Anyone else messing up their crypto ads lately?
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Hey folks, I’ve been tinkering with crypto ads for a while now, and honestly, it’s been a mix of “oh cool, this works!” and “wow, what was I thinking?” moments. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of people (including myself) making the same avoidable mistakes when trying to promote crypto projects online. So I figured, why not start a thread to talk about what not to do when running crypto ads?
Where It All Started
When I first started running crypto ads, I thought it’d be similar to regular digital ads — make a catchy line, target the right audience, and boom, you’re good. But crypto is a different beast. The rules are tighter, the platforms are pickier, and audiences are skeptical. My first few campaigns were either rejected, got terrible click-through rates, or worse, burned my ad budget in a day with zero conversions.
I remember one campaign for a small DeFi tool I was promoting. I spent hours tweaking the copy, only for the ad network to flag it as “misleading.” I didn’t even know what part of it violated their policy. That was the moment I realized — crypto ads have their own playbook, and it’s not as forgiving as traditional ones.
Mistake #1: Ignoring Platform Policies
This one’s big. Every ad platform has its own crypto policy. Google, for instance, only allows certain licensed crypto exchanges or wallets to advertise, and even then, the content has to be squeaky clean. I once used the word “investment” in a casual way, and boom — rejected.
I’ve seen people try to sneak around by tweaking words (“earn tokens fast” instead of “invest”), but it’s not worth it. Ads that break rules usually get shadow-banned or suspended. What worked better for me was spending 10 extra minutes reading through each network’s crypto ad guidelines before launching anything.
Mistake #2: Overhyping or Promising Returns
Crypto audiences have been burned too many times. If your ad sounds even slightly like a get-rich-quick pitch, it’s game over. I once tested two versions of an ad: one said “Earn rewards through blockchain staking,” and the other said “Double your tokens with staking.” Guess which one flopped? The “double your tokens” one.
People scroll past hype now. They want honesty and clarity — not moon-talk. I learned that positioning your crypto product as something useful rather than profitable performs much better.
Mistake #3: Ignoring Targeting and Placement
This one took me a few tries to get right. When I started, I targeted “crypto enthusiasts” broadly — and that’s a massive, expensive audience. It includes everyone from NFT collectors to Bitcoin maximalists, and most won’t care about your specific product.
What worked better for me was narrowing it down. Instead of targeting “crypto,” I started focusing on DeFi users, Web3 developers, or altcoin traders depending on the campaign. The CTR went up and CPC dropped. Also, placement matters — crypto-related websites and forums convert better than general finance sites.
Mistake #4: Skipping A/B Testing
At first, I used to launch one ad and just “hope for the best.” Yeah… don’t do that. Crypto audiences are unpredictable. One word or color change can affect results.
These days, I test everything — headlines, images, even emojis. One time, I replaced a rocket emoji with a simple checkmark, and suddenly my CTR jumped by 20%. Small tweaks matter more than we think.
Mistake #5: Neglecting Transparency and Compliance
A lot of crypto projects forget that trust is the hardest currency in this space. If your ad hides too much or uses vague claims, people get suspicious. Adding a small disclaimer, linking to a whitepaper, or clearly explaining the utility behind your token actually helps your ad perform better.
Also, make sure the landing page is as transparent as your ad. Nothing kills conversions faster than sending users from a clean ad to a sketchy-looking website.
What Finally Helped Me
After a bunch of trial and error (and wasted ad spend), I started keeping a checklist before launching any crypto ad:
- ✅ Double-check the ad platform’s crypto rules
- ✅ Avoid hype words like “profit” or “investment”
- ✅ Target smaller, more specific audiences
- ✅ Always A/B test visuals and copy
- ✅ Keep the landing page clean and transparent
I also came across a solid guide recently that breaks down these issues way better than I ever could — Crypto ad mistakes to avoid in 2025 . It helped me understand what ad reviewers actually look for and how to stay compliant while still being creative.
Since then, my approval rate has gone up, and my ROI finally makes sense. I’m not saying I’ve mastered crypto advertising (far from it), but at least I’m no longer throwing money into the void.
Anyone Else?
Curious if others here have had similar experiences. What was the worst crypto ad mistake you made, and how did you fix it? I feel like we could all save a ton of time (and cash) by comparing notes here.