Free vs Paid Traffic: Which Should Promoters Use, and When?
Organic vs paid traffic for affiliates and promoters: what each costs, how fast it works, the risks, and the simple rule for when to start paying for placements and ads.
Every promoter ends up asking the same question: keep grinding free traffic, or start paying for it? The honest answer is both, in the right order.
Free traffic costs time and teaches you what converts. Paid traffic costs money and multiplies what you already know works. Paying before you know is the fastest way to lose money.
Free and paid traffic side by side
| Free (organic) | Paid | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Your time and accounts | Money per placement or click |
| Speed | Slow to start, compounds | Fast once it runs |
| Control | Low: platforms decide reach | High: you pick where and how much |
| Main risk | Bans and reach drops | Spending more than you earn |
| Best for | Learning what converts | Scaling what already works |
The free traffic that still works
- Communities (Reddit, Discord, forums) where the right post reaches the right crowd.
- Short video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Spotlight) shown to non-followers.
- Replies and engagement on X and Threads.
- Your own Telegram channel, filled from everything else.
Each platform's details are on the platform pages.
The kinds of paid traffic
- Shoutouts: paying a bigger account to mention you. See how to buy shoutouts.
- Channel placements: a post in a Telegram channel or newsletter on your theme.
- Ad networks: self-serve ads you buy per click or per thousand views.
- Media buying: buying traffic in bulk and selling the results, covered in media buying explained.
The rule for when to start paying
Start paying when you can answer three questions from your own numbers:
- 1What does one result (a sign-up, a player) earn you on average?
- 2What share of your clicks become results on this offer?
- 3So what is the most you can pay per click and still profit?
If you can't answer those yet, keep testing with free traffic. Once you can, test paid traffic small, measure each placement with its own link, and only raise budgets on placements that pay back.
FAQ
Is free traffic enough to make money?+
Yes, many promoters earn only from organic traffic. Paid traffic speeds up growth once you know what converts, it is not required to start.
What is the cheapest paid traffic?+
Usually small shoutouts and channel placements on your exact theme. They are cheap to test and easy to measure with one link each.
Why did my paid campaign lose money?+
Most often the offer converts worse on that traffic than on your organic traffic, or the placement had fake reach. Test small and track every placement apart.
Earn with this
Promote with a partner, not just a link.
AMZA promoters get a dedicated manager, approved content, live tracking and weekly payouts.