Five months in... my role has shifted from product ops to growth to marketing, and yeah, it feels like stirring a pot of chaos—but I’m loving it.
Watching old brands stumble to find new moats while new ones shout for attention only to vanish the next day is wild. But the best part of crypto marketing? It breaks down the usual corporate barriers around expression. Here, people have the freedom to speak their minds, and in a way, everyone becomes a marketer without even trying.
This freedom applies to both internal employees and external builders. And by internal, I don’t just mean the folks in comms—I’m talking about the technical experts, too. When these individuals show up online on their own terms, they become authentic faces of the product, naturally building trust. That’s what anchors the brand in ways traditional marketing can’t.
But of course, coordinating efforts is an art. You want to keep the brand voice cohesive, but also respect and elevate personalized and personable voices. Here are a few things that stand out to me about creating a brand that feels human and real:
1) Find authenticity in coordinated voices
Starting with those who unironically put “opinions are my own, not my employers” in their bio. They can be silly, critical, cynical, or bullpost all day—it’s fine, as long as they’re being real and bringing diverse voices from their team. If I spend a day scrolling X and all I hear is the same polished voice, I'm unfollowing 9 out of 10 people from the same org.
Sure, there’s a need for coordination—it’s about balancing flexibility with consistency. But ultimately, people follow authenticity. I’ve experienced this firsthand with Lunchbreak. Starting with 50 followers back in May, I’ve been grinding to find my voice. It takes time, but if all you do is repost content, you’re invisible. The key is getting people to follow you not just for information but for who you are.
2) Be a community influencer
Communities need leaders, anchors, advisors. If there's no such person who plays THAT clear role, the community will choose one. You may find yourself frequently solving similar issues coming from one particular builder group - lean into it, claim the leadership, show up and represent your people, and share learnings and excitement publicly. To do this, you may be BD, devRel, dev... literally anybody can step in.
Good community leaders move alongside their builders—not like a sheepdog herding from behind. If it’s too obvious you’re pushing an agenda, it starts to look like paid marketing. The goal is to be part of the community, shoulder to shoulder. Spark organic buzz. People will start spreading the word for you.
A great phenomenon I’ve noticed is the emergence of community members who you can’t easily tell are employees or just early believers. In the Base community especially, I’ve met several people where I had to ask, "Do you work at Base? Why are you doing this?" These folks serve as key contacts and community advisors, helping projects build on Base while lightening the load on Jesse and the rest of the team by growing the community from the ground up.
KOL culture isn’t going away anytime soon, but there’s plenty of room to improve it. Right now, it’s too promo-driven, and people are losing trust. Maybe this is our chance to reshape it and make it work the way it should.
3) Content for the sake of content, not for promo
(This serves as a more standalone point here) A brand shouldn’t just churn out content to promote a feature or product. Content should be constant and engaging—not overly calculated or strategic. Sure, boosting the brand is part of it, but that can’t be the only focus. The best content connects users, builders, and creators to culture, memes, and ideas that matter to them.
This can come from the team itself or from collaborating with creators who have a relatively unbiased voice. For example, Jenn (@jenndefer) is someone who understands how to do this well.
Got my first $USDC coffee, enabled by @coinbase and @base!
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(My own example of genuine content; made it because I mean it and I care)
Crypto marketing is messy, but that’s exactly where the magic happens. The brands that succeed here aren’t the ones sticking to a polished script—they’re the ones embracing the chaos, amplifying real people, and turning that raw energy into something powerful. It’s not about controlling the conversation; it’s about being part of it.
