Promoting your Shopify store is essential to get it off the ground. As a beginner, you need traffic.

However, making this happen is challenging. Often, there are no funds to buy results–you’re operating on a shoestring. You can’t afford most stores’ estimated annual ad expenses of $30,000 to $150,000.

Luckily, you have options. This guide explains how to promote your Shopify store for free, giving you the take-off you want. We explore some no-cost options you can implement from day one.

1. Talk To Your Audience On Social Media

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One approach is to talk to your audience on social media. Going to them and discussing your brand builds recognition, trust, and respect without ads.

Social media is also an open forum. Many platforms have billions of users, making audience-finding more straightforward.

You should achieve success as long as you produce interesting, relevant content.

Don’t forget, social media is essentially conversational. Consumers use these platforms for information and communication, not rifling through ad copy. As such, the more “native” you can make your approach, the better.

For example, you could use organic social media outreach and publish content your audience will want to read or watch. Articles and videos solving their problems can be highly effective.

You could also host live social media events. Scheduling workshops and webinars is an excellent way to help audiences learn more about you while resolving their problems.

While these methods take time, they don’t require any ad spending.

The approach you take will depend on the platform you target. Free tactics vary from one social media site to another.

Here are some examples:

• Pinterest: Create pins on products that link to your store, allowing audiences to shop visually
• Facebook: Join niche groups in your industry relating to your area of expertise to share helpful insights. For example, Shopify stores selling fishing tackle and accessories could join angling groups.
• Instagram: Post engaging behind-the-scenes content that shows audiences more of what you do at your online store. These events can build trust and help consumers feel more confident in your services.
• X: Share blog posts and industry news related to your store. Provide short updates about your products.
• LinkedIn: Target potential B2B clients interested in using your products.
• TikTok: Use short videos to generate excitement about your service and the products you sell

Again, these approaches require time and energy. However, AI can automate many of these processes. While a human in the loop is helpful, the total work required is far lower today than in the past.

2. Optimize For SEO

The next step is to optimize for SEO. This strategy ensures Google knows your store exists.

Many entrepreneurs set up Shopify stores using website builders and publish them, expecting them to appear on the first page of Google within hours. However, that doesn’t usually happen, with most landing on page 9.

Fortunately, long-term SEO almost always yields results when done well. Flagging your site as relevant encourages Google to display it to users.

What can you do to dominate SEO?

Search engine optimization for Shopify stores usually starts with including relevant keywords in the website copy. Adding these sends a signal to Google, telling it what you sell.

For example, if your Shopify store sells hemp seeds, you would include the keyword “hemp seeds” and related terms, ideally in the body copy and title.

Likewise, you could add keywords to the meta titles, markup schema, and alt tags. These provide even more information to Google, explaining what you do (making it easier for website crawlers to digest your content).

Starting a blog (or somewhere to show your content) also helps. Content gives users a compelling reason to extend their dwell time on your site. The longer you keep them reading or watching, the more you will impress Google.

Lastly, invest in technical SEO. Ensure your website meets Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) criteria and PageSpeed metrics.

Technical SEO is the most challenging aspect of search engine optimization but it can be surprisingly rewarding. The faster you can make your store, the better it will perform.

Here are some common practices for Shopify:

• Optimizing your URLs so they indicate page contents (i.e. the product you want to sell, or the product category)
• Using schema markup on pages to help Google understand the content on each page
• Using Google’s PageSpeed insights to see whether elements of the pages are loading fast enough (and getting improvement suggestions)
• Improving mobile responsiveness and accessibility of smartphones/other handheld devices
• Adding sitemaps and submitting them to the Google Search Console
• Creating useful and informative titles and tags
• Adding logical menus and internal links to help search engines understand site structure

Don’t worry if you don’t understand every aspect of using technical SEO. It’s a learning curve and requires a few months of practice before you know everything.

Start with one element and build on that. For example, focus on URL optimization and then move on to schema markup afterward. Check items off one at a time to make the process easier (or simply go to an agency and get them to do it for you).

3. Leverage Email Marketing

Next, consider how to advertise on Shopify using email marketing–an almost free resource. Once you have a mailing list, getting your message out becomes far less expensive.

How To Collect Email Addresses

Collecting email addresses for Shopify store marketing can be challenging. You have to convince your audience somehow to give you the information.

Fortunately, several methods are effective for collecting email addresses, such as:

• Adding pop-ups to your site that offer incentives and discounts
• Including a registration option for in-store check-outs
• Offering high-value, low-price products in exchange for an email address
• Providing money off future purchases for email submission

You can experiment with various tactics to see which works best for you. The easiest option is usually offering discounts in exchange for email addresses, but you can test alternatives to see which works best.

Using Email Marketing Effectively

Once you have a mailing list, the next challenge is to produce content that generates conversions.

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, use the tactics that work for other stores.

For example, you could send regular newsletters updating your audience on what you’re doing, and what is coming down the pike (i.e. new products).

Similarly, you could use your email outreach for promotions. Offering money off and discounts is an excellent way to drive open rates and conversions.

Don’t forget to send subscribers abandoned cart reminders. Shopify allows you to set up these systems fast, so use them. Reminding your leads that they have items in their baskets encouraged them to return and complete the sale.

4. Collaborate With Influencers

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Collaborating with influencers is another way to promote your store for free (usually). Working with social media personalities can drive interest quickly and grow your audience.

New Shopify stores usually approach micro-influencers with fewer than 10,000 subscribers (or audience members). Smaller creators allow you to find inexpensive opportunities in your niche.

If you don’t want to pay any money upfront, you can ask the influencer if they would be willing to become an affiliate. This approach means they only get paid if they win your business.

Micro-influencers are also ideal for product-based promotions. Many are willing to write entire blogs around what you sell, as long as they feel it will help or entertain their audiences.

Referral commissions referrals are another possibility. These are more expensive but can be productive if the influencer generates high traffic.

How To Approach Influencers For Free Outreach

Be careful when approaching influencers, especially if you want them to help you for free. Consider what you will say to them carefully and how you will pitch your deal.

Here’s a process to follow:

• Find the right influencers in your niche. Look for people with 1,000 to 20,000 followers on various platforms with audiences who love what they do.
• Engage and build rapport first. Don’t suggest a deal immediately. Try to get a conversation going with them, letting them know who you are, what you do, and what you want to achieve online.
• Send them a personalized DM or email. Tell them that you like their content and how you think they align with the products your store sells.
• Offer them value. Tell them what they can get from a relationship with you, whether providing an honest review of your products, setting up product links, or creating content.
• Be flexible. Don’t take a rigid approach with creators and assume you can tell them what to do. Try to work around them and their needs where possible.
• Continue to build your relationship over time. If they don’t respond, send a polite follow-up reminding them of the value you can offer them (and their lives).

Ultimately, keep your outreach genuine and authentic. Avoid sending any mass-produced communications that feel impersonal. Build rapport, show interest in what they are doing, and make friends.

5. Engage In Online Communities

Another free Shopify advertising method is engaging with online communities. Joining these groups and being useful for driving traffic from niche groups (i.e. people who want to buy from you but don’t know about you yet).

Generally, you have two options:

• Provide users with helpful information that makes you a trusted authority
• Link ideas to products in your store, encourage conversions (if you offer solutions)

Be careful whenever you try these strategies. Always provide value in contexts where it makes sense. Don’t try to shoehorn links or product plugs into conversations to meet your daily quota. You could violate platform policies and they could ban you.

Forum options include:

• Reddit
• Quora
• Niche forums
• Facebook Groups
• Other private social media groups
• Groups on Substack and Locals

Only start conversations you think your audience will find helpful on these services but don’t limit yourself to being responsive. If a topic hasn’t been covered, create relevant content (with links to your products if necessary).

Ideally, you want to develop a reputation for being an expert in your field. Prospects should view your store as a sure bet when it comes to getting the high-quality products they want.

6. Use Free Marketing Tools

Learning how to promote a Shopify store for free also requires using no-cost marketing tools. These provide helpful insights and automations that would be impossible otherwise.

The most important free tools for Shopify store owners include:

• Google Analytics–a web analytics service that tracks website traffic and mobile app traffic, letting you see who views your website. The platform is famous for its granular approach, showing every last detail.
• Canva–a free creative and software graphics program that lets you create attractive images for digital marketing in minutes. It’s ideal for product descriptions, content, and presentations.
• Mailchimp–a free email marketing tool that helps you build lists and send mass emails to prospects. The app bypasses email client filters, allowing you to reach more people without bounces or being marked as spam.
• Buffer–a software app for web and mobile that manages your social media accounts from a single digital location. It streamlines things like YouTube, Facebook, X, and Bluesky posts.
• Google Keyword Planner–a free tool that helps you find promising keywords in your niche. Simply type in a pillar phrase and it will conduct the search for you (along with estimated ad pricing and competition levels)
• HubSpot–software that assists with ecommerce retail, including customer service, sales, and marketing. The tool has a massive feature set for businesses wanting all-in-one solutions.
• SendPulse–another email marketing app that lets brands send up to 15,000 emails per month
• Ahrefs–a keyword and SEO tool with “the most complete data in the industry”
• Followerwonk–a tool that helps brands find influencers in their niche on X to grow their channels.
• SocialPilot–among the best free social media management and content creation tools
• Google Forms–a free tool you can use to collect feedback from customers and prospects. It makes editing surveys easy.

Please note most of these tools have premium versions to access their full feature set. As such, their utility can be limited for Shopify store owners looking for 100% free services.

Fortunately, Shopify builds significant functionality into its platform. As such, you can lean on it heavily to avoid third-party apps.

Here’s what comes with a regular subscription:

• Shopify Email–a client that lets you send promotional emails and newsletters to signups and audience members
• Shopify Inbox–a live chat tool for engaging customers and managing messages
• Shopify Flow–a marketing automation system for easier outreach and communication
• Shopify Blog–a content management engine for SEO and driving backlinks/traffic
• Discounts and promotions–a tool that allows the creation of various codes and special offers
• Shopify SEO features–a built-in SEO tool to optimize websites without the requirement for third-party apps
• Shopify Analytics & Reports–a tool for tracking store performance and transactions
• Shopify Media & Marketplace Integrations–software that allows direct selling on social media platforms, including Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram

Shopify’s list of promotional features is impressive (as you can see) but you may want to combine them with third-party standalone apps for best results.

Remember, Google Shopping Listings are free, so use them. Here’s an example of a “fishing tackle” search:

 

Your results will appear on Google Shopping, provided you set up your account on Google Merchant Center. This tool manages and promotes your SKUs online by linking your store.

7. Run Contests And Giveaways

Another free (or nearly free) option is to run contests and giveaways to promote your Shopify store. These generate buzz and encourage email signups.

Here are some examples of brands already doing this successfully:

Surf’s Up Candle

Surf’s Up Candle is an online scented candle brand that wanted to drive sales by introducing more people to its products.

To achieve this, it ran a giveaway featuring several new SKUs to its audience. Eventually, the campaign drew a significant following, leading to high acquisition and retention.

Lot22 Olive Oil Co

Lot22 Olive Oil Co sells olive oil (as the name suggests) and balsamic vinegar. Several years ago, it decided to organize a giveaway and offer a selection of prizes to garner interest from its audience.

The results were spectacular. The campaign attracted over 3,000 entries, boosting brand awareness and sales substantially.

Colorful Natalie

Colorful Natalie is another example. The niche ecommerce fashion brand worked with several Instagram influencers to run giveaways with a $100 prize and a pair of Nike Air Jordans.

Participants had to like and share specific accounts and tag photos and friends. This guerrilla tactic helped the brand boost awareness and grow its online appeal.

Airmid Beauty Secrets

Finally, Airmid Beauty Secrets ran an Instagram giveaway on a selection of its products. The campaign encouraged participants to like the posts, tag five of their friends, and then repost them on their Instagram Stories.

This approach allowed Airmid Beauty Secrets to boost its overall appeal. As a result, more people engaged with its posts than ever before.

Ultimately, contests and giveaways are a low-cost, high-impact strategy for promoting a Shopify store. Offering anything for free immediately attracts attention.

The more clickworthy and shareable you can make your contests, the better. Therefore, design them so they spread on social media.

8. Offer Loyalty Programs

Another free approach is to set up loyalty programs.

This tactic is effective because it effectively upsells to your target audience. If done right, it can supercharge customers’ lifetime value.

Here’s a simple example from a health food product company:

 

Here, customers enter a code on orders over a specific amount and get a free 1kg bag of lentils (which is quite a lot). This tactic encourages them to stick with the same provider instead of switching to a rival.

Here’s another example from an online Italian cooking ingredient company:

 

Here, the customer previously bought ingredients and can now benefit from 20% off next time. Again, it encourages repeat business and makes the customer feel valued, reducing the risk of going to a rival.

You can also offer discounts for referrals (though this is a little clumsy for ecommerce stores). For example, you could offer a $50 voucher every time a customer signs up another lead who spends more than $250. These commission arrangements can spark entirely new jobs!

Ultimately, loyalty programs are a non-ad tactic that increases your customers’ lifetime value. The more you appreciate them for shopping with you, the longer they will likely continue using your Shopify store.

9. Use Content Marketing

Content marketing is another “free” approach to promoting your Shopify store. Yes, it costs time and energy but it delivers long-term benefits.

What Content Should Shopify Stores Create?

Figuring out the content your Shopify store should create, however, is more challenging. What works?

One option is simple social media content that doesn’t require blog writing. High-quality product showcases can generate interest among highly engaged audiences, encouraging them to click through to product pages.

Behind-the-scenes content can also work. It builds tremendous trust in your brand and business model by showing the processes and people behind online digital marketing.

Emails are also worth exploring. These are useful for product announcements, exclusive offers, and education. You can write personalized content for your audience that interests them in what you sell.

Here’s an example from an online health product retailer:

 

Video content is another option. This format is useful for:

• Product demos showing what your company does and sells
• Unboxing and reviews to influence customers to share their opinions and experiences
• TikTok and Reels for rapid-fire engagement, ideal for quirky or novel products

Lastly, you could explore interactive content, such as quizzes and polls. For example, you could ask your audience if they want you to stock a new item or their opinions on the latest products from a specific brand.

10. List On Free Marketplaces

A lesser-known tactic to promote your Shopify store for free is listing on free marketplaces.

No, you won’t have full control over the digital environment but it could generate more awareness.

Nowadays, there are so many platforms you can use, including Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist. These show your products to consumers looking for niche, quirky, and affordable options.

11. Join Shopify Collaborations

Another option is to join Shopify collaborations. These let you partner with other businesses for cross-promotions.

For example, you could ask your customers to provide user-generated content (UGC) showing off products they bought from you.

Here’s an example of Instagram UGC requested by an online wellness product seller:

 

You could also engage in slightly more complicated “brand-to-brand” collaborations for cross-promotions. For example, you could find a complementary Shopify store and agree to promote each other’s products (i.e. a vegan clothing store working with a plant-based skincare brand).

Taking this to the next level, you could arrange joint giveaways. These help both Shopify store owners reach more people and increase engagement.

Co-branded campaigns are also an option. Here, you run social media promotions for multiple brands, driving growth while still allowing you to get your message out.

Finally, you could guest blog on industry websites, writing articles that direct people to your store. This tactic dovetails nicely with SEO, potentially boosting your brand.

12. Create A Free Resource Or Tool

Finally, you can promote your Shopify tool for free by creating a free resource or tool.

You could offer:

• An ebook, explaining how to make the most of the products you list on your site
• A template for using products (perhaps that people can print out)
• A checklist of products required in specific situations, like going abroad or servicing a car
• A calculator for how much of a particular product a person needs, (such as how much paint they require to cover the walls of their living room)

For example, suppose your online store sells fitness equipment. You could create a free resource or tool to help customers make the most of their purchases (i.e. telling them how long they should use equipment for maximum benefits).

Likewise, if you sell healthy food online, you could provide a nutrition guide. This document can provide all the information to help them meet their nutrition goals.

Now You Know How To Advertise A Shopify Store For Free

Advertising your Shopify store for free requires thinking outside the box. You can’t just do what everyone else in your niche is doing–there’s too much competition.

Fortunately, this post provided some ideas you can use immediately from enhancing your SEO to cross-promoting with other stores.

Once you start using free marketing approaches, you won’t look back. Almost all of them have the potential to go viral and turn your Shopify ecommerce outlet into a roaring success!