Christy Amada studied French, Spanish and foreign affairs in college with plans to join the foreign service. Marriage and two kids took her down a different road, but she never stopped following policy, and today she hosts Policy for Normal People, a YouTube show that unpacks dense policy for people who don't have time to read the briefings. She borrowed the name from Wine for Normal People, one of her favorite podcasts. The idea is the same. Policy shouldn't be a mystery reserved for politicians.
Christy is also an executive advising consultant at Amada Development Services, working as a right hand to CEOs, executive directors and founders on strategic communications and business development. She and Don met on Alignable and have traded referrals ever since. In this episode of The PR Bunker Podcast, they talk about targeted messaging, storytelling that moves people, and building relationships that turn into referrals.
A few takeaways from the conversation:
Christy's work starts with an assessment of every way a business communicates, from email and the website to in-person presentations, to see whether those touch points line up with the customers the leader actually wants. One current client runs Bridging Generations, an intergenerational coaching business that has served families and individuals and is now launching a workplace certification program. Christy is rebuilding the site map and rewriting the website because the old story no longer reflects where the business is going.
Christy is a certified grant writer, and she brings a grant writing lesson to her PR clients. A great idea doesn't get funded until it lines up with what the funder wants, and a story doesn't get covered until it fits what the outlet and its audience care about. She tells leaders they sometimes have to meet a channel halfway without giving up the truth or their main point, and Don added that the higher the tier of outlet, the more a pitch has to fit what they're covering that day.
Christy posts on LinkedIn to add value, not to pitch, and she cares more about who looks at her profile afterward than about likes. She has little patience for automated outreach, like surveys sent just because someone visited a website, or strangers promising 10 million leads in a first message. She networks for reciprocity, building referral partners for work like SEO and analytics so she can send clients to people she trusts, and she's getting ready to rejoin BNI for the same reason.
Christy likes to say there are no bots in her business, so if you call, she'll answer. You can find her on LinkedIn and watch Policy for Normal People on YouTube.
Listen to the full episode above.
Reading is the hello. SBGA is where we get to yes.
What is Policy for Normal People?
It's Christy Amada's YouTube podcast that explains how policy affects everyday life and business in plain language, with the politics taken out.
What does an executive advising consultant do?
Christy acts as a right hand to CEOs, executive directors and founders. She assesses all of a business's communication touch points, finds the gaps, and recommends or carries out fixes like communication plans and website rewrites.
How can a grant writing mindset help with PR?
Grant writers learn to align an idea with what the funder wants. Christy applies the same thinking to media, shaping a story so it fits what an outlet and its audience care about without sacrificing the truth.
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