7 Free Traffic Streams That Wake Up Dead Blogs and Pull in Buyer Commissions
If you’ve ever launched a blog, added a few affiliate links, and waited for traffic that never came… you’re not alone.
I’ve been there too.
I spent weeks writing what I thought were helpful, SEO-optimized posts, only to check analytics and see maybe five visitors a day.
And none of them were buying.
The truth is, most new affiliate bloggers don’t have the luxury of waiting six months for Google rankings.
And many don’t have the money to run paid ads.
That’s where these free traffic sources come in.
What follows are seven free traffic streams I’ve personally tested, many when my blog was brand new, invisible to Google, and had zero authority.
Some worked better than others.
I’ll share those notes as we go.
Use this as your playbook to wake up your blog, even if it’s been sitting untouched for months.
You don’t need fancy tools, paid plugins, or a massive audience.
You just need to know where people are already looking for the kind of info your blog provides, and how to meet them there.
Reddit was one of the first free traffic sources that actually brought buyers to my blog.
But it’s also one of the easiest places to get banned if you go in too promotional.
The key is joining niche subreddits where your ideal reader hangs out.
When I had a blog about productivity tools, I contributed to r/productivity, r/freelance, and r/digitalnomad.
I didn’t post links at first.
I just answered questions and joined conversations.
After a week or so, I dropped a link to a blog post that compared a few tools, and it took off.
I got about 150 clicks in a day, several email sign-ups, and a few commissions from one post.
Reddit users are sharp.
If your link adds value, they’ll click.
If it feels promotional, they’ll downvote you into the ground.
Medium surprised me.
I initially thought it was mostly for thought-leaders and essay-style content.
But when I started republishing modified versions of my blog posts there, I saw results.
It worked especially well when I wrote titles that focused on real problems.
One Medium post I repurposed, a guide to picking the best side hustle tools, brought in over 800 views in two weeks.
I linked to my full blog post at the end and picked up clicks, email subs, and even affiliate commissions.
What’s great is you get the benefit of Medium’s domain authority and internal audience without starting from scratch.
Plus, it’s a cleaner experience than many blog platforms, which makes people more willing to read and trust.
This one’s a sleeper.
Quora posts can rank on Google, sometimes above blog posts.
And many questions are buyer-intent questions, people asking for product comparisons, reviews, or help making a decision.
I answered a question about email marketing platforms once, linked to a post comparing three popular tools, and forgot about it.
Two months later I checked analytics and realized that single Quora answer was still sending traffic.
Just keep in mind: lazy or short answers get buried.
When I took the time to write thoughtful, helpful responses (even just 2–3 paragraphs), people clicked.
I ignored Pinterest for way too long.
I assumed it was just for recipes and crafts.
Big mistake.
Once I started making pins for blog posts, especially list posts or tutorials, I saw steady traffic.
Some pins take weeks to gain traction, but when they do, they can bring in visitors for months.
One pin I made in 15 minutes still brings in clicks over a year later.
You don’t need to be a designer.
I used Canva and a free Pinterest template, changed the text, added my URL, and that was it.
Pinterest works best if your niche fits lifestyle, finance, health, or productivity.
But I’ve seen people make it work in almost any category with the right angle.
I’ve had mixed results with Facebook.
But Groups have been consistently useful when you find the right ones.
Pages don’t get much reach anymore.
In Groups, people are still active, asking questions, and looking for resources.
When I joined a few digital marketing and side hustle groups, I didn’t post links right away.
I just commented on people’s questions.
After a few helpful posts, I shared a blog link with a short backstory.
It landed.
Comments, DMs, and clicks followed.
Just avoid dropping links out of nowhere.
Think of it like a dinner party: bring something to the table before you start handing out your business card.
I’m not a video person.
I don’t like being on camera, and I definitely didn’t start a blog to become a YouTuber.
But I tried a few Shorts: text on screen, music in the background, no face.
They worked.
One 40-second video teasing the top 3 affiliate programs in my niche linked to a full blog post.
It got over 1,000 views in a few days and sent a decent chunk of traffic.
Shorts are low-effort and don’t require a following.
If you post valuable bite-sized content with a blog link in the description, you can get traction surprisingly fast.
This one takes patience, but it works.
It’s especially effective in hobbies, finance, tech, and parenting.
Forums don’t move fast, but they’re full of people who actually care about the topic.
I used to frequent a small freelance writer’s forum, answered questions, and helped out where I could.
Over time, I added my blog link in the signature and occasionally referenced a post when someone had a relevant question.
It wasn’t explosive traffic.
But it was consistent, and the quality was excellent.
Low bounce rate, high time on site, and actual affiliate clicks.
Here’s a simple 3-day plan to get traffic flowing, even if you’re starting cold.
Most affiliate bloggers don’t fail because they lack effort or ideas.
They fail because no one sees their content.
I’ve been through those quiet days.
I know what it feels like to refresh analytics and see… nothing.
But free traffic is out there.
People are actively looking for what your blog already covers.
They just need a way to find it.
Each of these seven methods has helped me drive traffic to affiliate content without spending money, gaming algorithms, or waiting months for SEO to kick in.
None are magic, but they do work when applied consistently.
Start with one or two.
Focus on relevance over reach.
And remember: buyer traffic doesn’t need to be big to be profitable.
It just needs to be targeted.