Why Point Fingers When You’re Asking for Free Money?

One of the most frustrating aspects of building in Web3 is dealing with a community that gets upset over delayed token launches or unmet token promises - often holding projects to sky-high expectations, regardless of current market conditions.

Founders pour their blood and sweat into creating something meaningful, only to face unrealistic communities that stir up FUD over delayed TGEs.

Take Nostra and Phaver, for example - textbook cases of how to build strong, engaged communities committed to long-term success. They’ve stayed focused on consistent growth, strategic fundraising, and community building, rather than rushing token launches.

Nostra has earned a reputation as the fastest-growing protocol by TVL on Starknet, placing a bold bet on Layer 2 scalability long before the network was fully ready. Not only that, but Nostra was also among the first to introduce a points system when the concept was still in its infancy.

However, once the token was finally launched, airdrop farmers and community members voiced massive complaints about their allocations, feeling they were disproportionate to the asset’s value or the time they had invested in the protocol. This backlash was amplified by disillusionment from the relatively small Starknet airdrop, even though Nostra had no responsibility for those expectations or the ecosystem-wide sentiment.

This highlights a recurring issue in web3: unrealistic expectations from communities regarding token rewards, expectations often disconnected from the actual work being done by protocols to build long-term value.

Phaver recently faced a wave of FUD after announcing a delay in their promised TGE. Fortunately, they’ve built something few projects can claim—an all-star creator program. As a social app, Phaver knew early on that without users, there’s no activity, and without activity, the app is essentially “dead on arrival,” as Chris Comrie, Head of Creator Program, put it in a recent interview with me.

What’s driven Phaver’s massive engagement and over 500k downloads to date is their flagship creator program. Creators who are deeply invested in the app post regularly, build large followings, and contribute to a thriving ecosystem that is remarkably healthy for its current stage. And that’s what should really matter!

It’s no secret that one of web3’s biggest draws is the monetary opportunity behind product tokenization and the potential growth of a new asset class. But are we pushing too far by tolerating unrealistic FUD from those demanding instant token rewards?

Is this web3 social welfare—this demand for instant token gratification without regard for the hard work behind building something sustainable—even viable in the long run?

As marketers, we all know there’s always a trade-off between rapid growth and maintaining that delicate balance between loyalists and opportunists (yes, looking at you, airdrop hunters). Chasing high growth often attracts opportunistic users who are only in it for the quick rewards, but it risks alienating the true loyalists—the ones who genuinely believe in the project’s long-term vision.

Striking that balance is key: growth that attracts committed users, without over-relying on token incentives. Otherwise, you’re building a fragile foundation based on fleeting interest.

What's the latest in web3 marketing?

Pods now lets you add video versions of your podcast - catch Growth Stories there soon!

Towns, the onchain messaging platform, just launched after raising a cool $25.5M.

🇹🇭 AdEx is hosting a web3 marketing summit in Bangkok this November alongside MarketAcross.

Blueprint just wrapped up its first cohort. Ready to join the next one?

Unstoppable Domains shipped Sherlock Assistant, letting you explore on-chain portfolios as you browse the web.

We are launching our growth consultancy tackling full GTM strategies, brand positioning, content marketing, and token-launch LBP strategies (Growth on Farcaster included).

DM us on Farcaster or Telegram & let’s jumpstart your growth!