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Distribute your work

Last Updated:

February 10, 2026

Table of Contents

TODAY’S TAKEAWAY

Distribute your work.

Talent and hard work are not rewarded on their own. Without distribution, the best work goes ignored or overlooked.

THE STORY

From grocery clerk to international superstar

In 2016, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was bagging groceries in Puerto Rico to pay for his university tuition.

10 years later, he’s the 2026 Super Bowl LX Halftime Show performer and the most-streamed Spotify artist for a record-breaking 4 times, defying every “conventional” rule with his Spanish-only performances.

So, how do you go from grocery bagger to the “world’s largest stage”? You out-distribute everyone else. Here’s how Bad Bunny did it:

2016

Benito, a student at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo and a grocery bagger at his local supermarket, releases a song called “Diles.”

Within 2 weeks, “Diles” racks up 1 million plays—and Benito gets a call from Noah Asaad, founder of indie record label Rimas Entertainment. They decide to partner together.
Despite many artists testing "crossover strategies" at the time (mixing styles to appeal to a broader audience), Benito and Noah "just flooded the internet with content” and released “dozens of dozens of singles in quick succession, always with a video attached."

2017-2018

Benito builds his audience by collaborating with established artists.

2017: Benito collaborates with artists Ozuna and Nicky Jam, earning him his first No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs Billboard chart. (I’ve written about the “collab” technique before with Ed Sheeran, which you can read more about here.)
2018: Benito collaborates with artists Cardi B and J Balvin for “I Like It”, which lands at the No.1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. Benito is thrust into the mainstream spotlight just in time for his debut album “X100pre” 7 months later.

‍2020-2022

Benito enters—and stays—in the spotlight.

2020: Benito appears as Shakira’s special guest at the LIV Super Bowl Halftime Show and becomes Spotify’s first non-English performer to be named as Spotify’s top artist. (You can read my story on why Spotify’s “Wrapped” phenomenon works here.)
2021: Bad Bunny earns his first Grammy for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album. He’s also named as Spotify’s No. 1 streamed artist in the world—for the second time in a row—without even releasing a new album.
2022: He takes home the Artist of the Year at MTV’s Video Music Awards and earns Apple Music’s Top Artist award. At 18.5 billion streams worldwide, Benito is named as Spotify’s top artist for the third time in a row.

2023-2025

Benito’s popularity goes from digital streaming to center stage.

2023: Bad Bunny headlines the music festival Coachella (the festival’s first non-English headliner in history).

2024: His “Most Wanted Tour” grosses $200 million.

2025: He reclaims the top spot as Spotify’s Number 1 Most Streamed Artist Globally (dethroning Taylor Swift, whose rise to stardom from the Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville is another singer-songwriter origin story I’ve written about) with 19.8 billion streams.

Most recently, in 2026: Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year at the 68th Grammy Awards, marking the first time a Spanish-language album has won. Shortly after, he performs (also almost exclusively in Spanish) at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. The “historic performance” becomes the most-watched in Super Bowl history at over 63 million views.

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Bad Bunny at the 2026 Super Bowl LX Halftime Show

THE UNSPOKEN RULE

Distribute your work

In the workplace, so many people (and no doubt many of you) do quality work… but no one knows about it! This is like a talented musical artist singing in the shower.

What does distribution look like in the workplace? Sharing what you do and what you’re capable of by…

1. Presenting your work (or at least being in the room)

How? Try saying, “I’d love to see how the conversation unfolds. Would you be open to me joining?” Or, “I was reflecting on your feedback about _______ (e.g., speaking up more) and would love to put it into practice. What would it take for me to do the voiceover?”

2. Being the sender of the email (or at least being on the email thread)

How? Try saying, “I’m happy to send it out! Would it be helpful for me to draft the email and run it by you to save you a step?”

3. Sending team status updates about your work (or at least speaking about it one-on-one)

How? Try saying, “I wanted to give you a heads up that on _______ (project), I just finished _______. As a next step, I will _______. Does this all work for you?”

4. Slipping in what you do into your intro when you introduce yourself

How? Try saying, “Hi! I’m _______ and I am a _______ on _______ team. My focus is on _______. Prior to _______, I was at _______ where I _______. Nice to meet you all!”

You may not dream of headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show, but you do deserve to have your hard work recognized—and rewarded. The problem is, this recognition can’t happen if people don't even know that your work exists.

See you next Tuesday for our next story and unspoken rule,

Gorick

WHAT I’M READING

Here are 3 articles that I found interesting recently (no paywalls, although it may depend on your cookies):

“These 'unspoken rules' are the real secrets to success, says Harvard career advisor: 'They aren't taught in school'" (CNBC)
“Research finds AI-integrated coursework strengthens student learning and career skills” (Phys Org)
“First-Gen Growth Can Feel Like Belonging and Betrayal” (Psychology Today)

MORE OF MY WORK

Every newsletter is free and a fraction of my work. Here are 3 of my paid offerings that may interest you:

1. Keynote speaking: If your organization is looking for speakers for your internship program, new hire orientation, new student orientation, manager training, all-hands meetings, recruiting season, year-end performance evaluation season, or something else, let's chat!

2. How to Say It: Flashcards that teach you to know what to say in every high-stakes professional setting via hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scripts (just like the examples above). Free shipping on all orders over $40.

3. The Unspoken Rules: My Wall Street Journal Bestseller that Arianna Huffington calls “a blueprint for anyone starting their career, entering a new role, or wanting to get unstuck.” Used by top companies and MBA programs.

4. Soft skills crash course: Hard skills get you hired, but a lack of soft skills gets you fired. Equip your interns and early career talent with the essential behaviors of high performers in just 3.5 hours.

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