Hi TRK1w,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
From what I understand, it sounds like you are running low on your iPhone hard drive storage and you purchased iCloud storage hoping that would alleviate the situation. iCloud storage will not increase your iPhone’s hard drive storage.
iCloud: iCloud storage plan overview
When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5 GB of free storage. Your iCloud storage is used for iCloud Backup, app data and documents stored in iCloud, and iCloud Mail (your @icloud.com email account). If you need more storage space, you can upgrade to a larger storage plan. For more information, see the Apple Support article Storage upgrade pricing.
What I would recommend in this situation would be to check what is using your storage space on your iPhone and free up some spaced based on what you no longer need on your device. Please let me know if I can be further assistance.
See how much storage you've used on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Have a great day,
Joe