If the future of crypto is consumer, the future of marketing is CGC (Creator-Generated Content) and UGC (User-Generated Content). In a world where 200 million people want to make money as content creators, Web3 should evolve into the creative frontier. It should be an open playground where companies focus on empowering creators with new pathways for content, distribution, and profit. It needs to start with:
Redistribution of marketing funding toward CGC and UGC content.
Building protocols that enable creators to explore new forms of content, monetization and distribution.
This article will focus on #1—why consumer crypto marketing must embrace CGC and UGC—and how these approaches can drive mass adoption, not just temporary buzz.
The Creative Impartive
At its core, this shift is about the fundamental nature of creation. Creativity isn't just an activity—it's a defining trait of humanity. For centuries, we've thrived on our ability to express ourselves, build, and share ideas. It's how we continue to survive and evolve. The internet is our latest and most powerful tool for fostering creativity. It allows people to express themselves in countless ways and share those expressions instantly across the globe.
Creating isn't just for "influencers" anymore—it's becoming a way of life for millions. Every day, more people are tapping into their creative sides as an outlet. This shift in "being" is reshaping how we function as a society. This new way of "being" is intrinsically linked to a way of "producing." The end result? Value. Sometimes it's money, sometimes it's status, connection, or attention.
Think about it: in a world where creativity is currency, shouldn't our marketing strategies reflect that? It's time for crypto to stop shouting into the void and start fostering genuine creative expressions.
We have the funds. We have the tech. Now, let's put them to work in a way that resonates with how people actually live and create in the digital age.
Crypto's Creative Crossroads
The way we approach marketing in the crypto space should reflect this human need for connection. Crypto sits at the forefront of technological innovation, and with that comes a responsibility to push beyond the typical marketing strategies that have saturated the space.
This is where authenticity becomes crucial.
In a world overwhelmed by staged, artificial online experiences, consumers are demanding more genuine content. They want the “real.” They want to see people, not brands. In fact, a recent trend has shown a shift away from selfies toward sharing deeper, more meaningful content like what people are reading, watching, or experiencing in their daily lives. As Shelf's founder Jad Esber said in a recent interview:
"Culture is shifting away from surface-level posts to deeper expressions of who we are. It’s about connection, not curation."
As this cultural shift continues, the crypto industry will need to adapt. People are craving connection, and this will play a vital role in how people respond to your offer. The shift toward lifestyle clubs, away from dating apps, and into more balanced, real-life interactions also highlights a broader societal trending toward more connection based activities.
The Hippo In The Room
The problem today is rather than reaching new audiences, we recycle content creators and content themes native our own ecosystem. Outside of gaming, few companies are actively creating content that appeals to a net new audience.
Web3 content is in a rebirth stage. Old, unhealthy marketing practices—like relying heavily on PFP-toting KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and airdrops —are dying out. These approaches won’t drive mass adoption, just mass rugging.
Audiences want to relate to creators on a personal level. They resonate with faces and stories, not profile pictures or anonymous avatars. PFPs can’t build the trust needed for mainstream adoption, but relatable creators and relatable stories can.
When we emphasize building relationships before optimizing for transactions, we establish the affordance for happy customers to emerge more organically - Andre Chaperon
Hard Pills To Swallow
Here are some fundamental changes the industry needs to embrace:
1. No more anon founders for consumer brands:
We need to stop letting regular people get scammed by projects with anonymous founders. The masses don’t want to get rugged—it’s not a joke to them. We’ve seen what happens when anon projects take off (just look at Friend.tech).
2. TGE marketing must die a slow death:
Founders are often pressured to meet TGE (Token Generation Event) goals, focusing on short-term investor appeasement rather than long-term community growth. The typical TGE/airdrop combo is shortsighted. It’s not sustainable. The future lies in consistent value creation, not cyclical hype.
3. Relying on KOLs for token pumps can turn you into a one cycle project:
Token pumping does not equal real consumer engagement or real users. We can no longer fund, endorse or promote content glorifying token prices. We have to build great shit and learn to sit on our hands when we want to FOMO into those FOMO based marketing techniques. The truth is, we’re punishing ourselves by pretending marketing is linear—it’s not, and it never will be, because people aren’t.
4.Stop making content for your crypto besties:
Too much of today’s crypto content is unconsciously made for insiders and targeted at those already familiar with the space and culture. Crypto companies need to recognize that the audience they need to win over isn’t the one already inside the ecosystem—it’s the millions waiting just outside of it. To expand the user base, content needs to speak to those outside the crypto bubble—people looking for connection, opportunity, or a lifestyle shift.
On Consumer Adoption
In Luca Netz’s recent article on consumer crypto, he highlights that the first phase of adoption hinges on discretionary spending—a key factor in making mass adoption more tangible. He explains that businesses targeting discretionary spending naturally align with experiences that are fun and enjoyable. Part of this alignment means that the marketing and content must also reflect that sense of fun and excitement.
This is where CGC and UGC come into play. These content types are crucial for driving consumer adoption because they tap into lifestyles people are already familiar with, like betting. Take Polymarket for example—people can engage with prediction markets because they feel intuitive, not because they have to learn new technical jargon or dive deep into complex DeFi concepts. It’s far easier to adopt something that feels natural than to grapple with learning new behaviors or navigating dense terminology.
The power of CGC and UGC lies in their ability to build bridges for consumers who may not fully understand crypto but are willing to engage with it when it resonates with their existing lifestyle. This kind of content reflects a vibe that draws people in, rather than focusing solely on the technical or token-driven aspects of the space.
CGC & UGC: The Future of Crypto Marketing
We all know and are anticipating (mostly praying for) another bull run soon, millions are about to flow into marketing again—what’s your move to ensure it’s spent where it counts?
My bet is UGC and CGC.
Over time, the perception of your brand evolves based on how your community retells your story. And in that case, growth and community teams have a beautiful opportunity to leverage CCG to build authority and UGC for wider distribution.
CGC is incentivized financially. It’s higher-quality, aligned with brand messaging, and driven by professional creators.
Content Types: Educational posts, live events (online or IRL), entertainment content, lifestyle, thought leadership—high editing and storytelling quality crafted content that aligns with your brand and builds authority.
UGC is organic and rooted in real product experiences. It’s authentic, unfiltered content from people who naturally influence their communities, cultures, and local geographies.
Content Types: Testimonials, social proof, reviews, demos, and memes—sometimes less polished, but powerful enough to build credibility and reflect the lifestyle your brand stands for.
Test It Out
Or as they say, put your money where your mouth is. As marketers, we know a hypothesis is just a cute lil' idea until we test it. Once we decide to test, it's important to soft launch and keep expectations in check before going all in with a strategy. This month at Umoja, we did just that.
For background, Umoja is a structured finance protocol. We make Smartcoins that are low-risk and yield-bearing, powered by automated trading strategies.
We recently launched The Factory, our take on community building, community incentives, and Web3 questing where $3k in rewards are up for grabs every round. At The Factory, community members can complete shifts (or quests) that consist of tasks that earn them Umojis (our version of community engagement points). A portion of the tasks are modeled as content briefs with prompts to guide our community in content creation for Umoja.
The content spans a wide spectrum, including:
Product reviews
Educational explainers
Entertainment pieces
Brand lore and storytelling
Personal narratives and aspirations
The Results
We're currently wrapping up Round 2 of The Factory, our ongoing experiment in community-driven content creation. This 7-day round alone has generated over 763 posts on X with the hashtag #TheFactory, not to mention the content created on other platforms like YouTube Shorts and TikTok.
But we're just getting started. We're constantly refining our approach, tweaking incentives, and exploring new ways to inspire even better content from our community. It's a learning process, and each round teaches us something new about engaging creators and users effectively.
Now, consider this: many companies are paying top dollar to KOLs for a single post. Meanwhile, we're fostering a vibrant ecosystem of authentic, diverse content at a fraction of the cost. Let's break it down:
Traditional approach: $3,000 for a single KOL video
Our approach: $3,000 invested in The Factory resulted in:
Over 763 posts on X alone
Additional content on YouTube Shorts and TikTok
Tons of real replies to our X posts
Strong community feedback loops
The potential here is enormous, but it requires dedication and a willingness to experiment.
The Budget is There—So Use It...Right
Crypto companies are well-funded compared to many others. The way they spend their money needs to be shifted dramatically and someone is going to have the balls to do it first. Start with this:
Your brand story: It doesn’t need to be some intricate, lore-filled narrative. Keep it simple and relatable. Find easy, straightforward ways to help your audience connect with your brand. Storytelling makes your brand more accessible and gives people multiple entry points to relate.
Small, sub-20k accounts matter most: Small, niche creators with high-impact, evergreen content often influence behavior more than big-name influencers who just show up around token launches. And let’s be honest—if you’ve been in crypto long enough, you know the big influencers usually take their cues from smaller accounts anyway.
Think of KOLs as distribution hubs: KOLs aren’t going to disappear completely in the next cycle—they’ll be hanging on. But for now, think of their accounts as distribution hubs for vanity metrics. They’ll give you the "reach", but don’t confuse that with real engagement.
Track everything: Follow the entire journey, from content engagement to wallet interaction. You need to know exactly which creators and content types are driving conversions so you can double down on what works.
Change is hard but it's inevitable. We can't avoid it but we can get in front of it. There will be bumps in the road along the way because it's uncharted territory but over all a better path forward.
Connection and community have always been the core drivers of crypto culture, and they will continue to be.
CGC and UGC offer crypto companies the chance to build more than just one cycle hype—they offer the chance to build real, lasting relationships with users. When creators and users, not just KOLs, shape the culture through CGC and UGC, they transform tokenized platforms from mere financial tools into vibrant, human-centric ecosystems—paving the way for true mass adoption in the crypto space.
