Crypto KOL Survival Guide
Source: @Eli5defi
Compiled and organized by: bitPushNews
If you woke up today to find your timeline unusually quiet (or chaotic, depending on that mysterious algorithm), it's not your illusion.
The “InfoFi” ban is officially in effect. X (originally Twitter) has revoked API access to the “post-to-earn” (post-to-earn) apps we know (and some people love and hate), including Kaito, Cookie, Wallchain, Xet, etc.
Well, the “easy mode” is over. The harvest period is over.
We need to talk about Goodhart's Law: when an indicator becomes a goal, it's no longer a good indicator. We turned “response” into a goal, and by doing so, we turned our timeline into a Turing test where everyone was left out.
But what now?
Why did the bubble burst?
Let's be honest: the “attention economy” is suffering from hyperinflation. Apps like Kaito, Cookie, and Wallchain are trying to financialize attention.
In theory, it motivates activity. In practice, it creates a distorted incentive structure where “engagement” is decoupled from “value.”
We're not building a community; we're carrying out a distributed, human-driven DDoS attack on the notification bar.
X eventually realized that if they let a third-party app consume X users' dopamine, they would lose control of their ad inventory, and more importantly, lose real interactions and content on X. This is a battle for platform sovereignty.
Advantages (why this is a good thing for real creators)
Cleaner timelines and better user experience: No more endless AI spam, “gm” farms, or bot responses that clog up every post's response area. Real conversations can be breathed again.
Focus on quality over quantity: Projects and creators that rely on paid spam must now focus on real value. This creates a level playing field for real sound (less noise = more visibility for thoughtful content).
Forcing Web3 marketing to maturity: the “publish and earn” model is a short-term hack that makes quick money but burns communities and hurts long-term trust. This is driving us towards a more sustainable model.
Community relief: Many OGs and veteran users are celebrating (ZachXBT called it a “fact-based decision,” and even some creators saw it as a reset of Crypto Twitter).
Cons (painful reality)
Immediate economic shock: Tokens such as $KAITO, $COOKIE, and related NFTs plummeted by more than 15-20% overnight. Many creators (particularly in emerging markets) lost a real source of revenue because leaderboard rewards or campaigns came to an abrupt end with no possible compensation.
Disrupting growth strategies: Web3 projects love to use InfoFi for cheap viral distribution. Now without automated farming, it's harder to sell. The reach rate of cryptocurrency topics is likely to decline further.
Platform risk exposure: X can change the rules overnight (happen again). It reminds us that we are building a house on rented land. One policy update and your entire strategy falls apart.
Short-term chaos: The project side is shutting down features, activities are being suspended, and some creators are mourning the “gold rush” era that allowed them to earn rent through everyday posts.
What do we need to do from now on
X's InfoFi ban stirred things up, but it's opening a more structured and professional path for Web3 content creation. I see this as a driving force towards a true project/agency collaboration and a close-knit community of creators.
Many creators have begun to move in this direction, agencies are preparing to fill this gap, set up select networks, and the creator community is becoming a new hub for transactions and collaboration.
Here's the full updated walkthrough, with detailed steps for each point:
1. Double the investment in high-quality, high-signal content
Focus on deep analysis, threads, visual content, and real insights (which is what brought me to where I am today). If the content is human-created and valuable, X will still reward high-quality interactions.
Detailed steps:
Audit your posts from the past 30 days: Keep only posts with > 5% engagement or meaningful responses; delete or archive the rest.
Plan 3-5 highlights each week: (example: 10 tweets, threads/long posts/articles with graphs, simple analogies, or dissections).
Using Data Tools: Use @Dune, @DefiLlama, @getmoni_io, @nansen_ai, etc. for original insights rather than using machine-generated AI summaries.
Respond to interactions: Respond thoughtfully to every high-quality review within 24 hours to establish an authentic conversation.
Subscribe to High Quality Research: Subscribe like @fourpillarsFP, @shoalresearch, @oak_res_EN, @delphi_digital, etc. For the full list, see here: [https://x.com/i/lists/1956904918348190144)
Track results: Use X Analytics to see which formats (threads vs. polls vs. videos) bring in the most bookmarks/retweets.
2. Diversified platforms
Detailed steps:
Set up 1-2 new platforms: (e.g. Substack + YouTube); sync your best X content across these platforms.
Strategic cross-posting: *Share X posts with links backwards to X.
Set up a flagship channel: Various forms, such as starting a weekly YouTube/TikTok series (such as “5 Minute DeFi”) and promoting it everywhere.
Grow Telegram/Discord: * Create a free channel/group for exclusive updates and connecting with your audience.
3. Move to direct and sustainable monetization content
Start a private message (DM) to undertake a real brand/marketing deal (many projects will go here). Build your own audience flywheel: email list, personal website, or paid community.
Detailed steps:
Configuration tools: Create a Linktree and use Beehiiv or Substack to build an email list; you can try offering free products (such as the “DeFi Getting Started” PDF) in exchange. Find the method that works for you.
Market yourself or provide free exposure: take the initiative to extend an olive branch to the project.
Track revenue: Use a simple spreadsheet to record transactions, subscriptions, and expenses every month.
4. Join a marketing agency
The ban has killed unlicensed rewards spam, so brands/project parties will rely more on trusted agencies to distribute it. Top crypto/Web3 marketing agencies have established or expanded creator departments, and even Kaito seems to have embarked on this path through Kaito Studio.
Some of the top organizations I've worked with (in no particular order):
@TailoredWeb3, @radarblock, @GREEND0TS, @PinkBrains_io, @apcollective, @funhouse_la, @yaptradeDAO, @JELabs2024, @growgami, @LunarStrategy, @surgence_io
Detailed steps:
Build your media kit (Media Kit): aggregate data (number of followers, average engagement rate, segment focus), 3-5 best threads, past collaboration stories, and prices.
Research Agencies: Visit their website and check out their creator recruitment announcements to see if they have ongoing activities and market yourself to them.
5. Prioritize reputation and relationships
Offline activities, collaborate with like-minded creators, and create evergreen value that can be compounded (not daily spam).
Detailed steps:
Attend 1-2 events per quarter: Target conferences like Devcon, Token2049, or regional gatherings (check out Eventbrite or CryptoEvents).
Weekly collaboration: Connect 3 creators of the same size for a joint thread, cameo, or mutual promotion.
Set up a “Warm List” (Warm List): Record over 50 contacts (creators, founders, community managers) in a Notion document and indicate how you can help each other.
Focus on evergreen content: Restructure top threads into Notion pages, PDFs, or blog posts that live forever.
Prioritize altruism: Build goodwill by providing free value (e.g., tagging helpful people, sharing their work).
Disclaimer ON: If you receive a paid transaction, ensure that it is clearly disclosed, this ensures accountability and keeps your audience fully informed.
summed
The cryptocurrency industry is growing rapidly. In the future, models similar to InfoFi may appear on more friendly platforms. But the lesson is clear: never bet your farm on a centralized platform's incentives.
This can be painful in the short term, but in the long run? This is probably the best thing that can happen to Crypto Twitter. Real creators win when there is less noise and more signal.
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