I’ve spent the last few years deep in Web3 PR, working closely with founders who are building through bull markets, bear markets, regulatory shifts, narrative pivots, and everything in between. At Coinbound, I oversee client accounts across exchanges, protocols, infrastructure, consumer apps, and DAOs, and if there’s one thing client campaigns have taught me, it’s that Web3 PR is its own discipline.

A lot of teams still approach PR like it’s Web2 with a crypto wrapper. Press release, big announcement, hope for coverage. Sometimes that works, but most of the time it doesn’t. The campaigns that actually move the needle tend to follow a few consistent lessons. These aren’t theories. They’re patterns I’ve seen play out across dozens of client engagements.

Here are the biggest Web3 PR lessons I’ve learned from running real campaigns with real constraints.

Narrative comes before news

Founders often come to us with “big news” and want to jump straight into pitching. A funding round. A product launch. A partnership. But in Web3, news without context rarely lands the way teams expect.

The strongest campaigns start weeks earlier with narrative alignment. What category does this project actually belong to right now? What problem does it credibly own? What tension in the market does it speak to?

One client comes to mind that had a legitimately impressive technical release, but early pitch drafts were buried in jargon. We pulled back and reframed the story around why this mattered for developers dealing with a very specific pain point that was already getting media attention. Same news. Different narrative. Coverage went from polite passes to tier-one hits.

In Web3 PR, journalists are overloaded and skeptical. Narrative is what earns attention. News is just the hook.

Timing matters more than volume

I’ve seen teams push for constant announcements because they feel quiet equals invisible. In practice, too much noise can actually weaken credibility.

Some of our best-performing campaigns have been deliberately sparse. We held back announcements until there was real momentum, or until a broader market conversation made the story more relevant. One DeFi client delayed a feature announcement by a month because the regulatory environment was dominating headlines. When the timing was right, the story landed as thoughtful and timely instead of opportunistic.

Web3 moves fast, but that doesn’t mean PR should be reactive. Strategic restraint often outperforms constant activity.

Founders are the story more often than the product

This is one founders sometimes resist, especially deeply technical ones. But in Web3, journalists and audiences still anchor to people.

Some of the strongest coverage I’ve seen didn’t lead with product specs at all. It led with the founder’s perspective on where the space was heading, what they were seeing break, or what they believed most teams were getting wrong.

We worked with one founder who was hesitant to do interviews unless they were directly tied to announcements. Once we shifted to thought leadership and opinion-driven commentary, inbound media requests started coming in regularly. That visibility then made product launches easier to place later.

PR isn’t just about what you built. It’s about why you’re the right person to be building it right now.

Credibility beats hype every time

Web3 media has seen every buzzword cycle imaginable. AI crypto. Modular everything. The next Ethereum killer. Journalists can spot inflated claims instantly.

The campaigns that perform best are grounded and specific. Clear metrics. Honest limitations. Willingness to say “this is early” or “this doesn’t solve everything.”

One campaign that stands out involved dialing down claims in a pitch that originally promised massive disruption. We repositioned it as an incremental but important improvement for a specific user group. Coverage quality improved dramatically, and the project was referenced more positively in follow-on articles.

In today’s environment, sounding realistic is a competitive advantage.

PR and marketing cannot operate in silos

Some of the toughest campaigns I’ve managed were ones where PR was treated as a standalone channel, disconnected from content, social, or community. Messaging drifted. Announcements felt isolated. Journalists got confused signals.

The strongest campaigns happen when PR is integrated into the broader marketing engine. Blog posts reinforce media narratives. Founder threads echo interview themes. Community understands why coverage matters.

When everything is aligned, PR compounds. When it isn’t, even great coverage can fade quickly.

Results rarely look like what founders expect at first

Many teams come into PR expecting immediate spikes. Users. Tokens. Traffic. Sometimes that happens, but more often PR works indirectly.

I’ve seen coverage lead to investor conversations months later. Partnership discussions that start with “I read that article.” Easier hiring because candidates already understand the mission. Regulatory credibility that helps during sensitive moments.

One client initially questioned the ROI of a thought leadership campaign because there was no immediate traffic bump. Six months later, that same coverage was cited repeatedly in enterprise sales conversations.

PR is a long game, especially in Web3. The value often shows up sideways before it shows up on a dashboard.

Consistency builds trust

The teams that win at PR aren’t the ones who show up once and disappear. They’re the ones who steadily contribute thoughtful commentary, credible updates, and clear perspectives over time.

Trust compounds. Journalists remember who was helpful, responsive, and honest. Audiences remember who didn’t overpromise. That reputation becomes an asset you can’t shortcut.

If there’s one takeaway I’d emphasize, it’s this: Web3 PR works best when it’s treated as strategic communication, not just coverage acquisition. It requires patience, clarity, and a willingness to lead with substance.

The clients who embrace that mindset are the ones whose stories last beyond a single news cycle.