[Real Talk] Why Your Crypto Project Can’t Seem to Grow Past 10K Users

Hyperion Guilds Marketing Guild
1

We often think the problem lies in an unfinished product, weak tokenomics, or not being listed on a major CEX…

But the truth is much simpler: You’re marketing to the wrong person.

Or more accurately — you’re only marketing to ONE type of person, when you actually need to reach ALL THREE.

Most crypto projects fall into this trap:
They either focus only on degens (airdrop hunters, yield farmers, etc.)
Or only on builders (devs, founders, protocol partners)…

And then they wonder why growth plateaus.

To scale a successful Web3 product, you need to build a narrative and funnel for 3 different audiences:

  1. Builders – They help you grow the ecosystem.
  2. Degens – They bring early traction and liquidity.
  3. Mainstream Users – They bring long-term sustainability and scale.

Miss even one of them, and you’ll hit a ceiling — fast.

Web3 isn’t just tech. It’s storytelling, community psychology, and hitting the right timing with the right people.

Curious to know how you’re planning your go-to-market strategy? Let’s discuss👇

6 Likes
2

Balancing those three audiences is key. Building tailored narratives for each really makes the difference. Looking forward to hearing others’ strategies :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

2 Likes
3

Effective Web3 growth requires balancing narratives for builders, degens, AND mainstream users—neglecting any group creates growth ceilings

4 Likes
4

hey @Ameliadupontttm

That breakdown is spot on. I’ve seen this exact issue stall a bunch of my promising projects.

At Sentinel, we’re still very early in the GTM phase, but I’ll definitely keep this 3-audience framework in mind as we scale.

So far, here’s what I was thinking of experimenting with:

  • Builders: Hosting technical workshops, speaking at developer-focused events, and connecting through ecosystem collaborations.
  • Degens: Planning light incentive-based engagement (not just airdrops), focusing more on building strong narratives around product value + future utility.
  • Mainstream users: Still early here, experimenting with simplified onboarding flows and non-technical explainer content (huge gap to close).

Would love to hear:

  • What’s worked for you to retain attention after the first splash?
  • Any playbooks or content formats that help connect with mainstream users without dumbing things down too much?

Open to any feedback!!

4 Likes
5

Absolutely agree​:fire::fire::fire:

1 Like
6

Hey! :waving_hand: Thanks for sharing your approach — looks solid and well thought out.

For retention after the first splash, we found that consistent storytelling combined with community challenges keeps users engaged.

Regarding mainstream users, clear, relatable stories with real-life use cases (videos or simple guides) work well without oversimplifying .

3 Likes