You make cake

Whatever your product or service is, pretend that it’s actually cake.  You’re in the business of selling cake.

Would you make your cakes free in order to “increase traffic” to your store, where you’ll place advertisements for other companies for a fee?  No.

Would you make your cakes free for some people, but then charge businesses for bulk orders of cake?  No.

Would you give away small samples so that people could see how delicious it was before buying  a whole piece….or a whole cake?   Yes.

Would you send an email inviting persons of influence to come by and try a sample….or would you send them an entire cake with a handwritten note?

Would you invite people to your store to learn about cake making for free, to further your status as a cake expert?   Yes

You need a premium product or service that people are willing to pay for.

The rest is just marketing.