How do Web3 projects enter the Chinese crypto market? KOL marketing full process analysis

Over the past few years, the Web3 world has rapidly expanded globally, but the potential of the Chinese-speaking market remains consistently underestimated. According to data from Messari and Chainalysis, in 2024, Asia accounted for over 45% of global on-chain active users, with the Greater China region (including mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) contributing approximately 26%, making it one of the largest single-language user groups worldwide.


Despite challenges such as complex regulations and cultural barriers, more localized and precise KOL collaboration strategies serve as an effective entry point for projects targeting the Chinese-speaking market. Compared to broad advertising or global campaign coverage, Chinese-speaking KOLs offer “trust-driven conversion” and “community activation,” serving as indispensable catalysts during stages like cold starts, pre-launch hype, airdrop tasks, mainnet launches, and incentivized growth.



Web3 Project Marketing Across Stages: How Chinese-Speaking KOLs Can Help?


Airdrop and Task Cold Start Stage


During the cold start phase, active users in the Chinese-speaking community are ideal seed users. For example, tasks on Zealy or Galxe, amplified through KOL tutorials and task reminders, can attract 5,000–30,000+ engaged users. Take zkLink Nova as an example: during the week of its task launch, tutorial-driven campaigns on Bilibili, Telegram, and Xiaohongshu boosted its Zealy campaign exposure to over one million.


🔹Recommended KOL Types: Task-oriented X accounts, Telegram traffic drivers, Bilibili tutorial video creators


💡 Budget and ROI Suggestions:

The cold start stage is suitable for scaled dissemination using small-to-mid-tier KOLs, with per-content budgets controlled at $100–$300. Measure efficiency with “cost per engaged user” and use retweet packages to expand reach, avoiding over-reliance on single points. View Free Quality KOL Resources



Testnet/Product Initial Launch Stage


Testnets often target technical users, but in the Chinese-speaking region, these users still expect “guided tutorials.” Through KOL hands-on tutorials and interactive experience sharing, projects can attract a larger scale of authentic testnet users.

For instance, during the testnet phase of LayerZero’s extension chain TapiocaDAO, Chinese video tutorials and interactive experience posts contributed nearly 20% of total engaged users.


🔹Recommended KOL Types: YouTube tutorial creators, X long-form experiential content creators


💡 Budget and ROI Suggestions:

The testnet stage focuses on “high-quality content + authentic interactions,” suitable for investing in 1–2 deep-dive KOLs costing $500+ each, paired with several mid-tier creators for distribution. ChainPeak offers a “KOL + retweet account” combo to extend content lifecycle and impact density. Get the ROI Boosting and Pitfall Avoidance Guide Now



Mainnet Launch / IDO / Exchange Listing Stage


The mainnet launch is a critical moment for brand awareness explosion. At this stage, Chinese-speaking KOLs can create buzz through “countdowns,” “airdrop tutorials,” and “roadmap infographics,” driving user participation in trading or community building.

For example, the public chain project Sonic (under Fantom) collaborated with 20 Chinese-speaking KOLs in the 7 days leading to its mainnet launch, achieving an average engagement rate 1.8 times higher than English posts, with Telegram group growth exceeding 30%.


🔹Recommended KOL Types: News-oriented accounts, trading experience KOLs, countdown reminder accounts


💡 Budget and ROI Suggestions:

During the launch phase, allocate budgets to high-engagement accounts ($300–$800/KOL) with short-term intensive campaigns (e.g., continuous buzz starting 3 days before launch). Use unified hashtags and materials for a cross-platform blitz effect, maximizing ROI within the conversion window.



Incentive Programs and User Growth Stage


After establishing an initial user base, the next challenge is boosting retention and activity. Here, the sustainability and credibility of Chinese-speaking KOL content play a pivotal role.

For instance, the AI project MindNetwork collaborated with ten KOLs during its incentive phase to produce “profit-tracking posts,” updating strategies and operations weekly, forming a sustained conversion loop. User return rates increased nearly 2 times.


🔹Recommended KOL Types: Profit review KOLs, strategy-sharing KOLs


💡 Budget and ROI Suggestions:

Incentive campaigns should focus on “low volume, high frequency,” prioritizing 1–2 deeply engaged “external explainer” KOLs with weekly updates and long-term partnerships for higher ROI than one-off bursts. ChainPeak can manage these KOLs monthly, reducing communication and execution costs.



Brand Communication and Long-Term Building Stage


A Web3 project’s brand isn’t built on one burst of hype but on multiple touchpoints. KOLs’ regular updates, in-depth interviews, AMA dialogues, and community penetration are key to accumulating trust assets in the Chinese-speaking market.ChainPeak has assisted over 300 projects, including BNB Chain, ZKFair, Tabi, Linea, Pendle, in building Chinese-speaking KOL matrices, enabling full-cycle synergy from early exposure to long-term maintenance.


🔹Recommended KOL Types: Interview-style content creators, long-term community-bound KOLs, YouTube in-depth creators


💡 Budget and ROI Suggestions:

Establish a quarterly brand budget to create a “fixed collaboration pool” with KOLs (e.g., monthly contracts) for more stability and efficiency than one-off campaigns. ChainPeak supports quarterly content planning and release scheduling to ensure consistent brand presence.



How to Select the Right KOLs?


Even with clear timing and sufficient budgets, choosing the wrong KOLs often leads to “apparent buzz but no conversions.” Based on experience with hundreds of projects, ChainPeak summarizes the following selection keys:


🔍 Engagement Rate Matters More Than Follower Count


Don’t be swayed by follower numbers. High-follower accounts with low engagement are often “bought followers + AI content” types. Effective KOLs have an average engagement rate (ER) of 1.5%–6%, with high-quality comments and credible retweet accounts. If the comment section is filled with spam or bot activity, even large follower counts are largely ineffective.


Unsure how to launch a project with KOLs? Get a Free Marketing Guide!


🔍 Ensure Audience Fit and Topic Relevance


You need not just “visibility” but “the right people seeing it.” DeFi protocols suit on-chain data or strategy KOLs; GameFi or meme projects align with entertaining, light-toned creators; L1/L2 infrastructure projects match deep-dive tutorial creators. Mismatched audiences render even brilliant content ineffective for conversions.


🔍 Prioritize Content Expression and Originality


Content quality determines the ceiling of impact. Quality KOLs produce structured long posts, interactive tutorials, project reviews, or opinion pieces independently, rather than mechanically copying promotional materials. ChainPeak recommends prioritizing KOLs who can “explain clearly” over those who merely “shout loudly.”


🔍 Match Platform Choice to Campaign Stage


Different platforms suit different goals. X is ideal for generating buzz during launches, pre-heating, or airdrop tasks; YouTube and Bilibili suit in-depth product logic explanations, especially during testnet or mainnet phases; Telegram excels for community maintenance and interaction; Xiaohongshu and Zhihu enhance brand perception and trust. Align KOLs’ primary platforms and content formats with campaign stages.


🔍 Evaluate Collaboration Attitude and Execution Efficiency


A slow-responding or procrastinating KOL can drag down the entire campaign rhythm. ChainPeak evaluates KOLs’ response speed, cooperation willingness, and flexibility before collaboration, establishing unified workflows to reduce project communication costs. Good KOLs execute quickly and optimize content based on feedback.


🔍 Value Historical Conversion Data


Many projects overlook “KOL past performance.” ChainPeak maintains effectiveness archives for each KOL, including served projects, content performance, exposure clicks, and community traffic. This data clarifies which KOLs suit airdrop tasks, trading conversions, or brand penetration.


If you’re unsure how to choose, share your goals, timeline, and budget with the ChainPeak team. We’ll recommend 3–5 best-matched KOLs, or schedule an online meeting to discuss details!



Summary


From airdrop cold starts and testnet promotion to mainnet launches, trading campaigns, and long-term incentive and brand building, Chinese-speaking KOLs provide multidimensional support at every stage. In the vast yet relatively insular Chinese-speaking market, the “trust dividend” of local KOLs forms the strongest bridge between projects and users.


As a professional Web3 marketing platform, ChainPeak integrates over 500 quality Chinese-speaking KOL resources across X, YouTube, Telegram, and more, supporting task-oriented, educational, FOMO-driven, and interview-style content to meet project stage needs and achieve campaign loops.


We not only provide lists and connections but also plan budget allocation strategies, performance evaluation mechanisms, and long-term collaboration systems, ensuring data-driven, rhythmic campaign execution.



FAQs


Q1: What is the typical budget range for Chinese-speaking KOL campaigns?

A: Depending on the platform and format, X content typically costs $100–$500 per post, and video content ranges from $300–$2,000. ChainPeak offers bundled packages, price negotiations, and unified billing services.


Q2: How to assess the quality and real influence of Chinese-speaking KOLs?

A: ChainPeak’s screening data includes authentic engagement rates, user regions, topic relevance, content quality, and historical collaboration feedback, filtering out “zombie accounts” and AI-generated content.


Q3: What are the advantages of promoting through ChainPeak?

A: As an agency, we have bulk negotiation capabilities, offering prices far lower than direct project collaborations. Long-term partnerships enjoy customized packages and annual discounts, saving over 30% in costs.


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