How to Become a Source for Crypto Journalists

You become a source for crypto journalists by being useful when you have nothing to announce. Pick one narrow area you know better than most, tell the reporters who cover it that you're available for quick comment, then answer fast, specifically and honestly whenever they ask, including saying "I don't know" when you don't. Reporters call back the people who make their story better on deadline, not the people with the biggest logos.

Most founders only contact media when they have news. Sources are the founders reporters contact first.

What does a crypto reporter actually want from a source?

Something they can't easily get anywhere else, on their timeline.

A reporter writing about a token's launch week, a regulatory filing or a chain halt usually needs three things within a few hours: an informed view from someone who isn't a spokesperson for the company involved, a fact or number that adds texture, and a clear quote they can use without rewriting it. If you can supply one of those reliably, you're useful.

Answering promptly is the baseline, not the bonus.

responding and answering journalists' query is PR 101! Shilika Jain on X, 25 Oct 2023

What separates a good source from an occasional one is everything after that first reply: whether the comment is sharp, whether the facts hold up, and whether you're still easy to reach the next time.

How do you choose the lane you'll be a source on?

Narrower than you think. "Web3" is not a lane. "DeFi" is barely one. "Token supply schedules and market-maker arrangements at launch" is a lane, and it's one where a reporter knows exactly when to call you.

A good lane has three properties:

• You have direct, first-hand knowledge. You've built in it, operated in it, or hold data on it.
• It comes up in the news regularly. Launches, regulation, exploits, market structure, adoption data.
• It's adjacent to your product but bigger than it. You can comment without every answer turning into a pitch.

Magna is a good example from my own work. It's a token management company, so its team understood how token supply and market-maker loans work at launch. When Worldcoin launched in 2023, that expertise got Magna into Decrypt's coverage of Worldcoin's tokenomics, without Magna having any news of its own. The same lane led to commentary in Cryptonews on Ethereum L2 activity and on-ground interviews set up with CoinDesk at Messari Mainnet.

How do you tell reporters you're available as a source?

Directly and briefly, without a pitch attached.

Send a short note to the two or three reporters who cover your lane. Say who you are in one line, what you can comment on in one line, and how fast you can respond. Offer one example of a recent story where you'd have had something to add. Then stop. Don't attach a press release or ask for a meeting.

After that, the work is about showing up:

1. Keep a one-page "source sheet" with your lane, three or four positions you hold, your bio and a headshot, ready to send.
2. Follow the reporters' bylines so you know what they're working on before they ask.
3. When a story breaks in your lane, send one short, quotable take within the first few hours, framed as "if useful for your piece."
4. If they don't use it, don't chase. Send the next one when the next story breaks.

My post on reactive commentary strategy goes deeper into writing comment that gets used. This post is about the relationship around it.

What does the source scorecard look like?

When I assess whether a founder is ready to be put forward as a source, I run them through what I call the call-back scorecard. Each line scores 0, 1 or 2. Under 7, we work on the gaps before I introduce them to anyone.

The two lines founders most often fail are lane discipline and self-promotion. They're also the two reporters notice fastest.

To make the gap concrete, imagine a reporter asks two founders about a new token whose price fell sharply in its first week.

The weak reply: "Launches are hard and the market is volatile right now. At our company, we've built tools that help teams avoid this." It says nothing checkable and ends in a plug.

The strong reply: "Most of the supply that hit the market came from early investor tokens vesting, not retail selling. You can see it in the on-chain transfers to exchanges on days two and three. I'd check whether the market-maker loan terms were disclosed before listing." That gives the reporter a claim, a way to verify it and a next question to ask. It also never mentions the founder's product, which is exactly why it's credible.

Why does honesty matter more than having an answer?

Because a reporter's reputation sits on your quote. If you guess and you're wrong, they're the ones issuing a correction.

Your honesty might make you lose a client but will bring you a credible reputation forever 🤝 Shilika Jain on X, 4 Apr 2022

The same applies to sources. "I don't have visibility on that, but the person who'd know is the protocol's core contributor" is a perfectly good answer. So is "I can't comment on a client's numbers, but this is how that mechanism generally works." Reporters remember sources who saved them from a mistake far longer than sources who gave them a punchy line.

Context matters here too. Sometimes the most useful thing you can do is explain how something works so the reporter understands the story, without being quoted. That's legitimate, but agree the terms before you say anything. I've broken down the difference in plain English in off the record vs on background.

How does data make you a better source?

Data turns a view into a story. A founder with an opinion is one of many. A founder with a dataset the reporter can't get anywhere else becomes the reason the story exists.

Elastos is the clearest case I've worked on. Alongside commentary placements, including CryptoPotato's round-up of experts on Worldcoin and proof of personhood, Elastos commissioned regional research. Cryptonews covered its finding that 67% of Nigerians trust Bitcoin over traditional methods for their life savings. That research earned a standalone headline, and it gave reporters a reason to come back to Elastos on related stories.

You don't need a commissioned survey to start. On-chain data you already query, anonymised usage patterns or a clear explainer of a mechanism you understand deeply all count. I wrote about building that asset in original research as a PR asset.

When does being a source not pay off?

Being a source is a long game, and it isn't right for every team.

• When the founder has no time. If comment requests sit for a day, you'll lose the slot and the relationship. Better not to offer than to offer and go quiet.
• When legal can't move quickly. Some regulated companies need sign-off on every external sentence. That's fine, but it makes reactive comment almost impossible.
• When you only want coverage of your product. Sources get quoted on other people's stories. The brand benefit is real but indirect.
• When your lane is too close to a live controversy you're part of. Wait until it's resolved.

The pay-off is slow and cumulative. It's a relationship, and relationships take years.

the most important skill in 2023 & onwards has to be "relationship building" Shilika Jain on X, 24 Jul 2023

If you want help building the founder's lane, source sheet and reporter list, that's the core of my founder profiling work.

FAQ

Do I need a PR person to become a source for journalists?

No. Plenty of founders build these relationships themselves by being quick and useful. A PR person helps mostly with the introductions, the source sheet and keeping comment sharp under deadline pressure.

Should my company's comms lead or the founder be the source?

Usually the founder or a senior technical person. Reporters want someone with first-hand knowledge, not a spokesperson repeating messaging. The comms lead's job is to make that person available and prepared.

How many reporters should I try to be a source for?

Start with two or three who cover your lane closely. Depth beats breadth here. Once those relationships are steady, add more as your lane grows.

Will being a source get my company's announcements covered?

Not automatically. It makes reporters more likely to open your pitch and trust your facts. The announcement still has to be news on its own merits.

Want your founder to be the first call when your sector makes headlines? Book a 30-minute call and we'll work out the lane together.