MasterClass Retrospective: More Crypto Influencer Insights from KOL Marketing Experts for 2025
From defining clear objectives to leveraging platform-specific strategies, our panel's advice provides a roadmap for brands looking to make an impact in Web3 and crypto.
In today’s competitive landscape, influencer marketing offers unparalleled opportunities to build brand awareness, engage audiences, and drive conversions. However, many brands struggle to maximize the potential of KOL marketing collaborations due to unclear objectives, mismatched strategies, or lack of trust.
The Lever.io Crypto Influencer Marketing Masterclass brought together industry experts Chase, Hector, CeeCee, and Art to share their insights on crafting campaigns that deliver measurable results.
From defining clear objectives to leveraging platform-specific strategies, their advice provides a roadmap for brands looking to make an impact in the Web3 and crypto spaces. If you'd like to peruse our past blog with the masterclass's "Greatest Hits," you can find the collection here:
Lever.io
In this article, Lever.io highlights some of the most insightful answers to questions posed during the seminar, and in the second section we'll highlight additional quotes from each speaker that resonate with influencer marketing in 2025.
Part 1: Crypto Influencer Marketing Q&A
Influencer marketing in the crypto space requires precision, creativity, and a deep understanding of both audience behaviors and platform dynamics. To help brands navigate this complex KOL landscape, the experts at the Lever.io Masterclass tackled pressing questions about common mistakes, platform-specific strategies, and trust-building techniques.
In this section, Chase, Hector, CeeCee, and Art share actionable insights, breaking down the dos and don’ts of crypto influencer campaigns. Their advice highlights how brands can avoid costly errors, leverage each platform’s strengths, and foster trust with their target audiences. Let’s dive into their responses.
What are the biggest mistakes brands make in influencer marketing?
- Chase: Brands fail to define objectives beyond views, leading to wasted ad spend. He says, “The biggest mistake brands make is they don’t know what they want… they just give money and think views, but they don’t know what they’re going for.”
- Hector: Hector points out that faceless content on TikTok lacks relatability, especially in crypto: “Not showing your face on short-form video formats is a big mistake… The easiest way you can stand out… is just to show your face.”
- CeeCee: Many brands approach Crypto Twitter as a broadcast platform rather than a two-way conversation tool, explains CeeCee: “You can’t come into a Twitter space and just shell yourself… you need someone in the community who can be your manager.”
- Art: Art explains that brands aiming for large volume over targeted action weaken campaign effectiveness. “Have a clear objective and ask from creators… It should be like, we’re trying to get followers or we’re getting users.”
What makes for a successful campaign on each platform?
- Chase: On YouTube, mid-roll ads are ideal for conversion, while dedicated videos are better for high-ticket or complex products: “Mid-roll ads are really good for conversions because… people that typically stay on a video till the middle or the end, they’re more likely to buy.”
- Hector: Hector emphasizes that TikTok videos need a strong hook, often connecting relatable trends to Web3 concepts. He recalls, “In the beginning, I talked about money… Fortnite earned $1 billion… and then I bridged it over to big-time and web through gaming.”
- CeeCee: Twitter campaigns benefit from storytelling and interactive content, encouraging participation over clicks. CeeCee states, “Start conversations, keep the brand visible while also building trust.”
- Art: Art suggests brands try different content formats across channels, using YouTube for depth and Twitter for quick updates, and then use data to determine what’s working: “Experiment and see… maybe you should do channel sponsorship, maybe mid-roll videos… maybe Twitter or TikTok.”
How can brands build trust in the crypto space?
- Chase: Chase suggests that brands need to clearly communicate goals to creators as they won’t necessarily guide the brand otherwise. “If the brand doesn’t want to waste their money, they have to know exactly what they want.”
- Hector: Hector advises educating audiences on crypto risks and common mistakes to build trust: “If you tell people what to avoid and show them what the bad things are out there, you can gain a lot of audience trust.”
- CeeCee: Engagement in replies and retweets on Twitter can deepen community trust, CeeCee notes. “You need to have a community manager… someone who can be your voice, and start building trust and provide value.”
- Art: Art stresses that brands should create a reliable update flow across platforms, with newsletters as the core channel: “Build a system, build a flow… so when you have news, 80% of your audience will see it.”
Part 2: More Potent Takeaways from KOL Marketing Experts
Crypto marketing is as much about precision as it is about creativity, and the Lever.io Masterclass experts delivered invaluable insights on both fronts. Beyond common pitfalls, the speakers dove deeper into the strategies and frameworks that make influencer campaigns thrive.
This section highlights their advanced tactics, from tailoring content to specific audience segments to leveraging platform dynamics for maximum impact. Whether you’re a brand seeking conversions, community growth, or trust, these takeaways offer actionable steps to elevate your marketing efforts.
Here’s what Chase, Hector, CeeCee, and Art had to share.
Chase
- Brand Objectives in Sponsorships: Chase points out that brands often approach sponsorships without clear goals, stating, “The biggest mistake brands make is they don’t know what they want from a sponsorship… they just think views, but the brand has to know exactly what they want from that ad spend.” Without this focus, much of their budget can go to waste.
- Effective Campaigns for Conversion: On YouTube, Chase recommends mid-roll ads, which he explains retain dedicated viewers, leading to higher conversions: “I think mid-roll ads are really good for conversions because… people that typically stay on a video till the middle or the end, they’re more dedicated to the creator so they’re more likely to buy.”
- Matching Content Type to Product: For high-ticket or complex products, Chase finds dedicated videos more effective. He says, “If you have a very complex, expensive product… make videos or content that goes directly to those people… For simpler or free products, a mid-roll in a popular video can work well.”
- Responsibility in Sponsorships: Chase emphasizes that brands, not creators, need to define campaign goals, as creators will simply follow the brief: “If the brand doesn’t want to waste their money, they have to know exactly what they want… If they’re clueless, the creator’s just gonna say, ‘okay.’”
Hector
- Face-to-Face Content on TikTok: Hector explains that faceless content is ineffective on TikTok, particularly in crypto: “Not showing your face on short-form video formats is a big mistake, especially in crypto… The fastest way to gain trust is just to show your face.”
- Engagement in Comments: He highlights the value of monitoring the comment section, stating, “I think it’s the brand’s responsibility to go into that video and reply to each of those follow-up questions… Those are leads that can be nurtured.”
- Storytelling for Virality: Hector describes his approach for drawing viewers in by connecting a Web3 project to familiar concepts, such as starting a video with, “Fortnite earned $1 billion from in-game purchases… What if you could bring that value outside of the game through NFTs?” This relatable hook led to millions of views.
- Building Trust: Hector emphasizes that educational content on crypto pitfalls resonates strongly with audiences: “If you tell people what to avoid and show them the bad things out there… you can gain a lot of trust.”
CeeCee
- Two-Way Engagement on Twitter: CeeCee believes Twitter should be used as a conversational tool. She explains, “Brands could benefit from focusing on a two-way engagement… aligning with creators’ tone, watching what works, and then following that.”
- Metrics for Community Growth: Rather than clicks, CeeCee advises brands to focus on deeper metrics: “Retention, participation in social shares… metrics like these should take precedence over just clicks.” She argues this approach builds stronger community ties.
- Content for All Knowledge Levels: CeeCee suggests brands create a range of content to reach both beginners and experts, sharing, “Always remember to have a rainbow spectrum of content… something for people who just discovered you today and for expert users.”
Art
- Structured Objectives for Campaigns: Art stresses the importance of clear, targeted campaign goals, advising brands to “not have too many actions” in a single campaign, and to be specific, e.g., “We’re trying to get followers to our Twitter or getting users.”
- Data Analytics in Strategy: Art recommends that brands balance Web3 and traditional analytics, sharing, “Web3 projects are oftentimes a little too gun-ho on Web3 analytics, but they’re not very kind of on regular analytics.”
- Audience Funnel and Systematic Updates: Art suggests brands build an organized update system across channels: “You have Twitter, you have Telegram, you have mailing lists… build it out so when you have a creator post, you can send it to the whole entire audience.”
Join Us For the Next Crypto KOL MasterClass!
The Lever.io Crypto Influencer Marketing Masterclass showcased how brands can navigate the nuanced world of KOL marketing with precision and purpose. By setting clear objectives, tailoring content to platforms, and building trust through engagement and education, brands can unlock the true potential of influencer collaborations in the Web3 and crypto space.
The insights shared by Chase, Hector, CeeCee, and Art offer not just a roadmap but a blueprint for success in 2025 and beyond. Whether you’re crafting campaigns for conversions, community growth, or brand awareness, their expertise highlights the value of strategy, adaptability, and authentic connections.
For brands eager to dive deeper into these actionable strategies, visit Lever.io’s MasterClass Clips to explore more transformative tips and advice. Let these insights propel your campaigns to new heights in the ever-evolving landscape of crypto influencer marketing.
We'll be hosting additional masterclasses in the future, so stay tuned for more!