In mid-2025, tBTC, a decentralized protocol for bringing Bitcoin into DeFi, was prepared to launch on Starknet, a high-speed Ethereum Layer-2 network. This integration had huge implications: Bitcoin holders would finally be able to use BTC in DeFi with instant confirmations and penny-level fees, thereby overcoming Bitcoin’s long-standing limitations, including slow (10-minute) blocks and high on-chain fees. Despite Bitcoin’s $2 trillion market size, under 0.3% of it was active in DeFi, highlighting a massive untapped opportunity. The challenge was that this story was highly technical. tBTC’s team needed to turn a complex product launch into a compelling narrative that would capture the imagination of developers, crypto users, and industry media alike. Previously, they had struggled to gain media traction with other agencies, so making this launch resonate widely was critical.

Task

The PR Genius was tasked with positioning tBTC’s Starknet launch as a milestone for the entire crypto industry, not just a routine product update. The goal was to craft a clear, headline-worthy narrative that framed this launch as the dawn of Bitcoin’s multi-chain DeFi era, and to secure broad coverage in top-tier publications. We aimed to: (1) educate the market on how this integration solves real pain points (slow, expensive Bitcoin transactions) and unlocks new possibilities, and (2) establish tBTC and its team as thought leaders and category pioneers in the emerging “Bitcoin DeFi” movement. Success would be measured by both quality and quantity of media placements, engagement from the DeFi community, and enhanced credibility for tBTC as the bridge between Bitcoin and decentralized finance.

Action

Our team developed a strategic PR campaign combining technical clarity with accessible storytelling:

Core Narrative: We crafted messaging that Bitcoin was entering a new era, it could now participate in trading, lending, and advanced on-chain strategies on Starknet just as easily as any token, thanks to tBTC. We highlighted concrete benefits: transactions that normally took 10-60 minutes on Bitcoin now confirmed instantly, and costly $1-$5 Bitcoin fees dropped to $0.01 on Starknet. This dramatic contrast made the value proposition obvious. We even used vivid analogies (e.g. comparing Bitcoin on its own chain to “gold bars in a vault, valuable but unusable”) to illustrate how tBTC unlocks Bitcoin’s utility.

Industry Context: Rather than presenting it as an isolated launch, we positioned the news within a broader industry trend. We emphasized Starknet’s growing DeFi ecosystem and portrayed tBTC’s integration as part of a larger wave of innovation in scaling and cross-chain interoperability. This framing suggested that Bitcoin liquidity coming to Starknet was not just a one-off integration, but a sign of Bitcoin’s expanding role across Web3. By aligning with this big-picture narrative, the story appealed to a wider audience and felt like a historic milestone for crypto.

Highlighting tBTC’s Uniqueness: We underscored tBTC’s trustless, decentralized design, no centralized custodians, backed 1:1 by BTC, secured by threshold cryptography, setting it apart from other wrapped Bitcoin products. This helped position tBTC as the category leader in bringing Bitcoin into DeFi securely. In communications, we emphasized keywords like “trust-minimized,” “no intermediaries,” and “Bitcoin sovereignty,” tapping into values important to the crypto community. We backed our claims with data (for example, noting tBTC’s track record since 2020 and its significant TVL and usage on Ethereum) to build credibility.

Proactive Media Outreach: With a sharp narrative in hand, we launched a full-scale media outreach campaign. This included drafting a high-impact press release titled “tBTC Launches on Starknet: Expanding Bitcoin’s Role in Multi-Chain DeFi” and distributing it via crypto newswires and direct contacts. We personally pitched the story to top crypto and fintech journalists, tailoring angles for each outlet, from the technical breakthrough angle for developer-focused media to the market opportunity angle for mainstream crypto news. We offered interviews with tBTC’s founders and prepared insightful quotes to make journalists’ jobs easier. Additionally, we leveraged The PR Genius’s network to secure thought leadership opportunities around the launch: placing tBTC spokespeople on podcasts, arranging event speaking slots, and contributing guest articles to discuss Bitcoin’s evolving role in DeFi. All of these efforts ensured that our narrative was not only distributed widely but also reinforced through expert voices in the community.

Accessible Storytelling: Throughout the campaign, we were careful to balance technical details with clear, compelling storytelling. We created explainers and simple visuals to illustrate how tBTC on Starknet works, and we distilled the complex zero-knowledge technology into real-world implications (e.g. “Bitcoin lending without waiting an hour for confirmations” or “yield farming with BTC at a fraction of a cent in fees”). This helped resonate with a broad audience, from hardcore DeFi developers to everyday Bitcoin holders, making the story easy to pick up by media and share on social channels.

By combining these actions, a strong narrative, industry context, highlighting unique value, aggressive outreach, and clear storytelling, we transformed a complex technical launch into a headline-grabbing story about Bitcoin’s future in DeFi.

Results

The tBTC on Starknet launch PR campaign delivered outstanding results, turning our strategy into tangible impact:

Widespread Top-Tier Coverage: We secured 21 separate media placements in high-authority publications (average Domain Authority 91). Coverage appeared in leading crypto news outlets and mainstream finance sites alike, including prominent features on Binance.com, BeInCrypto, Investing.com, among others. Many headlines echoed our core narrative, describing the integration as “Bitcoin’s entry into multi-chain DeFi” or a “milestone for Bitcoin in DeFi.” This widespread coverage not only amplified the news but also validated tBTC’s importance through the voice of respected publishers.

Massive Impressions & Reach: In total, the launch stories garnered an estimated 2.61 million impressions, with a combined potential audience reach of 20.2 million readers across all publications. The buzz spanned social media as well, where the news was shared by industry influencers and communities excited about Bitcoin’s new DeFi capabilities. This surge in visibility put tBTC squarely on the radar of both the crypto community and potential users who previously hadn’t considered using Bitcoin in DeFi.

Industry Recognition: The narrative we crafted helped position tBTC as a leading voice in the Bitcoin DeFi space. Post-campaign, tBTC’s team was invited to more industry discussions on cross-chain DeFi, and the integration is now often cited as a key example of Starknet’s innovation. The successful launch solidified Threshold Network (the team behind tBTC) as pioneers, attracting interest from developers looking to build on Starknet with BTC and from Bitcoin holders seeking to explore DeFi. In essence, the campaign didn’t just generate press; it shifted perceptions, with Bitcoin on Starknet now seen as a critical development in the evolution of DeFi.

This case study demonstrates how a smart PR strategy can turn a technical product launch into a powerful industry narrative. By framing the story strategically and executing a tailored outreach plan, The PR Genius helped tBTC capture the attention of global audiences and cement its reputation as a trailblazer at the intersection of Bitcoin and DeFi.

Testimonial

“Working with The PR Genius has been a huge asset for tBTC’s visibility. We had previously struggled to secure coverage with other agencies, but through their proactive outreach and creative strategy, we’ve secured consistent thought leadership opportunities, event speaking slots, podcasts, and top-tier announcement coverage, helping position tBTC as a leading voice in the Bitcoin and DeFi space.”

Callan Sarre, CEO