How to Nail Your Token Launch: A Marketing Playbook for Crypto Startups

The original version of this article was published in Forbes in August 2025.

Launching a token is a high-stakes moment that requires tight coordination across marketing, community, legal, ops and product departments. You may be a B2B software business, but if you are launching a token, you are now also a B2C startup with a retail audience.

Despite the billions raised in this space, I’ve seen too many teams fumble their launch marketing playbook. You get one shot to launch your token, so don’t screw it up. Based on my experience helping over 40 projects (Solana, Flow, Peaq, WalletConnect, Ondo, etc.) launch tokens, here’s a high level marketing playbook to guide your token launch.

1. Establish product-market fit before launching a token.

Most crypto startups have a core product and a token — do not confuse the two. Your product likely fixes a problem, adds value to the user, and would probably be used without a token. Your token, on the other hand, is a tool for coordination, incentives, and growth.

Unless a token is absolutely necessary for the functionality of the product (primarily true only for infrastructure projects), the most common use of a token is to effectively bootstrap user acquisition, and ultimately, for exit liquidity. 

If your product doesn’t require a token to function, focus on achieving product-market fit (PMF) first. Launching a token too early can distort user behavior, lock in flawed assumptions, and mask deeper product issues. Incentives might drive short-term growth, but they won’t fix a product that doesn’t resonate.

I’ve seen it countless times: A token launch brings a wave of users, but without PMF, engagement falls off a cliff when the incentives dry up. Launching a token before finding PMF is like pouring gas on an engine that doesn’t run. Tokens work best when layered on top of a product that already delivers value.

2. Craft a story people actually understand.

Your business has two distinct target audiences: people who use your product and people that will buy your token. To connect with them, drop the jargon and start with the basics:

• Why does your project matter?
• Who does it matter to?
• What’s the core message?
• How do you plan to distribute that message?

Once you have that, tell your story, and your user stories — again and again. In a world drowning in attention fragmentation, clarity and consistency wins. 

A great product means nothing if you can’t explain it simply. If you’re a technical founder struggling with messaging, hire someone who isn’t. Your token launch literally depends on it.

A compelling story also opens doors with press. Secure media coverage before your token launch: funding rounds, token sales, product launches and major wins deserve exclusives with big names in the media space, like CoinDesk or The Block. For smaller updates, use newswires or lean on investors and partners to amplify the message.

If you don’t have media connections, tap your investors and partners for introductions, or hire a PR firm, but skip the bloated $20k retainers. Find a PR team that is willing to get paid for actual results, not fluff. 

3. Supercharge user acquisition.

User acquisition, especially in the token space, is extremely difficult for two reasons. One, there are very few new users. Two, most projects have no clue how to acquire users, track engagement or measure where growth comes from. Ask about LTV or CAC, and you’ll usually get blank stares.

Don’t try to be massive at the start—a smaller number of evangelists are more important to the success of your project than numerous detached users. With Web 2.0 growth channels failing, incentivized reward campaigns (testnets, quests, point programs) have become the de facto ad units. But these only work if they’re targeted and optimized to your priorities. Consider the following:

• Consumer app? Go after retail users.
• Dev platform? Focus on developers and validators.
• DeFi app? Target active traders.

Don’t lean too heavily on platforms like Galaxy, Layer3 or Zealy early on. They’re great for scaling, but not for seeding your community. Early growth is your job and cannot be outsourced.

When you do run these quest campaigns, incentivize real engagement: staking, swapping, lending and active governance, not meaningless vanity metrics like social follows.

Exchanges and investors will look at your numbers, but they won’t be duped by vanity metrics. Don’t do it.

4. Activate KOLs.

Meet users where they are. In my industry, due to the lack of mainstream ad channels, that means KOLs (key opinion leaders). As launch nears, tap trusted influencers to build hype and reach native audiences.

Start with educational content to build credibility, then shift to conversion-focused messaging as momentum builds. During the launch, activate top-tier KOLs across regions and languages, including English, Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and Spanish.

Not all KOLs are created equal. Influence is generally a function of reach (follower count) multiplied by credibility. The best influencers will rarely be willing to burn their influence for money. They promote what boosts their own reputation and helps followers make money.

Make sure your KOLs have real traffic, not bots.

Red flags to watch out for include a large number of followers but low impressions and engagement on tweets, activity spikes followed by silence, repetitive tweet replies and no mutual followers. Use tools like Kaito or Cookie3 to check credibility.

And remember, KOLs matter just as much at TGE (token generation event) as they do during a token sale, when creating buy pressure on your token becomes critical.

5. Ramp up BD and partnership efforts.

Integrating with other crypto projects is a massive growth channel to activate pre-token launch. In many ways, it is easier to secure partnerships with other projects, exchanges and market makers before you have a live token. Once you have a token with transparent metrics and revenue, it’s never enough.

Team up with projects that have a similar group of users or target market so you can take advantage of their community and momentum. Whether it's a DeFi or DePIN integration, a gaming guild alliance or a co-marketing push with another L1/L2, partnerships can create a lot of buzz. Say yes to the joint Twitter Space, social media push or event.

Get the most juice out of every collaboration.

A poorly executed token launch can kill your product and user acquisition. A well-executed launch, on the other hand, can supercharge both of those things. Treat your token launch like the high-stakes moment it is, and you may be rewarded.

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