Author: Stella L (stella@footprint.network)

Many Web3 projects consider Growthly to be just another quest platform. This misunderstanding stems from the prevalence of quest-based growth tools in the Web3 space. However, Growthly serves a fundamentally different purpose: it’s a viral marketing tool that helps projects build sustainable growth through their existing user base.

Web3 currently has about 5 million active users, compared to billions of Web2 users. This gap presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Traditional user acquisition through quest platforms often leads to temporary spikes in metrics but struggles with real user retention. Quest participants tend to move from one project to another, seeking rewards rather than becoming engaged users.

Viral marketing offers a different approach. Instead of relying on external platforms’ users, it leverages a project’s existing community to reach new, genuinely interested users. When done right, this method typically results in better user retention and lower acquisition costs.

For projects in their early stages with limited user bases, paid traffic from other platforms often seems like the only option. However, combining paid marketing with a project’s own platform(e.g. mini app) creates a more effective growth strategy. When users acquired through paid channels land in a project’s custom mini app environment rather than an external platform, they’re more likely to stay engaged. The familiar Telegram interface, coupled with the project’s branded experience and built-in viral sharing mechanisms, helps convert paid users into active community members who then bring in more users organically. This hybrid approach typically yields higher retention rates and better return on investment compared to purely paid acquisition strategies.

The main difference lies in the approach to user acquisition. Quest platforms focus on distributing tasks to their existing user base. This often results in high bot participation — typically 70–80% of participants — as users create multiple accounts to farm rewards.

Growthly, instead, helps projects activate their existing users to bring in new ones. It provides infrastructure for Web3 projects to create their own viral marketing campaigns. Through no-code tools, projects can create customized quests or mini apps, particularly on Telegram where many Web3 communities already exist. Built-in analytics help track real user behavior and campaign performance, allowing projects to understand and optimize their growth strategies.

For example, when Ton.AI used Growthly’s infrastructure, they didn’t just list tasks on a quest platform. Instead, they created a mini app that their users could easily share with friends, leading to 2.5 million users in three months with notably low acquisition costs.

This fundamental difference changes how projects should think about their growth strategy. With quest platforms, the focus is on creating attractive rewards to draw users from the platform. With Growthly, the focus shifts to designing engaging experiences that existing users will want to share with others.

Take the case of Matr1x Fire, Polygon’s top game. Rather than simply offering quest rewards, they used Growthly to develop a mini app that made it easy for current players to invite friends to join the game. This approach helped them maintain user engagement beyond the initial reward period.

Growthly now offers free access to its core tools, including Quest H5, SDK, and Telegram mini apps. Projects can quickly start with:

• Quest creation through the Growthly Business Portal.

• Choice of four template types: Cash Rally, Lucky Wheel, Lucky Draw, and Traditional Quest.

• Multiple deployment options including:

• Direct Link Sharing: Perfect for social media sharing and easy to integrate into existing marketing channels.

• SDK Embedding: Seamless integration with your existing app with customizable UI/UX.

• Telegram Mini App Creation: Increased visibility within the Telegram ecosystem.

The Web3 space is moving beyond simple task completion as a growth strategy. While quest platforms remain useful for specific purposes, sustainable growth requires tools that can help build genuine user communities. Understanding this distinction helps projects choose the right tools for their specific growth needs.

For Web3 projects considering their growth strategy, the key question isn’t just how to attract users, but how to build a self-sustaining community. This requires thinking beyond one-time rewards to create experiences worth sharing.

About Footprint Analytics

Footprint Analytics is a comprehensive blockchain data analytics platform that simplifies complex analysis for businesses and projects in the Web3 ecosystem. It offers tailored solutions that eliminate the need for extensive expertise and infrastructure maintenance. The platform provides long-term growth tools designed to help build and manage communities step by step, emphasizing sustainable growth and user loyalty. By combining powerful analytics with community management tools, Footprint Analytics enables projects to leverage blockchain data effectively for decision-making and growth strategies across various sectors including GameFi, NFT, and DeFi.

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