PeakGear Co faces a classic "cold start" problem: you're selling commodity outdoor accessories with no differentiation, no audience, and no organic traffic—while competing against REI (17.6M monthly organic visits), Amazon, and established niche players like Garage Grown Gear (119K monthly visits) and Zpacks (195K monthly visits). Your $200 Facebook ads spend produced 5 clicks and 0 sales because you're asking cold audiences to buy generic $15-30 items from an unknown brand—a fundamentally broken unit economics proposition.

The outdoor gear market itself is healthy: online sales growing 6.3% annually, strong Reddit communities with 100K+ engaged members asking for product recommendations, and a clear consumer pain point around Amazon's declining quality and fake reviews. But there's a critical gap between "people buy outdoor accessories" and "people will buy outdoor accessories from PeakGear Co." You haven't answered the second question.

Your path forward requires a complete pivot from paid acquisition to organic community building. Stop all paid advertising immediately. The outdoor community is tight-knit, recommendation-driven, and deeply suspicious of generic dropship stores. Success requires becoming a recognized voice in hiking communities before asking for a single sale—think 90 days of content and engagement before expecting meaningful revenue.

The funnel isn't leaking—it doesn't exist. You're pouring water into a bucket with no bottom.

Your Current Position: Undifferentiated commodity seller with no audience, no content, no trust, competing on nothing.

The Hard Truth: You cannot compete with REI or Amazon on price, selection, or convenience. You cannot compete with Zpacks or cottage brands on craftsmanship. You cannot compete with Garage Grown Gear on curation. You need a position that doesn't currently exist in the market.

Reddit Explanation: This is where your customers research purchases. Not to spam links—to become a recognized, helpful voice. Answer questions, share knowledge, build reputation over months. When you eventually mention your store, people will check it out because they trust you.

Content/SEO Explanation: Build the definitive resource for budget hiking accessories. "Best water bottle clips for hiking," "Emergency gear under $30," "Cord management for your pack." These are searches happening now with weak competition. You'll rank if you create genuinely useful content.

TikTok Explanation: "Gear under $30" and "hiking haul" content performs well. Low production barrier—just you showing products, testing them, giving honest reviews. Not selling; demonstrating.

Facebook Ads Explanation: At your price point, audience size, and brand awareness level, paid social cannot generate positive ROAS. Stop immediately.

1. Stop all paid advertising immediately. Your $200 produced 5 clicks. Another $200 will produce approximately the same. You're burning money.

1. Stop posting to Instagram for your 12 followers. Posting to an audience of friends creates the illusion of marketing activity without any customer acquisition. Pause Instagram until you have content worth sharing.

1. Stop thinking of this as a "store that needs traffic." Reframe as: "I'm building a media brand about budget hiking gear that also sells products." The order matters.

1. Stop selling generic products anyone can buy on Amazon cheaper. If someone can Google your product name and find it $3 cheaper with Prime shipping, you will never convert them.

1. Stop assuming hikers will find you. They won't. You need to go where they already are (Reddit, YouTube, TikTok) and earn their attention over months.

Template 1: Reddit Comment (Helpful, Not Promotional)

Use in: r/Ultralight, r/CampingandHiking, r/hiking when someone asks about budget gear

Structure:

[Direct answer to their question—no preamble]

I've tested a few options in this category. [Product A] worked well for me because [specific reason tied to their use case]. The main downside is [honest limitation].

If you're on a tighter budget, [Product B from Amazon/wherever] is decent but watch out for [specific issue]. A lot of the reviews are inflated.

[If applicable: personal experience that adds credibility]

What's your pack setup? That might change my recommendation.

Example:

The Heroclip mini works well for hanging bottles on pack straps. I've used it for about 200 miles and the carabiner mechanism hasn't failed. Main downside: at 1.2oz it's not the lightest option if you're gram-counting.

If you're on a tighter budget, generic paracord with a small carabiner gets the job done. I'd avoid the silicone bottle holders from Amazon—they stretch out after a few months.

What's your water bottle? Nalgene vs. Smartwater changes the setup a bit.

Rules:

• Never link to your store unless directly asked and you've been active for 60+ days
• Include honest downsides
• Ask a follow-up question to continue engagement
• Reference competitors neutrally

Template 2: Blog Post Structure (SEO-Optimized Buyer's Guide)

Use for: "Best [Product Category] for [Activity] Under $XX" posts

Title format: Best [Product Category] Under $[Price] for [Activity] ([Year] Tested)

Word count: 2,000-3,000 words

Structure:

H1: [Title]

[50-100 word intro: What problem does this gear solve? Brief credibility statement about your testing.]

Quick Picks (for scanners):

• Best Overall: [Product] - [1-line reason]
• Best Budget: [Product] - [1-line reason]
• Best for [Specific Use Case]: [Product] - [1-line reason]

H2: What We Tested and How

[100-200 words on testing methodology. Be specific about conditions, duration, what you evaluated.]

H2: [Product Name 1] - Best Overall

[Photo]

• Price: $XX
• Weight: X oz
• Key Feature: [specific]

[150-250 words: What we liked, what we didn't, who it's best for. Include honest negatives.]

H2: [Product Name 2] - Best Budget

[Same structure]

[Repeat for 5-10 products]

H2: What We Didn't Recommend

[100-150 words on products that failed testing and why. This builds trust.]

H2: How to Choose [Product Category]

[200-300 words: Buying criteria, what matters, what doesn't]

H2: FAQ

[3-5 common questions with concise answers. Use question format people actually search.]

SEO Checklist:

• Include main keyword in H1, first paragraph, 2-3 H2s
• Use related keywords naturally (LSI terms)
• Include alt text on all images
• Internal link to related posts (once you have them)
• External link to 2-3 authoritative sources (builds trust with Google)

Template 3: TikTok/Short Video Script

Use for: Gear tests, honest reviews, budget recommendations

Format: 30-60 seconds

Hook (first 2 seconds): [Controversial or specific statement]

• "This $8 Amazon clip is better than the $25 version"
• "Stop buying [product category] until you see this"
• "3 hiking accessories under $15 that actually work"

Body (20-40 seconds):

Show don't tell. Hold up product, demonstrate use, show results.

[Product shown]

"This is [product], [price]."

[Demonstrate]

"Here's what it does well: [specific]"

[Show limitation]

"The downside: [honest negative]"

[Compare if relevant]

"Versus [alternative]: [quick comparison]"

Close (5-10 seconds):

"Worth it for: [specific person/use case]"

"Not worth it if: [specific situation]"

[No hard CTA to buy—builds trust]

Production notes:

• Film in natural light, outdoors if possible
• Show actual use, not just product sitting on desk
• Include text overlay of price and product name
• Face camera for hook, product for body
• Imperfect is fine—polished looks like an ad