Why trust Greenbot
If you’re launching a new crypto or blockchain-based project, you’re immediately confronted with a conundrum. It’s a fundamental PR question that many leaders grapple with early on: Should you focus on building your communists first or on getting media coverage?
It’s a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma; frankly, it does not have a straightforward answer. And yes, while you could argue that doing both is the best bet, most startups aren’t blessed with the time, money, or resources to execute both strategies simultaneously – at least not well.
Should you pour your blood, sweat, and tears into Discord servers, Twitter spaces, and Telegram channels to try to build grassroots support? Would your project benefit more from a targeted press release through a crypto newswire? Or a strategic outreach campaign to journalists at established publications?
Let’s examine the details closely and unpack each approach’s pros and cons.
Community-First Approach
When you first focus on building a community, the goal is to create your distinct ecosystem where your supporters, investors, users, and possibly even skeptics hang out. The idea is to build a mini world where your project is the main focus point, and people can collaborate and share ideas.
Aside from the skeptics and those who may be doing initial research, your community should consist of people who genuinely care about your project and its success. They’re not just passive observers; they are genuinely interested and engaged. They will be your early adopters, feedback providers, and hopefully (with some time), your driving force behind your early market movements.
Some of the main advantages of this community-first approach include:
Organic growth potential: A passionate, healthy community shares your project naturally, creating the word-of-mouth marketing that can truly send a project viral. When someone enters your community through this type of referral, they already arrive with built-in trust, which is key.
Resilience during market downturns: As you know, the crypto markets are volatile. New people aren’t always going to find your project organically. Investment will decline, and things will inevitably slow down. When that happens, your community will hopefully be the ones to stick around and keep things ticking over.
Valuable feedback loop: Early on, you need honest feedback about what works and what doesn’t with your project. Your community, who will likely be your first users, will be the ones to give you that. They will catch issues, suggest features, and help you refine your product in ways you wouldn’t be able to do with your own team.
Lower initial costs: Building a community doesn’t have to cost much money. Discord, Telegram, and Twitter are free (for the most part). The most significant spend here will be your time and possibly a community manager or two once it grows.
The Media-First Approach
On the other hand, we have the media-first approach. This means you’ll focus heavily on getting as much reputable media coverage as possible to provide that all-important initial boost of truth, authority, and exposure. Getting featured in the right places can get you seen by hundreds, if not thousands, of potential users and investors.
Some of the main benefits of this approach include:
Rapid awareness: A single article that lands on a major publication in the Web3 space, such as CoinDesk, The Block, or Cointelegraph, will do wonders for your profile. You will instantly gain visibility and credibility, and the awareness that follows should be simple enough to capitalize on.
Easier fundraising: Investors want to know you’re legit. The crypto space is full of scammers and people up to no good, so landing that all-important media coverage in reputable publications clearly signals that your project means business. Getting validation in this way is a great way to draw in VCs.
Attraction power for community building: Media coverage can be the catalyst for building a community more naturally. If your stories land well, people will naturally be curious and enter your marketing funnel. These people will be more likely to join a Telegram or Discord server for a project they have already read about.
Third-party credibility: As mentioned previously, the benefits of earned media coverage ultimately boil down to the third-party validation you receive as a result. This is not to be underestimated.
Finding Your Balance
In reality, the most successful projects don’t choose exclusively between community and blockchain PR—they strategically balance both. But as we acknowledged in the introduction, most startups simply don’t have the time, money, or resources to execute both strategies simultaneously—at least not well. This practical constraint forces the tough decision in the first place.
When faced with this conundrum, you’ll need to strategically choose where to focus your limited resources initially, understanding that you’ll eventually need to develop both areas. This isn’t about which approach is theoretically better but rather about making the most efficient use of what you have right now.
Project type: If you’re building a social platform or DAO, community is essential from day one—you’ll need users actively engaged to demonstrate your concept works. If you’re creating infrastructure or more technical tools, media might help you reach the right specialized audience faster, particularly developer-focused publications that speak to your target users.
Team strengths: Play to your team’s natural abilities. If your founders are charismatic community builders with experience moderating Discord servers or running practical Twitter spaces, use that strength. If you have team members with strong media connections or exceptional storytelling abilities, utilize those skills to get your narrative into publications with crypto public relations campaigns.
Funding situation: Bootstrapped projects often benefit from community-first approaches, as they can build gradually without excessive costs. Well-funded projects can sometimes accelerate growth through strategic media campaigns, though throwing money at PR without substance rarely yields lasting results.
Market conditions: During bull markets, media coverage might amplify your reach dramatically as more eyes are on crypto news. During bear markets, focusing on building a dedicated council often provides better long-term results when general interest has waned, but the dedication remains.
Current traction: If you’ve already gained momentum in one area, double down before diversifying. For instance, if your project has organically attracted some early community members, nurturing that growth might be more efficient than pivoting to chase media coverage.
Product readiness: Be honest about your product’s status. Early prototypes might benefit more from tight-knit community feedback, while launch-ready products can better utilize broader media attention.
Final Thoughts
When deciding between community and media focus through blockchain PR, no silver bullet strategy works for all crypto startups. Your unique circumstances—product type, team skills, available resources, and market timing—should guide your decision.
While you’ll eventually need both elements for lasting success, starting with your most substantial advantage often yields better results. Community builds resilience and loyalty, while media and crypto public relations deliver credibility and visibility.
The projects that ultimately thrive recognize this isn’t a permanent choice but a strategic emphasis that evolves as they grow. Start where you can excel today, but keep your eyes on developing both channels for tomorrow.
