Token Relations, a new crypto communications firm, is the brainchild of crypto entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano and former TechCrunch reporter Jacquelyn Melinek. According to the two, Token Relations is not so much a PR company nor a media brand, but rather a direct route for customers to communicate with their “community” about KPIs, milestones, and product launches—the types of things that don’t necessarily fit neatly into a marketing plan.
With regard to almost every piece of material currently provided by cryptocurrency organizations, X, formerly known as Twitter, will be partially replaced by Token Relations. cryptocurrency According to Pompliano, businesses are unable to reach their target audiences using Twitter’s “one-to-many” distribution mechanism.
“We’re stepping in as a dedicated effort to communicate to your existing stakeholders,” the podcast host and investor said. He called Token Relations a “third bucket” separate from “marketing intended to get new users,” and “PR, intended to talk to the press.”
Token Relations steps into a field where the most vocal people are probably used to discussing media theory and the merits—or lack thereof—of speaking to the media. Balaji Srinivasan, a well-known entrepreneur, derided PR firms last week, calling them a “sleeper cell” for journalists he claimed were anti-tech, and instead urged creators to approach them “direct.”
Avalanche, Optimism, and Aptos are among the companies Pompliano and Melinek represent as clients; they aren’t exactly setting up a PR shop for them.The company is placing more of its bets on direct methods, such as newsletters sent to cryptocurrency enthusiasts who wish to be the most informed or video interviews. The company aims to resolve a problem that is distinctly crypto-related. The mix of stakeholders in this market is unmatched, with interests ranging from the financially motivated (token holders) to the career driven (developers) to the cultural. The founders of Token Relations say that people want to know what’s happening straight from the horse’s mouth, without any media filter.
The communications environment of cryptocurrency is also chaotic:Unlike publicly traded corporations and their investor relations websites, token-issuing startups are not being pressured by any authority to create simplified portals for the purpose of providing essential information to its stakeholders. Rather, Pompliano pointed out that social media algorithms are like a “black box,” suppressing and losing information.
On Token Relations “there’s no algorithm that will govern whether a communication is important,” he said.