Perhaps you want to earn a little extra money, start a sideline or turn a hobby into a business.

You might already have something to sell. Or perhaps you have no idea what people would be willing to buy.

Either way, you need to find out what people want and where to find them.

Someone looking for fresh fruit and vegetables doesn't go to a car showroom. They go where fruit and vegetables are sold.

The same principle applies online.

There are millions of people searching for information, asking questions and looking for solutions. But how do you find the particular people who might want what you have to offer?

You could pay for advertising. But what if you have little or no money to spare?

That's why we're investigating free traffic: finding ways to reach potential customers without relying on paid advertising.

And that brings us to our fishing expedition.

Imagine someone who decides he wants to go fishing.

He's never fished before, but he's seen other people catching fish and thinks he'd like to try it himself.

He buys a cheap rod, some line, hooks and bait, heads for his local lake and casts his line.

Nothing happens.

He asks other fishermen for advice. One recommends a better rod. Another suggests different bait. Someone else offers to teach him a method that works for them.

He follows their advice, spends more money and tries again.

Still no fish.

But there's a question nobody seems to have asked.

Are there actually any fish in the lake he's chosen?

And even if there are, is he looking in the right place?

Perhaps the lake is full of fishermen, all trying to catch the same fish.

The lake is full of fishermen. But where are the fish?

That's the question behind our free-traffic experiment. Before spending more money on equipment, courses or advertising, we're investigating where potential customers are, what they actually want and how we can reach them.

I'm starting with affiliate marketing because it allows me to test an online business without having to create my own products first.

But the real experiment is much broader. I'm investigating how to find people who need something, discover where they look for answers and attract them without relying on paid advertising. The same approach could help someone turn a hobby into a business, offer a service or create and sell products of their own.

No hype. No claims of overnight success. I’m testing what works, what doesn’t, and reporting what actually happens.

Our first task is to find the people we're trying to reach.
Where are they looking for information?
What questions are they asking?
What problems are they struggling to solve?

We're starting with people interested in making money online, but we need to distinguish between those genuinely looking for help and those simply promoting their own products or opportunities.

Finding the right audience is the first step. Understanding what they actually need comes next.

I'm starting by investigating where potential customers already spend their time — YouTube, Reddit, Quora, Facebook, X and other online communities. I'll also explore search engines, websites and other potential sources of free traffic.

I'm looking for the questions people are actually asking, the problems they're trying to solve and the places where I might reach them.

Then I'll create useful content, put it in front of them, measure what happens and report the results here.

YouTube

Strongest result so far. I found beginners openly asking how to start, whether they need followers, which platforms to use and why they aren't making progress.

Reddit

Promising. Genuine beginners are asking for help and discussing what they have tried. It looks like a good place to listen, contribute and learn what people are struggling with.

Quora

Promising. Questions are often very specific, and people are actively looking for answers. My first answer received views even without an established following, suggesting useful answers can still be discovered.

Facebook

Mixed. Plenty of potential beginners, but also a great deal of promotion. Genuine questions are there, although finding them takes some digging.

X

Weak so far. Plenty of affiliate marketers, but surprisingly little conversation from beginners looking for help. The fishermen are easier to find than the fish.

Beyond Social Media

I'm also investigating whether search engines, specialist websites and other sources of free traffic can help me reach people who are actively looking for answers. These are the next areas to explore, and I'll report what I discover.

Finding the fish is only the beginning. The next step is to create useful content around the questions and problems I’m finding, put it in front of the right people and see what happens.

If I can find an audience and understand what it needs, the next question is what I can offer. That might begin with recommending other people's products through affiliate marketing, but it could eventually lead to creating and selling products of my own.

I’ll continue to report the results here — including what works, what doesn’t and what I change along the way.

I’m documenting the experiment as it happens. Follow along to see what I try, what happens and where the experiment leads.