Go Direct: The Manifesto

Lulu Cheng Meservey argues that founders can no longer leave their story to publicists and the press. Since almost anyone can now be reached online, she says the old public relations playbook is obsolete, committee-written corporate messaging persuades no one, and founders must become the evangelists for their own companies. Going direct, she adds, is a skill that can be learned, and those who master it gain an edge in hiring, fundraising and sales.

• Media gatekeepers once controlled access to large audiences, but social media and email now let founders reach people directly.
• Press releases written by committees aim to offend no one, so they end up saying nothing memorable.
• Founders cannot opt out of public debate about their industry; staying silent hands the narrative to others.
• The most convincing spokesperson is the person who understands the idea best and will defend it, not the most polished one.
• Going direct does not mean working alone; it means owning and telling your own story without depending on intermediaries.
• Communicating well can be learned, and founders who do it gain an advantage in recruiting, fundraising and selling.

A manifesto built from numbered declarations, short punchy paragraphs and blunt one-line verdicts. Retyping it shows how to pair a sweeping claim with a vivid image, and how a historical aside (the Roman Rostra) can carry an argument.

These excerpts are short quotations for practice and commentary. All rights stay with the author; read the whole essay at the original source.