Top 3 PR tips for NFT startups

At this point, you're probably familiar with mainstream and technology media's latest obsession – non-fungible tokens (aka, NFTs). They come in various iterations, including real estate deeds, event tickets, and web domains. However, there’s a special group of NFTs that are getting most of the attention and publicity. Fine art, music, and gaming NFTs are the leading non-fungible tokens that are being developed and talked about in mainstream media, likely owing to their mass appeal.  

While many NFT startups might assume that they are a shoo-in when it comes to getting press coverage for their digital assets, unfortunately, receiving a placement in top-tier publications is easier said than done. The harsh reality is that, while NFTs are a hot topic in the media right now, reporters have become somewhat fatigued by the streams of NFT-related pitches they receive on a daily basis. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance for NFT startups to adhere to specific PR tips and tactics that will help them to catch the attention of reporters and stand out in the crowd, in order to secure coverage. In addition to securing coverage, executing effective PR will drive popularity, increase public interest, and even drive sales. 

Here are the top three effective PR Tips for NFT startups. 

Tip 1: Build relationships with reporters within your NFTs niche (outside of crypto and tech outlets)

It’s easy for NFT startups that are looking for publicity to assume they need to build relationships with reporters at technology and crypto-focused publications, but that could do more harm than good. Just because you’re trying to promote a digital asset does not mean it needs to be pitched only to crypto and technology outlets. Tech and crypto-focused journalists are inundated with NFT announcements, so many won’t even consider covering yet another NFT startup story. However, if your offering is relevant to reporters within lifestyle, fashion, art, music, design, and other niches, they may pay attention to a relevant NFT pitch, as they are used to receiving pitches on industry-related topics. Seeing a catchy subject line that shares news about an NFT that appeals to their respective audiences will stand out in their inbox. 

A prime example of an NFT startup leveraging media outside of technology and crypto is MetaBirkins, an extremely popular series of NFTs that were designed by digital artist Mason Rothschild. This NFT received most of its publicity from fashion media, as its messaging and positioning was in line with what would appeal to reporters at outlets like L’Officiel, Vogue Business, and Elle. At the time of its release, the news of MetaBirkins’ launch was covered by dozens of top-tier fashion outlets, leading to business and technology outlets seeing the publicity frenzy and publishing the news on their sites. Had MetaBirkins not positioned itself as a fashion NFT and instead focused on the tech industry, it likely would not have received the same amount of earned media coverage. 

In order to capture the attention of a reporter, in any niche, NFT startups should pay close attention to Twitter, using the social media platform to find journalists who are open to covering NFT news. Following editors, contributors, and features writers on Twitter will ensure that NFT startups are aware of what angles and topics appeal to which reporters. Once it’s clear which areas of news a certain reporter covers, the startup should engage with the journalists on a regular basis. 

Tip 2: Piggyback on the publicity potential of your team members

The celebrity West Coast rapper and music executive Snoop Dogg recently announced his plans to turn iconic hip-hop record company, Death Row Records, into an NFT music label. The news of the hip-hop legend’s idea to bring the first major record company into the metaverse was picked up by major music, mainstream, and crypto media outlets such as Billboard, Fortune, and CoinDesk. For the average NFT startup, announcing an intangible business plan would not get any traction. In this case, however, one of the major factors contributing to the coverage of Snoop Dogg’s proposal is his celebrity status. 

Similarly, other celebrity-fronted NFT projects from Paris Hilton and Tom Brady have also been making the news. However, influential figures outside of an NFT startup’s team can also assist in drawing greater attention to a product. An example of this is how we at SlicedBrand obtained $4.3 million in coverage for our client Exclusible, the fast-growing platform for luxury NFTs and metaverse real estate. While the Exclusible team is made up of a stellar cadre of executives, when it came to announcing that the company had sold out all 25 of its Private Islands on The Sandbox, we knew the best strategy would be to leverage the celebrities that purchased the virtual real estate. We highlighted the most newsworthy names in our press release, even including quotes from buyers like former Victoria’s Secret model, Sara Sampaio. Our strategy nabbed 200 mentions for our client in top tier outlets including the New York Post, Sky Sport, Stuff, and many more.

A key tip for NFT startups, as it relates to leveraging team members, is to pinpoint the most credible C-suite team members and build PR activities around them. As is evident with the aforementioned examples, leveraging a “newsworthy” or relevant founding member or ambassador has the ability to catapult an obscure NFT startup into the spotlight. If the team member is internationally renowned, their name should be mentioned in all press materials, especially press releases. Another tactic would be to pitch that team member for thought leadership pieces, opinion pieces, and interviews. This will build credibility and influence over time to help position the team as experts and leaders in the space. So NFT startups who don’t have well-known individuals on their team can leverage these types of efforts to boost the personal profiles of its executive team and to ultimately bring attention to the NFT project. 

Tip 3: Make press materials educational and entertaining 

While there’s no denying that the world of NFTs is highly publicized, it is a very new concept. As a result, most reporters outside of crypto haven’t grasped the concept completely. 

When pitching to publications outside of tech and crypto, NFT startups must make sure that all press materials are easy to understand and possess an element of education, to inform the reporter, and entertainment, to catch and maintain the reporter’s attention. 

As with any other startup’s press materials – but more so for high-quality NFTs as so much of the storytelling is visual – when preparing for an announcement, it will be important to have high-resolution images that reporters can use. Fine art and collectible NFTs, in particular, must make every effort to share high resolution and visually-arresting imagery (in the form of stills and videos) with reporters. A promo video that touches on what NFTs are, what your NFT startup’s mission is, and manages to deliver all necessary and relevant information in an entertaining or engaging way is guaranteed to stand out to the press. No reporter wants to write about or share the news of a business that they think is boring. They’re aware that if they aren’t immediately captivated by the business’s proposition, then their audience won’t be interested either. An example of a lesser-known NFT startup that’s managed to produce an informative and engaging teaser for its project is VisitLEX ‘Thoroughbreds’ NFT. VisitLex’s promo video uses comedy and education to tell its project’s story, consequently landing the NFT startup coverage in Adweek and Ad Age. 

NFT startups should leverage relevant PR tactics to ensure publicity

NFT startups are arguably a highly buzzworthy topic right now, but with tech and crypto media becoming more reluctant to publish NFT-related content, it’s important to find innovative ways to bring attention to NFT businesses. NFT startups must leverage PR tactics in order to ensure that they receive publicity in a competitive market. Partnering with a tech PR agency that has a track record of publicizing digital assets is the best way to ensure that all press materials pique niche top-tier reporters’ interest and capitalizes on the newsworthiness of the team.