PR is all about narrative. People like stories. So, how do you get your narrative to resonate with the crypto community? There are strategies that you can implement today to broaden your reach and improve your public relations. It begins with focusing in on the human element. Ask yourself, “How do I connect with people through my brand?” But, that’s not the only way to work towards effective blockchain PR…

1. Commit to PR as a long term strategy.

Things aren’t going to happen overnight. Time is the magic ingredient for ensuring your PR moves bear fruit. The main goal of your brand’s PR strategy need not be “get a lot of press at mainstream publications”, but rather to build and maintain relationships with strategic partners.

2. Know your market niche (research, research, research)

What brands are similar to yours? What brands might other people think are similar to yours? Get to know the story these brands are telling. What are people saying about them? What’s working? What’s not working? Take this information and use it to help craft your narrative. Know what’s new, know what’s newsworthy.

To better understand what the crypto community thinks of your brand or product, you might consider distributing surveys to your social media followers, users, token purchasers, or others.

4. Simplify your message

Blockchain is complicated to understand, and there are tons of misunderstandings out there. So, what’s your story? What’s the purpose of your brand? What’s its mission? How will it change the world?

Convey your passion for what you’re doing. If you don’t seem passionate about your idea, other won’t get excited either.

5. Tell the truth

A major critique of the blockchain space lately has been the misleading nature of its marketing — particularly in the ICO space. The trickiest part of PR is not building relationships with journalists. It’s managing crises. One way to avoid crises? Tell the truth. (Also, underpromise, overdeliver)

Telling the truth is important when it comes to various aspects of your brand or product, like development status, details behind the scenes (number of employees), and more.

6. Know what’s newsworthy

If you have a theoretical idea with no technology behind it, this is probably not newsworthy. Reporters want to report on real brands with real technologies and tangible partnerships, not that an advisor joined a project. That story has been told enough.

Position yourself as an expert, and deliver breaking news in your market niche to your journalist partners. What’s the next big trend in crypto? In 2017 and 2018, it was securities tokens. Many experts anticipate this to continue. But maybe the next big story is insurance companies (INSURTECH) adopting blockchain.

Reporters want to write about real people, real technologies, real tangible use cases.

7. Interact, interact, interact

Some experts suggest spending 80% of your time sharing content and 20% of your time creating it. There are many places in which crypto enthusiasts like to have their content promoted, but focusing on a few specific outlets will serve most brands just fine: Crypto Twitter, Reddit, BitcoinTalk. Facebook groups, and LinkedIn both represent interesting options.

But what is just as important as simple sharing is interacting. Document the (real) people who interact with your social media activity and continue interacting with these individuals. Find trending tweets on, say, Reddit’s r/cryptocurrency front page, and comment there. You can be sure more eyeballs will land on this tweet than others not trending on “the internet’s front page.”

8. Get out there and network

There are many conferences out there in the crypto world, but it takes some time getting familiar with those worth your time and those which are not. Consensus in New York brought out more than 8,000 people in 2018. Now, that’s an opportunity to network with potential partners if there ever was one in crypto.

Just as key to being bold and shaking people’s hands at the conference is following up with them regularly. And if they don’t answer your phone call or email right away — try, try again. (But, be sure you’re offering something of value to them. What service can you swiftly provide for free that warrants you reaching out as many as 12 times?)

The conferences are all unique, though, and some might not be so worth it. That’s where advice from the above “know your market niche” section — research, research, research — comes in handy.

Networking requires multifaceted approaches. Conferences and events are a great opportunity to build relationships, but there are ways you can do it from your computer. Cold emailing and direct messaging can work when done in a professional manner. (Better yet, pick up the phone and make some calls.)

When you have a new partner, ensure the MOU they sign includes a public relations memorandum so that you can use the brand’s name and take the new partnership to your press contacts.

9. Go Global

Work with media all over the world. This means strange hours, sometimes. (There’s nothing like an 11 pm Los Angeles time phone call to Estonia or some other blockchain hub.) Establishing contacts with a wide range of journalists who cover crypto gives your organizations more options, and chances, to get news covered or be turned to as experts. Even if a publication covers your company in an area of the world your product is not available in, it is up to you to use that content on social media or paid ads so it’s seen by your core client.

10. Be good with failure

PR can be expensive. Doing it right requires educated sophisticated people who can handle striking out a lot. Chances are, there’s no way reporters will want to write about your brand if there is no real technology behind it. They are skeptical. They have every right to be. But, the tips above will help you rise to the top.