Why ChatGPT will be the next big growth channel (and how to capitalize on it) | Brian Balfour

Everyone's always complaining, SEO's dead, it can't grow, word of mouth is so hard.

All of the ingredients for a new distribution platform are essentially happening. My prediction, the new distribution platform will be ChatGBT. There's a bunch of signals that they're about to launch that.

This is a huge opportunity for companies to get on it.

It ends up being a prisoner's dilemma. Don't trick yourself into thinking that you can't play the game. The cycles seem to be getting shorter and shorter, so you actually have a smaller amount of time. If you don't do it, your competitors are gonna go to the new platform, and your customer expectations change. There is no opting out of the game.

This is the opportunity to disrupt an incumbent.

If you're a late stage company, you place multiple bets. For startups, it's a totally different ballgame. You have to choose one and go all in.

Think about companies like Zynga that grew on Facebook and then became massive companies.

Building a great product is one of those things that's necessary but not sufficient, and actually the separation is between those that build really great distribution.

What would be the backup, if not ChatGBT?

My hypothesis of who's best positioned would actually be... (music)

Today my guest is Bryan Balfour. Bryan is the founder and CEO of Reforge, a company that I've been a longtime fan and advocate of. Historically, Reforge is focused primarily on teaching courses on product and growth. But more recently, they've transitioned to building their own products, including a product called Reforge Insights and a bunch more really cool stuff coming very soon. Prior to Reforge, Bryan led growth at HubSpot. And over the course of his career, he has seen the rise and fall of every major distribution channel, including Facebook's ad platform, Google Ads and SEO, and the Apple App Store. Based on what he's seeing, he is predicting the emergence of a brand new and powerful distribution channel that will likely arise in the next six months, centered most likely around ChatGBT. It is really rare for a new growth channel to open up. It's been a long time since the last one appeared, and the people who recognize this and hop on it early are the ones that reap the most rewards. So this is a huge deal. In this conversation, Bryan shares what he's predicting, what he's seeing, why this is a big deal, and what you should be doing about it right now. I highly recommend you listen to this full conversation and discuss the ramifications with your team. If you enjoy this podcast, don't forget to subscribe and follow it in your favorite podcasting app or YouTube. Also, if you become an annual subscriber of my newsletter, you get a bunch of incredible products for free for one year, including Lovable, Replic, Bolt, n8n, Linear, Superhuman, Descript, Whisperflow, Gamma, Perplexity, Warp, Granola, Magic Patterns, Raycast, ChatBRD, and Mobbin. Check it out at lennysnewsletter.com and click Product Pass. With that, I bring you Bryan Balfour. Today's episode is brought to you by DX, the developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchers. To thrive in the AI era, organizations need to adapt quickly, but many organization leaders struggle to answer pressing questions like which tools are working? How are they being used? What's actually driving value? DX provides the data and insights that leaders need to navigate this shift. With DX, companies like Dropbox, Booking.com, Adyen, and Intercom get a deep understanding of how AI is providing value to their developers and what impact AI is having on engineering productivity. To learn more, visit DX's website at getdx.com/lenny. That's getdx.com/lenny. This episode is brought to you by Basecamp. Basecamp is the famously straightforward project management system from 37signals. Most project management systems are either inadequate or frustratingly complex. But Basecamp is refreshingly clear. It's simple to get started, easy to organize, and Basecamp's visual tools help you see exactly what everyone is working on and how all work is progressing. Keep all your files and conversations about projects directly connected to the projects themselves so that you always know where stuff is and you're not constantly switching contexts. Running a business is hard. Managing your projects should be easy. I've been a longtime fan of what 37Signals has been up to, and I'm really excited to be sharing this with you. Sign up for a free account at basecamp.com/lenny. Get somewhere with Basecamp. (music) Bryan, thank you so much for being here, and welcome back to the podcast.