Both paid and free blog posts can have the potential to generate traffic and link juice, but they have different advantages and drawbacks.
Paid blog posts, also called sponsored content, can be an effective way to quickly generate traffic and link juice for your website. Paid blog posts are usually written by a company or a freelance writer and posted on a high-traffic blog or website. The post is typically written in a similar style to the other content on the blog, but it will include a disclaimer that it is a sponsored post. In return, the blogger receives a fee or compensation.
The benefits of paid blog posts are that they can drive a large amount of traffic and link juice to your website in a relatively short period of time. Additionally, it can potentially reach wider audience and establish better brand awareness.
However, the main drawback is that paid blog posts can be seen as less credible in the eyes of readers, as they are essentially an advertisement. Also, the audience might consider it less valuable as it is written by an individual or company who may have other motives than providing informative content.
On the other hand, free blog posts are when you don't pay for the publication, but you are doing it for the sake of creating good informative content, your own audience, and the ability to boost your own website traffic.
The benefits of free blog posts are that they can establish you as a thought leader in your industry, position you as an expert in your field, and build trust with your audience. Additionally, the readers may perceive the content as more credible as it is created for informative purpose and not for commercial purpose. However, the downside is that it may take more time to build up traffic and link juice, as you will need to rely on organic promotion methods such as social media and SEO.