Distribution costs include the need to constantly post new content, since the volume of new content is a large factor for stickiness. Distribution costs include site design, and all the site features that increase reader engagement. Distribution costs include all the staff and effort needed to personalize content, or even just to A/B test headlines. Distribution costs includes the expertise and infrastructure that go into search engine optimization. Distribution costs include the raw buying of traffic through ads and paid-for links. Distribution costs include the costs to build mobile apps and make websites mobile-friendly. Simply because the costs of online distribution are different than they are in other media does not mean that they are small.

matthew hindman

Hindman, M (2018). The Internet Trap. Princeton University Press