How to "Go Direct"
How to "Go Direct"
Theory #38 | Owning your own message, even with intermediaries
People are talking about how surprising it is that Mark Zuckerberg, i.e. Zuck, went direct for Meta’s Llama-3 launch this week. What is “going direct” though?
A kind of literal definition — “Going direct” is when people or companies skip traditional media to connect directly with their audience. According to Lulu Meservey, who I’d call Silicon Valley’s “new PR” guru, going direct “means crafting and telling your own story, without being dependent on intermediaries.”
Hence some people are saying what Zuck did isn’t exactly “going direct” — because he doesn’t control the channels. Because he went through intermediaries, even if not legacy media. But going direct isn’t about exclusively speaking via channels you own — it’s simultaneously more philosophical and pragmatic than that.
The controversy around “traditional” media has intensified in recent years. Arguably every legacy media outlet (usually large, institutionalized, with many major financial backers) has a vested interest in spinning some narrative that suits them. Or in reporting and writing in a way that sensationalizes, captures the public’s attention, and thus brings in more ad revenue. Or in some cases, it’s both.
If true, this means that depending on traditional media is risky. Going direct is the prescribed antidote to this. And it’s one that many in Silicon Valley, with rising scrutiny on tech companies and the tech ecosystem, are touting.
Building your own distribution channels and sharing your message primarily through them is incredibly valuable, but very hard to do. And it can also keep you disconnected from communities relevant to you.
Meanwhile, doing interviews with publishers of any size — companies or creators — is engaging with intermediaries. Even building an audience on Twitter involves a kind of intermediary — their content rules, their algorithm. Perhaps owning e-mail addresses is better (it’s no small part of the newsletter craze).
So what’s the fine print of the “going direct” philosophy then? I think it comes down to:
Building your own channels to communicate directly with your audience, and at the same time …
Making incredibly smart choices about which intermediaries you choose.
In Meservey’s new company manifesto, she agrees: “Going direct doesn’t mean going it alone. It doesn’t mean refusing help or spurning others who can amplify your message. And it certainly doesn’t mean just poasting more.”
Here’s how I reconcile all of these thoughts in a “go direct” philosophy that doesn’t entirely cut out collaboration to reach valuable audiences:
(And the example of Zuck appearing on Youtube-first podcasts, which legacy media outlets then reported on, is a great example that’s fully-aligned.)
Go decentralized to go direct
Don’t go through one big, legacy institution that will control the entire narrative.
Go indie to go direct
Go through grassroots up-and-comers who really care about your topic (e.g. AI). Indie doesn’t mean the audience is tiny, but it’s still independent of big biases and financiers. (This also helps with a benevolence narrative and brand perception.)
Go long-form to go direct
Seek extended conversations that let you explain in your own voice and cover topics that you want to delve into, instead of just forcing you to give soundbites. Joe Rogan and Lex Fridman’s podcasts have benefitted from this format.
Go unedited to go direct
Go where there’s less editing and/or you have editorial voice. Go where the goal is to just let the audience hear you speak and decide for themselves what they think.
Go unheadlined to go direct
Legacy media can have an agenda with their headlines. Go where headlines aren’t sensational, rather just matter of fact and informational.
The good thing is that many of these traits tend to come together. And intermediaries that fit many of these will be promising partners.
It’s fascinating that a company as big as Meta, where the founder has massive owned distribution through Facebook and Instagram, would still find value in going to other media channels. This is in part because it’s still helpful to associate yourself as being collaborative, letting other people ask you questions, especially if it’s people who feel more like they are the audience. New media makes new PR more possible than it ever was, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how more people and companies, even the huge ones like Meta, will engage with it.