Unlike money as a distributed resource, distribution itself is the main and one of the most important components of a media business or arguably, any other business for that matter that's trying to reach people and create impact.
I've already heard a number of times from podcasts that I listened that "distribution is key", "content is king, distribution is queen", or something related along those lines.
But it never really clicked for me like it does now because I was mostly understanding it as distribution being an effect or a consequence of sorts rather than a cause itself for business success.
Consequence of what, you might ask?
Well, I think the conventional wisdom isn't far off from the "build it and they will come" mentality, although as of late, I've been coming across more content that calls this approach outdated, naive, or just plain wrong.
Part of me thinks the dynamics of the digital world has played a huge role on this shift.
The Noise Problem
Given the barrier of entry is quite low, anyone can take a swing at creating content, launching a product or eventually starting a business.
The tools and platforms are cheaper and more accessible, and the technical knowledge required keeps getting lower.
Sure, just because they can doesn't mean they will succeed. But if you layer in the fact that millions of people are doing exactly this every single day, you start to see the "real problem".
Technically, it's not really a problem but more so that we're drowning in options, since every niche is getting crowded and every platform is flooded with people fighting for the same eyeballs, same potential dollars and same finite number of attention.
What comes of this as a result is you start living in a world where having something good isn't enough anymore.
The standard has changed and being the best at what you do doesn't guarantee anyone will notice.
This is more or less the supply side - we don't go looking for supplies, the supply finds us.
Now flip to the demand side, and things get even more interesting.
I think modern people are really really distracted and impatient.
Still Want Everything Perfect
Here, we're not just dealing with too many choices but also with people who can barely focus long enough to make those choices in the first place.
Now, even though we can't focus, we're also incredibly picky.
I still remember almost vividly a scene at the supermarket when a teenage girl couldn't find the exact flavor of chips she wanted and demanded her mom drive to another store which was quite far from where they were currently at that time.
We want exactly what we want, when we want it, how we want it.
Besides, how can you be overwhelmed by choice but still get frustrated when you don't have options!?
Add to this our tendency to rely on social proof that has become more powerful than ever.
This creates a weird feedback loop where the things that already have distribution get more distribution, while everything else gets ignored, regardless of quality.
I'm not sure if there's an actual remedy here for both sides of this equation other than accepting that we now live in an attention-first world.
It seems to me that the winners will be those who master the art of getting noticed first, then worry about being good second.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.