In short
The international PR masterclass teaches founders and operators to run public relations across borders: localising a story instead of translating it, picking outlets market by market from Korea and Japan to India and the Middle East, timing embargoes across time zones and judging syndication. It runs as a one-hour masterclass, a three-day workshop or a six-module course.
Which format fits: masterclass, workshop or course?
| Format | Length | Best for | Participants leave with |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-hour masterclass | 60 minutes | Guest lectures, conference sessions, team lunch-and-learns, accelerator demo weeks. | A 14-slide framework and a one-page plan. |
| Three-day workshop | 3 days, about 6 hours a day | Accelerator cohorts, leadership offsites, university immersion weeks, in-house comms teams. | A localised pitch for each market, a one-page compliance tone sheet and a 90-day international PR plan. |
| Multi-module course | 6 modules, usually one a week | Semester electives, cohort programs, founders who want to run their own PR after the course. | A market-entry PR pack for one real announcement in at least three markets: media maps, a local angle per market, localised pitches, an embargo grid in local times, a compliance tone sheet and a 90-day plan. Shilika reviews each pack line by line. |
What will participants be able to do?
- Decide which markets get a localised story, which get a translation and which get nothing yet.
- Build a media map for Korea, Japan, Chinese-language press, India, SEA, MENA and US/EU from real bylines.
- Find a local angle for each market: a local user, partner, hire, data point or regional theme.
- Set one embargo and convert it correctly into every local time zone, daylight saving included.
- Tell syndicated pickups apart from editorial coverage when a report lands in six languages.
- Adjust tone, claims and spokesperson style for reporters and regulators in each region.
Why learn this from Shilika Jain?
- Leads APAC PR and partnerships at Myosin, and was previously APAC lead for partnerships and PR at CoinMarketCap for about 1.5 years.
- Secured localised coverage in Korean, Japanese and Chinese-language media, from Hankyung via Naver and CoinNess to CryptoTimes JP, BeInCrypto JP and Blocktempo.
- Framed MANTRA Chain's $11M raise around RWA and a Middle East angle for CoinDesk in March 2024.
- Ran Bullieverse's $4M raise as mainstream India business news in Economic Times, Inc42 and YourStory.
- Interviewed founders for CryptoDaily UK at TOKEN2049 and Solana Breakpoint in 2024, so she knows what a reporter needs from the other side of the table.
PR is not magic. It works over the long term, through relationships and ongoing conversations with journalists.
Format 1 · 60 minutes
One-hour masterclass: the slide-by-slide outline
One deck that turns "we want coverage in Asia" into a market-by-market PR sheet. Built for growth teams, accelerator demo weeks and founders about to announce in more than one time zone.
Format 2 · 3 days
Three-day workshop: the day-by-day agenda
Three days that end with a team holding a market priority sheet, a multi-market release calendar, localised pitches and a 90-day international PR plan. Built for growth teams and accelerator cohorts expanding across APAC, MENA and the West.
Day 1: Market selection and localisation
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:30 to 11:00 | The translation trap. Why most cross-border launches land as one translated release on a few syndication sites. Review real examples of localised versus translated coverage and what separated them. |
| 11:15 to 12:45 | Market media maps. Build a map for each target market: mainstream business press, tech and startup press, crypto or trade press, and the distribution layer (Naver, Telegram, newsletters) that carries them. |
| 13:45 to 15:15 | Local angle mining. Go through users, partners, hires, events and data to find a local reason to run the story in each market. Markets with no angle get moved to a later quarter. |
| 15:30 to 17:00 | Localisation lab. Rewrite one English announcement for two markets, changing the lead, the proof point and the quote. A native reader marks every line that still sounds imported. |
End of day 1: A market priority sheet for two to four markets, each with a media map and a local angle, or a reason to wait.
Day 2: Distribution, timing and syndication
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:30 to 11:00 | Korea and Japan distribution. How Naver syndication puts outlets like Hankyung in front of mainstream readers, how CoinNess spreads through Korean Telegram channels, and how Japanese crypto media prefers to be approached. |
| 11:15 to 12:45 | India, SEA, MENA and US/EU. When to pitch the business desk instead of the crypto desk, using Bullieverse in India and MANTRA's Middle East framing as worked examples. Build ten names per market from bylines. |
| 13:45 to 15:15 | The embargo clock. Pick one announcement time and convert it into every target market, with daylight saving checked. Decide which market leads and which gets a staggered local release. |
| 15:30 to 17:00 | Syndication versus editorial. Sort a real multi-language coverage report into editorial stories, interviews, syndicated pickups and sponsored posts. Agree on how the team will report each category. |
End of day 2: A multi-market release calendar with the embargo in every local time zone, plus a ten-name list per market.
Day 3: Reporters, culture and compliance
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:30 to 11:00 | Working with reporters across cultures. Formality, follow-up norms, how relationships form before launch week, and how to run an interview through an interpreter without losing the message. |
| 11:15 to 12:45 | Regional compliance tone. Rewrite claims so they hold up in every target market: no price talk, no return promises, regulator vocabulary used correctly. Flag anything that needs local counsel. |
| 13:45 to 15:15 | Mock international press day. Spokespeople take back-to-back mock interviews framed as reporters from Seoul, Mumbai, Dubai and London, each with a different local follow-up question. |
| 15:30 to 17:00 | Measurement and the 90-day plan. Set market-level metrics such as local inbound, partner replies and local-language AI search citations. Map the next three stories onto a 90-day calendar across markets. |
End of day 3: A localised pitch for each market, a one-page compliance tone sheet and a 90-day international PR plan.
Format 3 · 6 modules
Six-module course: decks, activities and quizzes
Six modules, each with its own slide deck, an activity and a short quiz. Participants finish with a capstone: a full market-entry PR pack for one real announcement in at least three markets.
Cadence: 6 weekly modules. 90 minutes live, plus about 2 hours of activity work per week.
Module 1: International PR is a localisation job
Deck 1: Translation, localisation and the local angle
Why translated releases rarely earn local coverage, what localisation changes (lead, proof, quote, spokesperson) and how to decide which markets get a story now.
Activity: Take your last English announcement and score it for each target market: is there a local angle, a local proof point and a local voice? Rank markets go, later or skip.
Quiz
1. A team translates its English release into Korean and sends it to a Korean wire. What usually happens?
Show answer
B. It lands on a few syndication pages with little editorial pickup A translation with no local reason to run tends to get distributed, not covered. Reporters need a story for their own readers.
2. Which change turns a translation into a localisation?
Show answer
C. Leading with a local user number, partner or data point Localisation gives a local reader a reason to care. Tone and formatting help, but the lead has to be about their market.
3. A market has no local users, partners, hires or data yet. What is the sensible PR call?
Show answer
A. Wait until there is a local angle Without a local angle, coverage is either bought or ignored. Saving the market for later keeps budget and reputation intact.
Module 2: Korea and Japan
Deck 2: Naver, Telegram and Japanese crypto media
How Korean reach works through Naver-syndicated mainstream outlets like Hankyung and Telegram-driven apps like CoinNess, plus Bloomingbit and Tokenpost. How Japanese outlets like CryptoTimes JP, Cointelegraph JP and BeInCrypto JP prefer to work.
Activity: Build a ten-name Korea list and a ten-name Japan list from bylines in the last 90 days. For each name, note the outlet, the last relevant story and whether it reaches readers through Naver, Telegram or direct.
Quiz
1. Where does much of Korea's mainstream news reach readers?
Show answer
B. Through Naver, where mainstream outlets like Hankyung are syndicated Naver is the main portal for Korean news. Being in a syndicated mainstream outlet puts a story where readers already look.
2. What makes CoinNess useful for Korean Web3 reach?
Show answer
C. It is a Korean Web3 news app with strong pull in Korean Telegram channels Korean crypto readers follow Telegram channels closely, and CoinNess news travels through them fast.
3. What is the most common reason Japanese crypto outlets ignore a pitch from a foreign project?
Show answer
D. The copy was machine-translated and had no local relevance Japanese editors notice poor translation straight away. Native copy and a Japan-specific angle get read.
Module 3: Chinese-language press, SEA and India
Deck 3: ChainCatcher to Economic Times
Where Chinese-language crypto outlets like ChainCatcher, TechFlow, Jinse, PANews and Blocktempo reach readers, how Southeast Asian press differs by country, and why an Indian-founded team's raise is mainstream business news.
Activity: Pick one announcement and write two pitches: one for a Chinese-language crypto outlet and one for an Indian business desk. Change the lead, the proof and the quote for each.
Quiz
1. Bullieverse's $4M raise ran in Economic Times, Inc42 and YourStory. What does that show?
Show answer
B. An Indian-founded team's raise is a mainstream startup story, not only a crypto story India's business and startup desks cover local founders raising money. Pitching only crypto media leaves that audience on the table.
2. Before counting a Chinese-language outlet as coverage in "China", what should you check?
Show answer
A. Where its readers actually are Chinese-language crypto readers sit in several markets. Knowing where an outlet's audience is keeps reporting honest and targeting sharp.
3. Bullieverse's CoinDesk piece was sponsored. How should it appear in a coverage report?
Show answer
C. Labelled as sponsored, separate from earned coverage Mixing sponsored and earned placements hides what the pitching achieved. Clear labels keep the report useful to leadership.
Module 4: MENA, US and Europe
Deck 4: Regional angles and Western tier-1
How a regional theme widens a story, using MANTRA's Middle East framing in CoinDesk, and how US and European tier-1 and trade press weigh foreign announcements. When one global story needs regional chapters.
Activity: Write the regional angle for your announcement in MENA and in US/EU. For each, name the proof you would need and three reporters who covered a similar story.
Quiz
1. Why did MANTRA's $11M raise run wider than a typical funding note?
Show answer
C. It carried a Middle East angle and the RWA category word reporters already covered A regional theme plus a familiar category gave reporters two reasons to run it. Funding alone is rarely enough.
2. A US tier-1 reporter asks why an APAC-built product matters to their readers. What is the best answer?
Show answer
A. A proof point their readers recognise, such as a known partner or a usage number Western editors want relevance to their own readers. Coverage counts from other markets are not a story for them.
3. When should one announcement get separate regional versions?
Show answer
D. When each region has its own angle or proof point Regional versions earn their cost when they carry a regional reason to run. Otherwise one strong global version is enough.
Module 5: Embargoes, timing and syndication
Deck 5: One embargo, every clock
Setting an embargo that works from New York to Seoul, handling daylight saving, choosing which market leads, and telling syndicated pickups apart from editorial stories in a multi-language report.
Activity: Build an embargo grid for your next announcement covering every target market. Then sort a sample multi-language coverage report into editorial, interview, syndicated and sponsored.
Quiz
1. Your US partner sets an embargo for 09:00 New York time in January. When does it lift in Seoul?
Show answer
B. 23:00 the same day In January New York is on UTC minus 5 and Seoul on UTC plus 9, a 14-hour gap. In US summer time the gap shrinks to 13 hours, so it would be 22:00.
2. Tangem's self-custody stat appeared in English, Korean, Japanese and Dutch editions. What made it travel?
Show answer
A. One clear, strong number that any desk could headline A single strong stat works in any language. Reporters could lead with it without a separate pitch per market.
3. A report lists 40 pickups of a wire release in six languages. What is the honest way to present it?
Show answer
C. As distribution, separate from any editorial stories or interviews Syndicated pickups show reach of the wire, not editorial interest. Leadership needs to see which stories a reporter chose to write.
Module 6: Reporters, culture, compliance and measurement
Deck 6: Relationships, tone and the market scorecard
How relationships with reporters form differently across markets, how to run interviews through interpreters, how to keep claims within each region's compliance tone, and how to measure PR market by market.
Activity: Record a mock interview with a local follow-up question for each of two markets. Rewrite three claims from your release to fit each market's compliance tone and set three metrics per market.
Quiz
1. An investigative reporter in one of your markets sends specific questions twice. What should the team do?
Show answer
D. Answer sooner rather than later, with facts you can stand behind Silence lets the story run without your side. A prompt, factual answer is the best chance of fair coverage in any market.
2. Which line is safest across most markets?
Show answer
B. "Users in Korea and India can now store assets in self-custody." A factual product statement travels. Price, return and investment claims can break local rules and end the story.
3. Which metric best shows a market is working?
Show answer
A. Inbound from local partners, users or investors after coverage Coverage matters when it changes who contacts you in that market. Translation counts and impressions do not show that.
Capstone: A market-entry PR pack for one real announcement in at least three markets: media maps, a local angle per market, localised pitches, an embargo grid in local times, a compliance tone sheet and a 90-day plan. Shilika reviews each pack line by line.
How does it change for students, C-suite and operators?
For students
For international business, journalism and mass communication students the program uses public case studies (MANTRA, Bullieverse, the APAC localisation work) and the capstone is a market-entry PR plan for a brand they choose.
For c-suite
For leadership teams the media mapping shrinks and market selection, spokesperson prep for foreign press, interviews through interpreters and compliance tone grow. Prep follows the approach used for founder interviews such as MANTRA's Cointelegraph CEO interview.
For founders & operators
For founders and growth leads every exercise uses their own announcement and target markets. They leave with localised pitches, an embargo grid and a 90-day plan for their next cross-border launch.
Frequently asked questions
What does an international PR expert actually do?
An international PR expert decides which markets get a story, finds a local angle for each, builds media lists from local bylines, localises pitches, times one embargo across every time zone and reports coverage honestly. This program teaches that full job.
Who is the international PR masterclass for?
Founders, growth leads and comms hires taking an announcement into more than one market, especially across APAC and the Middle East. It also runs for executive teams and students with the changes described in the audience section.
Can I just translate my English press release for Korea or Japan?
You can, but a translation with no local angle usually ends up on syndication pages rather than in editorial stories. Korean and Japanese reporters want a reason their readers should care, written by a native speaker.
Is APAC PR training different from global PR training?
Yes. APAC PR training spends more time on Naver and Telegram distribution in Korea, native-language copy for Japan and Chinese-language press, and India's business desks. The global modules add MENA, US and Europe.
Is the international PR masterclass online or in person?
Both. The one-hour masterclass and the six-module course work well online across time zones. The three-day workshop works best in person, for example inside an accelerator or a regional offsite.
How is the international PR masterclass priced?
Pricing is quoted per cohort, based on format, group size and location. Student and non-profit sessions are often considered pro bono. Book a call to scope it.
Where has Shilika taught and spoken?
- Aug 2026: Spoke to students at SJCC, Bengaluru, on Web3 and blockchain.
- May 2026: Judged a Stellar founder cohort run by Myosin and advised founders on PR strategy.
- Jul 2025: Ran a PR workshop for the XRPL Labs Accelerator with Tenity, for PayFi and tokenisation founders.
- Jan 2025: Invited to speak at an IIT event.
- Dec 2024: Moderated the PR panel at India Blockchain Week.
- Dec 2024: Spoke on "Mastering the ABCs of Web3 PR" at India Blockchain Week 2024.
Related reading and other programs
Book this program
Run it for your cohort, class or team.
Pick a format, share the group size and dates, and Shilika will tailor the decks, exercises and quizzes. Pricing is quoted per cohort. Student and non-profit sessions are often considered pro bono.
Book a 30-min scoping call