We spoke with Maria Lobanova, co-founder of Interstellar Digital, about the evolution of tech PR, the role of media in business growth, and why distribution is becoming as important as technology. Maria started her career in journalism, working with GQ and Kommersant, before moving into PR, marketing and Web3. Since then, she has worked across ICOs, tokenization, DeFi, NFTs, TON, cybersecurity and consumer tech.
MT: You started as a journalist, working with GQ and Kommersant, and later moved into PR, marketing and Web3. What from your journalistic background still helps you when working with technology companies?
Probably the biggest advantage is understanding how journalists think. When I pitch a company or a particular story, I don't look at it only from the client's perspective. Clients naturally think that almost everything happening inside their business is interesting, while a journalist has to ask why this should be interesting to the reader right now.
I automatically start looking for the angle. Is there a trend, a strong number, an interesting person, a conflict or an unexpected development? That experience helps me turn corporate news into stories that people actually want to open and read.
It also taught me to respect journalists' time. A good pitch should be short, clear and immediately answer one basic question: why should I care about this story? That is probably one of the most useful skills I brought from journalism into PR.
MT: You entered Web3 relatively early, when the industry looked very different. What attracted you to crypto back then, and why did you decide to stay for so many years?
The first thing that attracted me was the speed. In traditional industries, career progression can take years, while in crypto at that time you could take on enormous responsibility very quickly if you were willing to work and learn. I went from being a copywriter to becoming a PR director at a venture fund within a few months.
There were also so many young, highly motivated people around. Some were building international businesses, raising millions or becoming millionaires while they were still 19 or 20, which was fascinating to watch. There was a feeling that the rules were still being written and that you could actually participate in creating a new market.
Of course, the industry went through many cycles, and plenty of projects failed. But that environment remained exciting because there was always something new to learn and a new market forming around it. That sense of speed and possibility is what ultimately kept me in Web3.
MT: Over the years, you've worked across ICOs, tokenization, DeFi, NFTs, TON, cybersecurity and consumer tech. How has your understanding of good PR changed along with the industry?
In the early days of crypto, PR was often treated quite simply: the more publications you had, the better. I see it very differently now. Good PR should solve a business problem rather than simply increase the number of logos in a monthly report.
It can help a company raise money, build trust with customers, support the sales team, open doors to partners, establish a new category or position a founder as an expert. The industry has become much more mature, and audiences have become more sophisticated as well. Saying that you have a "revolutionary technology" isn't enough anymore.
You need to explain why the company exists, what real problem it solves and why people should trust it. For me, PR today is much closer to strategic positioning and business development than to media relations alone. The media work still matters, but it has to serve a larger business objective.
MT: You've worked extensively with projects in the TON ecosystem. What makes TON different from other Web3 ecosystems you've worked with, especially when it comes to reaching mainstream users?
The biggest advantage is obviously Telegram. Most blockchain projects have to build a product first and then spend years trying to develop distribution and attract users. With TON, the potential user is already inside a product they use every day.
I've also had the opportunity to work with Ilya Perekopsky, Vice President of Telegram, which gave me an even closer perspective on how powerful the Telegram ecosystem can be. Telegram has become much more than a messenger, with an environment where companies can build payments, mini apps, games, wallets and other consumer products.
From a mass-adoption perspective, that changes the equation. Users don't necessarily have to go to a separate website, install complicated applications or deeply understand blockchain. Web3 can simply become part of an interface people already know and use.
MT: In your cases, PR is often directly connected to business outcomes such as investments, partnerships, user growth and sales. At what point does media visibility actually start working for the business rather than simply looking good in a report?
When it is connected to the business strategy. If a company is raising money, for example, strong media coverage can have a real impact on how the company is perceived. Investors may react differently to a startup they've never heard of compared with one they've already seen in Bloomberg or another major publication.
The same applies to customers and partners. PR creates an additional layer of credibility before a conversation with the sales team even starts. It gives people context and makes the company easier to understand before they enter a direct conversation with it.
A publication itself rarely closes a deal, though. Its role is to shorten the distance between "I've never heard of this company" and "I understand who they are and I'm willing to talk to them." That's when media visibility becomes a business tool.
MT: You've worked with both very young startups and established technology companies. How does the communication strategy change when the goal is no longer simply to introduce the company, but to become a serious and understandable player in the market?
For an early-stage startup, the first task is usually to explain why the company should exist in the first place. Who are you, what problem are you solving, why now, and why are you different from the existing alternatives? Those questions need clear answers before you can build a larger communication strategy.
For a more mature company, the challenge changes. It's no longer simply about getting attention, but about occupying a specific position in the market. That means more work around category leadership, research, executive thought leadership, customer stories, analysts, industry conferences, major media and the company's own data.
At some point, you stop constantly saying, "Here's our product," and start saying, "Here's where the industry is going, and here's why we understand this direction better than others." That's the transition from a startup asking for attention to a company whose perspective can itself become news.
MT: Your cases range from 119,000 WOWCube pre-orders to Ankr staking growth and major investment rounds. Is there a common principle you see behind these different stories?
They're all technology companies disrupting their respective niches. The industries and products can be completely different, but the underlying challenge is often similar. A company is trying to change an existing market or create a new category.
That means communication has to explain not only why the product is better, but sometimes why people need this new category in the first place. You have to make the innovation understandable to someone who isn't immersed in the technology every day. That is where communication can have a real impact.
For me, the common principle is finding a simple, human way to explain a complicated innovation. The more technical the product, the simpler its story usually needs to be. If people cannot quickly understand the value, the technology itself will not do the communication work for you.
MT: Interstellar Digital remains a boutique agency: each manager works with only a limited number of projects, while you and your co-founder stay directly involved. Why was it important for you to build the agency this way?
Because I never wanted to build a PR factory. We want to be able to spend more time with each client and understand their business on a much deeper level. When you work with a limited number of companies, you can become much more involved in their challenges and start caring about their results as if they were your own.
I sometimes compare it to fashion. Large agencies are like Zara, while we're more like a designer boutique. The scale is smaller, but there is much more attention to the individual client and to the details.
That model also allows us to stay close to the actual work. My co-founder and I remain involved in strategy and key communications rather than disappearing after the sales process. For us, that involvement is an important part of the value we provide.
MT: You've worked with budgets ranging from several thousand dollars to more than $1 million. What do companies most often misunderstand about the relationship between budget, PR and actual results?
The most common misconception is that a large budget automatically produces a large result. You can spend a million dollars and get very little if the positioning, product and understanding of the audience aren't right. At the same time, a small startup can sometimes generate a huge organic effect from one well-chosen story.
There is also the opposite mistake: expecting the results of a global brand while investing only a few thousand dollars. Good media, content, events, paid campaigns, KOLs and a strong team all cost money. The right budget depends on what the company is actually trying to achieve.
So I don't start with the question, "What's your budget?" I start with, "What business problem are we solving, and which combination of tools can deliver the best ROI within that budget?" The budget should follow the objective rather than becoming the objective itself.
MT: Beyond PR, you've worked extensively on major events and produced conferences yourself. What can a good event give a brand that media coverage alone can't?
Clients, trust and real relationships. An article can introduce someone to a brand, while a good dinner, private meeting or well-curated conference can create a relationship that eventually leads to an investment, partnership, client or an entirely new business opportunity. That difference is particularly important in technology and Web3, where personal trust still plays a major role in business.
Over the years, I've organized events at very different scales, from private investor dinners to conferences with thousands of attendees