ShapeShift

Summary: Create an addendum budget and headcount to the Growth & Globalization Workstream to provide coverage in ShapeShift DAO media relations, writing, and external communications processes. This new role is tightly aligned with Growth, Marketing, Product and Globalization efforts.

Abstract: As a DAO with significant brand recognition, we have an opportunity to greatly increase and amplify our presence/content distributed/presented by media outlets (cryptocurrency/national publications and crypto podcasting), elevate our DAO expert visibility, and polish our external content. This added headcount is designed to fill that gap. This is a proposal to add the additional ¾ time headcount to the existing workstream from March 1 the end of April 2022.

Motivation: ShapeShift made great headway in national and international recognition prior to decentralizing; as a DAO, it’s important to remain visible, relevant, and continue this level of global visibility to both DAO enthusiasts and those beginning to embrace crypto. Bringing in a highly experienced PR professional, writer, and former ShapeShift head of communications to assist in our PR efforts, blogging, editing of external communications, and the elevation of DAO participants in thought leadership will help the success of both the platform and the DAO. Lindsaylou demonstrated considerable results during her tenure, growing share of voice against competitors from 15% to 30% (equal to Coinbase during the decentralization launch), and helped earn a 2B gross media audience in just two days following the DAO and airdrop announcements (she wrote press releases as well as contributed articles, blogs, customer service content, reviewed eblasts, and added to social content).

Specifications: The Growth & Globalization workstream proposes to add Lindsaylou, former ShapeShift head of communications, to the existing Growth & Globalization workstream at a cost of 9,950USD/month for 30 hr/week work through April 30, 2022 (19,900USD total). Included in this proposal is an additional budget of 150 USD/month, or 300USD total, to enlist a media platform for media commentary opportunities for ShapeShift’s DAO experts.

(To further quantify her results during this two-month period, she would need an additional investment for the Meltwater platform to measure pickups, gross media audience, and share of voice growth; we propose that we consider making this expenditure in the April stream proposal, where she will likely be added as a contributor)

Her proposed focuses and deliverables include:

• Ideating and writing press releases for the ShapeShift DAO and for DAO partnerships
• Working with her extensive media contacts to ensure adequate media coverage of these releases and some noteworthy blogs (as warranted by the importance of the news; not all releases will be covered by media, and some degree of pre-vetting for media embargo is needed)
• Ideating and working with DAO participants for the creating and submission of blogs and contributed articles for crypto publications, working in harmony with the Marketing Stream
• Reconnecting with her crypto podcaster connections to get Willyfox, Jonisjon, and other interested participants more visibility on the podcast circuit, and then providing links to the Marketing stream to promote in social channels and DAO communities
• Creating social media posts about media coverage for the Marketing Stream as helpful
• Searching for opportunities for DAO participants to offer commentary to industry articles on crypto and DAO trends (requested budget for platform to find commentary opportunities: $150/mo. USD, or $300 total USD through April 30)
• Working with Cryptomeg and others in the customer service stream to assist in notifications to customers as needed
• Assisting in editing blogs in the Marketing Stream as desired Budget: Part-time Role (added): External Communications Lead: Lindsaylou (30 hours/week) Two-month total cost: $20,200USD ($19,900USD + $300USD media commentary platform)

Benefits: Return ShapeShift’s external communications to the level of maturity we have come to expect; gain more global visibility for our announcements; generate higher-quality content; get our experts on the podcasting circuit for visibility to the DAO and crypto community, providing more content to share within all channels.

Drawbacks: This is a two-month contract, so regaining momentum and seeing published content (editorial lead time) can take more time than that. However, the intent is to extend this relationship in the next proposal renewal.