How To Promote Your Business in 2026: 16 Top Ways

Reviews are a type of social proof, which can build brand trust among potential buyers. “People need validation. People look at what other people are saying to drive that purchasing decision,” says Michelle Razavi, founder and CEO of protein snack company Elavi.

“For our first six months of launch, what moved the needle the most was sharing screenshots of reviews on our Instagram Stories,” Michelle says. “As soon as you start to get testimonials, post them, share them, don’t hide them, because that will help other people get excited about buying your products.”

Not only did reviews help drive sales, but the social media posts created an organic flywheel that encouraged more people to review the product. 

“When you post people’s reviews or testimonials, then other people are like, ‘Well, I want mine to be posted too,’” Michelle says. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elavi - protein brownies & dessert cashew butters (@heyelavi)

Elavi also used the product review app Junip to incentivize reviews. Customers could receive $5 toward their next order in exchange for writing a review.

Michelle says another option for encouraging reviews is to make a heartfelt request. She recommends being really transparent with customers. 

“Saying, like, ‘Hey, like these reviews really help us out. It helps us get better if there’s something you like or you don’t like,’” says Michelle.

This kind of language appeals to what she says is a natural desire to have your opinions heard.

Improve your search ranking

The goal of search engine optimization (SEO) is to reach the top position in search results for relevant keywords, so when shoppers search for that phrase, they find your brand, click, and hopefully make a purchase. SEO can also make your brand more visible in AI answer engines like ChatGPT, since large language models (LLMs) pull from search engines when making their recommendations.

SEO marketing is a multifaceted process that includes:

• Incorporating popular search terms called keywords in your website’s text 

• Making your site easy to navigate

• Improving site speed

• Optimizing images with alt text and correct specs

Ecommerce platforms like Shopify have built-in SEO tools such as sitemaps and auto-generated tags to help you with the technical aspects. You can also use free SEO tools to find relevant keywords to target. 

When done well, SEO can help you rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) when customers search for terms related to what you sell. For example, athletic apparel brand Gymshark ranks first for the Google search phrase “gym clothes.”

Start a blog

Blogging can create a pipeline of free traffic to your website.

Think of your blog as a mini magazine for your audience. You might publish gift guides, in-depth industry articles, or analyses of trending topics. As you brainstorm blog post ideas, focus on your first-hand experience and expertise, asking yourself what your brand has authority to write about. 

You can also use a generative AI tool like Shopify’s Sidekick to help you come up with blog post ideas. Then, use SEO tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to evaluate competitor blogs, looking at what content performs well. 

“In today’s world of SEO, content is king, and blogging is the most important thing,” sustainable products marketplace Zero Waste Store cofounder JJ Follano says on Shopify Masters. JJ recommends using keyword research tools like Semrush to identify popular search terms, then building articles that address these topics.

Here are a few blog post examples from Zero Waste Store’s blog. Topics include “Why Use A Zero Waste Dishwashing Brush” and “Zero Waste Lip Balm Guide.”

Get press coverage

Press mentions can build your brand’s credibility, improve SEO through quality backlinks, and help you reach wider audiences. Mentions of your brand also feed into Google’s generative AI answers. 

This approach to promoting your business is a form of referral traffic, which Shopify Global Search Growth Team lead Amanda Cruz-Lombraña calls “rocket fuel for your SEO performance.” 

Securing press coverage, however, takes strategy and persistence. The traditional route is hiring a public relations (PR) firm. PR professionals maintain strong relationships with journalists and know how to craft newsworthy pitches that get noticed. But PR services can be expensive for new businesses. 

For a DIY approach, pitch journalists directly with press releases and press kits that include business assets like high-quality photos. You can build a targeted list of journalists who cover similar businesses or products, then find their contact information through Google searches or social media profiles.

This approach worked for Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao when she launched a crowdfunding campaign for her premium chili crisp. 

“I cold emailed several editors who I knew had interest in writing about Asian food and two of them ended up writing pieces about the campaign that went live on New York magazine and Saveur on the day of the campaign launching,” Jing says on Shopify Masters.

“That led the campaign to be fully funded within a day. It went viral, and it kind of snowballed from there.”

Look for press outlets that share your target audience to increase your chances of readers clicking into your website, which improves your SEO. 

“We know that quality backlinks signal credibility to Google,” Amanda says. “But here’s the kicker: When referral visitors actually engage with your content, it sends even stronger signals.” 

You can also incentivize coverage with a performance PR strategy. This blends traditional PR with affiliate marketing. Instead of linking to your product with a regular URL, publishers will use an affiliate link that lets you track the traffic source. You can provide these links to publishers, then pay them a commission every time a shopper purchases through their link.

Focus on email marketing

Email marketing can be a low-cost way to promote your business. If you’re on Shopify, you can use the email marketing software Shopify Messaging for free. The tool provides free templates that lend your emails a professional look. Shopify’s AI tools can help you draft emails and optimize send times.

The first step to launching an email marketing strategy is creating an email list. You can capture emails during checkout, by sharing your email sign-up link across social media, and by placing your lead capture form prominently on your website. 

To encourage sign-ups, offer an incentive like a first-purchase discount or exclusive content. You can also use engaging language that embodies your brand voice, as Fly By Jing does with their invitation to “Electrify your inbox” for 20% off your next order.

Now that you have an email list, you can use Shopify Messaging to set up automated email campaigns like welcome messages, order confirmations, and abandoned cart reminders. You can also create a newsletter, which allows you to share regular, relevant content with your subscribers.

Additionally, you can target email campaigns to promote specific products or sales. To do so effectively, segment your audience to make sure you’re reaching the right people with the right messages. (Shopify also has audience segmentation tools.)

“Email marketing is both an art and a science,” says Josh Rosenblat, a senior editor at Shopify who works on editorial email marketing content. 

“The science of it is picking and choosing how you would like to segment your audience based on their audience behavior, how long they’ve subscribed, or different demographic aspects like gender, location, and language. The art of it is being able to write and create emails in such a way where you’re able to stand out from everyone’s super crowded inbox.”

Josh says that subject lines can be particularly important in standing out. You can track email marketing metrics like open rate to measure your success, then improve. 

“You’re able to iterate on which messages are successful and which messages might not be successful,” says Josh. “And then you can change and adjust based on what you see.”

Create a referral or loyalty program 

Referral programs turn satisfied customers into brand advocates by rewarding them for recommending your business to family and friends. These programs promote your business while encouraging existing customers to return and make additional purchases. 

You can combine them with loyalty programs, in which you reward customers for shopping with you or taking other dedicated actions.

Investing in customer loyalty can be cheaper than finding new customers. 

“Acquisition costs for ad spend to get new customers have risen exponentially over the last few years,” says Jen Yu, cofounder of skin care brand Jaxon Lane, on Shopify Masters. These rising costs led Jaxon Lane to focus on retention and loyalty. 

Jaxon Lane’s loyalty program awards customers points for making purchases and taking actions like referring friends, following the brand on Instagram, and signing up for texts. Customers can then redeem their points for discounts. 

“We do everything we can to help our customers be successful in their skin care journey and enjoy shopping with us,” says Jen. 

Customer retention strategies may include offering top-tier customer service and sending handwritten notes with purchases. 

Build a TikTok presence

On Shopify Masters, Michelle from Elavi discusses how authentic, DIY-style, off-the-cuff TikTok content saves her time in video production.

Michelle says this less-polished style does more than just save time: “It allowed me to have permission to share our story in a more authentic, raw way. 

“And the numbers were stronger. People resonated more with a more casual, random video versus very polished, perfect professional photography.” 

Now, Michelle posts TikTok videos that show authentic moments in entrepreneurship.

Start a YouTube channel

YouTube is the most popular social media platform in the United States, with Pew Research reporting that more than 80% of American adults use the video site. 

One way to use YouTube as a brand is to create educational content relating to your products. Take hair extension and accessory brand Luxy Hair. Cofounder Mimi Ikonn posts hairstyle tutorials on Luxy Hair’s YouTube channel—and now has more than three million followers.

“As long as you can learn something and easily explain it to others, you can make videos about any topic,” says Mimi on Shopify Masters. “If you can simplify it for people, people will watch, and they will engage with that content. For me, it was just learning different hairstyles that I personally wanted to know how to create on my hair.”

Luxy Hair gained popularity with long-form videos, but the company now posts YouTube Shorts, too. YouTube Shorts (the platform’s short-form video format) present an opportunity to jump on social media trends. If you opt for Shorts, you can cross-post your content as Instagram Reels or TikTok videos for maximum reach. 

Here’s an example of a YouTube Short from Luxy Hair. This video iterates on the “Get ready with me” trend while showcasing Luxy Hair products.

Highlight user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC), like photos of customers using your products or videos of customers sharing positive thoughts on your brand, is a form of social proof. They show potential customers that people already love your company. 

You can solicit UGC by asking customers to tag your company or to use a specific hashtag. This makes it easy to see what your customers have posted about you. Once you’ve found a compelling piece of UGC, repost it on your profile. Make sure to ask permission from the original user first. 

Work with influencers

Influencers significantly impact purchasing decisions: 58% of people have made a purchase because of an influencer endorsement, according to a 2025 study by BBB National Programs and The Benchmarking Company.

One way to get started with influencer marketing is to launch an affiliate program for your store. Affiliate marketing is a form of cost per acquisition (CPA) marketing in which you pay the influencer only once a customer places an order through them. 

“It’s the only marketing model that guarantees that a business only pays when it achieves real results such as product sales,” says Jerrid Grimm, head of publisher marketing at partnership management platform Impact.com. 

If you have Shopify, you can download the free Shopify Collabs app to manage affiliates and influencer gifting from your Shopify Admin. 

With this method, you give creators free products in the hopes they’ll post about them. To incentivize posting, offer something valuable beyond the free items—like exclusive early access. 

Food brand Good Girl Snacks put this strategy to work with their viral Hot Girl Pickles, partnering with popular influencers like Alix Earle and Kit Keenan. 

“If they’re one of the first people to try [a product], it gives them a little bit of hype … so it’s kind of a win-win situation,” says Good Girl Snacks cofounder Leah Marcus on Shopify Masters. 

Leah says choosing gifting over sponsored posts allows Good Girl Snacks to maintain a zero-dollar customer acquisition cost (CAC) for influencer marketing.

Partner with other brands

In a brand collaboration, you team up on an exclusive product and promote it together. With this tactic, you can access the other brand’s audience and borrow their credibility. 

Tinned fish company Fishwife, for example, partnered with Fly By Jing to create their popular chili crisp smoked salmon.

“We’ve gotten millions of media impressions from the collab alone, interest from retailers who knew Fly By Jing before they knew Fishwife, and credibility and a ‘brand halo’ from being associated with this brand that had solidified their reputation a couple years before we did,” says Fishwife founder Becca Milstein on Shopify Masters. 

While Fishwife’s collaboration with Fly By Jing went off without a hitch, Becca says that entrepreneurs should always create contracts before entering partnerships. 

“With most collabs where serious time, effort, and cash is invested, you need a document to establish your mutually agreed-upon deliverables so that there’s no confusion,” says Becca.

Join conversations on trending topics

Social listening tools like Hootsuite can help you identify emerging trends on social media platforms. On TikTok, check the Explore page to see what’s gaining traction. 

Your personal social feeds can also reveal patterns. For example, maybe you see multiple Instagram Reels on the same topic or friends sharing variations of a particular meme.

Sustainable shoe company Rothy’s, for example, often customizes popular meme formats to promote their products. In this video, the brand puts their spin on the “The perfect [fill in the blank] doesn’t exist” trend.

Try retargeting ads

Retargeting ads through platforms like Meta Ads and Google Ads help you reconnect with potential customers who’ve already visited your store. 

You can customize these ads based on specific browsing behaviors to promote your business. For example, you might show a customer the specific product they viewed but didn’t buy, reminding them of their initial interest and encouraging them to complete their shopping journey.

Set up Meta retargeting ads for your Shopify store by installing Meta Pixel on your site via the Facebook & Instagram app for Shopify. This line of code tracks user activity across your shop and lets you target those users on Facebook and Instagram. 

Host or attend in-person events

Markets, trade shows, and other events offer opportunities to promote your business, meet customers, and build brand awareness. These events allow prospective customers to experience your products firsthand and give you a chance to engage your local community. 

“Another way to promote your business locally is through workshops and lectures,” says Amy of Big Picture Marketing. 

“For example, if you run a candle-making business, you can run local workshops to teach people how to make their own candles. It’s a great way to build your reputation in the community and increase brand awareness.”

Another option is to sponsor local events that already exist. Or, if you run a B2B business, you might host a local networking event and invite other business owners in your community.

You can also take your events strategy on the road. Canned goods company Heyday Canning Co. created a memorable experience with their four-day “bean swap” pop-up in New York City. Visitors traded cans of beans for branded merchandise like bean socks, and Heyday matched each donation and gave all beans to the NYC-based food bank City Harvest.

“The objective very much was to cut through the noise on TikTok,” Heyday Cofounder and CEO Kat Kavner Woolf said on Shopify Masters. “We really wanted to create an experience that we felt had a high probability that people would capture and create UGC if they went.” The creative concept paid off, going viral on TikTok and drawing lines down the block.