PR as an investment tool: honest opinion of PR Lead

How PR Becomes an Investment Tool — Not Just a Visibility Booster

PR is a broad discipline, and many founders still struggle to distinguish it from other marketing activities or clearly understand its value. Expectations around PR are often high, and so are the disappointments.

Does proper PR guarantee a successful TGE? Can it directly bring users or investment? These questions are usually answered with the same response: “Yes, but…”.

What most founders tend to agree on is that PR is an inevitable part of building a successful business. The real question isn’t whether you need PR, but how to make it work for your business goals instead of treating it as a “nice-to-have” activity.

We spoke with Lisa Filardi, PR Lead at Formula agency by Cointelegraph, about how PR can be approached as a strategic instrument — one that supports growth, credibility, and long-term value creation. In this interview, Lisa also shares how to design PR campaigns that contribute to attracting investment, not just visibility.

Q1. Let’s start with the basics. How would you broadly define PR, and at what stage does it begin delivering real business value, beyond media mentions?

A1. First of all, when we talk about PR, we’re not talking about media placements alone. PR is about building and maintaining relationships with media channels and, more importantly, with their audiences. 

Appearing on a podcast, speaking at an event, joining a TV segment, or contributing expert commentary is just as much PR as announcing a major milestone. At the same time, PR is not simply the distribution of marketing announcements. Even when it comes to journalist relations, it’s a two-way process: listening, understanding context, and sharing something that genuinely matters to the industry.

For me, public relations is the sum of actions aimed at building a strong, positive perception of a brand, supported by trusted relationships with people who influence the audience — journalists, editors, hosts, or event organizers.

As for business value, it looks different at every stage. PR matters from early on, but the focus and success metrics evolve as the company grows.

Q2. ROI in PR is often seen as hard to measure. How do you explain PR ROI to founders or CFOs who expect direct, short-term revenue attribution?

A2. PR ROI isn’t hard to measure; it’s just different from marketing ROI. Direct revenue attribution works well for performance channels, but PR operates in the realm of trust, credibility, and perception. 

To evaluate PR, we look at where a brand started and how its position evolved over time. That includes retrospective analysis and metrics such as reach (UVM), sentiment, and share of voice, while testing which narratives actually resonate.

PR shouldn’t be expected to immediately drive users or investment on its own. Its role is to support demand and significantly improve conversion once trust is in place. The real power of PR lies in third-party validation.  When credible media cover your project, they effectively transfer part of their trust to you.In terms of timing, early signals usually appear after about three months, but meaningful PR impact typically takes at least a year.

Q3. What about investment specifically? Can PR actually help attract it?

A3. Investment readiness depends heavily on the stage of the project. An early-stage company raising from venture funds, crypto-native institutions, or professional investors requires very different narratives and tools than a project preparing for a TGE. 

In both cases, PR only works if it starts well before capital becomes urgently needed.

PR helps by building trust and visibility over time. That means combining earned and owned media, developing thought leadership that puts real people behind the brand, and earning third-party validation ahead of key milestones. When fundraising begins, PR should shift into focused, well-planned campaigns around moments that matter — even if they aren’t headline-grabbing industry events yet.

For institutional investors, media presence matters. Being visible, credible, and easily discoverable on Google and AI tools is part of modern due diligence, for both the brand and its representatives.

Q4. Is there a “perfect” PR plan for investment acquisition?

A4. There’s no universal PR strategy for investment acquisition, but there is a clear framework that works. 

First, you don’t need a fully finished product to start communicating. PR should begin once you clearly understand the value your project brings. Early on, this doesn’t have to focus on product features — it can start with sharing expertise, the story behind the idea, and becoming visible within the market. This makes future marketing and fundraising conversations much warmer.

Second, research is not a one-off exercise. Markets evolve, and strong PR stays contextual. Not every message should be about your product; it should place the project within broader market dynamics and real industry problems.

Third, balance long-term and short-term goals. Thought leadership and brand credibility are long-term assets that require consistency, while short-term PR campaigns should be tied to specific narratives you can test and refine over time.

Finally, PR is also a listening tool. Feedback from audiences and media signals whether your message resonates, and investment interest often follows that signal.

I also recommend using a wide range of media integrations, not just earned media. PR should extend to events where you can meet investors and VCs directly, as well as formats you control — from hosting your own events to stage announcements, banner campaigns, video content, and newsletter placements. This is where PR and marketing should work together, especially around key milestones.

Consistency and volume matter, too. A single Tier-1 article or interview isn’t enough. You need sustained visibility across channels so people repeatedly encounter your brand, understand what you stand for, and recognize your relevance.

This visibility must be supported by substance: clear spokespersons, a visible leadership team, a solid website, and real partnerships that point to future growth. When all of this comes together, you create credibility — not short-term hype — and that makes due diligence easier and investment decisions more confident.

Q5 Final question: if a company could change just one thing about how it approaches PR, what would you recommend? And what does “successful PR” look like after one year?

A5. If I could change one thing, it would be this: stop treating PR as a one-off instrument. Especially in Web3, PR is often expected to work instantly and in isolation, when in reality it’s only effective as part of a broader business and communications strategy.

Another important shift is understanding that both owned and earned content should focus on the market first, not the project. Journalists, users, and investors don’t care about products. They care about problems being solved, trends unfolding, and developments that affect them. When PR is framed this way, conversations become far more relevant.

A year after a well-executed PR strategy, success is very tangible. The brand is consistently present in industry-relevant media, including top-tier outlets. It’s discoverable on Google and AI tools, and clearly associated with a specific area of expertise. Hype language fades, but real progress remains visible and understood. 

Most importantly, inbound requests start coming in. When journalists reach out for comments, that’s a clear signal of trust — and ultimately, that’s what successful PR looks like.