Every time a bull cycle comes along, a new wave of blockchain startups hits the market, each convinced it will become the next big thing and redefine the space. But if you take a look back at the last five years or so, you will notice a clear trend. Most of the coins that are in the top 20 today are the exact same ones that were there back then, too (bar a few notable exceptions).
Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, ChainLink, BNB, Tron. All of these haven’t stood the test based on pure code alone. For many of them, they mastered the “boring” stuff. The fundamentals that draw in millions of new users and convince the ones that they already have to stick around.
Things like trust, story, content distribution, and a stubborn focus on their user base and audience help to keep them relevant and still dominating the crypto charts to this day. This post will distill down some of the main lessons that new blockchain brands can learn from these Web3 titans. That way, you can skip past the expensive and often fatal mistakes and get straight to the part where your product actually matters.
Start With a Simple Pain Point
What is it that your product or service does? What problem does it solve? Could you explain it to a 10-year-old? If not, you aren’t simplifying your message enough. People don’t have time to dilute complex messaging and read through reams of whitepapers.
When you get that small snapshot to show someone who you are, don’t miss your chance. Tell them, and speak clearly. For example, when Uniswap launched back in 2018, they didn’t put a great deal of focus on the intuitive code they built in their marketing campaigns. Instead, they gave people a simple hook: “Swap any token without asking anyone for permission.”
That idea spread faster and broadly than a whitepaper could. The lesson? The brands that win lead with the pain they remove, not the tech they bolt on. Write your opening paragraph for a stranger on a train who has thirty seconds before their stop. If they nod, you have a shot. If they blink, try again.
Build Trust Before You Need It
Trust in Web3 is earned in slow motion and lost in a single exploit. Binance understood this early. In 2019, when withdrawals froze for three hours, CZ live-tweeted every step, posted transaction hashes, and reimbursed users from the company’s own pocket.
That single afternoon bought more loyalty than a year of banner ads. If you are pre-launch, publish your multi-sig addresses, run open audits, and invite skeptics to criticize your GitHub. The goal is to create a reservoir of goodwill so deep that when (not if) something breaks, the community sticks around long enough to see the fix.
In an industry full of scams and deceit, you can get ahead of the rest by simply being who you say you are. If you make bold claims and say that your users are the most important thing to your company, back that up when the time comes. The crypto world has become more skeptical with age, but you can use that to your advantage if you can demonstrate integrity consistently.
Get Your Name Out There, Far and Wide
One of the most significant areas where Web3 brands fall short is content distribution. They put their head down, focus on code, and maybe post a few times a month on Twitter. That’s not enough. What pays is showing up in the places your following user already trusts.
Getting your brand name featured in crypto-native publications can do wonders. A single blockchain PR campaign that gets you featured in The Block or Decrypt does more than drive clicks, it stamps you as credible and trustworthy. You absolutely must take crypto public relations seriously, carefully cutting your brand image and ensuring that you’re seen in the right places, at the right time, with the right messaging.
Sure, that’s a lot easier said than done, but with the help of a blockchain marketing agency, you can let them take care of the strategy and the relationship management with journalists. This allows you to focus on developing your product and managing your team without having to deal with the constant grind of pitching stories or chasing down reporters yourself. The faster you establish a steady flow of coverage in trusted outlets, the quicker your brand moves from “just another startup” to a recognized player in Web3.
Obsess Over The Onboarding
In crypto, most of the drop off happens before the first transaction takes place. For many users, Web3 is still complex and feels risky. The on-ramp from the traditional web is not exactly smooth. Your onboarding experience is one of the most critical factors in your success.
Remove friction wherever you can. Make sign-up effortless with social logins or using their wallets, cover gas fees on the first action, and add a simple fiat on-ramp. Then design a quick “first win” that takes no more than a couple of minutes. This could be to swap a token, mint a free collectible, or send a small transfer to a friend. Once they've completed this step, celebrate their progress and guide them toward the next one, helping them build momentum from the start.
Final Word
While the space itself is complex and technical, the formula for finding success isn’t. Keep your message as simple as you can. Concentrate on building trust, get your brand featured in reputable publications through blockchain PR, and then make it as easy as you can for people to use what you sell.
Get these things right consistently, and you’ll already be head and shoulders above the rest. Your reputation will build quietly in the background while others are burning through cash chasing hype. Remember, the blockchain projects that stick around for the long term aren't the ones with the flashiest technology. They're the ones who genuinely improve their users' lives while earning their trust every single day.