In the post-FTX environment, tech and finance reporters approach crypto pitches with built-in skepticism, while a single exploit or depeg can shape your press coverage for a year. We create PR and communications programs that earn substantive coverage and stand up when something genuinely goes wrong.
The Challenge
Journalists are skeptical by default, so generic crypto pitches are ignored
Reporters covering crypto have been pitched hundreds of protocols claiming to be the next big thing, and most now filter aggressively for anything that sounds like marketing rather than a real story. A pitch built around a token launch or a TVL milestone with no independently verifiable substance behind it gets deleted, not covered, and teams that don't understand this keep sending the same pitch that isn't working.
Promotional messaging creates genuine legal and regulatory exposure
Press releases and founder quotes that describe token upside, imply guaranteed returns, or use language that reads like an investment solicitation create exposure that outlasts the news cycle by years. Teams without legal review baked into the comms process ship language that a regulator or plaintiff's attorney can point to later, and by then the damage from the wording is already done regardless of how the coverage landed.
There is no crisis comms plan until the exploit or depeg is already underway
Most crypto teams have never written a crisis communications plan when an exploit, a depeg, or a bridge hack actually happens, and the first few hours of silence or a poorly worded statement often does more damage to trust than the incident itself. Reporters and community members remember who communicated clearly under pressure and who went dark or over-promised a fix that didn't materialize.
Incentivized media makes genuine coverage difficult to identify
The crypto press landscape includes a meaningful volume of pay-for-coverage outlets and sponsored content dressed up as editorial, and teams that lean on that ecosystem for visibility often mistake it for real media relationships. When it comes time to pitch a genuine tier-one outlet or respond to a real journalist's scrutiny, teams that only know the pay-to-play playbook have no idea how to earn coverage on merit.
What We Do
We begin by assessing your existing media relationships, previous coverage, and any unresolved exposure from earlier communications, giving us a clear view of what a journalist discovers when researching your team and protocol before we approach anyone.
Strategy development involves shaping a narrative around facts a journalist can independently verify – real usage data, a true technical differentiator, a credible team background – rather than a token milestone, while identifying the specific reporters covering your category who demonstrate genuine editorial standards instead of outlets willing to publish anything for a fee.
Execution includes pitch development, media training for anyone quoted publicly, and a crisis communications plan created and rehearsed before it's required, addressing exploits, depegs, and governance controversies through pre-approved language reviewed by legal so no one is improvising statements during a real incident.
Measurement involves monitoring coverage in outlets that genuinely influence your target audience – investors, users, or partners – and measuring sentiment before and after any significant announcement or incident, rather than simply counting raw mentions from outlets willing to publish anything.
What sets this apart from a standard PR agency is our understanding of which crypto outlets have genuine editorial influence and which operate on a pay-to-play basis, plus our focus on building the crisis plan in advance rather than making one up during an actual exploit.
We also review every external communication through a compliance-aware lens because crypto promotional and financial language attracts significant regulatory scrutiny, ensuring a strong pitch doesn't become a liability six months later.
What we deliver
- Media relationship map identifying reporters with real editorial standards in your category
- Verifiable narrative built around usage data or technical substance, not token milestones
- Media training for founders and spokespeople before they're quoted publicly
- Rehearsed crisis communications plan covering exploits, depegs, and governance controversies
- Compliance-reviewed messaging process for every press release and founder quote
The strongest crisis communications plan in crypto is created before an exploit, not while one is unfolding. Every silent hour after a hack can be interpreted as incompetence or something worse – the plan must already be in place and approved by legal before it is ever required.
Our Methodology
Our crypto and DeFi PR and communications engagements operate as a 90-day sprint, with crisis planning treated as a central deliverable rather than an afterthought. Phase one, covering the first 30 days, reviews your existing media footprint and unresolved exposure, then develops the verifiable narrative behind your pitches.
Phase two, days 31 to 60, focuses on building media relationships and developing pitches for reporters with genuine editorial standards, while providing media training for anyone quoted publicly and drafting the crisis communications plan, with your legal counsel reviewing each pre-approved statement template.
Phase three, days 61 to 90, launches active pitching and coverage monitoring, and includes a rehearsal of the crisis response plan – a tabletop exercise that simulates an exploit or depeg so your team has practiced the process before it is ever needed live. Unlike a generalist PR agency, each phase reflects both the default skepticism of crypto reporters and the regulatory sensitivity surrounding financial and promotional language.
Our Process
Initial engagements span 60 to 90 days, allowing us to properly develop both the ongoing media relationship program and the crisis plan. The first 30 days assess your footprint and shape the narrative. Days 31 to 60 develop media relationships and the crisis plan. Days 61 to 90 focus on live pitching and crisis response rehearsal.
Our team consists of a comms lead responsible for media relationships and pitch strategy, a writer who creates press materials and statement templates, and an operator who has managed crisis response during a real crypto incident and understands the difference between language that earns trust and language that sounds like damage control. On your side, we require access to whoever is authorized to speak publicly, your legal counsel for messaging review, and genuine usage or technical data around which we can build a verifiable narrative.
Weekly working sessions directly examine pitch performance and emerging media risks – when a reporter is developing a critical story, it is flagged and handled in that same session rather than after publication. Crisis plan rehearsal takes place in a dedicated working session that walks through a simulated incident from beginning to end.
Most teams secure their first genuine earned coverage within 60 days and have a fully rehearsed crisis communications plan ready by day 90, long before it is actually required.
- Earned coverage in outlets with real editorial weight, not pay-to-play placements
- A rehearsed crisis communications plan ready before an incident happens
- Compliance-reviewed messaging that doesn't create liability after the news cycle ends
- Media-trained spokespeople who hold up under real reporter scrutiny
If your crypto / defi company needs pr / comms leadership, we should talk.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a PR and communications engagement cost for a crypto or DeFi company?
Engagements are generally set up as a monthly retainer based on media relationship development, pitch volume, and whether crisis plan creation is included, with costs comparable to a senior comms hire but without the expense of full-time headcount. Crisis plan development and rehearsal is typically offered as a defined add-on rather than included within the ongoing retainer scope.
How soon will we start seeing genuine press coverage?
Developing authentic media relationships and a verifiable narrative requires the first 30 to 60 days, with most teams earning their first coverage during that period. Consistent, sustained coverage in outlets with genuine editorial standards usually develops over 90 days as those relationships grow stronger.
How will your team collaborate with our current marketing and legal staff?
We partner directly with whoever leads your marketing function and work closely with legal counsel on every external message, particularly the statement templates within the crisis plan. For teams that lack dedicated comms staff, we can directly manage pitching and media relationships.
How is this different from a conventional PR agency or a crypto-focused PR shop that promises coverage?
Agencies promising guaranteed coverage are generally purchasing placements from pay-to-play outlets that carry little real influence with the audiences that matter. We develop relationships with reporters who exercise genuine editorial judgment, resulting in slower early coverage but placements that meaningfully affect sentiment and credibility.
How do you evaluate the ROI of a PR and communications engagement?
We measure coverage in outlets that connect with your actual target audience, shifts in sentiment surrounding major announcements or incidents, and – crucially – the team's performance when a genuine crisis occurs. Often, the clearest return is what gets avoided: a mishandled incident that could have caused lasting harm to trust.
What kind of crypto or DeFi company is best suited to this service?
The ideal fit is a protocol or token project with an effective scale between $5M and $100M that is preparing to raise, launch, or expand and requires genuine press credibility, or a team that has never created a crisis communications plan and recognizes an incident is a matter of when, not if.
