An interesting engineering and financial reporting background has made for the perfect combination for crypto journalist/ editor, Brad Keoun. His past experiences have provided him with a strong foundation for understanding crypto’s technical and financial aspects, allowing him to grasp complex topics and convey them effectively to audiences.
Brad joined the CoinDesk team in 2019 and now holds the position of Managing Editor of Tech and Protocols.
YAP met with Brad to discuss his background and day-to-day routine and got insights into what is interesting in crypto news.
Can you describe your role at CoinDesk?
I’m the Managing Editor of Tech and Protocols at CoinDesk, leading a small team of three, Sam Kessler, Margaux Nijkerk and myself. We focus on blockchain projects and updates and compete with major crypto media like The Block and BlockWorks.
Authors note: Brad’s position includes writing and editing a weekly newsletter focused on blockchain tech, The Protocol; authoring a living column Protocol Village, on blockchain project updates, funding announcements and other news of interest to developers such as grants; and co-hosting a podcast, The Protocol.
Describe your career path leading up to CoinDesk
I joined CoinDesk in 2019 as a senior markets reporter and later led the markets team. Before CoinDesk, I worked at Bloomberg, covering major stories like the Enron collapse and the financial crisis. I led a significant project analyzing secret Fed loans to banks, which emerged from a Supreme Court case victory in a historic FOIA case. I’ve also held reporting and editorial roles at The Street and Bloomberg, with a focus on global finance and economics. I started as a police-beat and general assignment reporter at the Gainesville, Florida, Sun and the Chicago Tribune.
How does your small team at CoinDesk approach news selection, and what makes a story newsworthy?
We have to be super selective because there are only three of us. News needs to be surprising or significant, like a man biting a dog rather than a dog biting a man. Typical project updates or promotions aren’t usually newsworthy unless they bring something unexpected. Real news often involves organic, uncontrolled chaos, such as Twitter fights, exploits, or scandals.
We focus on stories that answer “Where is this all going?” for the tech and protocols team, emphasizing the importance of recording significant updates in CoinDesk.
Who is CoinDesk’s primary audience, and how does that influence your content?
CoinDesk’s readership includes both mainstream and native crypto audiences, but we aim for a core blockchain and developer readership. However, there aren’t many hardcore blockchain tech readers, so we balance content to attract a broader audience. Trust and credibility with the blockchain community are also key for us.
How do you view your role and relationships with industry gatekeepers?
We see ourselves as gatekeepers, relying on trusted sources for quality information. We value our relationships with industry contacts and take their submissions seriously, striving to maintain a high standard of reporting and credibility.
How does Protocol Village impact the use of PRs at CoinDesk?
Protocol Village serves as a filter for what news gets covered. Almost all submissions go to Protocol Village unless it’s a major announcement, like a significant update from a well-known project. The feedback from readers has been positive as they appreciate concise updates. This format helps manage our limited resources while maintaining credibility. Major project updates that make it to Protocol Village pass through multiple layers of gatekeeping, adding to their credibility.
How should we handle PR submissions and embargoes, and what about exclusives?
We receive many embargoed press releases, and the way they are presented can sometimes be tricky. Ideally, we prefer to get the headline and then agree to an embargo for more details, maintaining a professional relationship. An exclusive is valuable for major, newsworthy stories but won’t necessarily guarantee standalone coverage for less significant news.
What is your reaction to Coinbase removing its newsfeed feature and its impact on traffic?
While I have heard about the potential impact, I haven’t seen a significant drop in our readership stats. We have discussed it internally, but have not conducted a detailed analysis.
