Beyond the US news cycle
Melrose is built around US media. Shilika runs the US too, and also takes your story to Korea, Japan, China, Southeast Asia and the Gulf, where your exchange listings and community often live.
Compare/Crypto & Web3 PR
Shilika Jain vs Melrose PR: a US crypto veteran or a global senior operator?
Melrose is one of the earliest crypto-specialist PR firms, working US business and crypto media since 2016 for clients like Chainlink, Avalanche and Pantera Capital. Shilika Jain is a senior fractional operator with 400+ journalist relationships across the US, China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This page puts them side by side.
The short version
Melrose is a solid choice for a US-focused protocol or fintech that wants Bloomberg, CNBC and CoinDesk-style coverage from a veteran crypto team. If your users, exchanges or investors are also in Asia or the Gulf, Shilika covers those markets and the US from one plan, with a senior operator on every pitch.
At a glance
Who pitches
- Melrose
- A US account team under an experienced crypto leadership group
- Shilika Jain
- Shilika, on every pitch
Monthly cost
- Melrose
- Not published (reported from $8K/mo)
- Shilika Jain
- $3K–$7K retainer
Native markets
- Melrose
- 1 of 8 we track
- Shilika Jain
- 7 of 8 we track
Firms to manage
- Melrose
- 1, plus regional agencies for gaps
- Shilika Jain
- 1 operator, 1 plan
The difference
What Shilika handles that Melrose leaves to you
The senior person on every pitch
At any agency, the leaders you meet in the pitch oversee a team. With Shilika, she writes and sends every pitch herself.
One plan, every market
No second agency for Asia and no translated press release dropped into a market cold. One narrative, sequenced across regions.
Side by side
Melrose PR vs Shilika Jain, line by line
Filter by what matters most to you. On mobile, each row stacks.
Melrose PRShilika Jain
Who does the work
Who pitches the journalistAn agency account team under an experienced crypto leadership group.Shilika, personally. The person on the intro call is the person writing the pitch and following up with the editor.
Senior time on your accountPartial. Leadership oversees; account staff manage daily outreach.100%. Six years running Web3 and AI PR, including building CoinMarketCap’s APAC PR function and leading PR at Myosin.
What you getStrategy, press relations, thought leadership, content and AI visibility.Narrative, tier-1 pitching, embargo strategy, founder profiling, op-eds, KOL waves and APAC localisation from one operator.
Media reach
Journalist networkStrong US business and crypto press.400+ working journalists across the US, China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, plus 200+ vetted Web3 KOLs.
Where they are strongestUnited States.Global by design: US crypto and tech press plus native-language desks across North Asia, Southeast Asia, India and the Gulf.
China, Korea, Japan, Middle EastNo stated Asian or Gulf media coverage.Direct, in-language relationships: BloomingBit and TokenPost (Korea), CoinPost and CryptoTimes (Japan), ChainCatcher (China), Gulf business press.
Cost & contract
Typical monthly costNot published. Reported from about $8K a month.$3K–$7K a month retainer, or a $15K–$40K launch sprint for a TGE, mainnet or raise.
Where the fee goesAccount team, leadership oversight and agency overhead.Senior strategy and execution. No account-management layer, no agency markup on junior hours.
ContractNot described publicly.Bounded engagements tied to named outlets and dates. Month-to-month after the first cycle.
Strategy & speed
Cross-market strategyUS-focused. Other regions would need another firm.One narrative, sequenced across every market from a single plan, so the Korean story and the CoinDesk story reinforce each other.
Speed to first pitchStandard agency onboarding.Pitching inside the first week. No onboarding team, no internal hand-offs.
Interactive
Your markets, your budget, your call
Pick the markets your launch needs. The tool shows where Melrose has in-house reach, where you would need a second firm, and what each route costs over the engagement.
01 Pick the markets your launch needs
02 See who can actually reach them
MarketMelroseShilika
United StatesNativeNative
South KoreaGapNative
JapanGapNative
Southeast AsiaGapNative
To reach South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, you would likely add 2 more agencies next to Melrose, plus the time it takes to keep their messaging in sync. With Shilika it is one operator and one plan.
03 Compare what it costs
$111K
kept in your runway over 6 months
79%
lower spend, with a senior operator on every pitch
Agency figures use the public or reported range for Melrose ($8K–$15K/mo) and are estimates. Move the sliders to match the proposal in front of you.
Agencies already hire Shilika. You can skip the middle.
When an agency wins a client that needs Korean, Japanese, Chinese or Gulf coverage and it has no desk there, it subcontracts the work. Shilika is regularly that subcontractor. Hiring her directly means the same relationships and the same pitches, without an agency margin on top or a strategy that gets relayed second-hand.
Fair is fair
What Melrose does well
- Website
- melrosepr.com
- Headquarters
- Santa Monica, California
- Founded
- 2012 (crypto focus since 2016)
- Team
- Roughly 11–50 people (third-party estimate)
- Pricing
- Not published (reported from $8K/mo). Melrose does not publish fees. A third-party list reports retainers from about $8K a month.
- Services
- PR strategy, Press relations, Thought leadership, Content, AI visibility
- Named clients
- Chainlink, Avalanche, Polkadot, Pantera Capital, BitGo, Blockdaemon, Pyth Network, Babylon Labs, Centrifuge, Sahara AI
Strengths
- Crypto focus since 2016, one of the longest-running specialists
- US business media placements including Bloomberg, CNBC and Fortune
- Strong infrastructure and institutional client list
- Leadership with its own crypto media presence through the Proof-of-PR podcast
Where founders hit limits
- No stated coverage of Asian, Middle Eastern or non-English media
- Pricing is not published; a third-party list reports retainers from about $8K a month
- No public client reviews on Clutch to benchmark delivery
- Engagement model and team structure are not described publicly
Decision
When Melrose is enough, and when you need Shilika
Choose Melrose if
- Your story is US-first: Bitcoin, infrastructure, fintech or institutional
- You want US business TV and print alongside crypto media
- You prefer a long-running crypto specialist agency
- You do not need Asian or Gulf coverage
Choose Shilika if
- You are launching a token, mainnet or raise and need tier-1 coverage in one news cycle
- Your community or exchange liquidity sits in Korea, Japan, China, Southeast Asia or the Gulf
- You want the senior person writing every pitch
- You are pre-Series B and want senior work at $3K–$7K a month
- You want one narrative across every market, not two agencies to referee
50+Web3 & AI protocols placed
400+journalists across 6 regions
11tier-1 placements in 24h (RARI Chain)
6 yrssenior Web3 & AI PR
“Her network is outstanding. Outlets that once felt out of reach became regular coverage, both in crypto and mainstream tech media.”
Gafoor Khan, Web3 & AI founder, advisor and angel investor
FAQ
Common questions about Melrose and Shilika
Is Melrose PR good for crypto companies?
Melrose is one of the longest-running crypto PR specialists, with clients like Chainlink, Avalanche and Pantera Capital and placements in Bloomberg and CNBC. It suits US-focused companies. For Asia and the Gulf, or senior attention on every pitch, Shilika Jain is the alternative.
How much does Melrose PR cost?
Melrose does not publish pricing. A third-party list reports retainers from about $8K a month. Shilika charges $3K–$7K a month.
Does Melrose PR cover Asian crypto media?
Melrose does not list Asian or Middle Eastern coverage. Shilika has direct relationships with Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asian and Gulf media.
Who runs Melrose PR?
Melrose was founded by CEO Kelley Weaver, who also hosts the Proof-of-PR podcast. It began as a consumer PR firm in 2012 and moved into crypto in 2016.
Skip the account team. Work with the operator.
Send your launch date and target markets. You get a reply within 24 hours with the outlets Shilika would go after first, in which order, and what it costs. Retainers run $3K–$7K a month; launch sprints run $15K–$40K.
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