The Value of Distribution

This is going to be a divisive post.

Let’s just get that out of the way now.

Some of you are going to love what I’m about to say. Some of you are going to hate it. Either way, you won’t be able to ignore it.

We’ve Lost Our Way

Somewhere along the line, we started believing that business growth = content strategy.

📢 “We need to build an audience!”
📊 “We need more viral posts!”
💡 “Our content isn’t ‘sexy’ enough!”

It’s like we all forgot what business owners before the internet understood:

Your business is nothing without distribution.

Distribution isn’t about engagement metrics. It isn’t about audience size. It isn’t about how many people see your content—it’s about whether the right people see it and take action.

Yet here we are, optimizing for likes instead of revenue.

What Most Businesses Get Wrong About Growth

A lot of founders and marketers think they already have distribution because they:

✅ Have a sales team
✅ Spend $$ on ads
✅ Work with a marketing agency

So they hear "distribution" and think, “We’re fine. We’re covered.”

But real distribution isn’t just spending money to get seen. It’s about owning the systems that ensure your business remains in front of the right people—continuously, predictably, and at scale.

And no one demonstrates this better than Elon Musk.

What Elon Musk Saw That No One Else Did

Let’s rewind to October 2022, when Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion.

At the time, the conversation was all about the price tag.

💰 “Overpriced.”
💰 “A joke of a deal.”
💰 “A vanity play.”

The Twitter board wasn’t happy. Twitter hadn’t been profitable. Jack Dorsey, the former CEO, seemed almost allergic to making money.

But here’s what Musk saw that others didn’t:

He wasn’t just buying a struggling social platform. He was buying the most powerful distribution engine available to him.

The Power of Built-In Distribution

At the time of purchase, Musk was already one of the most active Twitter users. He had a large following. He was engaging. But overnight, things changed:

🚀 His follower count skyrocketed.
🚀 An entire industry of Twitter creators amplified his reach—for free.
🚀 His voice became the loudest on the platform.

(And this was before he tweaked the algorithm to make sure his tweets appeared first.)

But let’s go deeper.

Twitter was already a massive platform, built around conversation, engagement, and network effects. It was a perfect fit for top-of-funnel reach—and Musk plugged his entire business ecosystem into it.

• Tesla (increased visibility, stock conversations, brand loyalty)

• SpaceX (government contracts, partnerships, PR control)

• Neuralink, The Boring Company, X, AI ventures (all benefit from attention)

And what happened next?

📈 His net worth doubled in just 3 months.
📈 The value of his businesses grew—even when performance didn’t.
📈 His influence across tech, finance, and even governments expanded.

He turned distribution into an unfair advantage.

What This Means for You

You don’t need to be Elon Musk to apply this to your own business.

But you do need to rethink how you approach visibility, reach, and growth.

Most businesses today:

❌ Overvalue content virality (attention isn’t the same as conversion)
❌ Rely too much on paid acquisition (ads alone aren’t a strategy)
❌ Ignore long-term distribution systems (because they’re harder to measure)

Meanwhile, the smartest companies:

✅ Build multiple channels of distribution (owned media, partnerships, networks)
✅ Ensure their messaging reaches decision-makers—repeatedly
✅ Optimize for sustained visibility, not short-term spikes

The Difference Between Content and Distribution

Let’s break it down even further.

📌 Content is what you create to communicate with your market.
📌 Distribution is how that content reliably gets in front of the right people.

Most people focus on the first part and ignore the second.

But what good is great content if no one sees it?

What’s the point of a viral post if it doesn’t move the needle for your business?

Musk doesn’t have the best content. He has the best distribution.

How to Apply This to Your Business

I’ve spent the last few years thinking about how businesses can build distribution.

It’s not about hacking virality or chasing trends. It’s about creating systems of scalable conversation.

✅ Alignment – ensuring your message resonates with decision-makers
✅ Listening – analyzing what’s working and where the gaps are
✅ Iterating – constantly improving how you reach your market

And while writing my book, Build Distribution, I’ve been diving into:

📖 How digital distribution mirrors traditional supply chains
📖 How different industries leverage distribution (tech vs. CPG vs. B2B)
📖 How businesses can “steal” distribution strategies from unexpected places

One thing is clear:

Love him or hate him, Musk is one of the most powerful examples of how distribution changes everything.

Final Thought

Most businesses don’t have a marketing or sales problem.

They have a distribution problem.

If you’re interested in these ideas, I’d love to hear your story.

I’m writing Build Distribution to help B2B founders and marketers rethink how they grow. If you’d like to participate,
or just want a copy when it’s out,
send me a note: [email protected].

-G