Lindsay Amos is the Founder of Amos Communications, a boutique firm for founder-led marketing and PR. From 2018 to 2024, she ran communications at Y Combinator, where she coached thousands of startups and wrote YC's handbook on startup PR. Before that, she worked in comms at Square and Meta, giving her a 360° view of how stories move from boardrooms to bylines to buyer behavior. Today, she advises founders on landing real news (not ads), building durable founder brands, and operating across a media landscape that's shifted from legacy gatekeepers to creator-led growth channels. She also co-created The To-Do List Summit, a workshop bootcamp teaching early-stage teams the tactical basics of comms, video, events, and community, and she writes a Substack on startup storytelling and strategy.
Amos's catalyst was living both media eras: nine months shepherding a single Wired story about Square moving into a new office versus today's "algorithms plus authenticity" environment. Her core unlocks: lead with the what (then earn the why), tie every pitch to a macro trend your audience already cares about, and default to exclusives over embargoes until you're big enough to run a press gauntlet. New media isn't a replacement for traditional outlets; the best founders run both lanes—because audiences follow people first, products second. In this conversation, she breaks down how to pick the right channel, prep for tough interviews, avoid blacklist behaviors, and time transparency (share the "personal hell" after you've won, to teach—not spiral).
Key Topics Covered:
- What "news" actually is: a hook plus a macro trend your customer already thinks about.
- Founder brand vs. company brand: why audiences follow people first (and how to use it).
- Exclusive > embargo (early): how editors green-light stories and why timing matters.
- Practical media ops: avoid Friday pitches, follow up once, don't text or Signal reporters.
- Content that converts: entertaining, educational, or perspective—never just ads.
- Cinematic launches: when video helps, when it's sizzle; why distribution still wins.
- New media shift: reporters → Substack/podcasts; find where your audience actually is.
- The To-Do List Summit: teaching founder-led marketing when agencies aren't the answer.
Chapters:
Where to find Lindsay Amos:
X: https://x.com/lindsayaamos
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayamos, https://www.linkedin.com/company/amoscomms
Website: https://www.amoscomms.com
Substack: https://lindsayamos.substack.com
To-Do List Summit: https://x.com/todolistsummit
Where to find David Phillips:
X: https://x.com/davj
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davjphillips
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