Study flags 60% of crypto PRs high-risk

TLDR

A new Chainstory study finds that over 60% of crypto press releases are tied to high risk or outright scam projects.

1. Researchers analyzed 2,893 crypto press releases and found most came from projects with classic scam red flags and only about 2% covered truly material news.
2. Crypto PR wires sell guaranteed placement on many news sites with minimal oversight, so risky projects can look "official" simply by paying to be syndicated.
3. Crypto users should treat press releases as marketing first, not validation, and apply basic due diligence before acting on any token or platform they promote.

Deep Dive

1. What The Study Actually Found

Communications firm Chainstory examined 2,893 crypto press releases distributed between June and November and found that over 60% were linked to high risk or scam flagged projects, using criteria like anonymous teams, unrealistic promises, copy pasted sites, and aggressive pressure tactics.

Only about 2% of releases reported substantive events such as venture funding, acquisitions, or original research, with the rest focused on minor updates, token promotions, or vague partnerships. One summary notes that if you stumble upon a crypto press release on a news site, the odds are "better than 50/50%%CKPROTECTED1%% that the project is of low credibility or worse.

2. How Crypto PR Wires Create False Legitimacy

Crypto focused press release networks allow projects to buy guaranteed placement on dozens of news sites, bypassing normal newsroom scrutiny. Visibility becomes something you purchase, not something you earn by being newsworthy.

According to Chainstory, these services act as pipelines that push unverified marketing content into feeds where it appears next to genuine reporting, often without clear labels, giving weak or risky projects "a veneer of unearned legitimacy" on host sites. An example involved scammers impersonating Circle to promote a fake tokenized metals platform that linked to a wallet drainer before it was taken down.

3. Practical Safeguards For Crypto Readers

A few simple habits can materially reduce your risk when you encounter a crypto press release:

1. Check the label. If it is marked "press release", "sponsored", or similar, treat it as paid marketing, not independent reporting.
2. Run basic project checks: identifiable team, realistic claims, clear docs and tokenomics, verifiable code or audits, and no extreme yields or urgent countdowns.
3. Cross check outside the PR: look for coverage from independent sources, check blacklist or scam alert sites, verify URLs manually, and confirm listings or contracts from official channels.

Conclusion

The key takeaway is that crypto press releases heavily skew toward hype and high risk projects, and syndication makes them look more legitimate than they are. For crypto users, the edge comes from treating every press release as advertising until proven otherwise and relying on independent verification, not distribution reach, as the main trust signal.