Are you an ambitious crypto entrepreneur looking to make your mark on the world?
Wondering how to get lighting for that project you've worked so hard to create?
Or are you a public relations professional looking to maximize your clients' attention?
If so, you may find this article helpful as it provides useful tips on how to talk about cryptocurrencies with journalists.
basic information
Before we discuss this topic in more detail, let's clarify some basic concepts.
First, it's important to have a basic understanding of journalism, including what people who work in this field are supposed to do and how they evaluate potential stories.
Why do you need to know this information? The answer is simple.
Knowing your target audience – in other words, journalists – and knowing what they want to achieve can increase your chances of getting coverage.
The objectives of the journalist.
What is the objective of a journalist? If you ask multiple people this question, they will probably give different answers.
To keep things simple, I'll keep it simple.
The goal of a journalist is to find and report the truth.
To give a more detailed explanation, I'll use the example from my Forbes column.
When I started writing for Forbes in 2017, senior editor Laura Shin hired me to develop news articles and educational content on investing and global asset markets.
Specifically, he sought me out to cover the cryptocurrency markets, an area in which I have a strong presence, having published over 200 articles on CoinDesk and being highly respected for much of my work.
In addition to being tasked with producing the aforementioned articles for Forbes, I was given the freedom to write about other asset classes, including stocks, bonds, and commodities.
When I began my work as a Forbes contributor, I began writing articles on the topics mentioned above, covering news that interested me and creating timeless articles designed to educate my readers.
Since then I have focused on the cryptocurrency space, although I have done some work involving multiple asset classes, such as writing articles related to Bitcoin and gold or, more generally, cryptocurrencies and stocks.
The importance of achievements
Everything in my Forbes column should end up here on its own.
Simply put, if you want to appear in my Forbes column, you have to earn it. I wouldn't write a story about a person or their company just because I know them.
I also wouldn't write a story for someone as a favor.
Lastly, I would never insure a person or company in exchange for compensation. I will explain this situation in detail later in this article.
While the significance of the achievement may be a bit surprising to some, this situation can be a good source of inspiration, motivating cryptopreneurs to do their best. After all, the more achievements a person or company achieves, the more worthy of attention they are.
Some useful tips
Now that I have provided information on cryptocurrency insurance, here are some tips that you may find helpful.
I should be clear that I will not write about a person or company in my Forbes column because a third party offers to pay me.
If I were to write something for the above column, the only organization that could pay me would be Forbes itself.
This is very important because failure to follow these rules creates problems for several reasons.
First, Forbes guidelines strictly prohibit participation in paid games. We at Forbes, as people who have written for the publication for more than six years, were repeatedly told that such practices could be grounds for immediate termination.
Additionally, there are serious ethical considerations. If you offer someone money to write about you, your company, or your clients, you are offering them a bribe.
Here are some things that aspiring crypto entrepreneurs may not realize.
My Forbes column is not intended to help projects or companies promote themselves.
In other words, I'm not your marketing department.
I'm not even your PR department.
If you want to tell me stories, that's fine, but it's not my job to make you (or your company) look good.
My job as a journalist is to be as objective as possible and write news in a neutral and informative way.
Stand out from the crowd
If I think a project, company, or development is interesting, I'll probably talk about it. However, just because I think something is interesting doesn't mean it will end up in one of my articles.
I probably get 30 emails a day from people asking for Forbes coverage, and I can't say yes to all of them.
I can assure you that I am not alone in this: some journalists are bombarded with potential stories.
If you really want to cover events, do everything you can to stand out from the competition.
What makes your crypto startup (or project) stand out? What makes it worth watching? Why should readers care?
Evaluate these questions carefully and have some thoughtful answers, as they can make the difference between media coverage and rejection of your potential story.
Do your research
Before approaching any journalist, make sure you do your homework. In other words, study the person's background. This way, you will become familiar with their work and interests before approaching them.
This may seem obvious, but every day I receive emails that have nothing to do with the topics I cover.
I get offers in my inbox for portable blenders, luxury vests, and spa treatments.
While these off-topic comments may bring me some relief, they may not be the best use of the sender's time.
Exclusive offer
One of the best ways to get journalists to cover a story is to offer them an exclusive scoop.
Do you have any important announcements coming soon? Has your team created something new and innovative recently?
If so, do some research on the journalists who cover your specific industry or sub-industry. Then, after carefully evaluating what makes your story interesting to readers, choose a journalist and approach them, giving them exclusive access to your important events so they can break the news.
Give them time to consider your offer, and if they accept it, you can always move on to another journalist.
For "mention" requests.
Many people have contacted me and asked me to “mention” their companies in my Forbes columns.
The word “mention” does not translate into anything in journalism.
Again, my column exists to write about news and create educational materials.
If you expect the media to cover your company, I recommend telling the organization's journalists why they should write a story about your company.
Additionally, you can provide news professionals with unique research and/or data that they can include in their stories.
summarizing
By pitching cryptocurrency stories to journalists, you can greatly improve your chances of coverage by providing a well-researched and easy-to-read perspective.
Be sure to do your due diligence on any journalist before covering them because if you go off topic, you can easily confuse them, which will hurt your prospects for future coverage.
Also, be sure to treat journalists appropriately by offering them stories that are useful to readers.
Follow the recommendations in this article and you will soon be able to get the protection you want.