Of course, those above would be futile if ETH Belgrade didn’t offer a hard-to-find-elsewhere value. We have just leveraged what we had to play with. But, hey, we obviously take pride in our work. See you next year.

People don’t hate marketing. They hate marketing that is obviously marketing. In web3, making your content sound like a pamphlet is an even bigger sin. The reason lies in the picture below.”

First, you have innovators or enthusiasts. They love the tech language. They want the truth without any tricks, and when they have a problem, they want access to the most technically knowledgeable person to answer it.

Secondly, you’ll write for early adopters or visionaries. This group might not love tech language like the first, but they know they need it. For them, technology is vital as it promises to deliver their dream.

The third group is the least tech-demanding. The early majority consists of pragmatists. They need tech explanations, but only as reliability proofs and risk removers.

“It works like this.”
“Ok, great, now show me how the product will improve my life. Let’s talk about the benefits.”

The fact that this group is twice as big as the first two combined may trick you — they will not be your primary target in most cases.

Regarding that Web3 has not crossed the chasm yet, the penetration into this group is shallow.

 

The Web3 crowd doesn’t have patience for any kind of beating around the bush. If we’re talking about product releases, for this audience, it’s always straight facts and clear benefits that win over pompous claims and grandiose promises. And for any other kind of content, text or visual, it just has to be genuine. These people can stiff out fake any day of the week and they _will_ dismiss it – imho very rightfully so. In terms of text, you really want to keep it simple, informative and educative, if not stupidly silly when shitposting, while for visuals lo-fi memes and retro-synth animations rule, while highbrow productions just miss the target.

Nikola Janković, Content and Community @Decenter.

To conclude, you’ll write mostly for geeks and exaggeratedly motivated business people. And after having these two settled, you’ll need to touch the nerves of the pragmatists. Tricky? You bet it is.

A panacea for this problem doesn’t exist, but transparency in writing might be of colossal help. Instead of a magical wand, try chalk and board. Instead of being a marketer, try to be a communicator.

In this role, you serve as a bridge between product and consumer, and your task is to transfer the knowledge undamaged. No hidden catches, no beautifying things, no shilling projects, just pure truth. All benefits and all flaws must be served on one plate.

But that does not mean you should turn off your inner marketer.
You are not a messenger only.
You still patch communication gaps.
You still play a massive role in embodiment messages.
You still refine engineers’ knowledge and make it chewable.

Reading one manual is easy, but reading a dozen would drive everyone crazy. So that’s why marketers are indispensable — we arrange and present truths in the most digestible way possible.

That said, storytelling is not forbidden in Web3. Neither is PAS. Nor any other technique that makes complex ideas less cumbersome.

For truth’s sake, the new technology is unlikely to penetrate deeply into the early majority without a compelling story. Blockchain is no exception. Actually, that’s where you can truly shine.

While this isn’t entirely precise, let’s say that there are four pillars on top of which Web3 philosophy stands.

Imagine it’s 1610. and you’re witnessing one of the most pivotal moments in the history of humankind. The Earth – the center of the known universe – isn’t the center anymore. Now it’s the Sun. Jaw drop. An almost ungraspable change.

One of the “marketing laws” says that a user is a gravitational point of any market, brand, product, or service. Every action you consider takes a user as a crucial element of your equation.

Web3 comes with the Copernican-like Revolution. Users still play significant roles but only as smaller pieces of what is paramount. And that’s community.

Here’s how Rachel Lee, CMO of Standout Authority, defines a web3 community.

“When it comes to Web3, the community is really at the heart of the movement. With Web3, it’s less about monopolies and users, and more about people coming together as a community to make decisions shift instead of a few people making decisions for the masses.”

So, dear writer, before your fingers start dancing over the keyboard, imagine a lively village where locals work together to obtain benefits for all. Yes, something like The Smurfs.

If a community is a point around which everything revolves in Web3, then decentralization is the backbone of that system.

As known, Web2 platforms rely on centralization. At early stages, such systems allow faster user aggregation and lower or no costs for participants.

On the other hand, Web3 platforms have the diametrically opposite approach. They use consensus mechanisms such as blockchains to keep the system functioning, plus they leverage cryptocurrencies and tokens to incentivize their participants.

The proper function of decentralization is to allow community participants to work together toward common goals.

I know it sounds too abstract, but stick to that idea until you have that Eureka moment. Then you’ll realize why decentralization truly matters .

Harvesting users’ data fuels web2 platforms. The flip side of being “user-centric” is nudging and incentivizing users to provide as much private data as possible for a “better-targeted ad experience.”

Web3, a.k.a. “read-write-OWN” internet incarnation, brings privacy data back to its users. But there’s a downside. Instead of dealing with users you know absolutely everything about, in Web3, you encounter mostly pixelated avatars and bizarre pseudonyms talking gibberish-lookalike language.

Data privacy is no joke. It creates a safer internet experience but makes your work harder as well. It requires adaptations both strategically and tactically. That means your writing will be affected too.

In Web2, a product is, by definition, an enemy of similar products. The word “enemy” might seem over the top, but at the end of the day, all those products compete for the same customers’ money. If one wins, the others lose. And if your losing steak takes longer, you die.

Web3 operates differently. It would be wrong to say that competition doesn’t exist, but quick wins and losses are less significant than the big picture. The big picture – the community itself.

So to say, collaboration is the mechanism of Web3 growth. For that reason, products, instead of being “unique” and siloed, are designed more like complements of other products. Like Lego pieces which are supposed to create synergy.

Such a mindset directly affects the way you write in Web3. Whether it’s meticulously written brand positioning content or social media brain dump, it all comes down to one simple rule — you’ll hardly succeed alone. Always write with that in mind.

After absorbing these high-level principles, it’s time to move on to the next step. The hardest one, actually.

In Web2, engineers build products, and marketers humanize them. The overlap of the two on Venn’s diagram is minimal, yet the process seems frictionless. As a Web2 writer, you can talk or write for hours about your product without needing to go knee-deep into tech details.

Moreover, the more you talk about benefits (or even better, about emotions as the consequences of those benefits) and less about the product, the better.

In Web3, it’s different. Blockchain is still a novel and immature technology, and people crave to know what’s under the hood.

Of course, you don’t need to learn to code a smart contract in Solidity or to build a dApp, but you’ll have to fiercely get to grips with tech. That requires reading, watching, and understanding a lot of tech-packed materials.

It’s obligatory because if you write superficially about blockchain and similar topics, you will either be wrong and miss the point or be banal and lose the readers. Or, most probable, you’ll be both.

One hack to accelerate your learning curve is to stick to Web3 engineers. Be inquisitive. Ask them everything. Let them back your content with ideas, facts, and insights. Then, even when you mature as a writer, don’t lose them from sight.

 

A wise king knows what he knows and what he doesn’t. You’re young. A wise young king listens to his counselors and heeds their advice until he comes of age. And the wisest kings continue to listen to them long afterward.

Tywin Lannister

Everything seems less scary when you imagine yourself as king for a second. Let’s move on.

Yes, reading is worthwhile, and asking for help is even more. But there is one thing that can help you make the quantum leap.

Start using protocols and dApps. Get into the crypto game and start learning from the inside. Given that Web3 velocity is supersonic, catching up with news and trends will be even more challenging if you don’t include an emotional component. Invest your time, and it will pay off.

The typical writing process includes research, text outline, first draft, text editing, SEO, and final polishing. Of course, it is a sequence of events that remains intact in Web3. What is different is that some segments in this process will be more time-consuming than their Web2 counterparts.

I can’t emphasize this enough: However much time you spend on research, double it when it comes to Web3 writing. Or even better, triple it. Research is the most critical and demanding part of writing high-quality Web content.

Starting from the assumption that you suck at Web3, you’ll need to invest a lot more time in finding valuable materials, understanding them and verifying them. The fact that a lot of Web3 content is poorly written produces additional friction.

On top of that, much precious information is hidden in the depths of the internet (discord servers, subreddits, substack newsletters, telegram channels, premium medium articles, and last-year Twitter threads). So brace yourself. It will take time and effort to become nimble in research.

Critical thinking will be your best friend along this journey. Your analysis should be unbiased and based on evidence. Every external info needs to be double-checked. Like you’re an investigative journalist.

But it takes a long time? Yes, but it is more acceptable pain than being black-labeled in case of promoting misleading facts. This is an additional reason why you need engineers by your side. They provide social proof.

If you have done research correctly, outlining and writing can make you feel like going down the slide. Web3 content isn’t that saturated, so even a modest creative person will have plenty of options to find a new angle.

Have fun while writing, and entertain the reader. Even the most rigid and fact-centric engineers sometimes need to relax. But, once again, do not forget the most important rule — avoid sounding like you are selling something. It’ll backfire.

Editing is a slippery ground too. First, it’s a part where you make it or break it. Suppose you succeed in conveying substance while making it memorable. Congratulations. In that case, your content becomes a strong candidate for a viral blueprint of taming the blockchain complexity and making it human.

But, there is one more BUT.

Remember that what you’re writing for enthusiasts and visionaries will sound incomprehensible to pragmatists. And what’s entertaining for the early majority is banal or “already seen” for innovators and early adopters. It’s a rare event to please them all, and every cautious writer should avoid that challenge.

Therefore, every piece of content must have a predefined reader persona. Binance Academy blog is a solid example of classifying articles into three categories (beginners, intermediate and advanced) following the target groups they address.

One is for sure, you won’t win the Pulitzer prize with your first Web3 article. Quite possibly, it will be mediocre content. But mediocre content is better than no content, right?

Furthermore, no one says that ice-breaking must be spectacular. You can start with a barely noticeable crack and then patiently deepen it with every new piece. Along the way, don’t be shy to experimentand try different approaches, styles, and writing methods. No one knows the silver bullet for writing Web3 content, so feel free to explore the unknown.

And then, one day, the ice will crush loudly. Your content is not mediocre anymore. You still suck at Web3, but you know areas where you feel confident and where you don’t. And you are massively exploiting that fact while gradually expanding the radius of expertise.

Just one more thing before the new beginning. When you are deep in the woods, it’s easier to start moving if you know where the North is.

The following is an ever-expanding list of OK-ish, solid, and excellent content (in no particular order) covering various Web3 niches. Be my guest.

Moralis blog

Chainlink blog (also their whitepaper is one of the most detailed ever written in crypto)

Ripple content library

Ethereum learn hub

Avalanche Medium

Decentralised

Bankless

Web3 University

DappRadar blog

Bitcoin Magazine

Hashnode Web3

Nextrope blog

Blocknomi

Unstoppable Domains blog

Hacker Noon

Chainanalysis Research

Certik

a16z

Future

Decrypt Learn

The best way to understand the model is to imagine the opposite scenario — an article without the headline. The topic is unclear, and your focus is meandering with every read sentence. Context is absent. You are reading something but can not be fully immersed in the story. Sooner or later, you’ll quit.

People can’t function without frameworks. Headlines introduce and contextualize the story ahead. For instance, the headline of this article indirectly says: The following text covers how you may profit from suitably creating headlines. Or how you may be in danger if you act foolishly.

But with that differentiator in mind, readers will continue diving through the text and quickly notice and absorb the distinctions.

Emotional manipulation is something in which tabloids are matchless champions. By pedaling on FUD, anger, hatred, shock, tragedy, and horror, they put the readers in an emotional sub-spectrum of negative emotions. Why would they do it at all? To incentivize them to drive traffic by commenting, to impulsively purchase something, or — worst of all — to polarize people.

So, by calibrating emotions in our titles, we can influence or, in some cases, even determine readers’ future steps. Such a surreal and hair-raising power.

But as you can put readers in the dark, you can illuminate them with the same tool.

Once again, I will take the closest available example. A double-edged sword is a well-known metaphor that informs us things will go either good or ugly. And because a reader (and that’s you) is the protagonist in this story, they are in a conflict position. Or to say, the danger is upon you, dear reader.

To be righteous but also a cunning writer, I gave you the same amount of hope. So your starting position is a bittersweet symphony, but the last taste in your mouth relies only on your actions when crafting headlines in the future.

Headlines are cliffhangers. Why would anyone read the entire article if you said the whole point in your headline?

Let’s reflect on the example from the beginning — “headless body in topless bar.” Its rhyming aesthetics and attention-catching impact are masterful. But that is just the beginning.

With just five words, this title offers a complete story — a vivid motion picture appearing instantaneously in front of a reader’s eyes. You can imagine a vibrant atmosphere in the murk of the nightclub. You can smell the blood, hear sudden screams becoming louder and louder, see faces of frightened people stampeding around, and you surely can’t avoid trying to crack the puzzle. Who did this and why?

The headline becomes a mystery thriller. There’s no chance to read bits and pieces of the article. As a reader, you will be completely absorbed.

And now, a quick jump to your favorite example.

By using “double-edged sword” in the headline, I created suspense. Readers are expecting a bloodbath for sure, but who’s?. But who’s blood might it be? Mine or someone else’s? Let’s read on to find out.

Creating suspense has a flip side too.

Ironically, this blog post would be a disaster with no blood spilled. It would mean that I misinformed and deceived readers. It is like putting Checkov’s gun in a story and leaving it silent.

Such disappointment would fend off every reader from further consuming your content. Even a slight misinformation and divergence between the headline and the rest of the blog is something you can never play with if you want to stay credible and trustworthy.

So, by the rule of thumb, here are two simple yet unavoidable rules for creating suspense in headlines:

• • Don’t put the punchline in your title but give a good-enough teaser.
  • The truth is a must.

Everything you have ever written will be forgotten at some point. Every blog post, case study, and e-mail. Sorry, people’s memories must get rid of anything unnecessary. But maybe, just maybe, you have a chance that fragments of your writings remain intact in someone’s memory. You know where this is going.

A series of experiments in 1997 showed that people have dramatically different capabilities in recalling memories of previously read articles. Surprisingly or not, the main memory differentiators aren’t text’s quality, structure, pompous words, sentences, or anything similar.

Headlines are the game-changers. They directly affect what and how readers will remember. If a headline points to crucial data or the conclusion from the text, that will survive in readers’ minds. On the other hand, if a headline is tailored to only catch attention, probably nothing will be remembered.

To sum things up, headlines change the way people remember articles. What do I want my customers to remember a year after reading this blog post? That’s the essential question before you start writing.

With the triumph/disaster dichotomy overhanging every next content piece you write, it’s easy to conclude you have no choice but to become a skillful warrior to survive.

David Ogilvy, the unquestionable father of advertising, famously said:

On average, five times as many people read the headline as the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.

Like the old sharp-witted advertiser argues, the view through the money prism is probably the most straightforward way to grasp the importance of awesome headlines.

So, start practicing. Write, rewrite, discard, and repeat. Soon, you’ll become more confident when swinging the sword.