scripod.com
Navigating comms and PR | Lulu Cheng Meservey (Substack, Activision Blizzard)

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

Navigating comms and PR | Lulu Cheng Meservey (Substack, Activision Blizzard)

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

2023/03/23
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

2023/03/23
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Brought to you by AssemblyAI—Powerful AI models to transcribe and understand speech | Public—Invest in stocks, treasuries, crypto, and more | Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security. — Lulu Cheng Meservey was formerly head of comms at Substack (wher...

Highlights

In this insightful conversation, Lulu Cheng Meservey, a seasoned communications leader with experience at Substack and Activision Blizzard, unpacks the art and strategy behind effective public relations and corporate messaging. She shares powerful frameworks that go beyond traditional PR tactics, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, precision, and emotional resonance in cutting through today’s noisy digital landscape.
04:36
Turn ideas into stories or analogies to make them more shareable
06:17
'Binders full of women' is an example of a framework that backfired publicly.
07:22
A good company phrase should be so simple a second-grader can understand it.
08:38
An esoteric tweet metaphor accidentally caught fire and spread widely
11:12
Mistakes of commission allow learning; mistakes of omission let the status quo win.
12:53
The stand for free speech thread was a successful risk despite potential embarrassment.
14:44
It's easier to fit a message into people's existing worldview than to change it.
16:14
Teachings can help underdog companies stand out against incumbents
17:37
Shape your story to fit the audience's cultural erogenous zones
24:23
An early employee who feels misled can become a credible and damaging critic within the same professional circles.
25:44
Identify cultural erogenous zones and intellectual residences for each audience segment
27:06
Appeals to free expression resonate more than corporate defense
28:19
People's intellectual erogenous zones reveal what truly engages them.
31:46
Decreasing the target audience surface area increases communication pressure and impact
35:56
Startups should focus on creating a 'tiny monopoly' by targeting a narrow, passionate audience online.
40:12
Going too wide is the most common reason a product fails to get noticed.
41:13
People trust individuals more than institutions in business communication
42:40
Going direct means senior leaders being authentic and vulnerable in their communication.
46:58
Mission-driven founders should use Twitter to connect with allies and defend their vision.
48:02
LinkedIn is better for career-related content because it's less controversial and underutilized
49:23
Makeup and consumer companies lead in authentic social media engagement by speaking with a human voice and reacting quickly to trends.
53:11
Founders can best convey their unique and innovative ideas.
55:00
Consistency is more effective than sporadic viral attempts in growing an audience.
56:14
Trying to go viral with no real message gains followers who don't align with your purpose.
59:31
Giving your product away to the right people for free can generate powerful attention.

Chapters

Lulu’s background
00:00
What helps an idea spread
04:36
Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women”
06:17
Advice for coming up with contagious phrasing
07:19
Lulu’s esoteric reference that left her Twitter followers confused
08:36
The importance of taking risks, and Lulu’s thread on standing for free speech
11:08
An example of another sticky phrase
12:53
The cultural erogenous zones framework
14:40
How Kamala Harris made people care about education
16:08
How to get attention as the underdog
17:29
How Substack used the concentric circles framework to spread information
20:25
Understanding the layers in those concentric circles
21:32
How to get started figuring out your concentric circles
25:44
An example of aligning messaging with people’s values 
27:03
Lulu’s mathematical formula framework for comms for a purpose
28:19
A physics-based framework for comms
28:54
How Balaji Srinivasan used the concentric circles approach with his book The Network State
35:56
The importance of a super-specific audience
39:46
Reasons your comms are failing
41:12
Why you should focus on one direct communication channel at first
42:40
Why not every founder needs to be on Twitter
46:58
Who LinkedIn works better for
48:02
Examples of messaging with a human voice and hopping on trends quickly
49:23
Reasons for direct comms 
51:11
How to get started setting up a direct channel
53:52
Why consistent, good content is better than trying to go viral
56:09
Lightning round
59:28

Transcript

Lulu Cheng Meservey: I often say, to find your audience's cultural erogenous zones. So what it means is people have things that they either care about or don't, and you're not going to change that. So it's a huge lift to try to change someone's worldview o...