Fostering a relationship with journalists is one of the most important pieces of your PR pie.
But building media relationships in the crypto space is also like trying to HODL during a bear market. It can be daunting, requires patience and strategy, and a sprinkle or two of creative banter.
And while you’re doing the heavy lifting at your company, sometimes building rapport with also-busy journalists can be hard and you simply don’t know where to start.
But that’s what this post is about. A tiny cheat sheet. Let’s dive in.
Do Your Homework (And Not the Kind You Copied in High School)
You’d be surprised at how many people don’t even Google others when they are going to interact with them.
This is the first and foremost thing you need to do. Punch in their name into the all-powerful search engine that drives our world and see what comes up. Click on their LinkedIn profile, stalk their Twitter feed, check out their latest article or podcast appearing.
Do. Your. Own. Research.
What’s their beat? Are they Bitcoin maxis or altcoin aficionados? Do they prefer their news served with a side of memes or something drenched in data? Are they known for their investigative stories or simply straight daily news?
Everything happens on Twitter so start there. What are they ranting about at 2AM? That would be the opening line.
Engage With Value
Sliding into a journalist’s DMs with “Hey check out my groundbreaking NFT project” is kind of like having DOGE as your retirement plan.
No serious journalist is going to take your or your project into consideration with an intro like that. We’re not saying that your NFT project isn’t groundbreaking, but you’re not offering anything of value to a person who gets pummeled with information left right and center on the daily.
Instead, engage with their content, but always add value. If you find an article of theirs compelling, retweet it with actual comments and not just “great piece.”
Offer insights that they might not have considered. Honestly, journalists are suckers for “OMG how did I not think of that.”
Be that reply contact.
Be a Source, Not a Shill
Shocking truth: journalists aren’t your personal PR mouthpiece.
Instead of pitching your project 24/7, become a valuable source. And how? That means by going above and beyond to offer some interesting piece of information. If your company is a hardware wallet, but you know a thing or two about DeFi and lending platforms, then offer that to a journalist that covers the space.
You never know when you are going to cover hardware wallets, and the fact that you engaged in something they were interested in beyond your business will be pure digital gold.
Got insider info on the latest DeFi drama? Spill the beans–responsibly of course. Can you explain jargon without sounding like ChatGPT 3.5? You’re in.
Here’s what Dan Roberts has to say about this:
Master the Art of the Non-Pitch Pitch
Pitching journalists is like trying to pick up the beautiful woman at the bar–it’s all about delivery.
Instead of the hard sell, why not try the “Oh, by the way” approach.
“I loved your piece on the controversy between Aave and Gauntlet, because XYZ (remember, offer value). It’s funny, we’re doing something similar, but with a twist–share the twist in a unique way.”
Pro-tip: don’t be “happy to chat.” Even though you might be dying for a sit down, the journalist will know when to come to you (if they need to) and are likely drowning in work that won’t prioritize your “chat.”
Just tough honesty here.
Be Human
This sounds silly to say, but journalists are people too. They’re not just machines that guzzle coffee, panic with deadlines, and try to source sources.
Show a genuine interest in the work and lives–if you are genuinely interested, of course.
Remember personal details, ask what sports they play in their free time, see if they are movie buffs. You get the gist. Just because this is a work relationship doesn’t mean you have to leave out the details involved in being a human.
Did they tweet about their latest tennis match? Shoot them a video with the top 5 tennis points of the week.
Do that and its game, set, and match.
Timing Is Everything (Like Selling the Top)
Knowing when to reach out is crucial.
Diving head first into their mentions during a major market crash with your stablecoin pitch. Prepare to get ghosted. There’s a time and place for pitches, and it’s not always nor all the time.
Stay on top of the news cycle, and unless there’s breaking news in your niche, steer clear. But if it is in their circle of trust, then by all means, slide in without question or qualms.
Be a Connector (The Non-Pyramid Scheme Kind)
Introductions are gold.
Sources can come in any color, shape or form, and what better than to offer journalists an intro into yours. It doesn’t even need to be about the specific product or project you want to shill, but maybe a personal side of things.
We’re beating this drum, if you get personal with a journalist, they will keep you in mind a lot more than if you keep it strictly professional.
Caveat: there’s a place for both. It doesn’t mean you always need to be informal and talk about your satellite topics, but also make it about non-working stuff. Crypto is 24/7, which the media knows about better than anybody, and sometimes talking about other stuff is fun and necessary.
Pro-tip: quality of quantity. One solid intro is worth more than a dozen reckless ones.
The Long Game (Like Waiting for Bitcoin to Hit $1 Million)
Building relationships takes time.
It’s not a pump-and-dump scheme; it’s more like staking for the long term. Stay consistent, stay valuable, and stay patient. Before you know it, you’ll have journalists eating out of your hand (metaphorically, please don’t actually feed them).
Remember, journalists are the gatekeepers to the crypto narrative. Treat them right, and they might just be the key to taking your business to the moon.
And remember, in the world of crypto PR, your network is your net worth.
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Telling the stories of the people covering crypto
