12 Overlooked Free Channels to Find International B2B Buyers

1. LinkedIn — Profile + Groups + Event Comments

Why: LinkedIn hosts ~900M+ professionals and remains the top place for procurement decision-makers in B2B.

Do this: Standardize your profile (photo, 1-line value prop, 3 metrics), join 10 niche groups, answer high-engagement posts, then DM interested people. Daily time: 20–30 minutes.

Private message template:

2. X (Twitter) + Curated Lists

Why: Real-time conversations and topical threads often surface procurement intent.

Do this: Build industry lists (e.g., "EU textile buyers"), monitor threads, reply with short steps + link to a case study.

3. Reddit — Niche subreddits & help posts

Why: High targeting, authentic questions. Reddit yields lower cost per lead than many paid channels when done right.

Do this: Answer 2 deep questions daily, run an AMA or actionable guide, and offer downloadable screening checklists via DM.

4. Quora & Zhihu — Long-tail SEO answers

Why: High-quality answers rank in search for months/years. Suitable for complex product specs or compliance questions.

Do this: Transform 50 recurring buyer questions into 1000-word answers, include a downloadable template at the end to capture leads.

5. Industry forums & association boards

Why: Buyers post procurement requests and regulatory discussions — high intent.

Do this: Register, publish a persistent FAQ+price-range post in your profile, and respond to RFP-style threads quickly.

6. Google Business / Local Listings

Why: Local presence increases buyer trust for distributors and logistics partners.

Do this: Claim profile, add full details and photos, and politely ask satisfied buyers for reviews.

7. WhatsApp & Telegram groups

Why: Real-time follow-up and higher conversion for repeat/SMB buyers.

Do this: Join public industry groups, share helpful tools (e.g., freight Excel), move warm prospects to 1:1 using templates and WhatsApp Business messages.

8. YouTube — Short factory tours & demos

Why: Video demonstrates capability and reduces perceived risk. Short vertical clips perform across platforms.

Do this: Upload 60–90 sec demos with keyword-rich titles and link to a 1-page product/quote PDF in the description.

9. GitHub / Stack Overflow — For technical buyers

Why: Engineers and technical procurement search here for components, drivers, and reference designs.

Do this: Publish driver code, BOMs, and a demo repo that includes a contact note: “Contact for volume pricing”.

10. Show / event registrant lists — manual SRP

Why: Registrants are active buyers. Manual scraping of free directories (not paid scraping of private lists) can give high-quality leads.

Do this: Export, filter by country & segment, and send a personalized one-page offer — no mass blasts.

11. Industry publications & guest posts

Why: Builds authority and drives SEO/recurring traffic when your case study or compliance guide is published.

Do this: Submit a case study with a lead magnet (checklist or template) and require an email/DM to get it — this converts passive readers into leads.

12. Freelance & micro-job platforms

Why: Buyers often post testing or sample projects here before scaling to a supplier relationship.

Do this: Offer “fast sample / small batch” gigs and actively convert finished projects to direct company relationships.