How to Build Successful KOL Campaigns in 2026

Lever.io

09 Dec 2025 • 6 min read

The Lever Campaign Guide: Part 1 | Do This, You Succeed

Think of this article as the "reverse KOL brief." Instead of telling creators what to do, we're telling you (the project) how to structure a campaign that actually works.

Here's the truth: you're 90% ready to launch a campaign right now, or it's never going to happen. You don't need to wait for the perfect moment, the perfect messaging, or the perfect market conditions.

You just need to follow this framework. The time is now. Let's launch campaigns.

In Part 1: Steps 1-4 guide you through the early stages of campaign planning
In Part 2: Steps 5-8 provide the highest ROI execution stages

Step 1. Clarify Your Campaign Objective (Pick One and Move)

Hand selecting from cards labeled Awareness, Education, Narrative Reset, Engagement, and Community Building to define a campaign objective.

Here's the most common mistake we see at Lever: projects trying to do everything at once.

They want awareness and education and user acquisition and community growth and liquidity all in the same campaign.

💡

Pro Tip: Strong campaigns focus on one dominant objective.

Pick yours right now.

Primary Goal Options:

Awareness: Get your name in front of the right people: builders, traders, investors, or ecosystems you're targeting. This is about reach and recognition.
Education: Explain what you do, why it matters, and how it works. Ideal for complex products, new protocols, or technical innovations that need unpacking.
Acquisition: Drive specific actions: sign-ups, testnet participation, wallet connections, platform onboarding. This is top-of-funnel conversion.
Engagement: Deepen relationships with existing users. Encourage deposits, staking, governance participation, or on-platform activity.
Narrative Reset: Re-introduce your project after a major upgrade, pivot, rebrand, or market repositioning. This is about changing perception.
Community Building: Attract the right people to your Discord, Telegram, or governance forums. Quality over volume.

📈 Your move: Pick your primary goal right now. Write it down. That's 90% of the work. If you're building something, you already know what you need: awareness, users, or engagement. Choose one and keep moving.

Step 2. Define Your Audience (You Already Know Who They Are)

A wall covered in colorful Post-It notes organizing crypto user segments such as Builders, Traders, Testnet Hunters, and Long-Term Believers.

"We're targeting crypto users."

We hear this constantly. And it's useless.

💡

Pro Tip: You cannot target your users if you can't describe them. But here's the thing: you already know who they are.

You know what chain they use.
You know what sector they care about.
You know what problems they have.

You built your product for someone. Describe that person in two sentences and you're halfway there.

Audience Dimensions to Define:

Ecosystem: Are you Solana-native? Ethereum-focused? Multi-chain? Base? Arbitrum? This determines which creator communities you tap into.
Sector: DeFi, gaming, infrastructure, RWAs, AI, SocialFi, NFTs, L1/L2s, modular stacks. Each has distinct audiences with different priorities.
User Dimensions: Are you targeting degens hunting 100x plays? Builders evaluating tech stacks? Risk-averse investors seeking yield? Long-term believers in your narrative?
User Behavior: Active traders? Passive holders? Testnet hunters? Governance participants? People who try new protocols early?
Geography (if relevant): US/EU markets behave differently than LatAm, SEA, India, or Africa. If location matters, say so.

📈 Your move: Write 2-3 sentences. You already know this. You've been thinking about your users for months. Put it on paper, and st.

Step 3. Write Your Core Message

A notebook showing a hand-drawn messaging pyramid with Core Message, Differentiators, and Proof Points, illustrating how to craft campaign messaging.

You need to define 2-3 anchor messages that content should reinforce.

If you don't already know what they are, Lever will help you figure it out (Schedule a Call to begin brainstorming).

💡

Pro Tip: Think about how you describe your project to a friend, to an investor, to a user. That's your message. Clean it up, make it punchy, and you're already speaking to the market!

Message Framework:

Your core message should be:

Simple (one sentence)
Differentiated (not generic)
Repeatable (creators can say it in their own voice)
Proof-backed (tied to features, metrics, or outcomes)

📈 Your move: Write 2-3 sentences that capture what makes you different. If you can explain it at a bar, you can explain it in a campaign. Write it down.

Step 4. Choose Your Content Mix (Layer It, Don't Overthink It)

Printed social posts and labels for Awareness, Education, and Trust content types arranged on a desk to show layered KOL content strategy.

One YouTube video is not a campaign. One Twitter thread is not a strategy.

Effective campaigns layer content types to move audiences through awareness >> interest >> trust >> action.

💡

Pro Tip: You don't need a PhD in media buying. You just need to understand that different content serves different purposes, and you want a mix.

Content Strategy Framework

Awareness content gets eyeballs. Education content builds understanding. Trust content drives action.

Projects that only buy one deliverable type get incomplete results. Projects that layer content over 3-4 weeks get compounding momentum and measurably better ROI.

Top of Funnel (Awareness & Reach):

High-reach YouTube explainers (50K+ creators)
Viral Twitter/X posts from influencers with engaged followings
POV-style takes: "Why [Your Project] might be underrated"
Ecosystem roundups: "Top 5 Solana projects to watch"

Mid Funnel (Education & Engagement):

In-depth Twitter threads breaking down your tech, flywheel, or strategy
YouTube deep-dives (20-40 min) with founders or builders
Twitter Spaces with credible hosts and guest analysts
Creator debates or comparisons with competitors

Bottom Funnel (Trust & Conversion):

Founder interviews with trusted KOLs
How-to walkthroughs: "Here's exactly how to use [Product]"
AMAs with real questions, real answers
Community-driven content from respected voices

📈 Your move: You want at least one piece of content in each category. Start with what's easiest to produce and build from there. Don't wait for the perfect mix. Launch, learn, and adjust.

Why Lever Gives You a Massive Advantage Over DIY Campaigns

A computer monitor displaying a comparison chart between DIY campaigns and Lever-managed campaigns, highlighting automation and insights.

If you feel like you're:

Trying to re-invent the wheel
Spending too much time on dead ends (time = budget)
Working through uncertainty

Lever fixes that.

Lever.io gives you:

✅ Strategic guidance

✅ Faster campaign launch (hours, not weeks)

✅ Pre-negotiated KOL rates (best market pricing)

✅ Escrow-protected payments (zero risk)

✅ Verified creators with performance history

✅ Data-driven matching (fit score)

✅ Creator reliability tracking

✅ Full transparency (you're always looped in)

Your campaign is not just a "post." It's a coordinated, data-driven operation, and Lever gives you the structure, speed, and protection to execute it correctly.

You're Here. You're Ready. LFG!

A hand pressing a large red “Launch Campaign” button with a rocket taking off in the background, symbolizing starting a KOL campaign.

There's no perfect time to launch a campaign.

The market will never be "ideal." Your messaging will never feel "complete." Your roadmap will always have one more feature you wish was live.

But here's what's true: you're building something. People need to know about it. And the best way to reach them is through trusted voices in your ecosystem.

This guide gives you everything you need to structure a high-performance campaign.

You don't need to be a marketing expert.
You don't need a massive budget.
You don't need to wait.

You just need to make decisions, trust the process, and start hiring creators.

The projects that win in 2026 won't be the ones with perfect campaigns. They'll be the ones that launch, learn, and keep moving.

Let's Launch

Start hiring Web3 creators on Lever.io.

We handle the creator vetting, the pricing, the escrow, the performance tracking, and the strategy. You get the results.

Stop waiting. Start building. Let's make 2026 your breakout year.