Hey friend,

So, I was pretty surprised by this...

After a few months of posting my podcast to YouTube, it outperforms all the traditional podcast platforms combined.

I've doubled the listening audience in 3 weeks!

And here’s the wild part: I waited over three years to start.

YouTube always felt like “one more thing.” One more platform to learn, one more place to optimize, one more channel to add to the already overwhelming distribution mix.

And to be fair, it is. 

I'm still figuring out the right mix for all of this without burning myself out. 

But within a few months YouTube has become one of the most effective channels in my entire content strategy.

Because it’s not just a place to "host" videos, it’s a discovery engine. It distributes for you.

If you’ve got long-form content sitting on a drive somewhere (old podcast episodes, webinars, customer interviews), don’t let it collect dust.

You might be sitting on your best-performing channel and not even know it yet.

If you want to see what this can look like in action, I just sat down with Erik Jacobson to talk through everything we’ve both learned about using YouTube as a distribution engine.

We cover the mindset shifts, the tactics, the mistakes, and why YouTube might be the most overlooked growth lever in your whole strategy.

Watch the full video here

My top 3 Takeaways:

1. YouTube viewers aren’t podcast listeners

You’re not just “moving your show” to another platform. You’re unlocking a new audience with different habits. YouTube = discovery. Podcast apps = delivery.

2. Your packaging matters more than your production

We obsess over camera quality and mic setups, but ignore the stuff that drives performance. Thumbnails. Titles. Hooks. YouTube is all about the click and the platform rewards creators who get it right. The cool part is that this all transfers to your other content, too!

3. The algorithm wants to help you

YouTube wants your video to succeed more than you do. Why? Because it wants people to stay on the platform. But you’ve gotta meet it halfway by optimizing the basics.

My 3 Practical Tips You Can Use Today:

1. Write the title before you record.

Planning a webinar? A podcast? Start with the title and thumbnail. Use that to guide the actual content. You’ll get better performance and tighter storytelling.

2. Don’t repurpose blindly. Remix by platform.

Make your show platform native. That same podcast should have different intros for YouTube vs. Spotify. Change the framing. Make the first 10 seconds count. Each channel deserves its own approach (even if it’s just a 20% tweak).

If you listen to my podcast and watch the video, you'll notice how each is slightly different from each other.

3. Boost what’s already working.

If a video is picking up steam organically, throw $5–10/day behind it on YouTube. You can even target subscribers of related channels or visitors of competitor websites.

Watch the full video here

If YouTube’s been sitting on the sidelines in your strategy, this one will help you see why it deserves a seat at the head of the table.

Partner Shoutout: VideoScale

If you’re recording long-form videos (podcasts, interviews, webinars) but struggling to edit them all on your own, let VideoScale do it for you.

They specialize in high-quality videos designed to grow your audience on platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. You get a pro editing team that turns your raw content into clips people actually want to watch.

I've partnered with them because their work speaks for itself, and their process makes it dead simple to go from recording to ready-to-post.

Sign up and use code DFA25 for 25% off your first month

Big thanks to the VideoScale team for supporting my podcast and newsletter and for helping more of us create (and promote) our content.

Have a great week!

Justin

P.S. Want to get more out of your content? Here are 4 ways to grow your reach and ROI without burning out:

🎯 The Content Repurposing Roadmap

Discover how to turn your existing content into high-ROI assets in just a few hours a week without hiring help or constantly crank out new stuff. Your investment: $199

🔁 The Distribution Framework Course

Want a plug-and-play process for content distribution that doesn’t rely on random guesswork or hoping your post goes viral? This course teaches my full Distribution First Framework so you can build a repeatable, scalable system to get your content seen. Your investment: $499

📬 Distribution First Academy

Every course, coaching, and community—all included. This membership helps content leads and freelancers build systems that get more eyes on their work through smarter repurposing and strategic distribution. Your investment: $995/year

💬 Private Coaching with Me

Want hands-on help applying everything above to your business? I work 1:1 with a limited number of clients each quarter to overhaul their content strategy, set up repurposing systems, and finally get off the content hamster wheel.

Your Investment: Starts at $3k/month