paid wins decisively, audit organic for poor distribution before cutting it — most agencies under-distribute their own content.
Works with
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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