How do you choose a marketing playbook?
Quick test: Describe your product in one line and name the user's first action. That decides the category.
Choose the playbook by the decision your audience needs to make. A user evaluating a wallet has different questions from a trader comparing a new market or a developer assessing infrastructure, so start with the product’s core action and work backward.
Write down three things before selecting channels: what the product enables, who is most likely to use it first, and what proof would make that audience take the next step. Then identify the friction between interest and action. It might be unclear onboarding, limited documentation, uncertainty about security, or a community that cannot answer basic product questions.
Use those answers to set a primary goal for the next campaign cycle. For example, a launch may need qualified awareness and clear onboarding, while an established protocol may need better education or more consistent community participation. Avoid treating every available channel as a priority at once. Choose a lead channel that can explain the product well, then add supporting channels only when they contribute a distinct role. This gives your team a plan it can execute and review without confusing activity with progress.
Which approach fits your project category?
The right approach depends on what people need to understand or do before they can value your product. Use the project category as a starting point, then refine the plan around your audience, product readiness and launch stage.
- DeFi and on-chain finance: Explain the user journey, risks, and product differences in plain language. See DeFi marketing and marketing for perpetual DEXs.
- Memecoins and token launches: Coordinate a clear launch narrative, community communications and visibility activity. Explore memecoin marketing and launchpad marketing.
- Wallets and payments: Reduce onboarding confusion with product education, use cases and trust-building materials. See crypto wallet marketing and crypto payments and fintech marketing.
- Games and Telegram mini apps: Show the experience in action and make the first user steps easy to follow. Explore GameFi marketing and Telegram mini app marketing.
- Infrastructure and newer categories: Lead with the problem solved, integrations and evidence the product is usable. Review Layer 1 and Layer 2 marketing, DePIN marketing or AI agent marketing.
These are useful starting points, not fixed packages. If your project spans categories, anchor the message in the product’s main user benefit and give each secondary audience a clear supporting explanation.
Your 6-point category checklist
Use this checklist to find your playbook in 10 minutes. If two answers point to different categories, use the one that matches the action users take first. Print the list, tick each line with a pen, and keep it next to the brief so everyone works from the same page.
- Describe the product in 1 sentence.
- Name the user's first action.
- Name the audience and where they gather.
- Pick the category that fits best.
- List 2 channels that suit that category.
- Open the matching solution page.
Terms in one line
Category (in plain words: the type of project, such as DeFi, game, wallet or memecoin).
User journey means the steps from first hearing about you to using the product.
Connecting channels to the user journey
A channel earns a place in the plan when it helps a defined audience understand, evaluate or use the product. Start by mapping the journey from first discovery to a meaningful product action, then assign each channel a specific job.
For instance, short social content can introduce a use case; a detailed article or video can explain how the product works; and community channels can help users find guidance and share questions. A creator campaign may add a relevant outside perspective, while public relations can support a clear announcement or a broader industry story. These formats should reinforce one another rather than repeat the same message without context. See KOL and creator campaigns, PR and media and community growth and engagement for those complementary routes.
Before committing to a channel, check that your team can maintain it and that the destination is ready. A post pointing to an incomplete landing page creates avoidable friction. Confirm the call to action, relevant links, support coverage and the next step for a new user. Then define what you will review: qualified conversations, content engagement, sign-ups or another action tied to the objective. Keep the measure close to the work so the team can learn and adjust.
What should be ready before a campaign starts
Rule of thumb: If two categories fit, pick the one that matches the first action a user takes.
A campaign is easier to coordinate when the product story, destination and response plan are ready before promotion starts. Prepare a compact set of materials that lets a new visitor understand the offer and take the next step without needing private context.
Use this readiness check:
- A one-sentence product explanation and a fuller description for technical or financial questions.
- A landing page or product destination with a visible, working call to action.
- Consistent project details across the website, social profiles and community spaces.
- Current documentation, visuals and approved language for product claims.
- A named contact who can answer questions and route feedback to the right teammate.
At MarketingExtra, we review these materials with you before recommending the campaign mix. We flag gaps that could block understanding, align the message with your intended audience, and identify which assets need to be prepared first. This focused review helps the team avoid paying attention to distribution before the destination is ready. If launch timing is close, prioritize clarity and working user paths; additional content can be planned around the questions that appear as people engage.
What a project-specific plan can control
A project-specific plan can control the message, what you receive, audience focus and execution checks; it cannot decide how a third-party platform handles visibility. For this kind of work, platform review, eligibility, moderation and changing placement or ranking rules can affect whether a profile, listing or campaign receives the exposure a team hopes for.
That is why a sound plan separates commitments from outcomes. Agree on the work to be delivered, the channels involved, the review process and the evidence you will receive. For placements, ask how delivery will be documented; for content, confirm who approves claims and where the final version will appear; for community work, agree on the topics and response boundaries. These details make the plan understandable before the campaign begins.
Send 3 things: your site, your current materials and the action you want from users.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know which category your product belongs to?
Use the product’s main job and its primary audience as your guide. If it provides financial tools, DeFi may be the clearest starting point; if it combines software infrastructure with another use case, lead with the audience’s main problem and treat the secondary category as context. A short review of the product, user journey and launch stage can resolve overlap.
Can one plan cover several project types?
Yes. Build one central product story, then adapt supporting messages for each audience that has a different reason to care. Keep the main call to action consistent where possible, and give each channel a defined role. This prevents the plan from becoming several disconnected campaigns while still making category-specific benefits clear.
What do you send for a project-specific recommendation?
Send your website or product destination, a concise product description, the audience you want to reach, your current stage and the action you want users to take. Include relevant documentation and any campaign materials already prepared. If something is unfinished, note that plainly so the recommendation can account for it.
How many days does a plan take?
The schedule depends on how much product context is ready and whether the team already has usable messaging and campaign assets. Once we read your brief, we can agree on a realistic sequence for recommendations, approvals and execution. A clear goal and a single point of contact help keep that preparation focused.
Can anyone promise a platform will feature your project?
No. The team can agree on and document the work it delivers, but a third-party platform controls its review decisions, eligibility rules, moderation and visibility placements. Ask for the exact item you receive and its verification method before work begins, and treat any platform feature or ranking outcome as outside the campaign plan.
What does a category playbook change?
A project-type playbook begins with the product’s user journey and the questions its audience needs answered. It uses those details to prioritize channels, content and next steps. A general campaign can provide activity across channels, but without that product context it may not address the specific barriers to understanding or using your project.
Tell us about your project
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