Blockchain enthusiasts, are we talking only to ourselves?

‍Written by Barbara (Barb) Curry, Director of Operations 

While I greatly admire and respect the brilliant thought leaders, engineers, and financial experts leading the blockchain revolution, not all excel at explaining concepts to the average person. I couldn't orient myself when I first started exploring crypto. It took me longer than I care to admit to figure out how to find the blockchain, let alone interact with it. But I was persistent!  And eventually, I got my bearings.

I was kicking myself when I stumbled upon the Bad Crypto Podcast two years later. It was the exact type of information I needed as a newbie.  

In each podcast episode, Travis Wright and Joel Comm (the hosts) invite us along on their journey of learning about crypto. They make it clear immediately that they don’t know what they are doing. That's where the name "Bad Crypto Podcast" comes from. They are just two guys trying to make sense of it along with the rest of us, letting us learn from their mistakes and not taking themselves too seriously. Their authenticity and self-deprecating natures convince us that average people like us can also figure this stuff out. And, as a bonus, they are hysterical, so you are entertained while learning.

The rest of the crypto industry should notice what these two guys are doing.
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Why? 

Because they figured out how to turn the crypto-curious into crypto newbies, arming their listeners with the tools they need to venture further down the rabbit hole

Instead of creating content that can only be understood by other industry insiders, Travis and Joel speak to the masses and address the basic questions that must be answered before the masses will even consider adoption. Simple questions like:

1. Why should I care?
2. How is crypto/blockchain relevant to me specifically?
3. What are real-world use cases?
4. What does all the weird jargon mean, and how do I navigate this bizarre world?
5. Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
6. Why is the UX so bad, and can someone help me through the basics of getting up and running?
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It’s marketing 101:  Meet the people where they are.  

Indeed, what makes the "Bad Crypto Podcast" so special is its creators' understanding of the fundamentals of marketing that are easy to lose sight of among the details of a complicated technology. I encourage all the industry leaders, foundation members, innovators, and marketing professionals to take a moment to review your branding and communication strategy and ask yourself the following:

1. Are you speaking to the target audience in a language that they understand? Or are you talking amongst yourselves?
2. Are you showing up in places where the curious and newbies already are? Or are you only going to places where developers and other insiders hang out?
3. Does your brand stand for something bigger than the technology itself? If so, does that story persist throughout all touchpoints?
4. Does the main message on your homepage alienate those who don’t understand the tech?
5. Is our ecosystem doing everything possible to legitimize itself and build trust amongst those who are understandably skittish?
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A significant number of people on the outside are smart, capable of grasping relevant concepts, and would participate if they were oriented and given a compass. They want to join the party but aren’t sure how to find the door to it. Just like Joel and Travis, we all need to make a more concerted effort to help the curious find the door, invite them in, introduce them to others, tell them who to be wary of, and show them the ropes.

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