Growing an Online Business Without an Ad Budget
It's no secret that companies spend a fortune on social media ads—think somewhere in the ballpark of $58 billion a year. But what if you're just getting started or without a massive budget? The good news is, you don't have to spend a dime to start growing your audience.
The question isn’t whether free methods exist; it’s whether you’re actually using them. Here are a few proven, effective ways to build your list before you ever think about paying for advertising.
Five Ways to Grow Your Audience for Free
Some of these might seem obvious, but consistency is what separates trying from succeeding.
1. Create a Valuable Resource with Expert Input
Instead of creating a freebie on your own, put together a guide or video series that features tips from other experts in your field. One real estate professional I know created a video series called “How to Get a Listing a Week” by simply asking other agents for their single best idea. Once they contributed, they were far more likely to share the final product with their own followers. It’s a classic win-win and a smart piece of .
2. Make Your Freebie Impossible to Miss
A link to your free resource should be everywhere your business has a presence. Add it to your Facebook cover photo, your Instagram and LinkedIn bios, your email signature, your website’s "About Us" page, and at the end of every blog post. Schedule some time to do a quick audit of all your online assets and make sure the link is featured prominently.
3. Run a Simple Quiz
Engagement is currency on social media. Post a simple question on your channels like, “If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your business, what would it be?” Offer a small prize to a random participant and promise to share the collective results with everyone who enters. For extra reach, you can give people a second entry for sharing the quiz. You can use free tools like Survey Monkey to pull this off for your .
4. Get Featured on Other Platforms
Look for blogs, podcasts, and live shows in your niche and offer to be a guest contributor. This is a perfect opportunity to share some valuable tips and then mention your free resource to their audience. It's an excellent way to build credibility for your by leveraging an audience someone else has already built.
5. Commit to a Weekly Live Video
When it comes to free distribution and lead generation, Facebook Live is hard to beat. The key is consistency. You have to show up regularly. Pick a time each week you know you can commit to and stick with it, no excuses. To work around my own chaotic schedule, I had to schedule mine for 9:00 P.M. on Wednesdays because it was the only time I could truly control. It doesn't matter when you do it, just that you do it.
How to Run a High-Impact Launch in 72 Hours
Last year, we had a record-breaking launch for a new podcast, and it was the result of a carefully planned 72-hour campaign. This strategy helped us get a ton of subscribers, grow our email list, and drive sales—all in just three days. You can use the same "stacking" approach to turn your .
The whole idea is to create a sense of mystery and build buzz before the big reveal. The offer needs to be so good you almost feel sick giving so much away—that's how you know it's a great offer.
Here’s how we did it:
I scheduled a Facebook Live to tease a "big announcement." This immediately created curiosity. We then shared the link to that upcoming Live across all our other social media channels to start funneling people toward the event.
Behind the scenes, we asked a handful of friends and family to download the first few episodes and leave reviews. This creates crucial social proof before anyone else sees it. On the morning of the announcement, we sent an email to our list and posted again on social media to remind everyone about the live stream.
Right as I went live, we sent out another round of notifications through email and Messenger. To get the platform's algorithm working for us, I started the live stream by asking simple engagement questions like where people were tuning in from. Then came the offer: I gave away a free "Powerpack" of goodies to everyone who subscribed right then and there, plus a chance to win an iPad for anyone who left a review.
Immediately after the announcement, we followed up with another email and Messenger blast containing the direct promotion link. We also posted it across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The next day, we sent one final follow-up email and social media post to catch anyone who might have missed it. This is how can gain serious traction.
By concentrating all your promotional energy into a very short window, you can make a huge splash. This coordinated effort leverages every channel you have, making the launch feel like a major event. It’s how an can generate momentum that pays off in subscribers, sales, and new customers without a big ad spend.
