Crypto Video Marketing: Inside Twitch, YouTube, and Theta.tv

We don't need to convince you that video marketing is an effective marketing strategy for creating brand awareness.

You know this already.

What you might not know is how today's crypto startups are a new marketing tech stack that includes video platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Theta.tv to reach, entertain, and educate their growing audience.

Twitch Marketing

Twitch is a live streaming platform that allows content creators to build, interact, and monetize their online communities.

Once originally started as a live streaming platform for gamers, Twitch is quickly expanding into music, art, and now crypto content creators like UpOnly.

Why does Twitch work?

Twitch was built to facilitate creator-fan interactions at scale. 

From custom emojis to paid subscriptions and audience engagement tools, Twitch gives creators direct and meaningful access to their fans.

The opposite is also true. 

Twitch gives fans an up-close and personal look at artists in an intimate setting where magical moments, impromptu collaborations, and real dialogue can take place.

Twitch's Audience is Perfect for Crypto

Twitch’s creators and audience are full of young internet natives and digital creatives.

Not only are these individuals likely to understand, find value in, and trust cryptocurrencies, they tend to be at the front of the technology adoption curve.

Between gamers starting to stream blockchain-based “play-to-earn,” video games, or artists designing and minting non-fungible tokens (NFTs) live, the audience crossover is incredibly synergistic.

Twitch Marketing Examples

There is so much brands, startups, and creators can do on Twitch.  Here are a few of our favorite:  

1. Trade Calls

One of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, FTX, sponsors a trade analyst known as ColdBloodedShiller who hosts twice-weekly, two-hour live streams where he analyzes investment charts voted on by his chat and identifies trade opportunities.  

2. Fundraisers

Crypto Cobain, co-host of the UpOnly podcast, often goes on Twitch to support unsuspecting creators like he did earlier this year when he changed the life of an artist named MelaBee.

MelaBee and her live-streaming partner, who had an uncanny resemblance to Chainlink founder Sergey Nazarov, became the focus of Crypto Cobain (A.K.A. Cobie) and his 3,000-person chat's donations. In just a couple of hours, Cobie and his stream raised over $250,000 for the pair of artists.

Cobie and his fans also host fundraising events like when he helped raise over $800,000 for the family of 6-year-old Leukemia survivor John Oliver Zippay, that was stuck with large medical bills. 

While still a small audience, crypto streamers on Twitch are growing, and carving out a nice little niche.

3. Coding Workshops

Because strong developer communities are vital to the success of blockchain software companies, mass communication tools are extremely helpful.

During the Solana Hackathon, core developers at Solana Labs and integration partners routinely hosted live coding workshops where hackathon participants and curious viewers could tune in to learn how to build dApps on their third-generation smart contract blockchain.

Live stream coding workshops not only give blockchain developers a front-row seat, but allows them to ask and receive answers to questions in real-time, watch videos back on demand, and learn how to build dApps with a live teacher instead of being forced to pour over documentation.

YouTube Marketing

Ok, so YouTube isn’t a crypto-specific marketing channel, but it does play a role in social media.

Because many other amazing creators have written about YouTube marketing and video optimization, we’ll just cover a few ways blockchain startups can use YouTube to their advantage.

Before we jump into examples, let's be like Simon Sinek and start with, "why."

Why do people use YouTube?  There are three primary reasons:

1. For education

2. For entertainment

3. For inspiration

In the next section, we'll cover the first point: education.

Crypto Education

As blockchain pioneers, today’s company’s have a shared responsibility to reach, attract, educate, and onboard the next billion users. 

Our primary recommendation is to use YouTube to create a learning academy where developers and end-users can go to gain a deeper understanding of your project.  

YouTube Topics 

The topics you can talk about on YouTube are endless, so here are eight education-based topics your company can cover in your next YouTube marketing campaign:

1. Technical deep dives - e.g. How does your technology work?

2. Feature comparisons - e.g. How is your technology different?

3. Guided Onboarding - e.g. How to get started

4. Guided User Walkthroughs - How do you use your technology?

5. Guided Developer Tutorials - e.g. How to integrate your technology?

6. Video podcasts, webinar replays, and Clubhouse recordings

7. Video pitches, feature announcements, and product roadmap updates

8. Video FAQ playlist

There is so much you can do on YouTube to support end-users and developers. 

From short-form tutorials to long-form coding workshops, YouTube is the perfect place for education and onboarding.

YouTube Influencer Marketing

Like traditional influencer marketing, YouTube content creators are willing to promote cryptocurrencies, blockchain software, and products like hardware wallets on their channels. 

While influencer marketing is a good way to get your project in front of your target demographic, be careful that the people you are working with understand your product and know-how to represent it.

When creators misrepresent projects it sends negative trust signals. Because crypto is unfortunately home to scammers, your creators could come off as shills instead of trustworthy advocates. 

Top 10 Crypto YouTubers

Here are our top 10 crypto YouTubers based on content, authority, trustworthiness, and quality:

Note: these are in no particular order.

• Benjamin Cowen - Technical analysis and live streaming during large market movements

• Coin Bureau - Premier education channel covering trends, tech, tokens, and more

• MIT Open Courseware - Blockchain course taught by the SEC Chair, Gary Gensler

• The Daily Gwei - Anthony Sassano covers all things happening in the Ethereum ecosystem

• Crypto Cred -A technical analysis course for reading crypto charts

• BCBacker - Technical analysis for XRP, altcoins, gold, and macroscopic industry trends

• Invest Answers - Quantitative perspectives on crypto, stocks, options, and derivatives

• JRNY Crypto - Covers Bitcoin, altcoins, blockchain, fintech, and finance

• Andreas Antonopoulos - Bitcoin and crypto educator

• Boxmining - Crypto news review channel

What is Theta Network?

Theta Network is a video delivery network that allows viewers to earn tokens (TFuel) by watching video content and donating their spare bandwidth to relay videos to other users.

Theta.tv is a blockchain-based video streaming platform built on the Theta network that rewards creators and viewers with TFuel which can then be used to purchase subscriptions and other perks.

While still in its infancy, Theta.tv could offer companies access to a more targeted niche of viewers and content creators in the cryptocurrency space than Twitch and YouTube.

Crypto Video Marketing: In Summary

Video is a powerful method for telling stories, educating users, and raising awareness for your project.

Whether you choose to live stream events on Twitch, build out a content library of tutorials on YouTube, or just dip your toes into the world of influencer marketing, every blockchain startup should be utilizing video to promote their project.

If you're to scale your company, DAO, or user base, work with a crypto marketing agency that not only knows marketing, design, and web development, but also builds and invests in blockchain technology.

Looking to start a project?  Contact our sales team, and we'll show you why companies like Circle choose to work with our embedded team of technologists.