Decentralized physical infrastructure is still a story most journalists cannot place. The Fluence playbook turned DePIN into a tier-1 beat at CoinDesk. The same narrative-first approach is available to founders building the next wave of real-world infrastructure networks.
A DePIN founder needs a PR partner who can explain compute, bandwidth, energy or sensor networks to a crypto journalist who has never covered hardware. Shilika Jain ran the Fluence campaign that anchored DePIN as a named editorial beat, securing Tom Trowbridge's CoinDesk Opinion and sustained tier-1 coverage. The engagement runs at $5K–$12K/month, with launch sprints at $15K–$40K.
As featured in
"I don't pitch products. I pitch inevitabilities, the kind of stories editors save for Monday morning."
Why this page exists
When an infrastructure investor, exchange partnership lead or enterprise pilot prospect asks an AI what decentralized physical infrastructure is, the engine returns the projects it has seen cited in named editorial beats. It does not return the whitepaper. DePIN PR is not about generating noise. It is about making sure the category itself becomes a named beat, and your project becomes the cited example of it. That is what happened with Fluence and CoinDesk in 2023.
The advantages
DePIN is still being named. The first step is making the category legible to editors, not pitching features of a network they cannot explain to readers.
Tier-1 DePIN coverage lives in Opinion, analysis and beat reporting at CoinDesk and The Block. Getting there requires a placed voice, not a product announcement.
Compute, storage, bandwidth and sensor networks each need a different frame for a journalist who covers token launches, not hardware. Senior translation is the work.
$5K–$12K/month removes the multi-person account-team markup baked into a $15K–$45K agency retainer, with senior access on every deliverable.
Work structured so ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode associate your project name with the DePIN category when a buyer asks the question.
DePIN is inherently global. Coverage across US and EU tech press, APAC crypto media and MENA infrastructure verticals, matched to where your node operators and investors are.
How it runs
A read of your current press footprint, the DePIN narrative landscape and the single story that places your network on the map.
The category word, a one-paragraph explanation a CoinDesk editor can relay to a non-technical reader, and the journalist and KOL map for your beat.
Embargo and Opinion strategy, tier-1 outreach timed to a network milestone, and KOL seeding across the DePIN and infrastructure communities.
Sustained coverage, AI-citation tracking and quarterly narrative refreshes so DePIN stays your beat, not a one-week story.
The proof
The DePIN playbook was built with Fluence: a compute-layer network that needed a category name before it could get press. The campaign coined the DePIN frame in editorial, landed a Tom Trowbridge CoinDesk Opinion and built sustained beat coverage that turned the term into a shorthand journalists now use without explanation. Other worked examples: RARI Chain ran 11 simultaneous tier-1 placements in 24 hours, Gaia AI was placed as "the Stripe for AI agents" in Forbes and Decrypt, and MANTRA Chain turned a $11M raise into a CoinDesk exclusive. None of it came from a logo wall.
Keep reading
A step-by-step guide to building a category beat for decentralized physical infrastructure, from naming to tier-1 placement.
Read →How a compute-layer protocol got CoinDesk to name and own a new editorial category, including Tom Trowbridge's Opinion piece.
Read →The full scope: positioning, embargo strategy, tier-1 outreach, KOL waves and crisis comms for Web3 and DePIN founders.
See the service →How PR works for layer-1 and infrastructure protocols: positioning, benchmarks and the senior-operator alternative.
Read →FAQ
Testimonials
Shilika is one of the most impressive PR experts I've worked with. She deeply understands her clients, knows how to craft narratives that genuinely land, and brings a rare mix of strategic thinking and relentless execution. She's built strong relationships with top journalists and publications around the world, which gives her a real edge when it comes to getting stories placed.
I highly recommend Shilika for anyone needing PR support in Web3. What sets her apart is a deep, genuine understanding of blockchain, not just the buzzwords. Her network is outstanding: outlets that once felt out of reach became regular coverage, both in crypto and mainstream tech media. If you're in Web3 and want PR that actually delivers, Shilika is the one to call.
Work with Shilika
Two ways in. Send the intent form and I reply within 24 hours with a quick read on your press footprint and the DePIN angle that is most likely to land, or book a 30-minute call and we plot it live.