Lenny's PodcastNavigating comms and PR | Lulu Cheng Meservey (Substack, Activision Blizzard)
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:15
Teaser: “Cultural erogenous zones” as the core messaging shortcut
Lulu opens with a punchy metaphor for audience-first communication: find what people already care about and connect your message to it. She argues it’s far easier to bridge into an existing worldview than to change someone’s passions from scratch.
- •People have pre-existing passions/worldviews you’re unlikely to change
- •Messaging works best when you shape your idea to fit what the audience already values
- •Recognize who is not your natural audience and avoid wasting effort
- •Your job is to build the “API/bridge” from what they care about (X) to what you offer (Y)
- 1:15 – 4:41
Show setup: Lulu’s background and why she’s notable in comms
Lenny introduces Lulu and frames the episode around practical PR/comms tactics for spreading ideas. He highlights her risk-taking style at Substack and her current role at Activision Blizzard, plus her newsletter on comms strategy.
- •Lulu’s reputation for bold comms decisions that generate attention
- •Current role: EVP of Corporate Affairs & CCO at Activision Blizzard
- •Writes the Flak newsletter on PR/comms strategy
- •Episode themes: idea spread, risk-taking, going direct vs traditional media
- 4:41 – 6:34
What makes ideas spread: memorability + voluntary repetition
Lulu lays out the foundational principle: ideas spread when they’re memorable and people feel motivated to repeat them for their own reasons. She contrasts identity- and joy-driven sharing with “doing a favor for a corporation.”
- •Two requirements: memorable + people want to repeat it unprompted
- •People share to amuse, signal identity, appear interesting, or bring others joy
- •Tactics: jokes, analogies, repetition, vivid mental images
- •Use stories/anecdotes instead of subjective adjectives
- 6:34 – 7:19
Sticky phrasing (and cautionary tales): “binders full of women” and iconic slogans
They explore how unusual, image-rich phrasing can become viral—sometimes in ways you don’t want. Lulu uses Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” as an example of meme-ready language, then contrasts it with purposeful sticky slogans in tech.
- •Vivid imagery and unusual phrasing increases repeatability and memeing
- •Virality can backfire if the phrase frames you negatively
- •Examples of sticky slogans: “move fast and break things,” “don’t be evil,” “software is eating the world”
- •Repeated short phrases can become cultural shorthand
- 7:19 – 11:11
How to create contagious phrasing: second-grader clarity + no inside jokes
Lenny asks how founders can generate memorable lines intentionally. Lulu emphasizes reducing cognitive load, using widely understood references, and rewriting until the message is simple, visual, and cliché-free.
- •Aim for language a second-grader can understand
- •Minimize cognitive burden; immediate comprehension matters
- •Avoid esoteric or insider references that require explanation
- •Process: distill mission → simplify → remove clichés → add imagery/analogy
- 11:11 – 14:00
Taking risks in comms: mistakes of commission vs omission
Lulu argues startups lose by default when they play it safe, because the status quo is their real competitor. She recommends taking calculated risks, learning quickly from visible failures, and treating comms like investing (volatility with long-term upside).
- •The status quo wins when startups choose “do nothing” to avoid risk
- •Prefer mistakes of commission (observable, learnable) over omission (silent losses)
- •Analogy: investing vs sitting in cash—safety can mean falling behind
- •Risk-taking is essential for underdogs with limited resources
- 14:00 – 17:26
The “cultural erogenous zones” framework, plus Kamala Harris’s education reframing
Lulu formalizes her core concept: find what “lights people up” and connect your message to it. She illustrates with Kamala Harris reframing K–12 education as a national security issue to reach people who otherwise wouldn’t care.
- •People care deeply about some topics; connect your story to those topics
- •Don’t try to convert a cold audience into passionate believers from scratch
- •Build an “API” between audience value X and your offering Y
- •Example: education made relevant to national security via Army reading requirements
- 17:26 – 22:30
Getting attention as an underdog: build your own distribution and find centers of gravity
Lulu explains why startups shouldn’t rely on institutional playbooks or mainstream media. Instead, they should create their own distribution, tailor messages to audience values, and identify influencers who can amplify the story.
- •Underdogs can’t win on resources, legacy relationships, or institutional backing
- •Assume you must build your own distribution from day one
- •Win hearts/minds by aligning with audience values and passions
- •Identify “centers of gravity” (influencers) rather than chasing top-tier media first
- 22:30 – 28:54
Concentric circles in practice: Substack product updates and why you can’t skip layers
They go deeper on Lulu’s concentric circles model: message clarity starts internally and expands outward through increasingly distant groups. Substack’s approach to socializing product updates early with key users becomes a concrete example of how advocacy forms.
- •Start from your own desk: sharpen message down to 1–3 key facts
- •Sequence matters: employees → close insiders → power users → broader circles
- •Power users spread updates when they feel early access and genuine buy-in
- •Skipping inner circles undermines credibility with outer audiences
- 28:54 – 31:29
Comms for a purpose: a business-goal-driven “equation”
Lulu proposes a disciplined, quasi-mathematical approach to comms that begins with business outcomes rather than impressions or vibes. The framework maps from business goal to required actions, beliefs, and channels to deliver the message.
- •Start with a business goal (not a comms metric like impressions)
- •Define: which people must do which actions to achieve the goal
- •Identify: what they must believe to take the action
- •Determine: where they “reside intellectually” (channels, influencers, media)
- 31:29 – 40:57
Physics-based comms: pressure = force ÷ surface area (focus beats broad appeal)
Lulu translates a physics equation into a targeting strategy: constrain your audience/message surface area to increase impact with the same effort. She advocates starting with a tiny, loyal base and expanding outward once you dominate a niche.
- •Pressure increases when you reduce surface area (narrow target)
- •Force = time, money, and credibility you expend
- •Continuum: hyper-targeting (deep resonance) vs broad appeal (weak resonance)
- •Early-stage advice: get a small number of diehards, then expand from there
- 40:57 – 42:46
Case study: Balaji and The Network State + the power of a super-specific audience
Balaji’s book launch becomes a model for building independent distribution and leaning into true fans rather than appeasing detractors. Lulu explains why narrow focus doesn’t necessarily cap growth—especially with internet-scale reach.
- •Balaji prioritized owned channels over traditional media circuits
- •He nurtured true fans who evangelized without paid incentives
- •Not everyone should like you; watering down harms your core believers
- •A tiny fraction of the internet can still be a large, viable business
- 42:46 – 53:52
Why comms fails and why “going direct” matters (plus choosing the right channel)
Lulu diagnoses common comms failure modes—especially sounding like a faceless corporation—and argues for founder-led, human, direct communication. She outlines how to pick a single primary channel based on the spokesperson’s natural strengths and notes where LinkedIn can outperform Twitter.
- •Common failure: speaking “as a corporation” instead of a person
- •Example: Ryan Petersen/Flexport as a credible human voice gateway
- •Going direct: essential on both offense (tell your story best) and defense (respond under attack)
- •Choose one channel first; match platform to communication style (blog, video, audio, short-form)
- •LinkedIn works well for career/professional content due to low-quality competition
- 53:52 – 59:28
How to start going direct: set up, batch content, build cadence, avoid “viral bait”
Lulu gives a practical starting checklist: pick what you enjoy, set up the channel, prepare a content pipeline, and commit to consistency. They discuss why chasing virality often produces mismatched audiences and shallow engagement.
- •Step 1: pick mediums you’re good at and enjoy
- •Step 2: set up accounts and launch with momentum (batch content)
- •Step 3: create a consistent cadence + community engagement plan
- •Algorithms reward early consistency; don’t post once and wait
- •Avoid “trying to go viral”; focus on building the right audience fit
- 59:28 – 1:03:26
Lightning round: books, media, tools, and the “give it away for free” attention hack
They wrap with rapid-fire personal preferences and tactical advice. Lulu’s closing tip for attention: give free product to the right people—those who will love it and influence others you want to reach.
- •Book recommendation: Gates of Fire (leadership/courage lens)
- •Watching The Last of Us partly as a cross-media business case
- •Favorite interview question: what candidates are reading
- •Tools: Notion (incl. AI), Lex, and heavy Excel usage
- •Attention tip: free product to the overlap of true lovers + high influence
