Growing followers without increasing expenses? 5 growth pitfalls you must avoid to become a crypto KOL

Written by: Leon Abboud

Translated by: Deep Tide TechFlow

My journey as a content creator began 8 years ago. Along the way, I have made almost every possible mistake in trying to grow and monetize my brand. Here are the 5 most important mistakes to watch out for, hoping to help you avoid these costly lessons.

Mistake 1: Treating the brand as a hobby rather than a business

Most creators remain in long-term financial hardship because they see themselves simply as “creators.” When you only view yourself as a creator, you focus on optimizing clicks, likes, views, and various metrics pushed by algorithms.

Top personal brand creators see themselves as a business. You are a company — only this company has just you, and it is named after you.

Once you make this mindset shift, everything changes. The creator mindset is: “What should I post tomorrow?” whereas business thinking is: “What processes can turn strangers into customers?”

You will stop asking “How to get more engagement” and start asking the real growth-driving questions:

What am I selling?

Who is my target customer?

What kind of experience path do I design for users?

How do I publish content that makes users more willing to approach me and eventually buy?

This shift in thinking can turn scattered content into a long-term money-making machine.

Creators chasing exposure will ultimately fall into the “engagement treadmill” — a never-ending cycle. You can only keep running until you burn out. Escape this trap, or it will consume you.

Mistake 2: Not having a clear niche

If you try to speak to everyone, you will end up convincing no one.

It’s like shouting at a train station from a bench: “Hey, everyone, pay attention!” No one will turn around. But if you call out a specific name, like “Mike,” the person named Mike will immediately look at you.

This is the power of a good niche — it precisely attracts a specific group within your target field.

A strong niche should have these qualities: profitable, attractive, and capable of providing enough content creation material.

Many people are unsure what their niche is or how to find it. For me, I like to ask myself:

“What am I naturally passionate about, willing to go all-in to become the top in the world, and for which people are willing to pay?”

The intersection of these three elements is your niche. It must be something you genuinely care about, passionate about, and willing to invest time, energy, and effort to master; and that people are willing to pay for.

For example, fields like Real-World Assets (RWAs), stablecoins, prediction markets, etc., are excellent niches. Many people want to understand industry trends and use this knowledge to improve personal growth or career prospects.

This is the definition of an excellent niche.

A simple self-assessment question: “Can I create a long-term newsletter around this niche?” If the answer is yes, then your niche is viable. If no, you may have just chosen a direction that feels right but isn’t a true niche.

Most creators fail because they want everyone to like them. They chase as many views and exposure as possible. But in reality, a successful brand isn’t built on popularity; it’s based on clear positioning.

Mistake 3: Using cheap-looking brand materials that lower your account’s image

People scroll through thousands of personal profiles every day, and you have less than half a second to deliver value.

If your profile picture is blurry, outdated, AI-generated, or from a defunct NFT project (like one you minted in 2021), you will immediately lose attractiveness and credibility.

Remember, your status isn’t fixed; it can quickly decline due to these details.

Your personal profile isn’t decoration; it’s your “storefront sign.” It should enhance your perceived value, not drag it down.

A clear profile picture, a sharp banner image, and a concise bio are essentials. If you don’t want to use your photo, choose a community or identity that genuinely reflects your values and conveys standing.

Today, hundreds of active NFT communities offer high-quality PFPs at various price points. You don’t need to own a CryptoPunk to look wealthy or professional. What you need is a material that elevates your brand image, not content that diminishes your perceived value.

Also, avoid using hashtags or overly broad words in your bio. Your bio should clearly state three things: who you are, what you do, and why people should respect you — nothing more.

Mistake 4: Creating content without building a monetization funnel

This was a long-standing mistake I made during my creator career. I created purely for the sake of creation, never developing a strategy for monetization.

What was the result? I amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, but when I tried to monetize, the income was minimal. The reason is simple — from the start, I didn’t set up a proper ecosystem for my content.

It’s like building a house. You need a solid foundation before constructing a tall, sturdy structure. For any business, that “foundation” is the monetization capability.

Most creators post content without backend support. They rely on viral content hoping that someday sponsors will come knocking to save everything. But that’s not building a business — it’s gambling on an uncertain “lottery.”

A true brand needs a clear “funnel structure”:

Top-level traffic-driving content;

Lead magnets to attract potential customers;

Mid-tier paid products;

High-tier core products;

And long-term assets that generate ongoing income.

With this structure, every piece of content has a clear purpose and meaning.

Without it, you might gain followers but fail to make money. And in this industry, that’s the worst combo — you could become “famous yet poor,” ultimately exhausted by feeling your efforts are futile.

Mistake 5: Stopping learning and growth after choosing a niche

Picking your niche is just the starting point. To become a top expert and creator in that field, you must stay at the forefront of industry developments.

Your niche is evolving at lightning speed, constantly changing. New hot topics, announcements, and trends emerge all the time.

You need to become the “preferred expert” in your field, and the way to do this is continuous learning. This means constantly consuming content, reading related books, listening to podcasts, and more.

My personal habit is to read one marketing book each month, which keeps me always at the cutting edge of marketing knowledge. You need to become an industry “encyclopedia.”

People follow the most intelligent in the industry, not those who fall behind the times. Users prefer deep, insightful content that imparts valuable knowledge.

The speed at which you learn and record information determines your growth rate.

Once you stop learning about your field, you also stop growing with it.