Amplify

Amplify

How to Use the Power of Connection to Engage, Take Action, and Build a Better World

About the Book

A blueprint for boosting your activism and building support for the causes you care about, featuring fan-building tactics from the music industry and the voices of today’s most passionate change-makers

“This book shines a light on a wealth of new strategies to help reach people in ways that are both authentic and resonant.”—John Kerry

From stadium acts to indie singer-songwriters, musicians have pioneered ways of sparking passion, building awareness, and catalyzing engagement. Now imagine if social movements—from the fight to protect the planet to campaigns promoting global health or LGBTQIA+ rights—had the same fervent support as your favorite artists.

Adam Met, climate advocate, educator, and member of the multiplatinum band AJR, gained firsthand experience growing an audience from the ground up as the band progressed from playing in living rooms to selling out arenas. With award-winning journalist Heather Landy, Met shows how to apply fan-building strategies to social movements in exciting, inventive ways. Amplify is a playbook for developing passionate supporters (i.e., fans) utilizing the art and science of engagement, collaboration, and authentic connection, with tactics that will inspire people to carry your message to the world and spur others to act.

Amplify’s innovative tool kit will help you find your voice and maximize your impact in the world of social progress to create the change you want to see.

This movement-building manifesto includes cutting-edge research and strategies from today’s most effective organizers, engagers, and thinkers, including extensive interviews with

Adam Grant (Wharton professor) on embracing disagreement within a movement
Christiana Figueres (Paris Climate Agreement architect) on finding a path to solutions
Andrew Yang (former U.S. presidential candidate) on becoming the front person for your ideas
David Hogg (March for Our Lives co-founder) on the challenges of building a youth-led movement
Chi Ossé (youngest-ever NYC council member) on working outside the box but within the system
Sue Doster (NYC Pride co-chair) on keeping movements nimble and relevant
Glenn Beck (conservative commentator) on finding common ground
Jim Gaffigan (comedian) on setting and achieving goals
Bill Nye (scientist and entertainer) on communication that connects with people
Ben Folds (musician) on staying in sync with your audience
Jamie Drummond (ONE Campaign co-founder) on the beauty of purposeful compromise
Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo (hip-hop scholar) on the intersection of activism and history
Wendy Laister (Duran Duran manager) on harnessing the energy of live events
Clyde Lawrence and Jordan Cohen (of the band Lawrence) on pressing your argument
MAX (musician) on the power of collaboration
Sam Hollander (songwriter) on aligning different perspectives
Astro Teller (co-founder of Alphabet’s X division) on taking moonshots
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Praise for Amplify

“The climate challenge is also a challenge of human communication, connection, and empathy. This book shines a light on these intertwined dynamics and contains a wealth of new strategies to help reach people in ways that are both authentic and resonant.”—John Kerry, 68th Secretary of State and co-executive chair, Galvanize Climate Solutions

“Whether you’re building a movement or just exploring ways to get involved in a cause, Amplify can help. We need fresh thinking to accelerate social change, particularly around climate, and the ideas in this book are creative and easy to implement.”—Van Jones, author of Beyond the Messy Truth

“If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the horror of the headlines and wondering what you can do to help, this book is made for you. Chock-full of practical and creative tools, Adam Met’s timely, timeless treatise defies cynicism, demystifies change-making, and makes you feel like you can actually make a difference. Amplify is essential reading for artists and activists alike.”—Shaina Taub, Tony Award–winning songwriter and performer

“As artists, and as citizens, it is vital that we find not just the strength but the strategies to keep fighting for social progress. This book will help you find both.”—Leslie Odom Jr., Grammy and Tony Award–winning singer and actor

Amplify uncovers, explains, and celebrates the connections between music and social movements. It reminds us that we can and should use the skills and passion we learn from working in the arts to help make a positive difference in our communities. Not only is it a practical guide to getting engaged and bringing others along for the ride, but it challenges us to build movements for transformational change.”—Maxwell Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress (from the foreword)
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About the Author

Adam Met, PhD
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About the Author

Heather Landy
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