Written by: Paul Cafiero, Partner in Communications at a16z Marketing Team

Translated by: Saoirse, Foresight News

"Communications" (commonly abbreviated as "comms") is an overarching term that refers to the various strategic systems that companies develop to engage in effective communication with different groups, including employees, media, investors, and other stakeholders.

The core areas of communications include: creating original content on official websites and social media platforms (also known as "direct voice," which means reaching audiences directly without relying on third-party channels); writing thought leadership articles; coordinating internal communications to ensure information synchronization; collaborating with opinion leaders (KOLs) to leverage their influence to disseminate information; and seeking opportunities for organic reach (non-paid promotion) as well as paid participation in events and public speaking opportunities. Additionally, communications work must encompass media engagement (public relations, or PR), which is also an important way for companies to convey information externally.

No single communication strategy or execution method can be deemed absolutely superior to others. Therefore, how to determine which approach best fits one's needs becomes a key question.

In this article, I will systematically explain how to build a communication strategy, what core methods can be used to achieve goals, and clarify that despite the poor reputation of traditional media relations in some tech circles, it remains an important tool for startups to accurately convey brand information and expand influence.

How to Build a Scientific Communication Strategy

The core thinking model I use to construct communication strategies revolves around the answers to the following three key questions:

1. What are your core business objectives? (e.g., expanding user base, attracting investment, establishing industry reputation, etc.)
2. To achieve this goal, which core audience groups must be reached? (e.g., potential customers, industry investors, technology developers, etc.)
3. What are the optimal execution methods to reach these audience groups?

The essence of all considerations is the company's "information core and narrative logic" — that is, the core issues you and your team are working to solve, the industry or social value that will result from solving these issues (what new landscape the world will present), and which groups will directly benefit in this "new scenario."

Regardless of who the communication target is or what medium is used (such as text, video, offline events, etc.), the core narrative and information core of the company should remain consistent, as this is the foundation for building brand recognition. However, different content dimensions should be emphasized for different audiences: for example, investors are more concerned with business data, profit models, and future growth potential; while the media is more interested in the "highlights" of news events (headline appeal), key turning points in the company's development, and the readability of the story.

What Core Communication Methods Can Be Utilized?

Although the business objectives and target audiences of different projects vary, the reusable framework of communication methods remains consistent and mainly includes the following five categories:

• Owned Content: Refers to content carriers fully controlled by the company, such as building an official blog, producing brand videos, or publishing industry white papers or research reports on the official website. The advantage of this type of content is that it can deeply convey brand philosophy without relying on third-party approval.
• Social Platforms (Brand Accounts + Personal Accounts): Although companies do not own the "channel itself," social platforms are an efficient way to reach target audiences — because audiences are active on these platforms daily (such as X, Discord, etc.). For startups, it is recommended to adopt a "brand account + personal account" collaborative model: the brand account conveys official information (such as business progress, industry views), while the personal accounts of founders and core employees can share more relatable content (such as entrepreneurial insights, technical thoughts), and the combination of both can enhance audience trust.
• Community Building: Establishing dedicated online communities through tools like Discord, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc., to operate around brand or industry topics. This method can directly connect with core groups within the ecosystem, such as technology developers, partners, and loyal users, making it easier to collect feedback, build consensus, and form a "private domain" for information dissemination.
• Speaking Opportunities and Industry Conferences: Including serving as a speaker at important offline community events and industry summits, or appearing as a participant. These scenarios not only allow direct access to high-quality audiences (such as industry practitioners and investors) but also strengthen the brand's professional image through on-site interactions, while accumulating materials for subsequent communications (such as speech videos and media reports).
• Media Collaboration: Divided into two modes: "proactive outreach" and "passive response." The proactive mode includes recommending topics to the media (such as the company's innovative technology, industry insights), suggesting experts for interviews, and submitting original articles; the passive mode involves responding to media inquiries (such as interpreting industry hot topics, explaining company dynamics). The term "media" encompasses two categories: one is cryptocurrency vertical media (such as Coindesk, The Block, etc., with a more precise audience), and the other is traditional mainstream media (such as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, etc., which have a broader coverage and credibility).

The Core Value of Media Collaboration for Startup Teams

Among all the communication methods mentioned above, "media relations" (public relations, or PR) is the most controversial among founders in the tech field. This is not without reason: on one hand, some journalists and media organizations have become increasingly harsh in their attitudes toward the tech industry, even harboring negative preconceptions; on the other hand, in my consulting work with startups, "how to effectively collaborate with the media" remains one of the most frequently mentioned needs by founders.

Many founders express specific requests: how to get coverage of the company's funding rounds in TechCrunch (an important exposure channel in the tech industry)? How to publish a positive profile showcasing the company's value in Fortune magazine? Or how to receive an invitation to the TBPN program and collaborate with the Bankless team to record an hour-long industry podcast (reaching the core audience in the cryptocurrency field)?

Why do founders place such importance on media collaboration? The core reason is that regardless of their overall views on the media, "news coverage" possesses two irreplaceable values ——

First, the "third-party endorsement" effect: Compared to self-promotion by the company, objective media reporting is more likely to gain audience trust;

Second, the potential for "breaking through circles": Through the media, it is possible to reach groups that are otherwise difficult to cover, such as potential core employees (talented individuals who follow industry trends), potential customers (who learn about brand value through the media), and industry opinion leaders (who may develop collaboration intentions as a result). Additionally, reaching new audiences can also feed back into the company's own channels (such as guiding them to follow official accounts), and for resource-limited startups, the opportunity to "expand exposure and enhance influence" is crucial and should not be missed.

Take the cryptocurrency company Kalshi as an example: its founding team recently participated in the recording of CBS's "Sunday Morning" program — this traditional mainstream media platform reaches an audience that is completely different from the "always online" core users on the tech platform X (formerly Twitter) (the former covers a broader public audience, while the latter mainly consists of industry practitioners). Kalshi's CEO Tarek Mansour shared a detail: a member of the team’s mother truly understood Kalshi's business value through this program. This story precisely illustrates the unique value of "reaching diverse audiences through traditional media" — it allows companies to break through existing circles and reach previously uncovered groups.

Clip from the interview segment where the Kalshi team participated in CBS's "Sunday Morning" program, discussing Kalshi's prediction market business.

Note: The male on the left is Kalshi's CEO Tarek Mansour, and the female on the right is Kalshi's co-founder Luana Lopes Lara (who is also one of the youngest self-made female billionaires in the world).

This is precisely why "media relations" consistently holds a core position in the communication toolkit: media can not only drive traffic to the company's own channels (such as inserting website links and account guidance in reports) but also help founders and companies establish a professional image (such as showcasing technical strength through in-depth reporting), and even accelerate business advancement — for example, during recruitment, companies with media coverage endorsements are more likely to attract talent; during sales, customers who learn about the brand through the media will significantly lower their trust costs. In the long run, media collaboration can also enhance the effectiveness of the company's "direct voice" — when owned content resonates with media reports, the penetration of information transmission will be stronger.

Therefore, founders should not fear establishing connections with the media but should actively learn how to leverage this tool to highlight their value amidst the vast amount of information and achieve "effective breakthroughs."

Key to Establishing Connections with Media: How to Make Yourself Stand Out

We are now in an "information overload" era, which is particularly evident in the media industry — especially for the group of journalists you are trying to connect with, who are inundated with massive amounts of information daily.

Just open the inbox of a technology or cryptocurrency journalist, podcast host, or content creator, and you will be shocked: it may contain hundreds or even thousands of emails from PR personnel, all promoting their respective clients or projects. In fact, data shows that the ratio of media relations practitioners to journalists is as high as 6:1 — meaning that an average journalist faces an "information bombardment" from six PR personnel. In this situation, journalists have little energy to sift through information one by one, making it difficult to discern which are valuable in-depth contents and which are perfunctory "promotional pitches."

Why does this chaos occur? The core reasons are twofold: first, many PR personnel have not received professional training and do not understand the real needs of the media (such as journalists needing newsworthy stories rather than mere corporate advertisements); second, some PR personnel lack professional judgment and do not dare to refute unreasonable demands from clients (such as forcibly requesting media coverage of trivial "matters" with no substantive value), and can only send promotional content through a "broad net" approach, ultimately leading to "poor information flooding," further exacerbating journalists', producers', and podcast hosts' dissatisfaction — creating a vicious cycle.

Worse still, some cryptocurrency projects overpromise in their promotions, claiming to "solve major industry problems," but in reality, their business progress is slow, or they are merely "castles in the air" (referring to projects that remain at the conceptual stage with no actual product). This "false advertising" further undermines the media's trust in the industry, making it significantly more difficult for "quality projects to gain more attention."

However, from another perspective, the contrast between "scarcity of quality news resources" and "flooding of poor information" precisely provides opportunities for truly valuable companies: those that can clearly tell their own stories (conveying core values) and establish deep trust relationships with mainstream media practitioners will gain a significant advantage in competition — because they can make the media believe that "reporting on this company is valuable," thus obtaining more exposure opportunities.

Practical Guide from 0 to 1

If founders want to achieve efficient interaction with the media, they must keep in mind the following four core principles:

1. Founders are the "Best Spokespersons" for Their Companies

The core narrative and brand story of a company are essentially an "extension of the founder's vision," so never expect an outsourced team to handle everything for you. While hiring professional PR personnel, PR firms, or freelancers can provide support (such as organizing content frameworks and connecting with media resources), they can at most help you "knock on the door of the media." What truly resonates with the media and evokes audience empathy is the story told personally by the founder — because the founder understands the company's original intentions, the challenges faced during development, and the value it brings, allowing them to convey the most authentic emotions and professionalism. Therefore, founders must personally engage in the story's conception and communicate it in an impactful manner (such as through interviews or writing op-eds).

2. "Trust" is the Core of Media Collaboration

When considering media relations, it can be likened to "business development" (BD) — the core is not "one-time sales," but rather "the establishment of long-term trust." Whether proactively recommending speaking opportunities to the media or interacting with journalists on industry topics on X platform, the key is to build personal trust through continuous, valuable communication. Many times, journalists decide to report on a company, invite founders to participate in podcasts, or offer speaking opportunities not solely because "the company has news," but because "trust has been established with the founder/PR team" — journalists know they can obtain genuine, valuable information (such as exclusive industry insights and timely interview feedback) rather than perfunctory "official rhetoric." The foundation of this trust is the PR team's long-standing "reliable performance": for example, delivering promised materials on time, being honest and transparent when answering questions, and not forcing the media to publish worthless content.

How to Establish Trust with Core Media?

Specific methods vary from person to person, but the core logic is "provide value first, then discuss collaboration."

• Step One: Proactively become a "resource repository" for the media. For instance, when a hot topic arises in a certain industry, actively share professional insights with familiar journalists (without promoting the company itself) to help them interpret the event more comprehensively; or when journalists need data or case support for their reports, provide feasible assistance (such as excerpts from industry reports or compliant case studies).
• Step Two: Avoid "utilitarian communication." In initial interactions, do not rush to promote the company's products or updates; instead, focus on "what the media needs" — for example, understand the journalist's reporting field and strengths, and provide valuable content based on their needs, allowing journalists to feel that "you care about the value of their work, rather than simply using them."
• Step Three: Deepen relationships through offline scenarios. Industry conferences, forums, and other offline events are great opportunities for face-to-face communication with the media. At this time, you can step outside of "work topics" and engage in moderate casual conversations (such as discussing industry trends or sharing personal insights), allowing the relationship to evolve from "business interactions" to "professional partnerships," which is crucial for long-term collaboration.

3. The Media is Neither a "Friend" nor an "Enemy," but a "Professional Partner"

It is important to recognize that some media indeed have their own reporting stances or topic preferences (such as focusing on industry regulation, corporate social responsibility, etc.), but for the vast majority of journalists, the core demand remains "to discover and report valuable stories" — this is their professional goal. Therefore, there is no need to view the media as "friends to be appeased" (trying to gain positive coverage through personal connections) or as "enemies that might tarnish the company" (avoiding interaction out of fear of negative coverage). The correct attitude is "professional to professional": honestly share the company's strengths and achievements while not shying away from challenges in development (for example, when asked sensitive questions, respond objectively within compliance rather than giving evasive answers). At the same time, learn to "judge the boundaries of interaction": some topics (such as undisclosed funding details or core technology secrets) can be clearly stated as "not convenient to disclose," and there is no need to overly compromise to "please the media"; conversely, when the media makes unreasonable requests (such as asking to exaggerate performance), be bold enough to refuse — in the long run, a "candid and principled" image will earn more respect from the media than "blindly catering."

4. Company Stories Must be "Embedded in the Context of the Times" to Resonate

The founders who excel at conveying value through the media possess a unique ability: they can connect the company's business, products, or ideas with broader industry trends and social needs — making the media and audience understand that "the existence of this company is not just for profit, but also to promote industry progress or solve a social problem." Such stories that are "embedded in the context of the times" have far more news value than simple "company introductions" and are more likely to resonate.

For example, the "year-end summary" type of content (such as Spotify's annual listening report, Google's annual search trend analysis, or the cryptocurrency industry status report released by a16z and Coinbase) can spread widely because they "step outside their own business," combining data with "changes in user behavior" and "industry trends," providing a unique perspective and value — while also using charts and visual designs to make the content easier to understand, further expanding its reach.

For founders in the cryptocurrency field, this logic can be emulated: combine the company story with industry hot topics, such as "how stablecoins enhance cross-border payment efficiency," "what industry pain points can be solved by the combination of artificial intelligence and blockchain," or "how decentralized finance (DeFi) promotes financial inclusion." When the company story is tied to these "timely topics," the media will be more willing to report — because this is not just "company news," but also "a microcosm of industry trends," providing greater value to readers.

The core principle is: do not just say "what we have done," but also explain "what we do means in the industry and society" — this is the key to breaking through the noise of information.

Proactive Defense Strategy for Media Relations: Prepare in Advance, Not Reactively

Some founders may ask, "Is it possible for me to completely avoid dealing with the media?"

This thought is understandable, but the reality is: as startups grow, especially when their business scale expands and influence increases, completely avoiding public attention is nearly impossible — whether through proactive business exposure or passive industry attention, the media may come knocking.

Therefore, a wiser approach is to "actively build media relationships" rather than "react passively." Especially when facing negative reports or crisis events (regardless of whether the event itself is fair), "the media trust established in advance" will become an important safeguard: if the company has maintained good interactions with core media previously, journalists are more likely to listen to the company's voice when reporting, objectively presenting the full picture of the event rather than relying solely on one-sided information; conversely, if the company has never interacted with the media, once negative news arises, it may fall into a passive position due to "lack of voice."

"Crisis PR" itself is a professional skill, and specific methods will be discussed in detail in another article. But the core logic can be summarized as "the best defense is a proactive offense": before a crisis occurs, do three things well — build a comprehensive communication channel (such as official accounts and owned communities) to ensure the company's voice can be quickly conveyed; establish trust relationships with core journalists and industry opinion leaders to ensure there are "communicable contacts"; deeply understand the needs and concerns of core audiences to ensure that the information conveyed can accurately reach them. By doing these three things well, even in the face of a crisis, you can respond more calmly.

Conclusion

Today, some founders view the media as "a daunting presence," while others see it as "a scapegoat during business downturns" (blaming insufficient exposure on the media's lack of attention). But in fact, the media is essentially "a bridge for information transmission" — as long as you are well-prepared (clarifying your story and building a professional team) and maintain the right mindset (professional to professional, focusing on long-term trust), it can become a powerful ally for founders in driving business development: helping companies break through to reach audiences, establish a professional image, and accelerate business growth.

May all founders steadily advance on the path of "building a brand transparently," while skillfully mastering media collaboration as a core tool, allowing the value of their companies to be seen by more people.

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