Influencer Marketing for Crypto Projects: What Works in 2025

The web3 marketing strategy has grown to rely heavily on influencer marketing, including in the fast-paced crypto world. By 2025, thousands of blockchain projects, DeFi protocols, and NFT collections will launch every quarter, and a whitepaper and some tweets will not make anyone stand out. It requires community, trust, and influence.

Crypt-native audiences are not interested in vain speculation. They seek social verification, integrity, and brand value congruency. What, then, do crypto start-ups need to do to capture hearts, minds, and wallets in this competitive attention economy?

Let’s break down what works in influencer marketing for crypto projects in 2025.

The State of Influencer Marketing in Crypto

The crypto space is mature, and so is its marketing. Those times are long gone when a tweet by a popular YouTube star could send the stock market into a frenzy. In 2023, crypto influencer marketing will require transparent disclosure policies, evidence-based decision-making, and narratives grounded in a community-based foundation.

Key developments shaping 2025’s landscape:

• Regulatory scrutiny: Influencer promotions must comply with disclosure laws, particularly in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Failing to disclose paid partnerships can lead to penalties or bans.

• Influencer vetting processes are now common. Projects work with agencies or internal teams to review credibility, past projects, and community growth rates before onboarding.

• Cross-platform strategy is crucial. Projects now run synchronized campaigns across X, Threads, YouTube, Telegram groups, Discord channels, and even TikTok, including Explainers & Trends.

This evolution means crypto influencer campaigns are becoming more like Web2 brand campaigns, but with the ethos of Web3.

Why Influencer Marketing Still Matters in Web3

Influencer marketing is effective for crypto due to the trust it fosters. With anonymous dev teams, early-stage tech, and volatile tokens, investors and users need some reassurance. Influencers provide:

• Social proof from someone their audience already follows
• Education through simplified content (especially for DeFi, NFTs, and complex tech)
• Community culture building around brand values and shared visions.

The best influencers are not just marketers, they’re community catalysts.

Understanding the Crypto Target Audience in 2025

Before launching campaigns, crypto projects must define their target audience. Here are four major segments emerging in 2025:

1. DeFi Degens: Care about Total Value Locked, smart contracts, yield, and trading alpha. Found on X, Discord, and Telegram.
2. NFT & GameFi Enthusiasts: Focused on NFT collections, play-to-earn, and digital identity. Active on TikTok, YouTube, and Discord.
3. Web3 Builders & DAO Contributors: Interested in blockchain projects, open-source tools, and community governance. Found on GitHub and developer channels.
4. Gen Z & Mainstream Entrants: Lured by trendy projects and user-friendly apps like Trust Wallet. Consume short-form content on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram.

Knowing your audience informs everything, from the influencers you choose to the tone of your messaging.

Platforms That Work Best for Crypto Influencer Campaigns

Before launching a campaign, you need to know where your audience lives. Different platforms serve different functions in the funnel, from hype generation to deep community engagement.

1. Twitter/X Threads & Shill Campaigns

• Still, the heartbeat of crypto conversations
• Ideal for micro-updates, shill threads, and quick influencer activations
• Popular formats: chart breakdowns, opinionated takes, meme replies

2. YouTube and Telegram

• YouTube remains unmatched for long-form educational content.
• Telegram excels in delivering updates, alpha, and call-to-action announcements.
• Influencers often run private or premium Telegram groups for early access.

3. TikTok Explainers & Trends

• Rising fast for reaching Gen Z and casual crypto users.
• 30-second explainers, wallet tutorials, or NFT memes go viral easily.
• Often used to spark wallet signups or allowlist campaigns.

4. Discord Channels

• A must for NFT, GameFi, or DAO communities.
• Influencer integration occurs here through AMA events, shoutouts, or early access drops.s
• Great for driving community building and loyalty

5. Twitter Spaces

• Live, interactive, and trending
• Used for project intros, partnership reveals, or market commentary
• Ideal for influencer outreach combined with community engagement

Types of Influencer Campaigns That Work

Not all influencer campaigns are created equal. The most effective ones align with your project’s goals, audience preferences, and platform dynamics. Here are proven formats that work for Web3 in 2025:

1. Education-First Campaigns

Explainers on how a DeFi protocol works or how to mint an NFT resonate more than generic “go buy this coin” posts. Especially when launching new tech like wallet connections, ZK chains, or on-chain identity.

2. Narrative & Story-Based Threads

Influencers telling a project’s story on Twitter or Threads help create an emotional connection and hype. Great for crypto project pre-launches and smart contract use cases.

3. AMA & Town Halls

Run through Discord, Telegram groups, or Twitter Spaces, which offer transparency and create a sense of belonging. Bonus: it builds social proof organically.

4. Airdrop or Whitelist Shills

Influencers create hype around eligibility, pushing wallet signups or early DApp interactions. Just ensure legal disclosure requirements are met.

5. Native Community Integration

Hiring micro-influencers already embedded in niche ecosystems yields a higher ROI than hiring mega-influencers with generic audiences.

Choosing the Right Influencer Agency in 2025

If you’re not managing influencer marketing in-house, you’ll likely work with a crypto influencer agency. But not all are created equal. Key players offer comprehensive, full-service options that include strategy, outreach, performance tracking, and more.

Checklist when selecting an agency:

• Do they offer influencer vetting processes?
• Can they provide performance tracking methodologies beyond likes and impressions?
• Do they handle influencer outreach, contracts, and disclosure requirements?
• Do they understand the regulatory landscape of your launch regions?
• Can they act as a single point of contact to avoid approval bottlenecks?

Look for firms that are Web3-native and not just Web2 marketers in disguise.

Key Metrics to Track Campaign Performance

Performance in 2025 isn’t just about impressions. Web3 teams now measure:

• Wallet signups or app installations
• Community growth rates (Discord, Telegram)
• Engagement on X/Twitter Threads, Spaces, or AMAs
• Conversion to real on-chain actions 
• ROI figures based on influencer tier, campaign cost, and on-chain impact

Utilize tools such as Dune dashboards, DeBank analytics, and internal CRM tracking to measure success.

Real-World Examples of What’s Working

To better understand what works in 2025, let’s examine real-world campaigns that effectively combine storytelling, performance metrics, and community alignment. These examples highlight how strategic influencer marketing can drive measurable results.

1. Trust Wallet’s TikTok Explainers

Short videos that walk users through setting up wallets drove over 250,000 downloads in a month with minimal ad spend. Collaborated with micro TikTok influencers in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

2. NFT Collection Twitter Spaces Pre-Launch

A Solana-based PFP project ran 15 Spaces with micro-influencers weeks before minting, resulting in organic Discord growth from 0 to 30,000 members with no paid ads.

3. DeFi Protocol Twitter Shill Threads

A Layer 2 protocol utilized over 50 influencers to post synchronized “Why I’m bullish on X” threads. Included call-to-actions tied to airdrops, boosting TVL by $25M in 72 hours.

Best Practices for Influencer Activations

To get the most out of influencer collaborations, it’s not enough to pick the right person; you need to activate them effectively. Here are the best practices that top crypto projects follow to ensure smooth, high-impact campaigns:

• Onboard them early: Include influencers in alpha tests, beta invites, or tokenomics feedback.
• Give creative freedom: The best content feels native to the influencer’s style.
• Use content bundles: Provide visuals, CTAs, timelines, but don’t script every word.
• Track performance live: Use wallet activity or smart contract interactions as KPIs.
• Reward over time: Consider staking-based influencer incentives for long-term alignment.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Even the best strategies can fall flat without proper execution. Here are the most common mistakes crypto projects make when running influencer campaigns, and how to avoid them:

• Unquestioningly hiring big names with fake engagement.
• Over-promising on the roadmap or the token value
• Not aligning influencer tone with brand values.
• Ignoring disclosure requirements
• Running one-time campaigns with no follow-up or community engagement

Future Trends in Influencer Marketing

As the Web3 ecosystem evolves, so do the strategies behind influencer marketing. Here’s what’s on the horizon in 2025 and beyond, emerging trends that forward-thinking crypto projects are already exploring:

1. Tokenized Incentives for Influencers: Performance-based rewards in tokens, vested staking, or NFTs.
2. DAO-Based Influencer Collaboration: The DAO votes on influencer partnerships, aligning community interests and values.
3. Wallet-Based Campaign Attribution Tracking campaign performance via wallet analytics, not UTM links.
4. Full-funnel integration from TikTok awareness to Twitter Spaces to Discord onboarding, all tracked and optimized.

Final Thoughts

Influencer marketing in 2025 is not just a channel of advertising, but rather the infrastructure of the community. When used strategically, your influencers will become the ambassadors of your project, the teachers, the verifiers, and the constructors. They are included in your on-chain story.

The most successful crypto projects are not only conducting influencer campaigns; they are also building an ecosystem of trust, transparency, and mutual interests.

Regardless of whether you plan to release an NFT set, develop a DeFi protocol, or scale a blockchain project, an effective approach to influencers might be all it takes to make the difference between going viral and being overlooked entirely. Influencers are involved at every level of the crypto funnel, including onboarding a community, acquiring developers, and promoting token utility.

Remember: it’s not about shills. It’s about building trust, one wallet at a time. In Web3, trust is your most valuable asset.