X or Telegram? Where Crypto Social Media Marketing Works Best
Imagine a small team that creates an X account on Monday and a Telegram group on Tuesday. By Friday everyone is worn out, the audience is tiny, and no one can say which platform is bringing in results. They have two channels, very few people, and a limited budget.
The usual advice on crypto social media marketing is "be on both." That's correct, but it doesn't help much when you only have ten hours a week. A more useful starting point is this question: what do you need to get done this month?
The Quick Answer
The two platforms serve different purposes. X is where strangers discover your project and size it up in public. Telegram is where people who already care ask questions, hang around, and act.
Begin with X if hardly anyone knows about your project.
Begin with Telegram if you already have people to talk to, such as testers, event contacts, or an email list, and they need answers and updates.
Run both, each with a defined role, as you approach launch.
The sections below explain the reasoning and what to verify before spending money on either platform.
What the Data Shows, and Where It Falls Short
The strongest public data I could find is a CoinGecko survey of 2,558 crypto participants, conducted between June 25 and July 8, 2024. X, Telegram and YouTube together accounted for 84% of respondents' primary crypto social platform. X came first at 41.7%, followed by Telegram at 21.5% and YouTube at 20.8%. In other words, nearly twice as many people called X their main platform as called Telegram theirs.
One finding is especially relevant to planning. Among the 548 respondents whose main platform was Telegram, 312 (56.9%) also got most of their crypto information there. That means about four in ten Telegram-first users rely mostly on other sources for information. Telegram can hold your community together, but your story shouldn't live only there.
Telegram's overall reach is huge. In March 2025, Pavel Durov stated that the app has well over 1 billion monthly active users, the most recent official number I could verify. That figure covers everyone using Telegram, not just people in crypto.
Two caveats apply. The survey is more than two years old, and it only reflects people CoinGecko was able to reach. Use it as a general direction, not a fixed rule.
X: Strong for Discovery, With Tighter Rules Than People Expect
X is effective when you need public credibility. Journalists, investors, KOLs (key opinion leaders, the crypto influencers whose posts steer attention) and curious traders all follow it. A well-built thread, a live dashboard link, or a founder's reply can be seen, quoted and fact-checked by anyone.
Three current facts should shape how you use the platform.
Paid Ads Are More Limited Than Many Teams Assume
X's financial services policy bans ads for ICOs, IEOs and IDExOs, as well as for crypto mining. Exchanges, wallets, staking, DeFi apps and similar products can advertise only with country-specific licensing and X certification.
Educational content about blockchain and crypto doesn't require a license. The same policy page says crypto and DeFi ads are unavailable in Belgium, Greece, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia and Ukraine.
If a presale is on your roadmap, paid X ads are probably not the right route.
Paying People to Post Got Harder
On January 15, 2026, X's head of product announced that apps rewarding users for posting would no longer be permitted, pointing to a surge of AI-generated reply spam.
As The Block reported, Kaito and Cookie DAO responded by saying they would wind down their reward platforms and explore new models.
The takeaway for your own marketing is simple: engagement purchased in bulk is a shaky foundation, and thoughtful posts from genuine accounts count for more.
The Rules for Paid Creator Posts Are Murky
One report claims X took crypto off its prohibited list for paid promotion and introduced a "Paid Partnership" label requirement. Another says X now prohibits crypto and financial products in organic paid-partnership posts, while ad-based promotion may still be allowed.
I couldn't verify which version is current. Read X's Paid Partnerships policy yourself, or ask any promoter to show it to you, before paying for creator posts.
Telegram: Strong for Conversation, Easy to Damage
Telegram is where most teams answer questions, share announcements, host AMAs (live "ask me anything" sessions) and keep their community connected.
A channel is one-directional and fits announcements. A group is two-directional and fits discussion. Many projects operate both.
Its biggest weakness comes from the same quality that makes it strong: it feels personal, so trust can disappear quickly.
Moderation Is a Must
Coinbase's consumer-protection team describes scammers on Discord and Telegram who pretend to be admins, pose as customer support, and run fake giveaways to drain people's digital assets.
They also point out that a hijacked admin or bot account can push a fake announcement out fast. If nobody manages your group, impersonators will take over the empty space.
Pin a message that says clearly:
"Admins will never DM you first. We will never ask for seed phrases or payments."
Official Telegram Ads Are Compact and Strict
Under Telegram's ad policy, every ad consists of 160 characters of text plus a button.
The policy also prohibits investment offers with guaranteed returns, claims of insider tips, absolute claims such as "best," and services that inflate followers or metrics. The public policy doesn't list crypto as a banned category, yet these restrictions rule out much of the copy typically written for presales.
Telegram Ad Costs Are Unclear
Sources contradict each other sharply. One guide says direct access requires €2 million, with agency partners starting around €500–1,000. Another says TON-based accounts can begin at $5. A third says no single minimum has been confirmed.
I can't say which is accurate today. Check ads.telegram.org, and have any reseller put its fees in writing.
A Simple Test: What Do You Need Done This Month?
If your audience leans toward business (partners, enterprise, recruiting), LinkedIn is worth considering as well. In CoinGecko's survey, YouTube (20.8%) was almost as common as Telegram (21.5%) as a main platform, so it may suit teams able to produce explainer videos.
How the Two Channels Work Together
Here is a hypothetical example, not a case study. A small DeFi team is preparing to open a testnet.
X handles the explaining. The team publishes a single clear thread covering what the product does, who it's for, and what testers will do. The thread links to the test app and the Telegram group.
Telegram handles the helping. The group's pinned message answers the three most common questions and repeats the "admins never DM first" rule. A moderator replies within hours during busy periods.
Both carry the same facts. When the testnet goes live, X and Telegram say the same thing in the same words. Nothing shows up in one place that contradicts the other.
Questions become content. Whatever people keep asking in Telegram turns into the next X thread or FAQ.
A recap closes the loop. After launch, the team posts what was promised, what is live, and what comes next.
The handoff is the critical step. Every important X post should end with one clear next action, and Telegram should have a solid answer ready for whoever follows it.
Before You Pay Anyone: Rules and a Checklist
This is not legal advice. Consult a qualified professional about your own situation.
Paid Posts Require Clear Disclosure
In the US, the FTC's Endorsement Guides require people to tell their audience about material connections, such as payment. The SEC has demonstrated it will act against undisclosed crypto promotion: it fined Kim Kardashian $1.26 million over a paid crypto post she failed to disclose.
EU Rules Cover Social Posts
Under MiCA, marketing communications can include social media posts about a crypto-asset that is offered to the public or admitted to trading in the EU. Such communications must be consistent with the white paper and can't be published before it where one is required.
Never Promise Returns
Telegram's ad rules prohibit guaranteed-return offers, and X's crypto ad terms say ads must not promise "returns," "profits" or "gains."
Check These Before Buying a Sponsored Post or Hiring a KOL
Ask for recent proof. Request screenshots of views or impressions on the last ten posts, not only the best-performing one.
Compare views with followers. A large following paired with tiny, flat views is a warning sign. This is a rule of thumb, not a standard.
Read the comments. Genuine replies are specific. Copy-paste praise is not.
Look at past promotions. Did earlier projects survive? Were the posts labeled as paid?
Agree on disclosure and wording in writing, including what the post will claim and where the link points.
Confirm identity. Make sure you're dealing with the real account. Impersonation is common, so use the platform's official contact route and check a site's official verification page, such as CoinGabbar's.
A 30-Day Test and What to Measure
Choose one main goal and run it for a month. Judge by action, not size.
On X: track profile visits, clicks to your site or Telegram, replies from real accounts, and mentions from people you didn't pay.
On Telegram: track new members who stay for a week, questions asked, the share of questions answered, and how many members take the next product step.
Across both: track how many people go from an X post to Telegram membership to a product action, such as connecting a wallet, making a testnet transaction, or signing up.
Set your own baseline in week one, then compare. If follower counts climb but nobody clicks or asks anything, the channel isn't doing its job yet.
Where Paid Posts Fit
A sponsored post lends you another channel's audience for a short time. It can support awareness or a launch announcement, but it can't substitute for your own community or your own answers.
CoinGabbar's crypto social media promotion page is one example of this model. It lists $50 per post and $75 for a pinned post on Telegram, X and LinkedIn, along with a social media management package shown at $1,250, reduced from $1,500. It also publishes follower counts for its own channels, such as 5K+ on Telegram, 5K+ on X and 6K+ on LinkedIn.
These are the company's own figures, and prices can change, so check the page and run the checklist above on any promoter, CoinGabbar included.
Disclosure: CoinGabbar sells these services.
For launch-stage projects, CoinGabbar also offers pages on ICO, IDO and presale marketing, airdrop marketing and banner advertising, all of which you can find through its advertising hub.
What to Do Next
Name the one job you need done over the next 30 days: discovery, answers, or launch support.
Pick your starting platform using the table above, and set up the other as a small support space.
Check the rules for your product and region before paying for any promotion.
Crypto social media marketing works best when each platform has a defined role and the same story appears in both places.
FAQ
Can I Run Ads for a Presale or ICO on X or Telegram?
On X, no. Its policy bans ICO, IEO and IDExO ads. Telegram's public ad policy doesn't mention crypto by name, but it prohibits guaranteed returns, insider-tip claims and absolute claims, so test your copy against those rules. Many projects rely on organic posts and disclosed sponsored posts instead.
Is Buying Followers or Telegram Members Worth It?
No. It inflates your numbers while real activity stays flat, and Telegram's ad rules specifically bar services that boost followers or metrics. A smaller group that asks questions is more valuable than a big, silent one.
What About YouTube, Discord and Reddit?
They matter, but as a second step. In the CoinGecko survey, YouTube was the main platform for 20.8% of respondents, Discord for 6.8% and Reddit for 4.5%. Add one when you have the capacity to run it well.
Comments
Post a Comment