Growing beyond the bros: How marketers are using TikTok to revive cryptocurrency

While that might be OK for the tech bro audience already comfortable in the market, it’s an image that has put off plenty of others. And what if your marketing client wants to reach out to a broader, curious-but-cautious new customer base, without being met by skepticism (or, worse, scorn)?

That’s going to take a gear change. And TikTok’s the perfect platform.

Go where the people are

Doing crypto in a more accessible way means reaching beyond the typical audience and increasing brand awareness among a wider range of people, including women and younger professionals. Enter TikTok: a platform that favors softer, more trend and humor-led content to appeal to a more diverse audience.

But while clients can often use graphic assets to create social posts for other platforms, most lack the internal resources (including photography, video, performance, and editing skills) or the time and confidence to do TikTok properly. That’s why it’s a great opportunity for agencies to add value and offer something clients just can’t do – or do well – themselves.

Good relationships change everything

For financial clients, rules and regulations are everpresent. Broadly, TikTok sees crypto in the same grey space as gambling, and they’ve developed rules around what can and can’t be done. With the right know-how and support, you can still put out great creative.

I’d advise any agency to build relationships with (for example) the TikTok accounts team. If you want support from the platform, it’s there, and it’s next-level – going much further (in our experience) than other socials.

Get your client verified

As with any platform, getting content seen is always challenging. With over 90m TikTok videos using #crypto, there’s plenty competition.

Again, TikTok is always ready to help you perform better, so reach out. One client of ours successfully applied to be verified, earning a blue tick next to their username. As well as giving consumers confidence, it means they’re one of the only crypto companies in the UK that can advertise legitimately on TikTok – so it’s a process worth doing.

Know your red flags, and how to avoid them

Early on, content may occasionally be flagged with performance-denting warnings like ‘Learn about making financial decisions’. But by working closely with TikTok, you can build an understanding of what you can and can’t say – making sure content gets seen, and your account is protected.

Remember: as the voice of the brand, you can’t actively encourage people to buy crypto or do anything with any financial risk. That especially impacts CTAs, which need to be about learning more, rather than buying.

Pushing past that means seeing TikTok as the very top of the funnel. We’re not making sales here, we’re building brand awareness and affinity, and pointing people to more information.

Finally, deal with that disclaimer. Because crypto brings risks, like many other areas of financial marketing, it comes with a disclaimer. It’s a hefty one, and it can feel crushing to use it on your carefully crafted creative. But it’s there for a reason, and your competition has to use it too.

Be true to the platform

There’s vast potential on TikTok, even for tough topics like crypto – we grew one clients’ following by over 4500% in just five months (the account 62 followers when we started).

It’s not about taking what you do everywhere else and crow-barring it into the platform. Create content that’s TikTok-native – trend led, reactive, relaxed, funny and entertaining. Show scenarios that are relatable to people feeling curious about crypto.

While people might be open to a more serious approach on platforms like X, it’s not what they look for here. Instead, understand what people want from TikTok and tell your brand’s story in that way. Think people and platform first – then see how your product can serve them.