Everybody loves a story. In fact, it’s a quintessential part of being a human.
As such, you would expect founders, executives, even journalists, to understand how important storytelling is as a craft. But most don’t properly understand how to build up the storyline, craft the narrative, and deliver the punchline.
Creating a unique story in crypto–which demands fascinating dives down people’s lives–can transform your brand from just another Web3 startup into a memorable, influential leader in the industry.
Especially when pitching journalists or the media industry to take you on as a client, a compelling story can be the difference between stealing headlines or fading into obscurity.
But what’s the point? Well, storytelling goes beyond marketing. In an industry as complicated and complex as crypto, humanizing the technology through personal storytelling is a bullet-proof bridge (unlike those in crypto) that connects companies with their audiences on a personal level.
We all have that company we love because of the founding story, or the team behind the project. You want to be that company.
But a well-crafted story is also key to building trust. We’ve been battered by scammers time and time again, so much that now everybody has a shield guard. Or operates with a sheath of adversarial thinking.
Everyone’s a scammer, some even say.
But that’s not how it has to be. Here’s Chainstory’s tried-and-tested tips to bring your story up to Disney-level pedigree.
Nail Down Your Uniqueness
"Great stories happen to those who can tell them."
Surely you’ve had a company that failed, a system you hacked, a close encounter with Julian Assange, or came from generational wealth that lost it all in a flood in Tennessee.
Whatever unique story you have–and everybody has one–bring it. Write it down, find the oddball connections, figure out how your life stands apart from the world.
Now there’s some nuance to this step. It’s not about exaggerating the truth, but rather figuring out what might resonate with the crowd you’re appealing to. Crypto loves one-of-a-kindness, which everybody in the world has.
Nail down your uniqueness and tell it to the world.
Personalize Your Updates
Seth Godin, master marketer, said that marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but the stories you tell. And Seth knows a thing or two about selling products.
Share your company’s updates, funding rounds, and partnerships in a personal way.
In 2024, people want to hear from people. The age of business behemoths operating in the back-end are behind us. We want to know about you, why you’re doing what you’re doing, and what pushed you to close that $10 million round. Especially with those investors.
Get those bits down, and your company will flourish with brand visibility. And keenness from other investors to put some money on the table.
Here’s what Isabel Foxen Duke has to say about this:
Share Successes And Failures
Celebrate–or cry–with your community!
Sharing the journey of key milestones with your users will only make them feel valued, important, and wanting to share the success with their close friends and family.
Word of mouth travels fast, and bad word of mouth travels faster. Even if you are delayed on a product feature you were meant to ship, jump on a Twitter Spaces session and explain why.
And the why is important. Keep it true to the tale. What actually happened, where are you failing–people love to hear about failures, it helps them deal with their own–and what you’re doing to improve it.
Crypto is all about self-ownership and radical participation. Involving your community in milestones or delays is not only keeping true to that idea, but it’s rewarding the users that are in it with you.
This will pay dividends that most businesses will overlook.
Contextualize Product Features
People couldn’t care less what your features are. They care about what it does for them.
Once again, another oversight that the crypto industry is constantly getting wrong. But not you. You understand the power of storytelling and how it can impact whether your users are interested in the upgrade or not. In fact, they will immediately understand why they need to upgrade their app.
Contextualizing and framing your company’s product upgrades, or new software features is something we rarely see in the crypto industry. That’s likely because developers are in charge of communications, while VCs run around throwing money at the wall to see what fits.
The lack, everyone claims, is education. Well there’s also a lack of communication. Learning how to tell a story, one that resonates and connects.
Storytelling in crypto PR isn’t just about crafting a good tale. It’s about connecting with your audience on a deeper level, building trust, and establishing your brand as a thought leader. Follow these strategies, and your narrative will resonate with your audience, driving engagement and loyalty.
"The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come."
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Beyond The Beat
Telling the stories of the people covering crypto
