2026 Web3 Marketing Playbook | Predictions
Jan 8, 2026
1. Write X articles.
Just kidding.
Your feed is probably already full of them (and this one)
So instead of adding noise, here's how we at @moic_digital see Web3 marketing evolving in 2026, based on what's actually working.
Alternative Social Media Platforms
Crypto Twitter is home.
Always has been.
And yes, it will stay that way.
But in 2026, crypto is no longer just for crypto-natives.
It's going mainstream.
That means marketers need to be open-minded about where attention lives.
LinkedIn. TikTok. Reddit...
All still blue oceans, if you know how to swim.
I'll focus on LinkedIn.
It's where founders and team members can build personal brands and turn themselves into distribution channels.
Especially if you're working in B2B.
The algorithm works differently from X.
It's easier to connect with people in your niche.
And if your ICP includes institutions or enterprises, this is the place.
Let's take Maria Frackowiak as an example:
11k+ Followers in ~1 year
Audience composition: 10% founders, 15% considering C-level executives
Top locations: London, Dubai, New York
On X, I see many people obsessing over follower counts/vanity metrics.
Zero engagement.
Bought followers.
Inflated numbers.
But ask yourself:
Do you care about fake metrics or real results?
Is it better to have 100k followers with 100 real ones or 2,000 followers where every single one matters?
Maria built an audience that actually resonates with her field.
That's real leverage.
Web3 Tech -> Web2 User
For years, we talked about "the next billion users."
That time has come, the tech is here.
At the end of 2025, I spent a lot of time talking about onchain neobanks. Wrote a full report on it:
Pedro | MOIC Digital @0xPsveiga · Oct 29, 2025
LATAM is the goldmine for onchain neobanks
It's where @nubank built a $70b empire
@ether_fi and @ready_co already integrated PIX 🇧🇷
I wrote a 57-page report on it. Here's the TL;DR 🧵
We're going to see more and more of this.
Users don't care about liquidity pools.
They don't care about rollups.
They care about simple UX and real benefits.
Today, I know many people who:
Use stablecoins daily
Earn yield
Have no idea how DeFi works
And that's exactly the point.
Last year, at @moic_digital, we helped @neobankless grow to 5,000+ users in a closed beta.
Here's the setup:
Product: Onchain neobank built on Solana
Target user: Brazilian travelers buying USD to spend abroad
Traditional competitors: Nomad, Wise
Edge: Cheaper USD via stablecoins (10%+), Yield while funds sit idle
The idea was simple.
Brazilians already use traditional apps.
They pay high fees.
They get bad spreads.
They earn zero yield.
They want USD access.
We made it easy. And cheap.
Result:
5,000+ users
4 months
Organic
Beta only
And the marketing playbook?
Web2.
Instagram worked
Meta Ads worked
Web2 influencers + a few crypto-native voices
Yes, the infra was Web3.
But the go-to-market was Web2.
We'll see more of this. A lot more.
If you work in Web3 marketing and don't understand Web2 fundamentals, you'll be left behind.
Airdrops Are... Dead?
We've seen this cycle before.
Big airdrop.
Everyone farms.
Saturation.
"Airdrops are dead."
Repeat.
One thing is true:
Most alts are bleeding.
People are tired of losing money.
Because of that:
Token launches are slowing down
Projects are more careful
ICOs and fair launches are back
Airdrops aren't dead.
They're just harder.
As a user:
Farm good projects with:
Real PMF
Revenue
As a project:
Find PMF before thinking about a token.
When both sides align, airdrops work.
No, farming shouldn't be your only "job" anymore.
But ignoring it completely is a mistake.
It only takes one great airdrop to spark a new narrative.
We saw that with points systems and YTs two years ago.
One project I'm watching closely that fits these points: @Neutrl.
Neutrl: $100M+ with engineered FOMO
A masterclass in Web3 go-to-market strategy: From stealth launch to +$100m in TVL.
The Results
Timeline: April 2025 → November 2025 (7 months)
+$150M achieved across vault launches
$50M entered the...
AI Generated Content
AI has taken over social media.
You have two options:
Master AI completely and stand out from the noise
Go human
That's it.
Option 2 is interesting.
When everyone sounds the same, being authentic becomes the differentiator.
In a world flooded with AI content, personality wins.
This was a key insight shared by @condzxyz in our 2025 Web3 Marketing Report
.
KOL Marketing: Adapt or Die
KOL and influencer marketing are one of the most well-known strategies in Web3.
But most people are still operating like it's 2021.
Outdated tactics.
Outdated KPIs.
Paying large premiums for posts that don't convert.
The market has moved on.
At @moic_digital, we don't believe KOL marketing is dying. People resonate with people, it's still one of the most effective strategies out there.
But it needs to be done right.
Regional KOLs:
Too often, projects only focus on the big names on CT.
They forget there are billions of people in the world who speak different languages, live in different cultures, and connect with different voices.
If you work with regional KOLs, you can reach those niches directly.
Micro-KOLs often bring less raw awareness, but they connect more deeply with their audience.
That can translate to more real users than a big-name KOL with massive reach but low engagement.
Stop chasing vanity metrics.
The post below from @defiignas brings valuable insights related to working with KOLs:
1/ I've been shilling my referral links for the past few weeks.
With 150k followers on X and 20k blog subs, here's the truth about crypto referrals:
How many joined and what I actually earned:
All these insights (and more) are explored in our 2025 Web3 Marketing Report, including a full recap of what actually mattered in crypto last year.
Go Follow @moic_digital and download the report.
We're Web3 marketing experts who help projects grow sustainably.
If that sounds interesting, my DMs are open.
