How 1% Secretly Dominate This Crypto Bull Run
Mediocre crypto founders are obsessed with fundraising; great crypto founders are obsessed with distribution.
Let’s explore how on-chain startups can overcome the unique distribution challenges in this space, avoid common pitfalls, and leverage modern marketing techniques—like those we worked out at Cryptorsy through the years of practically incubating crypto gems—to scale sustainably.
Ads offer a scalable and measurable path to drive product usage, acquire token holders, and grow a loyal community.
This TikTok success has played a big part in their real-world triumph—selling tens of thousands of adorable Pudgy toys in major outlets like Walmart!
KOL Syndicate: A Cryptorsy Brand
The Evolution of Web3 Marketing
In the highly competitive web3 ecosystem, building a good product is only the first step. The real challenge lies in getting that product into the hands of users who will adopt and champion it.
For example ‘different plans to achieve appropriate onboarding’ for your project.
Even when listed, tokens often struggle to gain traction unless supported by robust internal marketing and user acquisition funnels.
The Cold Start Problem
Breaking the Chicken-and-Egg Cycle
While the crypto space has historically shied away from ads due to regulatory uncertainty and high costs, the current cycle presents an opportunity to change that.
Rug Perception
Users often perceive crypto ads as scams—and, to be fair, the crypto industry bears some responsibility for this perception. The prevalence of rug pulls over the years has understandably led other industries and audiences to approach us with skepticism.
It’s up to genuine crypto gems to change it now.
Notably, most tier-1 and 2—and especially tier-3—CEXs have a procedure to make you pay for listing if your coin hasn’t shown any meaningful traction yet, even though it isn’t promote this way.
Why Ads Are the Next Web3 Marketing Frontier
Practical Web3 Advertising Strategies
Let us at
Cryptorsy help you master the
new art of crypto advertising.
We’re excited to share the growth hacking ad strategies we’ve proven effective
today. We’ll guide your project through the complexities of crypto advertising while helping you build a viral community-driven web3 marketing powerhouse of a project.
The Bottom Line: Distribution Is King
A popular startup mantra states:
However, in crypto, we tweak it a bit, so it goes:
This insight, attributed to Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch, resonates deeply within the web3 space.
Esports Sponsor Advertising
PR and Brand Awareness
In previous crypto cycles, most projects adopted now outdated distribution strategies.
Why do these methods no longer deliver results? Here’s our reasoning:
First-time founders are obsessed with product; second-time founders are obsessed with distribution.
However, this channel has become oversaturated, with many influencers promoting projects indiscriminately.
Lessons from Past Cycles
These tactics may create the illusion of success, but they fail to attract genuine consumers who will engage with the product or token.
Cointelegraph’s crypto press release-dedicated
page.
Diminished ROI and an erosion of trust among crypto enthusiasts. Furthermore, inflow strategies often lack the ability to target the right audience, leading to low retention rates and wasted budgets.
One of the biggest hurdles for web3 startups is the cold start problem. Building a product from scratch is hard enough, but distributing it to a market that doesn’t know or trust you is even harder.
For founders without:
- Tier-1 backers like VCs or institutional investors,
- A recognizable background at companies like Google, OpenAI, or Meta, or
- A significant marketing budget to ‘buy attention,’ the path to meaningful distribution can feel impossible.
Even the best products can fail if no one knows they exist.
Unfortunately, the current crypto distribution landscape remains heavily focused on speculative practices like pump-and-dump schemes or superficial metrics like fake community numbers.
Founders must find ways to break through the noise and create sustainable, long-term growth.
- Influencer Marketing and Inflows
Influencer—or KOL—marketing was once a powerful driver of traffic for web3 products.
It’s still a solid growth option, no doubt about it. At Cryptorsy, we invest heavily in our thought leader partners to give projects their first footing and meticulously match products with the right KOLs.
We even run a whole
KOL Syndicate with the best of the best in this industry.
These funnels help projects:
- Acquire users cost-effectively, as initial revenue offsets acquisition costs.
- Build a database of engaged users for future marketing efforts.
For example, rapidly rising as one of the most popular crypto apps,
Bitget—a CEX and DeFi wallet provider—runs its own educational resource to guide newbies and convert them into loyal users of—you guessed it—its own exchange, wallet, and adjacent lend/borrow solutions.
Another critical issue in web3 is the ‘chicken-and-egg’ problem:
Promoting crypto projects with Google Ads is now a very real possibility.
With proper certification, we can unlock the search giant’s vast advertising potential for your startup to reach targeted audiences.
By using the right keywords, excluding irrelevant traffic, and creating standout, high-quality ads, Cryptorsy can position your project for success.
We also focus on achieving a strong Quality Score to enhance visibility and optimize performance, supported by a well-crafted marketing strategy to align your campaign with your goals.
Without a strong community to create initial demand, CEXs (centralized exchanges) either reject listing applications or charge exorbitant fees.
To solve these challenges, web3 projects must embrace a systematic approach to user acquisition — specifically, paid advertising.
Booming since the early summer of 2024 with its bustling mini app ecosystem, Telegram remains a cornerstone of gaining community—both web3 enthusiasts and for onboarding nearly a billion active web2 folks who already daily drive the platform for everyday communication and news consumption. Yet, many projects rely on bots or artificial engagement to inflate their user numbers.
This was present a lot in T2E—or tap-to-earn—titles.
Telegram Communities
Apu Apustaja ($APU) high-profile marketing campaign as seen on NYC Times Square Billboards. | Source:
Crypto Virally Just as early .com and software companies relied on billboard ads to scale, web3 projects must now adopt similar strategies, placing ads particularly on web2 platforms, not other on-chain ones, and, certainly on billboards too.
The most prominent example of this should be Coinbase’s QR code campaign during the Super Bowl LVI demonstrated how targeted ads could generate massive user inflows and build brand equity.
How We Do It
Coinbase Super Bowl Ad: A Floating QR Code
Both the industry staples like
Kraken and
Crypto.com, as well as smaller but reputable firms have set the standard for integrating crypto advertising into mainstream channels with their placement deals.
By normalizing crypto-focused ads across platforms that appeal to both on-chain enthusiasts and the broader public, they’ve created a pathway for smaller crypto companies and startups to follow suit. This shift has made it increasingly common for crypto brands to secure ad placements in non-crypto contexts like on social media, streaming services, or traditional media.
As a result, what was once niche now feels natural and accessible to a wider audience.
Property Naming
Staples Center was renamed Crypto.com Arena effective December 25, 2021.
Faze Clan x Rollbit | Source:
Decrypt
The Shift to Crypto Ads
The biggest esports disciplines, including CS2 (Counter-Strike 2), are rapidly embracing web3 sponsor advertising. For instance, FaZe Clan, one of the most prominent esports organizations, recently secured a multi-million-dollar partnership with Rollbit, a crypto casino and trading platform.
- Projects, in turn, rely on exchanges to attract users and liquidity.
- Exchanges expect projects to bring an existing community to generate buying pressure.
Ads for crypto products face two primary challenges:
This makes it essential for crypto projects to prioritize building credibility through high-quality content, transparent practices, and professional presentation.
Overcoming Platform Restrictions
Gradually, legacy online giants like Google are becoming more receptive to crypto advertising.
Google lifted its blanket ban in 2018, expanded to allow ads for DeFi wallets and exchanges in 2021, and most recently, opened the door to ads for ETFs (exchange-traded funds) in 2024.
Despite these hurdles, ads can be a game-changer for projects that learn to execute them effectively.
Ads as a Growth Engine
By using tailored ads across Google’s platforms like Search, Display, and YouTube, we can target high-intent audiences for you based on their behavior, such as website abandonment or video engagement.
With options like Dynamic Remarketing and Customer Match, we can also deliver personalized experiences for you that increase conversions, strengthen brand recall, and maximize ROI.
It’s about time for web3!
Did you know that Pudgy Penguins, one of the most successful OG PFP (profile picture) NFT collections, has been running a thriving TikTok account, sharing relatable life sketches for years?
Speaking of your presence on YouTube specifically, it remains an invaluable channel for storytelling.
For instance, the first-ever video explainer of Pendle—a crypto protocol that enables the tokenization and trading of future yield—broke down its complex financial architecture into simple terms for newcomers on their YouTube channel.
Remarketing
TikTok has emerged as a powerful platform for capturing the attention of younger audiences, which are very receptive to crypto offerings as their generation’s wealth-building opportunity, as well as web3 as a phenomenon.
With our guidance, you can take advantage of:
- Engaging video ads that highlight the utility of their product or token.
- Content shilling farms that amplify reach through organic and paid content.
Google-approved YouTube advertising, December 10.
With the help of Cryptorsy, your crypto project can:
- Create short animated teaser videos that explain your value proposition.
- Use Google Ads to target specific audiences and drive traffic to landing pages or apps (visit the section above for more info if skipped).
Effective advertising campaigns depend on well-designed landing pages and funnels that convert traffic into users.
This includes:
- Clear value propositions tailored to the audience.
- Easy onboarding processes, such as wallet integration or token purchases.
Source: Pendle YouTube Channel
Here’s the landing page we designed for our client,
Libera AI. Notice three key details:
- Socials prominently placed in the top right.
- Bold buttons for funnel continuation (‘Explore the Data’) and access to docs in the center.
- Crucial sponsors highlighted at the bottom.
TikTok Ads and Native Shilling
Here are the go-to destinations proven to be the most effective that Cryptorsy has been implementing with great success for web3 projects:
Don’t miss our thorough T2E trend breakdown
here.
Advertising crypto on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads can and should unlock access to billions of users.
However, it requires careful navigation of their policies that are still somewhat strict. These safeguards are there to ensure a secure environment while allowing legitimate projects to thrive.
Winning the Meta: Facebook, Instagram & Threads Ads
Strict Policies
Platforms like Google and Meta impose stringent guidelines for crypto-related advertising, limiting the number of projects that can successfully run campaigns.
$KISHU Inu’s NYC Times Square Billboard Ads | Source: Crypto Odin
X
YouTube Campaigns
To run ads, crypto startups must meet eligibility requirements avoid misleading claims, which is why you need a seasoned growth studio like Cryptorsy to navigate them. With our advanced targeting tools and Meta’s integration across both platforms, you can reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
By aligning with Facebook’s policies, crypto ads can drive real growth and build trust.
Remarketing in Google Ads deserves a separate mention too. For crypto projects today, it opens up a powerful way to reconnect with users who have already interacted with their landing page, dApp, or content.
Google Banner Ads
Landing Pages and Conversion Funnels
This structure delivers a powerful starting punch to drive Libera’s value prop home for retail investors.
Tracking user behavior across off-chain AND on-chain platforms is critical for optimizing campaigns.
At Cryptorsy, we use advanced AI-powered tools like Datai, spindl, Cookie3, Intract, Santiment, and others to gain deep insights into on-chain wallet behavior analytics, a crucial aspect of web3 marketing, while tailoring our approach to your project’s specific needs.
Exchanges Themselves
PR—or Public Relations—campaigns have traditionally been a go-to strategy for established web3 projects.
While PR can boost brand awareness, its impact on user acquisition is limited, especially for emerging products. PR works best for more mature companies and project like
OKX or
$BONK, where brand reputation strengthens user trust.
For early-stage startups, PR alone rarely translates to meaningful adoption.
On and Off-Chain Analytics: Combined
Want to Navigate 2025 Crypto Advertising Rules Effectively?
Some of the most successful web3 projects and memecoins have collaborated with exchanges to drive user adoption.
Crypto Advertising Cases to Study
By connecting actions (e.g., clicks, wallet connections, token purchases) to specific ad channels, projects can measure ROI and scale what works.
All key crypto CEXs without exception, be it Binance, Coinbase, Bybit, or even smaller ones like BingX and MEXC leverage on-chain analytics tools—which are not your typical Google Analytics gauges—to precisely target their ads to attract crypto token investors and traders and boost trading volumes.
Tripwire Funnels
A growing trend in web3 marketing is the use of tripwire funnels, where projects offer low-cost entry points (e.g., mini-courses, test products, or subscriptions).
Exchange Partnerships
In web3, building a great product is only half the equation, maybe even just a quarter.
A clear and scalable distribution strategy is what sets successful projects apart. Ads, when executed strategically, provide a sustainable growth path by driving user acquisition, building engaged communities, and validating business models.
For founders, benefiting from top 2025 crypto distribution strategies like ads campaigns is the key to thriving in the evolving crypto landscape.