Crypto exchange marketing has a conversion problem that most teams diagnose too late. Early growth tactics relied on hype, aggressive promotions and short lived attention. They optimize acquisition and still watch funded account rates stagnate. The issue usually isn’t reach. It’s that the messaging, onboarding experience, and channel mix weren’t built for how exchange users actually make decisions.
Users evaluating a new exchange increasingly treat it as a risk decision. Before committing meaningful capital, the more deliberate ones compare fee structures, validate liquidity on target pairs, check for regulatory and security signals, and scan social channels for anything that looks like a red flag.
The added complexity for crypto exchanges is audience fragmentation: they must speak to two very different audiences.
- Experienced traders want proof of infrastructure: order book depth, API access, competitive maker-taker fees.
- Newcomers need enough education to feel safe depositing at all.
These aren’t the same message delivered at different reading levels; they’re genuinely different conversion journeys requiring different content, channels, and timing.
This guide covers the Web3 marketing playbook with a practical focus on strategies that drive user growth and adoption. It covers both centralized and decentralized exchanges, and addresses how listing campaigns can be structured to generate real trading volume rather than a one-day spike that disappears from the order book by the following week.
Crypto Exchange Marketing Is Different
Exchanges operate under a different standard than almost any other crypto product. Unlike NFT drops or DeFi tools, exchanges rarely benefit from novelty alone. Because they hold user funds directly, every marketing touchpoint carries accountability that NFT platforms and DeFi tools don’t face. A poorly worded landing page, an unresolved security rumor, or a single negative headline doesn’t just slow growth, it can reverse it. Users who withdraw funds rarely come back.
This stakes dynamic shapes every channel decision. Marketing can’t just generate awareness; it has to continuously reinforce that the exchange is solvent, compliant, and safe to use even to users who are already signed up.
Brand Trust and Credibility
Trust is the primary conversion lever for exchanges. Users want proof that an exchange is secure, compliant and widely used.
Focus on:
- Transparent messaging around security and compliance
- Public proof points such as audits, licenses, and partnerships
- Consistent presence across reputable crypto media
For centralized exchanges, trust is built through proof, not positioning. Users want to see third-party security audits, jurisdictional licensing, proof of reserves, and recognizable institutional partnerships before they deposit anything meaningful. Vague claims about security don’t move the needle — specific, verifiable signals do.
For decentralized exchanges, trust operates differently. Smart contract audits, protocol transparency, and onchain track record matter more than brand messaging. Users can verify code; they can’t verify marketing copy. DEX marketing needs to lean into this by making technical credibility legible to non-technical users without oversimplifying it.
Consistent media presence across reputable crypto publications reinforces both. An exchange that appears regularly in CoinDesk, Blockworks, or The Defiant reads as established even to users encountering it for the first time.
Content Marketing and Education
Education fuels adoption. Crypto exchanges that invest in robust educational experiences consistently report stronger user engagement and loyalty, with internal case studies tying learning programs to higher activation and repeat usage rates. In one reported instance, a major exchange attributed a 59% post‑program retention rate to its education‑led user journey
High performing content formats include:
- Beginner trading guides
- Exchange comparison articles
- Token listing explainers
- Market insights and research summaries
Content that answers real questions — how margin works, what slippage means on a DEX, how to read an order book — reduces support burden and increases first-trade completion rates.
Content should map directly to the user journey. Top-of-funnel content should answer “is this exchange legitimate and safe.” Mid-funnel content should answer “why trade here rather than somewhere else.” Bottom-of-funnel content should remove the last friction before deposit: KYC walkthroughs, wallet connection guides for DEXes, deposit minimums, fee structures.
For DEXes specifically, there’s an additional education layer around wallet setup, gas fees, and transaction approval that CEX users never encounter. Skipping this content is one of the primary reasons DEX onboarding conversion rates lag behind centralized alternatives.
For a more detailed approach on creating impactful content for long-term growth, see our Crypto Content Marketing Guide.
Crypto Native PR and Media Distribution
PR for crypto exchanges works best when tied to verifiable milestones: new listings, security certifications, regulatory approvals, product launches, volume records. Generic brand awareness pitches rarely land with crypto journalists who are inundated with them.
The more useful function of PR for exchanges is managing the trust signal continuously. An exchange with consistent coverage across CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, and Blockworks reads as legitimate to a user doing due diligence, even if they never click a single article. Absence from these outlets reads as a red flag. This makes crypto PR an ongoing infrastructure investment.
For DEXes, coverage in DeFi‑native outlets like The Defiant or Bankless typically reaches a more specialized, high‑intent audience of protocol users and builders than broad, general‑interest crypto press, making these channels especially valuable for deep product announcements and governance‑level stories.
Also see our vetted, comparison list of the best crypto PR agency partners (updated in 2026) to consider for your cryptocurrency exchange platform marketing.
Additional PR strategy resources to check out:
- Crypto PR Toolkit: Templates & Checklists
- How to Handle a PR Crisis in Web3: A Tactical Guide for Blockchain Brands
Influencer and KOL Marketing
Influencer and KOL marketing works for exchanges primarily through trust transfer and community reach. A KOL with an active trading audience recommending an exchange exposes the platform to people who already have trading intent — the conversion barrier is lower because the audience is pre-qualified.
The most effective approach is finding creators whose audiences overlap with your target user profile, not just the largest crypto accounts. A mid-tier KOL with 50,000 engaged traders will drive more funded accounts than a generalist crypto influencer with 500,000 passive followers.
A few mechanics that consistently work:
- Referral codes and tracked affiliate links give creators skin in the game and give you clean attribution data. Campaigns without this are hard to evaluate.
- For active traders, X and Telegram are often closer to the moment of decision than long‑form YouTube content: real‑time threads, signals, and posts from trusted voices in trading communities can push users to open or fund an account right when they’re ready to act.
- AMAs in active trading communities — whether on X Spaces, Discord, or Telegram — let potential users ask direct questions about fees, security, and listed assets before committing. This works particularly well for newer exchanges trying to build credibility quickly.
Running these campaigns in-house is possible if you already have direct relationships with trading-focused KOLs in crypto and can negotiate performance structures. If you don’t, building that from scratch takes time you probably don’t have during a launch window. Coinbound has those relationships and has run crypto influencer campaigns across some of the most competitive verticals in Web3.
Paid Media with Smart Targeting
Paid advertising for cryptocurrency exchanges is viable but operationally constrained. Most major platforms restrict crypto financial product ads, and those that allow them require certification processes that take time. Budget allocated before those approvals are in place is wasted.
The channels that consistently work are
- crypto ad networks,
- retargeting crypto ad campaigns against users who have already visited the platform,
- and search ads targeting branded and competitor terms.
Broad awareness campaigns on general networks tend to produce low-quality signups with poor funded account rates.
Paid media works best as an amplifier for content and PR that’s already performing, not as a standalone acquisition channel.
Optimizing Onboarding for Conversion
User growth does not stop at signups. Crypto exchange growth teams still tend to optimize marketing around low‑funnel acquisition metrics like new sign‑ups, while underinvesting in activation and retention. Yet a user who never funds or trades has effectively zero lifetime value, even though most dashboards still count them as a win.
For CEXes, KYC is where a significant portion of signups drop off and most of that is a product problem, not a marketing one. What marketing can do is set accurate expectations before users hit that step: how long verification typically takes, what documents are required, and what the experience looks like across different regions. Users who know what’s coming are less likely to abandon mid-process than ones who encounter it cold.
For DEXes, the equivalent friction is wallet connection and the first transaction approval. Users unfamiliar with approving smart contract interactions will abandon rather than proceed. In-product education at exactly this moment — not before, not after — is what moves them through.
Marketing and product teams need to own this together. A smooth onboarding experience consistently outperforms incremental increases in acquisition spend.
Measuring What Actually Drives Growth
The metrics that matter for exchanges are funded accounts, first trade completion, and retention at 30 and 90 days. Cost per active trader — not cost per signup — is the acquisition metric worth optimizing.
These numbers will quickly surface which channels are driving real users and which are inflating top-of-funnel numbers without producing volume. An influencer campaign that generates 5,000 signups and 200 funded accounts is worth less than a content strategy that generates 800 signups and 600 funded accounts.
Conclusion
Crypto exchange marketing is one of the harder growth problems in Web3 because the stakes on both sides are real — users are committing funds, and exchanges are competing against platforms with years of brand equity and deeper liquidity. The channels that work aren’t exotic, but the execution has to be tighter than in most other crypto verticals. Trust signals need to be in place before acquisition scales, onboarding needs to convert signups into funded accounts, and measurement needs to track volume not just traffic.
If you’re building or scaling a cryptocurrency exchange, working with a crypto marketing agency that understands the trust and activation dynamics specific to this vertical makes a meaningful difference. Coinbound works with crypto and Web3 companies across PR, influencer marketing, paid media, and growth strategy. Get a free proposal and we’ll look at where the gaps are.
Frequently Asked Questions About Crypto Exchange Marketing
What is crypto exchange marketing?
Crypto exchange marketing is the process of promoting a cryptocurrency exchange to acquire, activate, and retain users through channels such as PR, content, influencers, and paid media.
Which marketing strategy works best for crypto exchanges?
The most effective strategies combine crypto PR, educational content, influencer partnerships, and strong onboarding. In practice, the “best” marketing isn’t a single channel; it’s the combination of trust‑building content, community‑driven awareness, and product‑led activation that reliably turns curious visitors into funded, long‑term traders.
How do exchanges build trust with new users?
Exchanges build trust through transparent messaging, third party validation, consistent media presence, and clear education around security and compliance.
How long does it take to see results from crypto exchange marketing?
You can see signals within days, but meaningful results usually take 1–3 months, and brand‑level compounding takes 6–12 months.
- Paid ads and KOL pushes: first data in 24–48 hours, with real conversion trends in 2–4 weeks and typical ROI assessment over 30–90 days.
- SEO and content: noticeable organic lift in about 3 months, with strong gains often showing around 6–9 months in competitive exchange niches.
- Full exchange growth program: expect 2–4 weeks to see early sign‑ups and funding from campaigns, 60–90 days to judge channel mix, and 6+ months to know if LTV and retention are truly working.
How can marketing support exchange listings?
Marketing creates the awareness and demand that makes a listing land. For crypto exchanges, a new listing is an acquisition opportunity — each listed asset brings an existing community of token holders who may not yet trade on your platform. A coordinated campaign typically runs in three phases: pre-listing PR to build anticipation, influencer and community outreach to reach the token’s existing holders, and post-listing content covering trading pairs, liquidity, and use cases. Without this, even a high-profile listing can fail to generate meaningful volume.
For token projects, marketing around a listing is what converts the announcement into actual trading activity and holder growth. Clarify positioning token utility, and roadmap, then warm up your community and channels with teasers, FAQs, and how‑to guides for using the upcoming exchange. (See more in our Prepare Your Brand for a CEX Listing guide.)
Coinbound’s exchange listing services cover both the process of securing a listing and building the marketing campaign around it.
