Going Direct

The world's most influential people are increasingly bypassing gatekeepers like PR agencies or mainstream media outlets. Good idea or bad?

The latest example: yesterday Donald Trump went on the Joe Rogan podcast.

Others are also 'going direct,' e.g., podcasts, live streaming, and short-form video apps.

Going direct means crafting and telling your own story without being dependent on intermediaries.

Some people are good at product, management, or engineering, and some are natural at communicating, while others have a harder time. 

The good news is that going direct and building a movement, while not easy, are skills that can be developed with discipline and time.

Unlike engineering or management, the bad news is that communications failures are immediately publicly and personally humiliating.

Unsurprisingly, many professionals don't want to take on this responsibility.

For example, I'd imagine 99% of LinkedIn users don't post for this reason.

At the same time, founders willing to pick up that gauntlet will find that it gives them a massive edge in recruiting, fundraising, selling, and shaping the future.

Will Trump going on Rogan help his election bid? Time will tell. It could very well backfire.

But check back on that interview in a week and see if that 113K views is now 113 million.

No risk, no reward.