If you're looking to market your business for free or want to invest in ads - here’s a list of the best social platforms to help drive traffic to your website and get more sales:
YouTube 📹
YouTube is a goldmine for creators, offering both short-form (YouTube Shorts) and long-form videos. It’s perfect for tutorials, educational content, vlogs, and product reviews. You can make content yourself to funnel people to a service or a product. You could run ads or buy partnership/review from influencers. As a little bonus, you can monetize through ad revenue once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. YouTube has built-in SEO + videos rank well on Google, which gives you long-term traffic potential. It’s a slow grind but pays off big once your channel picks up momentum, so keep posting consistently.
Pinterest 📌
Pinterest is a visual playground. You post photos or videos and add a link, which means your whole pin becomes a link. Probably the greatest one for driving traffic to your website or e-commerce store. Users are spenders as well, so high-quality organic traffic comes directly from Pinterest. If you know how to design eye-catching pins, it's time to post. The platform thrives on images and infographics, and with the right keywords, your pins can stay relevant for years, which means slow but steady traffic. This is where the money’s at.
Instagram 📸
Instagram thrives on Reels and Photos. You either announce your link or product in the content, or you funnel your followers through Stories. They don't pay you for the content you post (unless you get into their Creator Fund), but it's a must-have to build a following. This can later be monetized through brand deals, product sales, or affiliate marketing. Instagram’s algorithm favors consistent posting and high engagement, so the key is getting creative with your content.
TikTok 🎵
TikTok is all about viral short-form videos and it's a fast-track to getting your brand noticed if your content hits the right note. TikTok only pays creators in certain countries (USA, Japan, Korea, France, Brazil, and Germany) through its Creator Fund once they reach 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. The real power here is in brand awareness and the potential to reach a massive audience quickly. Play to trends and make your videos shareable—that’s how you win on TikTok.
Threads 💬
Threads is still relatively new (released 2023), but it’s easy to gain traction and build a following. Instagram actively boosts Threads posts on the Instagram feed. You can use Threads to share Reels, Photos, or Text to keep your audience engaged in a conversational way. Think of it like Twitter’s friendlier cousin, easy to link to your business. Grow your community now, and it could pay off down the line.
X (Twitter) 🐦
In 2024, you have to purchase the $16/month premium checkmark on X to actually get any traffic on your posts. It’s perfect for engaging with trending topics and driving traffic to other monetizable platforms or your website. Consistent posting and commenting are your best bets here. You can also earn for posting if you’ve purchased the premium, and you can advertise your product on X.
Facebook 👥
Facebook has a mature audience and multiple ways to engage, from posts to Groups and ads. Its ad targeting is second to none with a huge portfolio of people. If you’re looking to grow a loyal audience or drive sales, Facebook is still one of the top platforms to be on. Try repurposing your content from other platforms and see what sticks.
Snapchat 👻
Snapchat is more of a wild card. Its audience is young. It’s possible to link to products or your website via stories and your profile. Snapchat’s strength lies in creating quick, and funny content that builds a connection with your followers. It’s not a primary platform for revenue but can work well in a broader marketing reach and follower base.
Quora ❓
This is a long-game SEO strategy where you answer questions in your niche, throw in a subtle link to your product or service, and watch as your answer ranks on Google. If your answers provide value, they’ll drive traffic for months, even years. Just don’t spam—give genuine, useful insights, and your links will get clicks over time.
Reddit 👾
With thousands of niche communities, Reddit is a great space to find highly targeted audiences, though tread carefully because it can get toxic. If you can't provide genuine value and secretly add in your links for self-promotion, they will eat you alive. Otherwise, 9/10 - good SEO. Be transparent and give before you ask. There's no revenue for posting, so it's more about building trust within a community, which can pay off in terms of traffic or sales.
LinkedIn 💼
LinkedIn is a goldmine for B2B networking and high-quality lead generation. Here, you start by sharing thought leadership content, case studies, or engaging posts. Slowly build authority and credibility while including links for interested spenders. It's a long game, but here you build connections that can turn into clients or partnerships, making LinkedIn a strong platform for business growth.
Medium ✍️
Medium is an excellent space for entrepreneurs to get a voice online. You can write and publish blog posts that rank well on Google, helping to drive long-term SEO traffic. The key is to offer insights, case studies, and value while subtly funneling readers to your products or services. It's perfect for establishing credibility in your niche and developing backlinks to your websites.