Whether you are a blockchain company or a restaurant, a PR strategy can help you gain awareness, build credibility, and can open the door to new partnerships.
Many blockchain companies know they need PR but are often unsure how to start or how to craft a strategy. Working on marketing efforts for companies in the space, we’ve learned a few valuable lessons.
1. Commit to PR as a long term strategy.
PR efforts hopefully result in an article about your company. That’s called “earned media” and it’s coveted more than any paid exposure you can buy. The operative word is earned. PR takes time and effort. It can take months, years, even, to build relationships with journalists who can give you the kind of exposure you’re looking for.
What this means for your blockchain company is: hiring a pro (in-house or an agency), budgeting enough money to support their PR plan, and orienting your expectations in terms of years not weeks.
2. Make your message easy to understand.
Blockchain is complicated to people outside the industry. You live it, every day. With emerging technologies like blockchain, your PR info needs to double duty: Share newsworthy information and translate tech into plain language. If you need to hire technical writers and editors, do it. These professionals are trained to make complex concepts understandable to the average person.
3. Be aware of legal implications.
There are many legal implications of blockchain PR and it’s important to hire a knowledgeable lawyer in the space.
“PR professionals should be particularly mindful of sticking to the facts.” says David Wachsman, CEO of Wachsman PR. “Making exaggerated or misleading statements about any company could expose yourself and your client to substantial risk. PR firms can also be liable for fraudulently misleading reporters, so it’s vital for a firm to conduct due diligence when on-boarding a client and to remain fact-based with their efforts at all times.”
This is important: You could be on the hook if you overstate information about your company. Public relations law can touch on copyright law, privacy law, and ethics. If your PR efforts are misleading or plain false, your company risks its relationships with journalists–not to mention, potentially significant legal action. (Another reason why it’s important to get help with making your message easily understood.)
Blockchain is new but PR is not. A good PR person will help you craft a clear message, communicate it to reporters, and guide you to the appropriate legal resources.