The truth about crypto KOL marketing: Spending large amounts of money just to make surface-level metrics look better?
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The truth about crypto KOL marketing: Spending large amounts of money just to make surface-level metrics look better?
KOLs: Use them well, and you hold the initiative; use them poorly, and they turn the tables on you.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: Esty
Translation: TechFlow
After collaborating with multiple KOLs, including well-known figures like @Flowslikeosmo, I've summarized some practical KOL marketing insights for reference.
1. Choosing the wrong KOL can derail your project
In every market cycle, some projects pour significant funds into KOL partnerships, yet outcomes rarely meet expectations. Common misconceptions among project teams include:
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Believing that KOL involvement automatically brings traffic;
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Equating "viral spread" with success;
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Mistaking engagement volume for actual conversion.
However, reality is: 95% of the time, these investments don't translate into real project results—they merely make surface-level metrics look better.
For example, your post gets 200K views and 200 bot-generated comments? It looks impressive, but did it actually move the needle on your token generation event (TGE) or total value locked (TVL)?
Many projects chase short-term "breakout moments." As @madladshad puts it, this is a form of "short-term hype marketing." They often overlook user retention and optimization of key metrics—both essential for long-term growth.
2. KOL categories and underlying issues
KOLs may show interest in your project, but that interest often vanishes once payments stop. Afterward, they might not even remember your project’s name.
Generally, KOLs fall into the following categories:
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Speculative (90%): Chase every trend and post anything. Their goal is to extract maximum profit. They inflate data using tools like Socialplug or collude with other KOLs to fake engagement and deceive projects. These KOLs typically promote and dump project tokens quickly.
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Semi-speculative (5%): Usually focus on a specific niche or topic. Their followers and engagement are mostly genuine, and their attitude is relatively sincere. However, they may struggle to resist high-paying offers.
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Authentic (5%): These KOLs grow organically without artificial inflation, building followings through expertise and quality content. They have deep knowledge in their field, rarely accept sponsorships, and when they do, prioritize their audience's interests. These are the partners who genuinely drive market influence and conversion—such as core members within Kaito’s circle.
To be clear, I don’t blame any category of KOL. In fact, their behaviors reflect broader industry conditions. The real issue lies with underlying capital forces—the greed and speculation driven by large investors, VCs, and project teams themselves.
3. Constants and variables: mastering narrative control
If you don’t control your own narrative, the market will define it for you—and the result may not be favorable.
You must recognize that KOLs are only amplifiers. Before considering them, lay solid groundwork:
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Build a product that truly solves real problems;
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Clarify your narrative, brand positioning, and market differentiation;
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Align internally within your team on core principles;
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Define your distribution channels and communication methods;
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Determine how important community building is to you;
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Establish connections with partners who bring real value.
Unfortunately, most projects lack clear identity, defined goals, effective solutions, ethical values, or long-term vision.
4. Our choices shape our future
Learn to leverage human profit-seeking instincts.
Once your foundation is solid, how do you turn it into action?
Ideal scenario: Your product has achieved product-market fit (PMF), and users and KOLs discuss it organically because it benefits them financially and helps them create high-quality content that attracts attention.
But in reality, it's a "chicken-and-egg" problem. Many believe you need "influence" first to reach PMF. This is partly true, but the key is that "influence" doesn't necessarily require KOLs—partnerships and word-of-mouth can work just as well.
More realistic path: Once you’ve identified your target niche and audience, begin seeking suitable KOLs. Tools like @_kaitoai can help analyze their audience reach and actual follower count (if available). Building a strong network is also critical—referrals through connections often yield better results. Alternatively, use @Tunnl_io to filter and find appropriate KOLs.
Proactively engage with target KOLs on Twitter. Thoughtfully reply to their posts, DM them, and offer support. Build personal relationships rather than treating it as a transactional exchange. While this approach benefits brands, starting from personal accounts tends to be more effective. Don’t expect immediate results—it takes consistent, long-term interaction, so start early and integrate it into your core marketing strategy.
As relationships develop, conversations naturally shift toward your product. At this point, introduce your product and demonstrate its tangible benefits to the KOL. The goal remains building long-term relationships and networks—not short-term exchanges.
If your product enables KOLs to earn real income while aligning with their personal brand, they’re far more likely to promote it voluntarily, since your success becomes theirs. Additionally, ask them to refer other KOLs—this avoids cold-starting outreach. Relationships built through referrals are typically more efficient and more likely to succeed.
Even if your product helps KOLs earn money, they’ll still expect additional compensation. Giving tokens may seem like an easy solution, but long-term, it could harm your project, as many will sell immediately to realize gains (which is understandable). Moreover, most influential KOLs prefer direct cash payments, such as in USDC. So how should you handle this?
When negotiating with KOLs, prioritize ongoing collaboration over one-off promotions. Why? A single post rarely reaches the core segment of a KOL’s audience, whereas repeated exposure significantly increases reach.
When a KOL consistently shares content about your project, audience perception shifts from “paid promotion” to “genuine endorsement.” Audience perception shapes their judgment of your project’s legitimacy.
Meanwhile, other KOLs may notice your partnership and reach out proactively, giving you stronger negotiating power in future deals.
Also, don’t fixate solely on “large” KOLs. Collaborating with “micro-KOLs” often delivers greater value, as their audiences tend to be more authentic and engagement more sticky.
5. No gods or kings—only effective marketing funnels
Viral effects are often short-lived, while a well-designed marketing funnel creates lasting cumulative impact. The most successful brands in crypto don’t rely on hype cycles but build genuine user loyalty through structured engagement paths.
Assuming your product is powerful, features excellent UI/UX, and offers a smooth onboarding experience, here’s an effective marketing funnel example:
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Create a clean, clear homepage on X (formerly Twitter) with an eye-catching profile picture and banner. Users should understand your core message within 3 seconds. Include concise bio links to your landing page and distribution channels (e.g., Telegram or Discord).
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Design your landing page to match your X aesthetic—simple, intuitive, with a clear call-to-action (CTA) directing users to your main product.
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Generate interest through consistent X posting, AMAs, team member content, partner promotions, DMs, and comment replies.
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Users click your profile, see a clear introduction, and proceed to your landing page.
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Users enter your main dApp and complete the onboarding flow.
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Satisfied users join your Telegram or Discord community and interact with others.
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Within the community, users receive warm welcomes from the team and members, finding reasons to stay engaged.
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Users gradually become part of the community and, based on trust and belief, naturally advocate for your project.
This approach not only converts users into loyal advocates but turns them into brand ambassadors. Compared to short-term virality, this method delivers sustained value.
How do authentic KOLs contribute?
KOLs can greatly enhance your reach and distribution—closely tied to what we discussed earlier (see point 3). Remember how I emphasized prioritizing long-term collaborations and selecting the “right” partners? Here’s how the full loop closes:
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A KOL consistently posts about your project over several months, gradually reaching most of their audience;
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Interested followers visit your profile and, thanks to your solid foundational work, are guided to your product;
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Your superior UI/UX and product experience, combined with responsive team support, successfully convert these users into loyal ones;
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Satisfied users organically recommend your project to others;
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The authentic KOL’s network notices your project and becomes interested;
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More KOLs—including more influential ones—proactively contact you for collaboration;
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You gain stronger negotiation leverage as a result.
6. A million doors, one leads to real value
Let me share a personal story. I wrote this article because I made mistakes during my entrepreneurial journey—mistakes that led to being deceived and wasting substantial marketing budgets.
At the time, I was drawn in by "vanity metrics" and trusted speculators who boosted each other’s content to fabricate an illusion of authenticity. The result? Although my X metrics improved slightly for a week after posts went live, actual impact was negligible. I deeply regretted it and began searching for better approaches.
During that process, I met a KOL I deeply admire. In my view, he’s one of the most authentic figures in this space. Why? Because he genuinely cares about his audience, never accepts random partnership proposals, maintains strict selection criteria, and grew entirely through honest effort—never using bots or fake data.
I connected with him through a mutual contact (“network = assets”). We started chatting, got to know each other, and eventually met in person at Token2049. We talked extensively about life, goals, vision, crypto, and marketing. Over time, we became close friends.
Now, our relationship has evolved to the point where I can naturally ask him to refer other like-minded KOLs—because I trust his vetting process. Or I can consult him for opinions and exclusive insights (Alpha) on other KOLs to make smarter decisions. If I’m working on a project aligned with his audience, I can propose mutually beneficial collaborations.
I know this situation isn’t common, but in an industry rife with fraud, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I didn’t just gain a trustworthy friend—I found a lifelong business partner.
Summary
Is your marketing effort building a real brand—or just creating a fleeting hype cycle?
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First, refine your story, brand positioning, and product core;
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Remember, KOLs are amplification tools, not magic solutions;
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Blind ad spending based on luck is wasteful—don’t burn your budget;
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Build long-term, meaningful relationships with KOLs, not one-off transactions;
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Prioritize quality over quantity—long-term partnerships matter more than short-term campaigns;
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Micro-KOLs hold unique value—don’t overlook them;
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Follower count isn’t the sole criterion. Focus more on audience quality, niche alignment, sentiment, and overall content quality;
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Start targeting early—building a successful brand takes time and sustained effort.
Most projects fade quickly because they leave nothing memorable behind. If you don’t offer something trustworthy and worth believing in, your audience will ultimately forget you.
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