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Helping Founders Go Direct in a New Era of PR & Comms with Lulu Cheng Meservey | Ep. 25

(If you enjoyed this, please like and subscribe!) Lulu Cheng Meservey is the leading voice in the new age of PR and comms and is the founder of Rostra, an advisory firm helping founders go direct. Lulu has been a trusted voice for founders like Palmer Luckey at Anduril, Eric Glyman at Ramp, and Brian Armstrong at Coinbase. She previously ran corporate affairs and communications for Activision Blizzard and was the head of comms for Substack. Lulu writes an acclaimed newsletter called Flack, where she proposes her new playbook for communications and shares tactical advice for how to help win over the people who matter, without wasting time or inducing cringe. A few memorable moments: - Aura is code for good communicator - People like to have assumptions for the level of celebration you deserve - The correct version of this company has him in it - Words that mean the same thing aren’t perceived the same way - Comms is the last thing to be uniquely human Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (0:50) Comms having a moment (3:43) Breaking through the noise (6:30) What makes a great story (9:58) Creating story arcs (17:29) Flow and stock (20:29) All press is good press (23:25) Leaning into authenticity (28:10) Word choice (35:09) Impact on recruiting (42:48) The business of comms (45:48) Comms predictions (48:18) Tech & media relationship More on Lulu: https://x.com/lulumeservey https://www.getflack.com/ https://rostra.co/ More on Jack: https://www.altcap.com/ https://x.com/jaltma https://linktr.ee/uncappedpod Email: friends@uncappedpod.com

Lulu Cheng MeserveyguestJack Altmanhost
Sep 23, 202550mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Lulu Cheng Meservey on narrative arcs, aura, and founder-led comms strategy

  1. Lulu Cheng Meservey argues that comms is increasingly decisive because reputation, “aura,” and founder conviction shape whether companies win talent, attention, and ultimately market value.
  2. She frames effective comms as mastering the “what” and “how” (message and delivery), not obsessing over the “where” (channels), and as intentionally positioning a company on an inevitable narrative arc (struggle → ascent → resolution).
  3. She introduces a practical messaging filter—overlap of what’s true, what’s relevant, and what’s strategic—warning that viral attention can create lasting trust and brand liabilities.
  4. The conversation connects storytelling to recruiting (via Napoleon as an archetype of morale-building leadership), emphasizes authenticity over manufactured personas, and predicts a healthier equilibrium where going direct coexists with renewed media relevance.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Comms is a compounding advantage because reputation drives outcomes.

Founders are copying the pattern: companies with strong founder “aura” attract better people and enjoy higher perceived value, which then makes winning easier. Comms isn’t cosmetic—it’s a strategic lever that changes the trajectory.

Optimize message and delivery before chasing channels.

Meservey claims most teams ask “where can we speak?” rather than “how do we make people care once we’re there?” The “what” and “how” create leverage across any distribution surface.

People help founders they like—then rationalize why later.

If audiences feel strong gut-level affinity, they will “retcon” the rationale, interpreting the pitch as more compelling and acting in ways that support the founder. Likability and conviction can precede detailed understanding.

Narrative arcs are unavoidable; positioning on the arc is optional.

Audiences assume stories have tension and resolution; they also infer whether you’re rising or falling. Founders can influence perception by clearly signaling where they are on the curve and why the future is uphill.

Engineer ‘underrated’ status to invite supporters to close the gap.

Using a homeostasis metaphor, she argues people police reputations: “overrated” triggers takedowns while “underrated” triggers advocacy. Strong comms often creates the sense that current recognition is below deserved potential.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Comms is the final bastion of human ability.

— Lulu Cheng Meservey

Aura is code for how good of a communicator you are.

— Lulu Cheng Meservey

Nobody ever asks, ‘How is Waldo?’

— Lulu Cheng Meservey

You want people to think that you’re underrated.

— Lulu Cheng Meservey

Going direct does not mean that you have to boycott the media. It means that you can’t be dependent on others.

— Lulu Cheng Meservey

Why comms is having a moment (aura, reputation, cults)“What” and “how” over “where” in distributionNarrative arcs and positioning on the curveHomeostasis: “overrated” vs “underrated” reputation dynamicsFlow vs stock in messagingThree-circle messaging test: true × relevant × strategicWord choice, metaphors, and human psychology (prospect theory)Comms as a recruiting engine and founder-led moraleGoing direct vs media collaboration; form-factor uncertainty

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