Content Distribution Channels

Distributors favour people they’ve worked with before. But those films often perform worse This study tracked 5,199 US films, focusing on relationships between producers and distributors and how those ties influenced budget, marketing and box office. Here’s what they found: 1. Repeat partners get better treatment Distributors gave higher budgets, better release dates and more screens to filmmakers they had worked with before. These films looked like better bets on paper. 2. The advantage is an illusion Once you strip out the effect of bigger budgets and better marketing, those same films actually earned less at the box office. The prior relationship didn’t signal higher quality. It just shaped expectations. 3. The effect is self-fulfilling Distributors think past collaborators make better films, so they spend more to promote them. That spend lifts box office, confirming the belief. But when those boosts are removed, the underlying performance drops. 4. The system favours insiders Films without a prior connection got fewer resources and worse dates. Even when they did well, they had to overcome headwinds the insiders never faced. 5. This isn’t about trust or better info Distributors didn’t act on hidden insights. They acted on bias. The belief in a relationship’s value shaped spending, which shaped outcomes. Full paper: https://lnkd.in/e_7aCPv9 Social Structure and Exchange: Self-confirming Dynamics in Hollywood By Olav Sorenson (University of Toronto) and David M. Waguespack (University of Maryland) Published in Administrative Science Quarterly, December 2006

A BIG follower count looks impressive. But followers don’t pay the bills 🤷🏻♀️ High numbers ≠ revenue. Why? Because followers don’t always translate to trust. That’s the difference between having an audience or a community. An AUDIENCE listens. But they’re passive. They consume your content and move on. A COMMUNITY? They engage. They connect. They show up for you. Audiences might watch from the sidelines. Communities take action. They invest. They stick around. And here’s the key difference: Communities are built on shared values, not just content. If you’re struggling to monetise, it might not be about growing your follower count. It’s about deepening your relationships. So, how do you build a community on LinkedIn? 1. Start conversations, not monologues. Ask questions. Invite opinions. Respond to comments with thought and care. 2. Be authentic. Share your wins and your challenges. Vulnerability creates connection. 3. Engage outside your posts. Comment on other people’s content. Join relevant discussions. Be present where your audience is. 4. Create shared value. Offer insights, solve problems, and share ideas that help your network grow. 5. Highlight others. Celebrate their wins. Share their content. Show that you care about their journey. 6. Be consistent. Communities thrive on trust, and trust is built by showing up regularly over time. 7. Take it offline. Meetups, coffee chats, or webinars. Bring your LinkedIn network into real-life connections. A handshake or face-to-face conversation builds bonds no algorithm can replicate. Communities aren’t built overnight. They grow when you focus on connection over attention. Because people don’t just buy products or services. They buy trust. They buy relationships. When you build a community, you don’t just have followers. You have advocates. Supporters. Friends. That’s the real game-changer. PS: Do you have an audience or a community?

As a film producer, while shopping for a distributor, you would hear things like: “We will distribute your film to Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, in fact, everywhere!” “We have Netflix and Amazon Prime deals waiting after cinemas” “In fact, we have the best plug for airline deals” They then lure you into a 3-year distribution deal. But after the cinema release, none of the promises will be kept: ~ No licensing deals ~ No sales ~ Zero distribution opportunity. Your film sits in their catalogue, aging and losing value, while it should be generating consistent income. Here is exactly how to guide against such a trap: 1️⃣ Don’t choose a distributor without doing a thorough due diligence. How strong is their network? What kind of deals do they secure for the films in the catalogue? What do other producers have to say about them? 2️⃣ Grant a short-term distribution deal. Preferably 1 year. The term can always be renewed if the distributor is performing really well. The shorter the period, the easier to walk away. 3️⃣ Negotiate a clear termination clause: You don't want to be confused about what to do at the point of termination. So ensure your contract clearly provides an easy and clear termination procedure. 4️⃣ Include a clause that lets you terminate the distribution contract if no deal is secured for your film for 6 consecutive months. Your film should make money, not be tucked away on a shelf in the name of distribution. So before you sign that distribution deal, share it with a film lawyer to review it. If you find this valuable: Repost it and comment “Thank you” to help other filmmakers avoid the same trap. ___________ Hi, my name is Omotayo, I help filmmakers and creatives like you protect and monetize their content and brand to enable them create generational wealth. Follow me Omotayo Queen Inakoju to get free tips on how to build a profitable and legally protected creative business. #filmmaker #creatives #nollywood

Can indie make money? A friend asked me recently. I said yes and here’s how I broke it down: Indie films don’t just drop everywhere at once. Most follow what's called a "Windowed Hybrid distribution model" ; releasing in stages across cinemas, digital platforms, streaming services, and more to maximise both revenue and reach. The typical rollout looks like this: - Theatrical window First, the film hits cinemas to build buzz, gain prestige, and bring in box office revenue. - Home entertainment / Digital rental or purchase (TVOD) After its cinema run, it moves to platforms like iTunes or Amazon where audiences can rent or buy it. - Subscription streaming (SVOD) Then it lands on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Prime ; reaching a wider audience and adding recurring value. - Ad-supported streaming (AVOD) & other platforms Sometimes it appears on free, ad-supported platforms or traditional TV, keeping viewership growing. – Ancillary windows Revenue continues via DVD/Blu-ray sales, airline screenings, educational licenses, and international rights. Example: Longlegs (2024) Longlegs launched in both the UK/Ireland and US at the same time in July 2024. The marketing was sharp ; targeting supernatural horror fans and serial-killer thriller audiences with tailored messaging. It opened strong in theatres (~£1.4m / $1.75m opening weekend), and it’s now moving into TVOD and SVOD windows. DVD, international, and other ancillary streams are next. What did they do right? - Targeted marketing that speaks to distinct audience segments - Starting small and scaling across formats - Creative campaigns ; beyond posters: viral stunts, events, custom trailers This model helps indie films: • Spark early buzz with festivals or niche campaigns • Use theatrical runs to build credibility and revenue • Expand into digital and streaming platforms • Keep generating income through global markets So yeah...indie films can make money. BUT it takes smart strategy and investing money in creative marketing. What worked for you? 😊 #IndieFilm #FilmDistribution #WindowedHybrid #FilmMarketing #Streaming #BoxOffice #film #cinema #producer #screenwriter

We grew an email list from 0 to 500K subscribers in just 10 months. If I were starting from scratch today, here's exactly how I'd do it again: 1) Nail the Lead Magnet: The fastest way to grow your email list is by offering something valuable in exchange for an email. Think of it like this: people won't give up their email for nothing. Create something they can't ignore: a discount, exclusive content, or a tool they can’t find elsewhere. For us, offering free travel guides was a game-changer. 2) Optimize for Opt-Ins Everywhere: Your website, blog, and even social media accounts should work like opt-in machines. For example: - Add pop-ups and fly outs on key pages. - Place CTAs above the fold. - Use scroll-triggered modals when visitors are engaged. We tested endlessly, and this attention to detail paid off big. 3) Tap Into Paid Growth Early: Ads get a bad rep, but when done right, they’re a growth accelerant. We launched targeted ads promoting our lead magnet and built a funnel that turned traffic into email signups. Paid campaigns helped us scale fast while testing which offers resonated with our audience. 4) Partner with the Right People: Collaborations can grow your list faster than any single effort. Whether it’s co-branded giveaways, email swaps, or shoutouts, find brands or creators that share your target audience. A well-executed partnership will unlock exponential growth. One really unique thing we did: We bought a bunch of viral social accounts and rebranded them for our business. This was huge in kickstarting massive and sustainable growth. And we fast-tracked the social proof we needed to build trust and scale quickly. 5) Focus on Quality, Not Just Quantity: A big list is meaningless without engagement. From Day 1, we focused on high-value emails to ensure subscribers opened, clicked, and stayed. Here’s a pro tip: Consistency wins. Sending emails weekly or bi-weekly keeps your list warm and engaged. 6) Build a Content Machine: Pair email growth with an organic content strategy that feeds your funnel. Blog posts, social media, and SEO aren’t just good for traffic—they create trust. The more valuable content you share, the more people will want to hear from you. 7) Leverage Cheap Marketing Channels in Ways Others Haven’t: This is going to ruffle some feathers but we absolutely dominated cold email for user acquisition. To the tune of 6 figure subscriber acquisition. No one was doing cold email for B2C the way we did it. This proved to be the most scalable yet cheapest acquisition channel we had. — To recap: - Offer something valuable for free to grow your list. - Use every channel—paid and organic—to drive opt-ins. - Build relationships with partners who already have your audience. The result? A system that scales. Your list is the one asset you fully own—start building it ASAP!

Last week in an internal team workshop, I asked the group a question: “If you're not creating content on LinkedIn, why not?” They came up with ten reasons - everything from “I don’t know what to say,” to “I feel awkward putting myself out there,” to “I don’t want to seem like I’m bragging,” or “I’m not sure anyone would even find it interesting.” Here’s what stood out: Every reason started with “I.” It was all about them - their doubts and discomfort. So, I offered a small but effective shift that can take the pressure off and make showing up feel a whole lot easier: ✨ Make your community the star of your content ✨ What does that actually look like? It means shifting the spotlight from you to the people, stories, and moments that exist around you. And doing it in a way that still reflects your values, your expertise, and your perspective. Here are a few ways to do it: ✅ Highlight your team Share the work they’re doing behind the scenes. A project they’ve delivered, a promotion they’ve earned, or even a moment of growth you’ve witnessed. ✅ Celebrate your clients Tell the story of a client who’s achieving great things. It doesn’t have to be a case study just a quick insight into the work they’re doing, their success, or a shift they’ve made. You don’t need to name them unless appropriate. The focus is on their journey, not yours. ✅ Share industry insights Got back from a conference or event? Talk about what you learned, the speakers that stood out, the side coffee or wine chat, or the trends you're noticing. ✅ Acknowledge your network Say thank you. Recognise someone who gave you advice, introduced you to a new way of thinking, made a connection for you, brightened your day or helped you get unstuck. ✅ Feature your collaborators and community Whether it’s a podcast guest, a project partner, or someone in your community, spotlight them. Share what they do, what you learned from them, or how they’re making an impact. If you’re holding back from posting because it feels too self-promotional or too awkward - try this instead: 👉 Pick one person in your community and shine a light on them this week. 📷 Need some inspiration? One person who does this incredibly well and with absolute consistency is Jonathan Mamaril. Jonathan’s approach to content on LinkedIn is a standout example of what it means to shine the light on others. Whether he’s actively bringing people into a conversation, featuring a podcast guest, spotlighting community member, acknowledging a collaborator, or celebrating someone in his broader network, his posts are thoughtful, intentional, and generous. It’s inclusive. It’s community-focused. And it's a great reminder that sometimes the best way to show who you are is to lift up the people around you. #linkedin #community #locallink

TikTok Shop just did $500,000,000 in US sales over Black Friday–Cyber Monday. Half. A. Billion. In four days. And here’s the real story everyone is missing: This wasn’t a “marketing win.” This was a distribution win. Because TikTok Shop isn’t scaling ads. It’s scaling creators-as-channels. The Big Unlock: For the first time in US commerce history, content, culture, and checkout all lived in one motion: • You saw the creator • You trusted the creator • You bought through the creator No tab switching. No Google searching. No Amazon comparing. Just swipe → watch → buy. Creators aren’t talent anymore, they’re storefronts with built-in traffic, trust, and now, SKU-level attribution. And this weekend proved it at scale. But here’s the part most marketers will get wrong: Everyone will focus on the $500M number. But that’s a tiny sliver of the real market: US e-comm over the same four days = $44.2B Amazon US annual sales = $500B+ TikTok Shop US 2024 = $15.8B projected TikTok Shop is still small compared to Amazon. But its growth curve is what matters: ⬆️ Half a billion in year 2.5 ⬆️ Major brands (Disney, Samsung, Ralph Lauren) joining the platform ⬆️ Social-driven shopping up 56.5% YoY This is the shift we’ve been talking about. We’re watching ecomm dollars migrate from Amazon → to content → to creators → to social-first retail. Why this matters for brands in 2025 Most brands still treat creators like vendors: PDFs, One-off briefs, Manual tracking... “Let’s hope this performs” energy But that model breaks instantly at scale. And scale is exactly where TikTok Shop is forcing everyone next. Creators are becoming a performance channel. Not in theory... in practice. You don’t scale Facebook Ads with interns. And you won’t scale social commerce with spreadsheets. The brands who win in 2025 will be the ones who build: • Creator CRM • Attribution → iteration loops • Predictive ROI models • Always-on creator networks • Infrastructure built for 100 creators a month, not 10 $500M isn’t the headline. The headline is this: A platform that didn’t exist ~24 months ago just turned creators into one of the fastest-growing retail channels in America. And we’re still early.

Here’s something most retail brands are finally waking up to: What works at one store might totally flop just 10 km away. I’ve seen this first-hand. Back when I was at Reliance Retail, heading marketing for 170+ stores across 30 cities, we had a dedicated budget for local store marketing. But this wasn’t centrally planned. We encouraged local store teams to take the lead, to understand their micro-market and suggest activities that would grow awareness in their communities. From sponsoring local events, eye check up camps at housing societies & corporates, organising in-store promotions tied to local holidays or festivals, or even collaborating with nearby businesses for cross-promotions, we did everything to reach the people closest to us. Even when marketing our malls, we follow the same philosophy. Hyperlocal marketing helps us connect with our hyper-primary catchment—the people most likely to visit, shop, and return. And that lesson carries over just as powerfully to online retail today. Online retail is playing on the same turf now. D2C brands are using geotargeting campaigns, collaborating with local influencers, offering region-specific discounts, and running ads in local languages. In both worlds, today, physical and digital, local context wins attention. And often, loyalty too. Because today, success doesn’t come from being everywhere. It comes from being right where it matters most. Have you spotted a hyperlocal campaign that made you stop and take notice, online or offline? #marketing #retail #hyperlocal #branding

You’re posting on social media..but you’re not getting any inbound business from it. Then this post is for you. ↓ Every successful online builder is actively building an email list. Justin Welsh Simon Squibb Codie Sanchez Matt Gray Tim Denning Nick Huber Alex Hormozi etc, etc…. Why? NO ONE wants to be controlled by algorithms on social media = people want ownership AND Because email marketing is up to 40x more effective than social media when it comes to turning leads into customers. ✅ By owning an email list, you control how you reach your audience. ❌ Social media? Not so much. Social media algorithms are constantly changing, and you don't control those platforms. And don’t get me wrong, social media is a must to enable people to FIND you. But to convert people to clients: an email list is much more effective. With email, you’ve got a direct line to your people. You can nurture those relationships without relying on third-party platforms. No middleman, no algorithm changes. You’re talking straight with them. If you’re not building an email list, you’re missing out on one of the most effective ways to monetize your audience, and build a business. So, how do you go from having followers to building a loyal email list and turning them into paying customers? Here are a few actionable tips to get you started ↓ 1️⃣ Create Irresistible Lead Magnets Offer something of value in exchange for their email address. It can be a: - free guide - checklist - webinar - exclusive content …make sure it speaks directly to your audience’s pain points or desires. 2️⃣ Launch a newsletter on Beehiiv You can literally start one today. 3️⃣ Use Social Media to Promote Your Email List Don’t just share your lead magnet once → talk about it OFTEN. Tell your followers what they’re missing if they’re not on your list. Add some urgency or offer a bonus to get them to subscribe. Make it a part of your system. 4️⃣ Nurture with Consistent, Valuable Content Once they’re on your list, don’t just sell. Give them content they can actually use. And LEARN from. The more value you provide, the more trust you’ll build, and the more likely they are to buy from you down the line. Show people you understand them. Make yourself the go-to. Many people think they should do the opposite: Keep things behind a wall until people buy. ❌ That won’t build your business and it won’t build your email list. ✅ Share loads of value, and you will get more customers. 👉 Treat your emails list like an a$$et Treat your email list like the valuable asset it is. Ask for input. Encourage people to reach out. Make an effort to understand and respect people’s time. Don’t write super long essays (no on has time). Write newsletter editions people can skim read. Show up regularly in their inbox. Want examples how? 👉 Go here (it's free): https://lnkd.in/dUPYinYi

If Africa shouldn’t build its own Netflix… Then what should we build? In my last two posts, I showed why basic economics in Africa don't support a “local Netflix”. Instead, here are some realistic, practical ways to tackle Africa’s massive content distribution problem: 1️⃣ Focus on building the missing digital infrastructure layer: A pan-African rights and metadata exchange, that can track and manage rights pipelines, metadata, licensing, and AI dubbing workflows; aggregate content to feed YouTube, broadcasters, telcos, and platforms; handle royalties distribution and cross-border payments. Such a solution would also combat piracy and help surface small but meaningful sources of revenue for rights holders. 2️⃣ An AdTech solution to onboard African SMEs into digital advertising. Africa’s ad market is too small and too volatile to sustain ad-driven distribution models. Most of the ad money comes from multinationals, while SMEs (the real economic backbone) almost never advertise formally. Africa needs a platform that auto-generates ads, auto-targets audiences across Meta, YouTube, Google, auto-manages budgets (even at $1/day), integrates local payment systems, and auto-optimizes placement and attribution. Expanding the African advertising pool would unlock ad-supported distribution models such as AVOD platforms or FAST channels, and improve YouTube monetization. This is where the real billion-dollar opportunity lies. If you are building it, DM me. 3️⃣ Community cinemas. The resilience of the Nigerian box office and the growth of Pathé in francophone Africa prove that the cinema experience is alive and well on the continent. Cinema releases also raise the value of films by the time they move to streaming. You can’t build multiplexes everywhere, but you can open micro-cinemas in malls, restaurants and rooftops, turn church and school halls into weekend screening rooms, or bring mobile outdoor cinemas to peri-urban areas -- all low-capex, high-touch solutions that build local audiences for the long term. The money here is in doing this at scale. 4️⃣ If you really insist on building a digital content platform, consider going niche and keeping your expectations modest. A niche platform like MUBI works because it is hyper-curated and targets a cinephile niche in rich markets, to which it can charge high ARPU. There is no evidence that a similar model applied to African content could scale beyond a few thousand paying users in the diaspora. In any case, CAC would be brutal. So even if someone manages to make this work, it will be small. Which can be fine, as long as you don’t have delusions of grandeur. ✅ These are just a few ideas - but this is how you transform distribution on the continent. ----- Hi, my name is Marie 👋🏽 For business insights you cannot get anywhere else, join the 10,000+ other professionals who subscribe to my monthly newsletter HUSTLE & FLOW: https://lnkd.in/drBY8jnz