A successful affiliate marketing strategy on Facebook, particularly when relying on free traffic, is not about a single magic trick but rather a combination of consistent effort, strategic content, and building genuine trust with your audience. While a specific case study of a user making $16,972/month is not available, here's a breakdown of the proven strategies and mindset that can lead to significant earnings using free Facebook traffic.

The key principles are value, trust, and community.

1. Build a Niche-Specific Community, Not Just a Profile
The most successful affiliate marketers on Facebook don't just post links on their personal profiles. They create and cultivate a dedicated space for a targeted audience.

Facebook Groups: This is the most powerful tool for free traffic. Create a public or private group around a specific niche or a particular problem. For example, instead of a general "weight loss" group, create "Keto for Busy Moms" or "Home Workouts for Desk Workers." This laser-focus attracts a highly engaged audience with a shared interest.

The 80/20 Rule: Your content should be 80% educational, entertaining, and engaging, and only 20% promotional. The goal is to provide immense value and build a community first. Share tips, tutorials, reviews, and answer questions. When you do recommend a product, it feels like a genuine recommendation from a trusted friend, not a hard sell.

Engagement is Key: Respond to every comment, ask questions, run polls, and go live. The more active and engaged your community is, the more likely Facebook's algorithm is to show your content to more people for free.

2. The Content Strategy: Value-Driven and Authentic
Your content is the engine that drives free traffic. It needs to be authentic and solve a problem for your audience.

Solve Problems: Your posts should address the pain points of your niche. If you're in the "productivity" niche, create a post about a common struggle like "How to Stop Procrastinating When You're Working from Home."

Create Different Content Types: Don't just rely on text. Use a mix of:

Tutorials and How-Tos: Show your audience how to use a product or solve a problem.

Personal Stories and Reviews: Share your own journey and honest opinions about products you use. Authenticity builds trust.

Live Q&A Sessions: Go live to answer questions from your audience in real time. This builds a strong personal connection.

Free Resources: Offer free checklists, guides, or e-books in exchange for an email address. This allows you to build an email list, which is an invaluable asset you own and control.

3. The Art of "Soft Selling"
The goal is not to "sell" but to "recommend" and "solve." Your affiliate links should feel like a helpful resource, not a sales pitch.

Use Bridge Pages or Landing Pages: Facebook often flags posts with direct affiliate links as spam. A professional workaround is to link to a blog post or landing page on your own website that provides even more value and then includes the affiliate links. This also allows you to add a Facebook Pixel to your site for future paid marketing efforts.

Disclose Your Affiliation: Transparency is crucial for building trust and is often a requirement by law (e.g., FTC guidelines). Clearly state that you will earn a commission if they purchase through your link.

Promote Recurring Commission Products: The most effective way to earn high monthly income is by promoting products that offer recurring commissions (e.g., SaaS tools, membership sites, online courses with a monthly fee). A single sale can generate passive income for months or years.

4. Scaling Your Efforts (Without Spending Money)
Once you've built an engaged group, you can scale your free traffic.

Cross-Promote: Share your Facebook content on other platforms where you have a presence, such as Pinterest, Instagram, or a personal blog.

Participate in Other Groups: Join relevant, non-competitor groups in your niche and provide value by answering questions and helping others. You can occasionally link back to your own group or resources when it's genuinely helpful and allowed by the group's rules.

While a case study with a precise dollar amount might be difficult to verify, the methods used to achieve such success are well-documented. The core formula is consistently providing value and building a strong, trusting community. The income becomes a byproduct of the trust and authority you build within that community.