You Have a Great Video... Now What? The Distribution Playbook

Production is only 50% of the work. Distribution is the other 50%.

We’ve seen it happen too many times.

A company invests $15,000 in a beautiful, strategic brand film. They love it. The team loves it. They post it on YouTube, embed it on their “About” page… and walk away.

Six months later: “The video didn’t really do much.”

The video didn’t fail. The launch failed.

A video file sitting on a hard drive has zero ROI. To get value, you need activation.

Here is the distribution playbook we recommend to ensure your content actually gets seen by the people who matter.

1. The Website: Prime Real Estate

Don’t bury your video in a blog post or a sub-page. If this is your flagship brand story, it needs to be front and center.

The Hero Section: Consider a silent, high-energy loop playing in the background of your homepage header (with a “Watch Full Film” button).
The Landing Page: If the video is for a specific product or service, it should be the first thing a prospect sees on that service page.
The Conversion Point: Place testimonial videos right next to your “Contact Sales” or “Request Quote” forms. High-trust video content reduces friction at the moment of decision.

Real example from a Southern Alberta manufacturer:

They embedded their 8-minute brand story directly on their homepage hero section. Not autoplaying (which annoys people), but with a compelling thumbnail and “Watch Our Story” button.

Results:

Homepage bounce rate: 67% → 41%
Average session duration: 1:12 → 4:47
Contact form completions: 12/month → 34/month
Sales qualified leads: 40% increase

The video did the heavy lifting. By the time prospects reached the contact form, they already understood the company’s values, process, and differentiation.

Where else to embed video:

Pricing page: Explain your value before they see the number
FAQ page: Answer common objections on camera
Thank you pages: After form submission, deliver a personal message from founder
Case study pages: Let the customer tell their own story

2. LinkedIn: The B2B Powerhouse

For most of our clients (manufacturing, energy, B2B services), LinkedIn is where the decision-makers are.

Do not just paste the YouTube link. LinkedIn’s algorithm hates external links—it will bury your post.

The Strategy:

Upload Natively: Upload the video file directly to LinkedIn.
Write Context, Not Copy: Don’t just say “Check out our new video.” Tell a story about the shoot. Highlight a specific quote from the film. Tag the people involved.
The “First Comment” Trick: If you need to link to a YouTube channel or website, put that link in the first comment, not the post body.

What this actually looks like:

Bad LinkedIn Post:

“Check out our new company video! [Link]”

Good LinkedIn Post:

“At 5:30 AM last Tuesday, our crew filmed a shift handoff at [Client]‘s facility.

We watched a 28-year veteran machinist explain to a new apprentice why precision matters. Not corporate speak. Real talk: ‘Every weld is problem-solving. The best welders can think three steps ahead.’

That 90 seconds became the heart of their recruitment film. And it’s exactly why we do this work.

[Native video embedded]

Shout out to [tag safety manager], [tag operations lead], and the entire team for trusting us with your story.”

Why the second version works:

Human story, not product pitch
Specific moment people can visualize
Tags bring people into the conversation
Native video gets 5x more reach than links

LinkedIn distribution checklist:

Upload video natively (not YouTube link)
Write 150-200 word story (not just “watch this”)
Tag 3-5 relevant people (client, employees featured, partners)
Add 3-5 relevant hashtags (#manufacturing #skilledtrades #southernalberta)
Post Tuesday-Thursday, 9AM-12PM for maximum reach
Put any external links in first comment, not post body

3. Email: The Relationship Builder

Email is still the highest-converting channel in marketing. Use it.

The “New Video” Blast: Send a dedicated email announcing the video. “We wanted you to see this first.”\n- The Signature: Add a thumbnail and link to your email signature: “Watch our Customer Story.”\n- The Drip Campaign: If you have an automated welcome sequence for new leads, this video should be in email #1 or #2. It builds trust faster than text ever could.\n- Sales Outreach: Your sales team should be sending this video before meetings (“Here’s a 2-minute overview of how we work”) or after meetings (“Here’s that case study we discussed”).

Real numbers from email distribution:

An agriculture client sent their brand story video to their email list (4,200 subscribers):

Email metrics:

Subject line: “You’ve never seen our operation like this”
Open rate: 34% (vs. 22% average)
Click rate: 12% (vs. 3% average)
Video completion rate: 67%

Business outcomes:

47 replies asking questions about their process
12 new wholesale accounts requesting pricing
$43,000 in new business directly attributed to the email

Email distribution timeline:

Day 1: Internal team first

Send to employees before external launch
They’ll share it authentically (not because they have to)
Creates momentum before public sees it

Day 3: Existing customers/clients

“You’re part of this story” positioning
Ask for feedback, testimonials, referrals

Day 7: Email list

Full subscriber list gets the announcement
Segment by interest for better targeting

Day 14: Nurture sequences

Add to automated sequences for new subscribers
Include in onboarding series

Sales team integration:

Your sales team should have 3 email templates ready:

Template 1: First Contact

“Hi [Name], saw you’re looking for [solution]. Before we talk, here’s a 3-minute look at how we approach this: [video link]. Worth 3 minutes of your time?”

Template 2: Post-Meeting Follow-Up

“Thanks for the conversation today. Here’s the case study I mentioned: [video link]. The client had the same challenge you described.”

Template 3: Breaking Through Silence

“Haven’t heard back—totally understand you’re busy. One last thing: [video link]. If this resonates, let’s talk. If not, no worries.”

Result: Sales emails with video get 3x higher response rates than text-only.

4. Repurposing: Squeeze the Lemon

One 3-minute video contains dozens of pieces of content. Don’t use it once.

Vertical Shorts: Cut 30-45 second vertical clips for Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts. Focus on one single interesting thought or quote per clip.
Quote Graphics: Take a powerful line from the interview and turn it into a text graphic for social media.
Blog Content: Transcribe the interview and turn it into a blog post (like “5 Lessons from our CEO”). Embed the video in the post.

How one 3-minute video becomes 20+ pieces of content:

From a single brand story video, here’s what we create:

Short-form video (6-8 clips):

60-second highlight reel (LinkedIn, Facebook)
30-second vertical clips (Instagram Reels, TikTok)
15-second teasers (Stories, quick hooks)

Social graphics (4-6 images):

Pull quotes with speaker photos
Behind-the-scenes production stills
Key stats or outcomes as infographics

Written content (3-5 pieces):

Blog post with embedded video
LinkedIn article expanding on themes
Email newsletter feature
Case study page

Audio content:

Podcast episode (interview audio standalone)
Audiogram clips for social

Real example:

A manufacturing client’s 4-minute recruitment video became:

1 full video (website, YouTube)
6 vertical clips (Instagram, TikTok)
8 quote graphics (LinkedIn, Facebook)
3 blog posts (career opportunities, culture, benefits)
12 weeks of social content

Total reach: 340,000 impressions from one video shoot.

Repurposing checklist:

Each clip stands alone (makes sense without full video)
Clear hook in first 3 seconds
Specific call-to-action
Links back to full video for deeper engagement

5. Paid Activation: Fuel on the Fire

Organic reach is great, but paid reach guarantees eyeballs.

You don’t need a Super Bowl budget. Even $500-$1,000 in ad spend on LinkedIn or YouTube, targeting your specific industry or region, can put your story in front of thousands of qualified prospects.

Target by:

Job Title (e.g., “Operations Manager”)
Industry (e.g., “Oil & Gas”)
Location (e.g., “Southern Alberta”)

Paid distribution strategy that actually works:

Budget: $500-$1,000/month

LinkedIn Sponsored Content: $400

Target: Decision-makers in your industry
Geographic: 100km radius of Lethbridge/Calgary/Medicine Hat
Objective: Video views + website visits

YouTube Pre-Roll: $300

Target: People watching industry-related content
Format: 15-30 second cut of your full video
Skippable after 5 seconds (you only pay for engaged views)

Facebook/Instagram: $200-300

Target: Local businesses, specific demographics
Format: Vertical video for Stories/Reels
Objective: Brand awareness + engagement

Expected results with $1,000/month:

15,000-25,000 video views
500-800 website visits
20-40 qualified leads
Cost per lead: $25-50

When paid makes sense:

✅ Launching new service/product
✅ Recruitment campaigns (need volume fast)
✅ Event promotion (time-sensitive)
✅ Competitive market entry

When organic is enough:

✅ Existing audience is engaged
✅ Time for slow, compound growth
✅ Network effects work (employees share authentically)
✅ SEO and inbound already working

The “Long Tail” Asset

Remember: A good video isn’t a “campaign” that runs for two weeks and ends. It’s an asset.

We have clients using the same recruitment video for three years. It’s still working because the story is still true.

So don’t just “post and ghost.” Plan your launch. Activate your team. And make sure your investment pays off.

The 30-Day Launch Calendar

Here’s exactly when to distribute what:

Week 1: Internal Launch

Day 1: Share with leadership team
Day 2: Full company reveal (all-hands or email)
Day 3: Send to employees with sharing instructions
Day 4: Post behind-the-scenes content (production stills)
Day 5: Monitor employee shares, engage with comments

Week 2: Customer/Partner Launch

Day 8: Email to existing customers
Day 9: Share in customer Facebook/LinkedIn groups
Day 10: Send to strategic partners with co-marketing ask
Day 11: LinkedIn native video post
Day 12: First round of short-form clips (Instagram, TikTok)

Week 3: Public Launch

Day 15: YouTube upload with SEO optimization
Day 16: Website hero section goes live
Day 17: Press release to local media
Day 18: Paid promotion begins
Day 19: Facebook/Instagram posts

Week 4: Amplification

Day 22: Blog post with embedded video
Day 23: Second wave of short clips
Day 24: Sales team training on how to use video
Day 25: Quote graphics start rolling out
Day 26-30: Analyze data, adjust strategy

The key: Stagger your distribution. Don’t blow your entire load on Day 1.

Common Distribution Mistakes

Mistake 1: Posting Once and Walking Away

Wrong: Upload to YouTube, post on LinkedIn once, done.

Right: Scheduled distribution across 30+ days, multiple platforms, varied formats.

Mistake 2: No Call-to-Action

Wrong: Beautiful video with no next step.

Right: Every distribution channel has specific CTA (contact us, apply now, watch full story, download guide).

Mistake 3: Ignoring Your Best Distributors

Wrong: Relying on company social accounts only.

Right: Empowering employees, partners, and featured customers to share from their personal accounts.

Example: When employees share video from personal LinkedIn:

10x more reach than company page
Higher trust (personal endorsement)
No ad spend required

How to activate employee sharing:

Make it easy (provide copy, tags, links)
Make it optional (never mandatory)
Recognize sharers (thank them publicly)

The Bottom Line

Distribution isn’t an afterthought. It’s half the battle.

The best video in the world gets zero ROI sitting on a hard drive.

Plan your distribution strategy before you start filming. Know where it’s going, who’s sharing it, and how you’ll measure success.

That $15,000 video becomes a $15 waste if nobody sees it.

Need help planning a video strategy? Let’s talk about distribution before we even start filming.

You Have a Great Video... Now What? The Distribution Playbook

Don't let your investment die on a hard drive. Here is a clear strategy for distributing, activating, and repurposing your video content for maximum impact.