John:  
Yeah, I get it about the cost of promotion being prohibitive.  I guess by "publicity and promotion" you mean Google Ads, Social Media Posts and Ads, and SEO work.  Press releases can be a useful part of a strategy.  Or am I on the wrong track?  

My $.02  :)

Google Ads can be expensive unless you know what you are doing and have a highly targeted niche value proposition. Otherwise, you end up bidding against industry giants - and losing. 

Social Media posts are profoundly helpful if keywords and links are used wisely without sounding spammy.  Social media messaging can be automated to update everywhere whenever you post to a certain dashboard, website, or blog...  At least that's how it works in my world - which has been WordPress.  I don't know how Una does this. Some platforms try to import content from others, and some try to push content out to others.  Maybe you already know?

Social Media advertising is good for branding but not so hot for direct response. I think it's especially true of Facebook - where there is lots of wasted spend.
SEO is probably the best way to go.  But not with the "Big Brand" SEO service providers with pushy sales pitches. These tend to start their "Industry Tailored" programs at $300-$400 a month and go up from there. First, you get the high-pressure pitch. Then what they do is push you through an automated, cookie-cutter keyword suggestion system based on your industry. This means you end up competing with all the others using the same automated keyword strategies and won't stand out when you really want to.  

I recommend taking a more thoughtful, human approach based on your very specific value proposition and target audience. You can get an experienced freelancer to work the SEO and Content angle from the perspective of meeting specific market needs instead of pushing industry buzzwords around.  It doesn't have to be as expensive when the person you deal with isn't trying to pay for a call center and all those ads...   

Meaningful SEO work by an experienced pro freelancer can be done starting at about $100 a month.  Consistency over time is crucial.  Expect to begin ranking up in weeks unless your domain is new.  But also be prepared that real improvement of SERP to target range will take months.  A commitment of 3-6 months should begin to earn Google page one rank for some pretty good search phrases or keywords. In highly competitive markets, it can take a year or more to reach page one SERP.    

Anyway, I think a steady month-to-month program of Social Media Posting and Professional SEO work played out over months and even a year will pay off more than Google Ads.

Ok, that was more than $.02.  But I hope it is helpful.  Over and out!