Distribution

Distribution is everything you do to get content in front of readers after it's been created: the platforms you publish on, the timing, the cross-posting, the email push, the partnerships, the paid amplification, and the algorithmic considerations that determine reach.

The industry mantra is that distribution beats creation. The same essay published only on your personal blog reaches a few hundred people; cross-posted to LinkedIn, X, Hacker News, the right Reddit communities, and shared by a few well-placed friends, the same essay can reach hundreds of thousands. The content was identical; the distribution did the work.

A useful framework: every piece of content has a creation budget and a distribution budget. Most creators massively overinvest in creation and underinvest in distribution. A piece that took 10 hours to write might get 15 minutes of distribution effort, which is the wrong ratio. Doubling distribution effort almost always beats doubling creation polish.

Distribution channels stack. A single post can go out as: a native LinkedIn post, an X thread, an Instagram carousel, an email newsletter section, a Reddit post in the right subreddit, a link shared in relevant Slack and Discord communities, a YouTube short if there's video, a quote in your monthly recap. Each channel reaches a different audience and the channels rarely fully overlap.

Algorithm understanding is also part of distribution. A LinkedIn post performs differently if you respond to early comments within the first hour, if it includes specific topical hashtags, if it gets engagement from accounts in your network. The same post posted casually leaks reach.

The most underused distribution tactic is asking people directly. A short DM to five relevant people saying "I wrote something you might find useful" usually drives more meaningful engagement than any algorithmic push.