Crypto's Press Release Puzzle: When Ads Pretend to Be News

In the world of crypto, information is everywhere, but sorting the real news from the fluff is getting tougher. A recent study of almost 3, 000 crypto press releases shows a big problem: many crypto news sites are just selling space instead of doing real journalism. Here’s the thing: in regular media, press releases are like tips for journalists. They help reporters decide if something is worth writing about. But in crypto, many press release services just sell guaranteed spots on news sites, skipping the whole journalism part. So, stuff that should be seen as ads ends up looking like real news. The study found that most crypto press releases aren’t about big, important news. Less than 2% were about things like funding or big discoveries. Most were just about product updates, new tokens, or other minor stuff. And get this—most of these releases are full of hype and exaggeration. They sound more like ads than news. Even crazier, a lot of these press releases come from shady projects. The more a project is flagged as risky, the more press releases they seem to send out. It’s like the louder they are, the less you should trust them.Here’s why this matters: when these press releases pop up on well-known sites, they look just like real news. Casual readers might not even notice the tiny “Press Release” label. For the companies sending them out, the goal isn’t just to get clicks—it’s to look legit. They reuse these placements to prove they’re trustworthy, even when they’re not. This mess isn’t just confusing for readers—it’s bad for the whole crypto world. When low-quality projects flood the news with press releases, serious companies get drowned out. Suddenly, credibility isn’t about what you build—it’s about how much you pay to shout about it. For media sites, this is a big problem. Selling press release spots might keep the lights on, but it also makes people trust them less. If readers can’t tell the difference between real news and paid ads, the whole site loses credibility. And in crypto, where trust is already shaky, that’s a huge deal. So, what’s the takeaway? Readers should treat press releases like claims, not facts. Look for real reporting and proof beyond the headline. For media sites, the challenge is figuring out where to draw the line between making money and staying trustworthy.