Crafting the Perfect Press Release for the Web3 and Crypto Community

In Crypto, effectively communicating your vision and milestones to the community is crucial as well. As these industries continue to mature, so does the need for precise, impactful press releases that resonate with a tech-savvy audience, while simultaneously being able to be understood by the lay person as adoption continues to grow. As a PR firm that has over ten years of experience including the management of listed companies there is immense value in sharing insights into how to craft a good press release irrespective of your industry or the stage of your business.

Remember your community/audience lies at the heart of why you’re sharing comms. So remember this when not only writing but creating content. Also remember the audience of the publications that you want to target. This is crucial to align messaging and share content that resonates with any medium of publication.

Understanding Your Audience

Today most organisations need to curate bespoke messaging for audiences that are more knowledgeable about subject matter and far more discerning when it comes to making a decision and simply believing what’s in the news.

The Web3 and crypto audience is a unique blend of developers, investors, enthusiasts, and industry leaders who are well-versed in technology and innovation. To capture their attention, your press release should be informative, engaging, and jargon-free unless the terms are widely accepted within the community.

Key Elements of an Effective Press Release

Compelling Headline: your headline should be concise, clear, and captivating. Use keywords that highlight the essence of your announcement, such as “launch,” “partnership,” “milestone,” or “innovation.” The general rule for a headline is no longer than between five to seven words.

Strong Lead: iF you have ever been in a newsroom the saying “Never kill the lead” should resonate here. The opening paragraph should encapsulate the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your announcement. Hook your readers by immediately addressing the significance of your news.

Detailed Body: provide a deeper dive into the specifics of your announcement. Explain the problem your project addresses, the technology behind it, and its potential impact. Use bullet points or subheadings for clarity and to make your press release easily scannable. If you look at how news is written a similar concept can be used i.e. the inverted pyramid of writing for news.

Quotes from Key Figures: include facts and numbers to back up your statement, give background information about your product, market and community- especially if you are looking for investors. Consider adding quotes from project leaders, partners, or industry experts to lend credibility to your announcement. These quotes need to add value to your press release and not push company messaging or product info too hard.

Call to Action: encourage your readers to engage further by visiting your website, social media or joining a community discussion, or attending an upcoming event.

Multimedia Elements: incorporate images, infographics, or videos to visually support your message and increase engagement. Also remember to credit images that you use if they are not your proprietary information.

Boilerplate: while these may be tiresome as the point could be argued that nobody reads this information, if your internal PR team is pitching news or your PR agency and a journalist that hasn’t interacted with your company or product they need to know where to go to find the information they need if they have additional questions. Provide a brief background about your company or organisation. Include essential information such as your mission, history, and key achievements.

AI: while AI is super useful for ideation, many publications and editors have had to resort to using AI checkers, even more editors are able to identify if AI has been used to generate content. Unfortunately clients have also had to resort to using AI checking tools to verify that content is original — this has created distrust with many clients being sceptical about the value they receive from agencies/individuals that have used AI. The human touch to creating compelling stories is yet to be replaced by technology and content that is well crafted remains the prize as it builds credibility with not only your readers but the editorial community as well.

This sentiment is echoed by professionals in the field, such as editor Darren Parkin, who expressed his frustration in a now-viral tweet:

In another post, he bluntly warned:

Contact Information: Ensure that readers know how to reach you for further inquiries. Include contact details for your PR or communications team.

Distribution Tips

Leverage Crypto/Industry-Specific News Outlets: identify and submit your press release to reputable crypto and blockchain news platforms.

Utilise Social Media: share your announcement on platforms like X, LinkedIn, and Discord, where the crypto community is highly active.

Engage Influencers: collaborate with influencers in the Web3 space to amplify your message.

Conclusion

Use wire services: to some this may be a double edged sword, however understanding what the goals are for your communications and aligning them particularly in niche industries may prove useful to use a wire service. The reality is also that with a shrinking number of publications across the board newsrooms are inundated with press releases and sometimes our peers may be our own enemies when best practices aren’t adhered to in PR. Some journalists are so upset that they call out agencies/individuals who have slightly upset them.

See these examples:

• Kevin Braddock’s Public Critique: The GQ contributing editor publicly listed PR professionals who sent him irrelevant press releases, sparking a wave of backlash in the industry.
• Amy Gahran’s Take on PR Spam: A journalist’s plea for relationship-building over unsolicited blasts. Her advice? Unwanted press releases can quickly land you in the spam folder, and damage your rep.
• David Meerman Scott on Irrelevant Press Releases: Marketing strategist David Meerman Scott labeled irrelevant press releases as spam, criticizing their inefficacy and poor targeting.

By mastering the art of writing a press release that speaks to the Web3 and crypto community or any community/ stakeholder that you want to communicate with you can effectively raise awareness and garner support for your project.

If you would like to learn more about PR and how it can benefit your organisation reach out to Stefania Barbaglio — Stefania@cassiopeia-ltd.com for more insights or to schedule a consultation.