David Wachsman, CEO of Wachsman: Building Your Brand in Crypto

— PR is about matching compelling stories with the right journalists who control news narratives, not buying coverage or republishing press releases.

— Founders commonly pre-announce products, destroying newsworthiness; the most effective strategy is staying silent until genuinely new information exists.

— Crisis communication requires rapid playbooks that coordinate messaging across all stakeholders to prevent panic and control narrative damage.

— Thought leadership (byline articles, expert commentary) builds personal brand equity that later benefits company launches and product releases.

— Media landscape has consolidated; reporters prioritize stories that drive traffic and engagement, making founder social following a significant factor in coverage decisions.

— Companies evolved dramatically from 2017–2018 ICO boom; today's projects are more professional, longer-tenured teams, and focus on actual products rather than hype.

— Before pitching media, identify your unique competitive advantage and target reporters who specifically cover that niche; avoid pre-announcing or flooding journalists with unsolicited information.

— Develop clear business objectives for any PR or marketing spend; measure success against those goals, not vanity metrics like media hits alone.

— Train yourself or your team on media fundamentals: speak in short sentences, avoid obfuscation, research the reporter's beat and audience, and maintain consistent messaging across all platforms to preserve trust.