Free, or close to it
How to advertise your business for free, or nearly.
Start with the free map listings: Google and Apple both let you claim one for $0. Then use the ad space you already own, beginning with your email signature.
One more that’s almost free: your laptop lid. Describe an ad and our AI draws it for your lid.
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12 ways
12 ways to advertise for free. Tap one.
Free means $0, not zero time, so each one says how long it takes. The last three cost a little.
01 · A Google Business Profile
$0
and about 20 minutes, plus Google’s verification step
Free listings · where people search
$0 and about 20 minutes, plus Google’s verification step
It’s your listing on Google Maps and in local search. Add your hours and photos, then post when something changes.- Apple Business puts you on Apple Maps, the default map on iPhone. Bing Places can import your Google profile in a few clicks.
- Both have free business pages. Yelp lists businesses whether or not the owner claims them, so claim yours and answer the reviews.
Ad space you already own
One line about what you do and a link to book. There’s a builder below.- Customers already hold these. Add a QR code and one line: leave a review, or send a friend.
- Say what you do and where to book. There’s a script below.
Other people’s audiences
Local papers and newsletters need stories, and a new service or a charity day counts. Send the editor three lines.- Trade counter space with a business that serves your customers first: the realtor and the mover, the vet and the groomer.
- Answer questions in your trade on Nextdoor and in neighborhood Facebook groups. Read each group’s rules on promotion first.
Almost free
Letter a new line on the glass every Monday. A changing window gives people walking past a reason to look again.- Hand one over at the end of every job, with a QR code that opens your booking page.
- Your name, one line and a QR code on the lid you open in cafés and meetings all week. Describe it and our AI draws it.
Do one now
Your email signature is an ad. Write it in a minute.
Fill this in, copy it, and paste it into your email settings. The voicemail script underneath is free too.
Every email you send
Maya Ortiz
Northside Plumbing · Same-day repairs, upfront prices
northsideplumbing.com
Your voicemail greeting
“You’ve reached Northside Plumbing. Same-day repairs, upfront prices. Book online at northsideplumbing.com, or leave your name and number and we’ll call you back.”
Ready to spend a little? Small business marketing ideas covers 12 under $100. Want the phone to ring, too? Read how to get more customers.
FAQ
Free advertising questions.
What is the cheapest way to advertise?
Free map listings. A Google Business Profile and Apple Business cost nothing and put you on the maps people search when they need you, and Bing Places can copy your Google profile. After those, use the ad space you already own, starting with your email signature.
How can I advertise my business without spending money?
Borrow attention instead of buying it: pitch a local story, or swap counter space with a business that serves your customers first. Then make sure every email and invoice you send says what you do.
What are cheap ways to advertise locally?
Claim your free map listings first. Then put your name where neighbors look: your shop window, a card with a QR code, and your laptop lid when you work in a café. That last one is $64.93 once, with shipping.
Ready for the almost-free one?
Free to start. You pay when you order a skin or want more than 15 AI designs.
Why a laptop lid works as an ad: laptop advertising. For a business: laptop ads for business.