Day 8 of 30: The Case for Being Your Own Distribution Platform

Why building an ecosystem around your product can change how users stay, spend, and succeed.

Hi everyone, good evening.

It’s Day 8.

Today, I want to build on what I talked about yesterday, the importance of being your own distribution platform.

And just to say this upfront, it’s not a requirement. You can build a great product and still thrive even if you’re not a distribution platform. Plenty of successful businesses do.

But I think it’s worth exploring why being one can be such an advantage.

When Distribution Isn’t the Goal

Take Selar, for example. One thing I find interesting about what we do is that our success doesn’t depend on how long people spend inside the product.

In fact, the less time you spend, the better. It means you’ve figured things out quickly, you’ve created your product, you’ve published it, and you’re making sales.

We don’t want users scrolling endlessly or “engaging” for the sake of it. We want them to get in, do what they came to do, and leave efficiently.

That’s why, for a product like ours, being a distribution platform isn’t necessary for success. The goal is to make doing business fast, not addictive.

But There Are Clear Advantages

Now, let’s talk about where being a distribution platform does make sense and why some companies chase it so hard.

First, competition.

Sometimes, other platforms start distributing your users’ attention. If you don’t create your own ecosystem, someone else might build one that pulls your users away.

Second, retention.

If your business benefits when users spend more time in your product, like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, then it makes sense to design for stickiness. The longer users stay, the more they interact, and the deeper the network effects.

Third, revenue.

This is my favourite one, as a distribution platform opens new monetisation paths.

When you become a distribution platform, new revenue lines naturally open up. There are so many creative ways to monetise distribution, some of which, I can’t fully disclose yet, we’re already exploring at Selar. Let’s just say, when your ecosystem helps others reach more people, you often find yourself earning from that reach too.

That’s the distribution mindset, turning your product into infrastructure that others can build or sell on top of.

There’s also the workflow side. When your product becomes a distribution hub, it simplifies your users’ lives.

They can do more from one place, connect more tools, and manage more parts of their business without friction. That kind of efficiency keeps users close, not because you’re forcing them to stay, but because it’s simply easier to stay.

And that creates the kind of loyalty you can’t fake.

So no, you don’t have to be a distribution platform. But if you can, and it fits your product’s nature, it opens some really interesting doors: stronger retention, new revenue streams, and a better user experience.

And maybe that’s the real lesson here: not every product needs to be the go-to destination. But every product benefits from asking; What if we were?

See you tomorrow.