How Crypto Press Releases Became a Scam Amplifier

Researchers continue to point out reasons to be wary of crypto press releases. These stories have become increasingly difficult to differentiate from news stories. As such, they continue to steer investors towards questionable projects and eventual losses. Here’s why you need to be wary of crypto press releases and how the industry got to this point.

The Rise of the Press Release

A lot has changed since Ivy Lee wrote the first Press release in 1906. At the time, Lee needed to publish something that stated the facts of the Atlantic City train wreck, which took the lives of over 50 people.

His publication was picked up and run by The New York Times in its entirety, cementing the idea that you could control the narrative of events via these statements. This idea flourished as more corporations turned towards press releases as a way to keep the public informed on their own terms.

Press Releases Power the War Propaganda Machine

During WWII, press releases became a way to help boost morale and provide vital data on the war effort to the public. After the war, corporations picked up the same tone and format, publishing press releases regularly.

Digital Era

The internet boosted the frequency of press releases even more. Now, companies could effortlessly create a press release for every new product or event. This commodification of the press release eventually led to a blurring of the lines between advertising and news.

Crypto companies are no different than their predecessor in that they rely on the press release to get their info to the public. Crypto companies rely on the crypto newswire. This approach acts as a happy medium between the exchange trying to pitch new listings as newsworthy material and paid advertisements.

How Crypto Projects Weaponized Press Releases

The ICO boom led to a weaponization of press releases. Scammers started to notice that they could use press releases as a way to skew the public’s perception of new products and create false legitimacy.

Sponsored Articles vs Press Releases

This commodification of journalism continues to worsen as today’s press releases are designed to look like news in every way. The introduction of sponsored articles allowed media companies to integrate shill among other news, buffering their profits and completely sidestepping journalistic standards.

Press Release Standards

In the past, press releases were held to strict standards. For example, you couldn’t post about your company as “the world’s best or #1” without the media outlet seeking to verify these claims. This verification process was crucial to maintaining the integrity of the platform for readers.

To post a press release, a company would pay a fee, and they would then need to ensure that their release met a long list of requirements, including not being an advertisement. This created a standardized feed that the press could look through to find stories of interest to shed light on.

Crypto Newswires and the Collapse of Editorial Standards

Crypto news wires were born out of the need for exchanges to inform people and sell advertising for listings to clients. They blend advertising and press releases in a way that has proven to be problematic if misused.

Crypto newswires make that possible and generate revenue for the media firm. These paid releases have far less editorial standards than traditional press releases because it’s almost impossible to keep up with the endless stream of new token listings and other crypto events.

Spam Posting

The sheer number of crypto newswires published daily has made it impossible to fact-check. Additionally, these newswires are sold as package deals that include publishing on sometimes thousands of outlets.

This massive release is used to justify higher rates to the company issuing it. However, it’s important to note that it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will get more search engine visibility, as Google has long figured out how to reduce duplicate content from its search results.

Sadly, the shill keeps intensifying. It’s now common to see terms like game-changing, AI-powered, and Real World Assets used in these posts, even when they aren’t a part of the product. In around 50% of the posts, these buzzwords were simply a blend of AI slop and corporate greed mashed into a newswire designed to create FOMO in readers rather than inform.

Crypto Press Release Abuse Is Accelerating

A new report from Chainstory delves into this troubling trend and how it has worsened. The paper notes that only 2% out of the 2,893 Press releases published between June 16, 2025, and November 1, 2025. were actually about financing events or major newsworthy content.

Shill Central

The report broke the post into a few categories, with one being their tone. The researchers noted that the newswire sector feels like marketing, with more than half overstating their product or service.

At the top of the list are simple protocol tweaks, token listings, and token sales. The researchers found that there were only 58 actual event listings out of the nearly 3,000 postings. These included funding meetings and research discoveries.

Promotional Material

The researchers labeled 19% as promotional material put out by the company and targeting readers, not the press. Sadly, only 10% of the press releases studied even qualified as neutral in tone. This stat is more troubling when you consider that neutral tone is what makes press releases ideal for journalists.

Who is Posting this Shill and Calling it News?

Swipe to scroll →

Here is where the data gets chilling. The report found that the majority of companies that pay for crypto newswires are high risk. The study suggests that as much as 29% of these releases come from scams. Sadly, only 27% of the Press releases studied were from legitimate low-risk operations.

Exchanges

As you could imagine, large crypto exchanges make a significant amount of posters. These platforms post every update, token listing, and promotion. As such, they accounted for 24% of the newswires.

Fringe Projects

Fringe Projects or high-risk platforms continue to flood newswire feeds. These are usually tiny operations that have no real liquidity or following. These platforms will use these press releases as a way to legitimize their operations and entice investors.

Scammers Love Press Releases

In total, the researcher documents 62% of the press releases as likely scams. This number jumps up to 90% when discussing cloud mining operations, with some even stating that they are the most trusted brand in the market despite not being known at all.

What Are the Market Effects of Crypto Press Release Abuse?

There are several unintended side effects that the rise of shill crypto newswires will lead to. For one, it could cause a complete destruction of journalistic validity. As more projects pay to post more shill, the reader becomes numb, causing the projects to post more, leading to an endless self-feeding shill cycle.

Misinformation

The flood of these false reports and shilled products led some investors to look back at the last year, only to realize – there was no altcoin season this go around. Despite all the hype and promotions, the majority of altcoins have underperformed.

This distancing from reality is a prime example of the dangers that his information structure creates within the sector. Additionally, since the majority of these releases are geared towards inexperienced crypto investors, losses can be magnified.

Legal Risk

There are several legal risks that the media will need to consider. As time progresses, losses will mount from scammers. There’s undoubtedly going to be a turning point at which regulators will look at media outlets as partially responsible for these losses they haphazardly helped promote.

Can Trust in Crypto Media Be Restored?

Already, investors have begun to turn away from newswires as a viable way to stay up to date on market developments. Sadly, this situation threatens to eliminate a valuable signal that investors used to be able to rely on.

How to Spot Paid Press Releases Disguised as News

Thankfully, there are some things you can do to improve your ability to spot commodified press releases. For one, be on the lookout for grandiose wording. A true press release should be short, concise, and free from any promotional tones.

Legitimate Projects Seldom Pay for Press Releases on Major Stories

It’s important to note that in most instances, legitimate projects with real news have no problem finding coverage. They don’t need to pay for organic coverage, and when they do, it’s only to platforms with the highest editorial standards.

Media Sites Step in

Not every crypto platform has supported the rise of scammy newswires. Many platforms now have added a “provided by sponsor” label to help you distinguish between spam and real info. This scenario is precisely why Securities.io stopped offering press release services years prior.

Be Wary of Press Releases | Conclusion

In today’s day and age, where it’s easy to fall into an echo chamber and emerge doused in FOMO, it’s important to stick with reputable media outlets and projects. Hopefully, in the coming months, more platforms will label these newswires for what they really are – shill.

Learn More Digital Asset News Here