Let’s talk about what your partner program can learn from YouTube and Netflix.

Why does YouTube keep reporting gains year after year while growth at Netflix remains stagnant?

Netflix can’t compete with YouTube’s long tail of creators and fans.

On YouTube, you can find anything. There are documentaries, feature films, unboxing videos, and videos to help you fix your sink - any keyword you can think of has hundreds of videos dedicated to it.

In contrast, Netflix only allows a few key players to produce new videos. Every video on their platform has to appeal to a large enough audience to make it worth the investment.

YouTube has a massive inventory that includes videos with only a handful of views. They give small-name creators the same opportunity to use their publishing suite as they do to the big players. Any one of the niche creators is small potatoes, but combined they garner tens of millions of views.

The long tail is about the power of the little guy in two unique ways:

1. The cumulative power of many small creators adds up to more than a few big ones.
2. The next big creator is more likely to emerge from the long tail than be discovered by company execs.

By tapping into the long tail, YouTube gets both of these benefits, whereas Netflix faces constant pressure to have mega hits and pick the right winners.

By Gary Sabin.