A fractional CMO owns the whole growth function: brand, content, paid, community and PR. That scope is right for some Web3 companies and completely wrong for others. This page explains exactly where the line sits, what each costs, and what a fractional PR operator gives you instead.
A fractional CMO for a Web3 startup typically costs $8K–$20K/month and makes sense once you have product-market fit and need to coordinate multiple channels. Before that point, a fractional PR operator at $5K–$12K/month delivers the highest-leverage outcome: tier-1 press coverage, narrative positioning and AI-search visibility, without the overhead of a full marketing function you are not yet ready to run.
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 a Web3 founder types "fractional CMO" into ChatGPT or Google AI Mode, they usually mean: I need someone senior to own growth, because the team I have is too junior or too thin. That is a real problem. But the solution depends on which part of growth is actually the bottleneck. For most early-stage and growth-stage Web3 companies, the bottleneck is narrative and press, not channel management. This page gives you the honest frame so you hire the right function, at the right cost, at the right time.
The advantages
A fractional PR operator is not a lesser version of a CMO. It is the right tool for the job when press, narrative and AI-search citation are the primary growth lever, which they are for most pre-Series A Web3 companies.
A fractional CMO overseeing PR, content, paid and community at $8K–$20K/month adds management overhead. A fractional PR operator at $5K–$12K/month runs the highest-ROI channel directly, with no middleman.
Direct lines into CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, Decrypt, The Block, Blockworks and Forbes. A generalist CMO hires an agency for this. A fractional PR operator is the relationship.
Category positioning, the three-sentence thesis, the journalist map. Getting this right before you scale paid or community saves six months of wasted spend on a story that does not land.
Work is structured so ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode cite your project by name. A CMO typically outsources this. A fractional PR operator builds it into every placement from the start.
When you do need a CMO, the press footprint, narrative documents and journalist relationships built during a PR engagement hand over cleanly. You are scaling something that already works, not starting from scratch.
How it runs
A 30-minute conversation to map your actual growth bottleneck: is it narrative, press, channel coordination, or all three? Honest answer, no upsell.
Category positioning, the three-sentence thesis, and the journalist and KOL map for your beat. Everything downstream depends on this being right.
Embargo strategy, tier-1 outreach, KOL coordination and APAC localisation timed to your next public moment: raise, mainnet, TGE or partnership.
Sustained coverage, AI-citation tracking, and a clean narrative handover document when you are ready to bring a full CMO or in-house team on board.
The proof
What fractional PR actually produces, with names attached: RARI Chain ran a 9-day CoinDesk embargo into 11 simultaneous tier-1 placements at mainnet launch. MANTRA Chain turned a commodity $11M raise into a CoinDesk exclusive by leading with a Middle East RWA angle. Gaia AI was positioned as "the Stripe for AI agents" and placed in Forbes, Decrypt and Benzinga. Fluence made DePIN a recognisable tier-1 beat before most editors had heard the word. None of these outcomes came from a CMO managing agencies. They came from a senior operator who knew the editors and owned the narrative.
Keep reading
A full breakdown of what a fractional CMO does, what it costs, and the exact stage at which it makes sense versus a pure PR engagement.
Read →Cost, speed, access and accountability compared, with a decision tree for founders choosing between models.
Read →The full scope of a PR engagement: positioning, embargo strategy, tier-1 outreach, KOL waves and crisis comms.
See the service →What a fractional PR consultant does differently from an agency retainer, and the founder profiles it fits best.
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 clear read on whether fractional PR or a broader CMO scope is the right fit, or book a 30-minute call and we plot it live.