Push vs Pull marketing: The difference? Which is best? We measured it

Updated: March 31, 2026
Published: March 31, 2026

Karsten Madsen Co-founder & CEO @ Morningscore.io

Key Takeaways

• Pull marketing (search engines) converts at a higher rate than push marketing (social media) – our data shows pull traffic is worth the higher price per click!
• Most businesses get 53-60% of traffic from search engines vs only around 20% from social media, a complete shift from news sites which favor social.
• Purchase-ready Google traffic continues to grow – Google maintains over 89.62% of search engine market share and isn’t going anywhere.
• The best marketing push vs pull strategy? Use both together based on where your customers are in the awareness funnel.
• Push channels work great for new products and branding, while pull channels dominate when customers are ready to buy.

What is the difference between push and pull marketing?

In a nutshell:

• Pull marketing means that you’re using a marketing strategy that draws potential consumers towards your products.

• Search Engines and databases like Google, Bing, YouTube, etc. fall into “pull channels”

• Push marketing on the other hand means that you are trying to promote a specific product to an audience that you think will find it relevant.

• Social Media (including TikTok, Meta platforms, and others) is considered a “push channel”

Typically, businesses use pull channels:

• When the user knows what he or she is looking for
• When they require more upfront research (e.g. a complex product)
• When trying to move the customers to the next stage in the Awareness Funnel

Typically, businesses use push channels:

• When launching a novelty or new product or service
• When operating in a very niche market
• When running a short-term promotion
• When the low-hanging pull channels have “dried up”
• When doing branding campaigns

The push and pull marketing case study

Our study across industries shows that organic search traffic consistently converts at a higher rate than social media push traffic ( source).

In 2026, organic search achieves conversion rates of 1.7% to 1.8%, with SEO leads converting at approximately 14.6%. Meanwhile, social media advertising shows conversion rates between 1.54% and 1.93%, though this varies significantly by platform and industry.

Push vs Pull Traffic Distribution in %

Current data shows that organic search now accounts for approximately 53-60% of global web traffic, with Google maintaining over 89.62% of the search engine market share.

Traffic Distribution For Business Websites

• Search engine (pull): 53-60%
• Social media (push): Less than 20%

Purchase-Ready Google Traffic Continues Growing (Pull)

Google maintains over 89.62% of the search engine market share in 2026, reinforcing its dominance in organic visibility.

Push and Pull channels click prices

• Push traffic pricing varies by platform. Facebook CPC averages approximately $0.68, Instagram around $0.25, and TikTok ranges from $0.50 to $1.00 per click.
• Pull traffic remains more expensive and especially dependent on competition in the industry (i.e., lawyers). Recent analysis shows that the most expensive search keywords in 2026 can cost more than $1000 per click.

Push vs Pull channels – which should you use?

To understand whether you should use a push marketing or a pull marketing strategy, you need to determine where your potential customers are positioned in your awareness funnel.

The 4 steps of the Awareness Funnel are:

• Unaware
• Problem Aware
• Solution Aware
• Product Aware

Why use a combination of push and pull strategies?

The idea is that you want to reach your customers across multiple channels to increase your chances of conversion. This is also called omnichannel marketing.

Examples of push and pull marketing?

Let’s examine the inbound and outbound marketing campaigns of the hardware/electronics company NZXT.

Push Channels:

• NZXT runs ads in multiple countries targeting different audiences.

Pull Channels:

• NZXT ranks for searches like “build your own pc.”

NZXT conclusion:

• Their pull channels are performing very well for keywords users are actively searching for.
• However, their outbound approach comes as a supplementary channel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pull and push in marketing strategy?

Pull marketing attracts customers who are actively searching for solutions, while push marketing promotes your products directly to audiences through ads and outbound tactics.

How do you measure the effectiveness of marketing pull and push strategies?

You can measure push vs pull effectiveness through conversion rates, cost per click (CPC), and ROI for each channel.

What’s a realistic budget for combining push and pull marketing?

Pull traffic can cost anywhere from a few dollars to over $50 per click depending on the industry, while push channels average $0.25-$1.00 per click.

Do push and pull strategies work differently for B2B vs B2C?

Yes! B2B customers typically require longer research cycles, making pull strategies especially effective for building trust through content marketing and SEO.

What’s the biggest mistake companies make with push vs pull marketing?

The most common mistake is choosing only one strategy and sticking with it exclusively.