It’s always a good idea to be humble about what you do or don’t know within an industry like DeFi

(c) Daria Nepriakhina - Unsplash

Please tell us more about your background, how you got interested in blockchain & DeFi and what you are currently working on?

I started Blockchain Copywriter in 2017 because I thought there was too much short and superficial content being published in the industry. Maybe that is still the case unfortunately! 

The goal of Blockchain Copywriter is to help crypto projects to produce the long-form thought-leadership content that can really help to build their brand over time. We now work with founders, marketing teams and agencies to produce articles, reports, whitepapers and ebooks that achieve this goal.

What soft & hard skills have been most helpful in helping you succeed in DeFi?

I think it’s always a good idea to be humble about what you do or don’t know within an industry like DeFi. You’ll also learn more this way and be better at avoiding scams and ponzis if you take that little bit longer to question claims and ask “How does this actually work? What makes it unique? Why would people use it?” on a regular basis. 

I guess these are the soft skills that will help anyone to navigate this industry but the hard skills I can suggest relate to writing. Firstly, I’d encourage anyone writing about anything blockchain-related to simplify their language and avoid jargon. 

I’d also encourage them to practice writing regularly, which means finding a regular time for it and prioritizing it over other things. Finally, you should never undervalue the importance of editing, as you can only publish great content if you edit out a whole load of the unnecessary stuff you started with.

What’s the best thing about your job? The most challenging?

Learning is the best thing, as there’s always something new in this industry and I expect that to be the case for the next 5, 10 or even 20 years. 

The most challenging part is deciding which new trend is actually worth your attention and research, as it can be very difficult to split the signal from the noise.

What is different working as a content writer for DeFi & blockchain topics?

The main difference is just getting your head around the technology. As mentioned, I’ve been interested in crypto since around 2016 and writing about it since 2017 but I’m always learning. 

My advice to anyone who writes about other things but wants to write about blockchain, crypto or DeFi is to gradually ‘layer up’ your knowledge. Start with Bitcoin, the significance of decentralized networks and non-state money. Then understand how Ethereum build on top of these ideas with smart contracts and the potential of decentralized applications. 

Finally, move into DeFi and how these decentralized applications were translated into core financial services, such as lending, borrowing, exchanges and yield generation. From here, you should have a solid foundation to understand most of the new things you hear about.

Tell us about the greatest working day of your life. You're at home in the evening, sitting on your couch and thinking about what you accomplished. What made you so happy that day?

I can’t recall “my greatest working day” but I’m a big fan of remote working and organizing your work so it becomes something of an ongoing interest rather than a chore that you dread. 

In terms of what feels like a great result, that’s all about delivering a piece of content that hits the mark for a new client straightaway. We work hard on the planning and structuring side of content, so the writing we do hits the mark without needing tonnes of amends.

Seeing this process work in action is always satisfying.

What's the most important or impactful piece of content about DeFi you wrote? What made it so important or impactful?

Again, I try to remain humble so can’t answer that! 

I’m also mostly a ghostwriter so I generally write for other people, not myself. 

What part should a content writer play in DeFi and blockchain?

I can tell you that Blockchain Copywriter plays a very specific role when we get our client engagements right and this usually involves us slotting into a well-organized team on the client’s side. 

We fit in as the specialist copywriter who is able to talk in an engaging manner about highly technical topics. We work closely with a head of marketing and/or founder team in this regard, as well as a marketing or PR agency if required. 

If the content writer is publishing engaging, thought-leadership content on a regular basis, this needs to get in front of an audience. In crypto, I think a community manager and a social media manager play a really important role in this regard, as they are the ones who can put this high quality content in front of your existing community and potential users you haven’t engaged yet. 

Finally, I think video and audio content play a big role for crypto brands too, as people like to have things explained and hear people’s opinions on big topics. So we often work with content producers of this kind to complement their content with copywriting.

What is your favorite DeFi Project? Among the people you’ve worked/interacted with in DeFi, who do you admire most and why?

I’m a big fan of what I consider to be the DeFi OGs – Uniswap, Compound, Aave and Yearn – because they executed successfully on concepts that had been talked about and hyped for some time. I don’t think they’re going anywhere, even if there are much newer and more talked about protocols right now. I think their leading role will become clear again once the ongoing bull market subsides. 

In terms of people I admire, Erik Voorhees, Stani Kulechov, Robert Leshner and Hasu all come to mind. I think Jason Choi does a great job of introducing some of the newest and most exciting trends in DeFi. I also love Anna Rose’s Zero Knowledge Podcast, as it helps me to understand some of the more technical trends that are emerging.

What is your vision for your niche? What do you expect to come in the next few years? What developments in the field do you find to be the most exciting?

I feel fairly happy about how Blockchain Copywriter is fulfilling its mission as a niche service, in terms of long-form thought-leadership content for articles, reports, whitepapers and ebooks. 

Looking ahead, I’d like to produce more how-to guides that will help projects and agencies to produce this type of content for themselves. I also hope to set up a mastermind for founders who want to do the same but need a bit of extra help along the way.

In terms of what I find most exciting, I think there are a couple of things. Near-term, I really hope that scaling on Ethereum is possible so more ordinary people can afford to use DeFi on the biggest and most decentralized smart contract platform. Much more long-term, I love the idea of the metaverse but think it’s 10 years away from being a great experience.

What quote has actually stuck with you and changed your life

I’m not sure they changed my life but I do have two that I think are both timeless and useful for interpreting crypto:

History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.

Mark Twain

The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.

William Gibson

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