In this edition of “Deconstruction,” we explore with acting CMO of xRocket, Mikhail Kabanov, how to build a vibrant crypto community in the age of airdrops and why the vast majority of users disappear immediately after receiving an airdrop.
ForkLog (FL): What exactly is a community, and when does someone become a part of it?
Mikhail Kabanov (M. K.): A community is a group of people united by a common global theme, a living organism that grows from a single building block.
In crypto, there is a difference between a holder who simply bought a coin on an exchange and a community participant. A community member reads news, interacts with others, and is interested in technologies. It is this engagement and interaction that make someone part of the global crypto community.
FL: Is it true that almost everyone now joins the crypto community for profit rather than technology?
M. K.: Yes, the vast majority of people come solely for the “multipliers,” especially during market booms. However, if they simultaneously learn about exchanges, protocols, and start reading news, they transform from profit seekers into those who drive the industry forward.
No matter how great a protocol is, without active users, it is of no use to anyone.
FL: What is more important today, a unique product or a strong narrative?
M. K.: Truly groundbreaking and fantastically new products are extremely rare. Most new projects simply use old narratives, making the product faster and more stable.
Therefore, expecting people to flock to a unique technology is unrealistic: one must build a working product and systematically engage the audience.
FL: Can a culture be built without a leader?
M. K.: Nothing works by itself: if there is no moderation and rules in a chat, it quickly turns into chaos. The presence of a founder in the information field and their communication with users is always a huge plus.
A community can exist under the management of a team of managers, but a leader serves as a powerful anchor for retaining attention to the project.
FL: Can a genuine crypto community be bought with money by distributing grants and airdrops?
M. K.: An airdrop can be seen as a growth tool, but the likelihood of conducting it without audience dissatisfaction is close to zero. The vast majority of those who come for easy money, the airdrop hunters, will leave anyway. However, some of them can be converted into regular users if the project is ready to work closely with the audience and create a comfortable atmosphere.
FL: What is the specificity of building a community within Telegram compared to X?
M. K.: X is excellent for virality: it’s easy to gain a new audience there, but extremely inconvenient to work with an already gathered base.
Telegram loses in virality due to the lack of a smart feed, but it is perfect for targeted work with people. In the messenger, you can centrally gather an audience, divide it by interests through folders, and establish systematic communication.
FL: What tools help retain people in Telegram?
M. K.: Tools like Telegram gifts, quizzes, trading bots, and token giveaways for activity work excellently. People love such interactives, and it generates great excitement in chats. But this only yields results within a comprehensive system: one-off contests alone cannot retain an audience for years.
FL: What kills a community the fastest: a scam, a token price drop, or a bear cycle?
M. K.: A token price drop and hacks certainly have a negative impact, lowering participants’ morale.
But the most frightening thing in any market is indifference to people from the team. If you don’t care about the community’s life and let the chat run itself, users will simply leave for a place where they feel more comfortable and valued.
FL: The main advice for builders who are just creating their crypto project.
M. K.: For a project, every user should be equally important and valuable. There are not many truly engaged “crypto enthusiasts” in the market, unlike the masses seeking free giveaways. You can’t just pour money into advertising and get a loyal base: only systematic building and maintaining relationships with each individual works.
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