Content List
How $STORM Shook Up the TGE Game for TON-Based Projects
Ruslana Safina
14.11.2024
3 Min Read
There's a harsh truth about how TON projects usually launch — chaotic, unpredictable, and kind of a mess. But Storm Trade flipped that script. How did we help with that?
The Client
Results
- 4 million total views;
- Massive ORGANIC buying pressure;
- 2000+ organic UGC mentions;
- Smooth organic growth after listing;
-
One of the most successful TGE over time
(especially in the TON ecosystem).
Solutions
- TGE-oriented KOLs marketing;
- Orchestration of other KOL contractors;
- Ambassador program;
- Strategic advising.
Intro
There is a giant issue with the TON ecosystem. A lot of projects launch on TGE, stumble right out of the gate, and either crash, burn, or disappear into the abyss before slowly crawling their way back up. It keeps happening. But…
But there’s Storm Trade: despite the pressure, they’re still holding strong at 2x, and sometimes even 5x from their IDO price. So, anyone who hopped on board with Storm pre-Momentum Resting is sitting pretty with at least a 2x return.
They’ve shaken up the game in the TON ecosystem. There’s even a running joke that when people ask TON Ventures about why your projects fail, they say “Who fails? We have Storm Trade!”
The bottom line: utility matters.
We’re not talking exclusively about the token utility.
If all your actions are packed with some utility, it’s going to make a difference.
That’s the vibe. And….We’re stoked to be part of this journey. In this article, we’ll talk about how we helped Storm pull off such a strong launch, the mechanics behind it, and a sneak peek into the team’s strategy — because it wasn’t just us making it all happen.
Source: Coingecko
(the price movement throughout our collaboration; is ongoing).
How Did We Do It?
…Or just focus on your responsibilities, and let the other do their thing.
Despite their impressive expertise, the team at Storm Trade wasn’t afraid to ask questions, listen closely, and brainstorm like there was no tomorrow. Why? They understood they were partnering with a contractor capable of launching multiple projects each year, and they recognized the wealth of marketing know-how we brought to the table.
What set them apart was their ability to leverage our expertise while giving us the freedom to operate in areas where we excelled — after all, a little trust goes a long way, as they say.
They stepped in only when necessary, ensuring we had the space to shine without their interference. This hands-off approach allowed them to focus on nurturing their community, fine-tuning their product, and attending conferences without a hitch.
Quick Summary
Both parties should clearly understand their responsibilities which means they could dedicate themselves to delivering quality work where the agency won’t be involved and avoid stepping on their toes in the areas they cover.
Partner with the Page Turner
No matter how expert the agency or contractor you’re working with is, it’s crucial that you’re aligned in your vision, approach to work, and all the little details that follow.
That’s exactly what happened with us and StormTrade.
We could go on refining ideas for quite some time, but when we landed on that one perfect idea, both sides knew — yes, this is it. We were “Ready to Rock” and “Ready to Go” with it.
So, when choosing an agency, don’t just focus on numbers and case studies (although those are important too), but pay attention to the human connection. That synergy matters just as much as the results.
When prepping for a TGE, projects often find themselves juggling KOLs (and not just them) from all over the place. Each of them is playing their tune, which usually means the marketing efforts don’t harmonize.
This is where the “1+1=10” theory kicks in — the best marketing is the kind that goes viral. But to reach that level, you typically need a fair bit of paid ads, unless we’re talking about some stroke-of-genius, next-level creative magic.
What did we do instead?
- We crafted the narratives for all the influencers involved;
- We made sure they communicated with the other contractors StormTrade was working with.
The result? A well-coordinated orchestra. Sure, everyone’s playing different instruments, but at least now they’re all following the same sheet music.
Source: Coinmarketcap
Projects often think that if they start promoting themselves just a day before their TGE, everything will be fine. They believe the crucial window is those last 24 or 144 hours before the TGE. But what’s the real issue here?
If you’ve got a solid brand and people are already waiting for your TGE, you could easily just drop a couple of press releases on three news sites, and that would be enough.
Make the right emphasis at the right time, but work on brand awareness long before that.
Considering that $STORM is the first utility token on TON, our task was to break away from the typical strategy. While Storm already had a strong brand, our goal was to start building the right narratives a few weeks before the TGE using KOL marketing. We needed to communicate the project’s real value, vision, and essence.
So, by the time the TGE was officially announced, both Storm’s community and the wider crypto community were already eagerly awaiting it. They understood how Storm’s TGE would stand out from other projects launching on TON, clearly associating Storm with utility and seeing the functioning business model behind it.
Win-win.
In crypto, you’ve got two kinds of projects:
- The ones with zero utility are just flailing around, desperately trying to win the hype race without anything solid to back them up;
- The builders. These guys have been hard at work, constructing all sorts of useful (and sometimes not-so-useful) complex infrastructure, but they can’t seem to explain it to anyone.
The result? A well-coordinated orchestra. Sure, everyone’s playing different instruments, but at least now they’re all following the same sheet music.
In crypto, you’ve got two kinds of projects:
Well, we’ve proudly pushed them into a third category.
We made it our mission to communicate in a clear, engaging way that the audience wants to read and hear. We broke down exactly why StormTrade is the real deal in terms of utility, how that utility boosts the token, why it’s primed for growth, and why this token even matters in the crypto world.
Since StormTrade has genuine utility behind it, we were able to craft the right narrative and make it clear to everyone:
- The utility exists, it’s important, and it’s going to have a direct impact on the token’s price.
So, the starting price after the listing? You’re not going to see that again — thanks to a rock-solid business model and smart tokenomics. Plus, Storm Trade was the only one from the TON ecosystem to trend:
If you take a look at the content churned out by 90% of projects — whether on their pages or through influencers they’re working with — it’s all the same old story. The big partnership announcement, a long-winded technical post, a follow-up with another dense read on the business model, and one more epic saga on the project’s economics.
Now, there’s a grain of truth in all that content, sure. But with the flood of new projects constantly rolling out, this cookie-cutter approach might work, but it’s gonna cost you.
It’s the cost of missing out on the kind of content that gets them hyped. We’re talking about the kind of buzz that’s impossible to miss – retweets and reposts blowing up your feed.
So, if you’re seeing that average influencer content is pulling in way more engagement — like 20, or even 40% more than your sponsored posts — based on metrics you can spot with your bare eyes, you might want to rethink your strategy. With the right touch, even “ad” content can outperform the typical influencer post, and leave your audience way more fired up.
If you’re not rolling in billions — or comfortably lounging in the millionaire club — and you’re not ready to blow your budget on endless ad campaigns, then you’ve got to work with organic content.
Just a glance at the organic numbers we achieved with Storm Trade:
But how do you score that? Easy: be interesting, and sprinkle in strategies that get your audience to share your stuff. Give them a gentle nudge, like, “Hey, why not do this cool thing and post about it?” Make it ridiculously simple for them to create UGC.
No need for some over-the-top, 10-step challenges — keep it easy, keep it fun, and let the shares roll in.
One of the biggest mistakes in influencer marketing isn’t just picking the wrong influencers (though that happens, especially with agencies).
The real bummer is using the wrong content for the right influencers and, even worse, having them act like they’re in separate universes. Here’s the key: every influencer in your media plan should have a specific role model persona.
Sure, their roles can overlap, and yes, most of them are pushing the same narrative. But the trick is in tailoring that message. It’s about making sure the influencer’s vibe fits the content.
We made it our mission to match the right content to the right influencer, making sure their role model status aligned perfectly with their audience. We crafted the narrative just right, and to top it off, we encouraged interaction between the influencers, creating a little content synergy that seriously boosted engagement.
The results can be fascinating:
KOL Collaboration
Summary
- Harmonize all influencers — staying within the same narrative amplifies collective impact;
- Cultivate anticipation weeks before the TGE — grow momentum naturally;
- Encourage authentic community expression — let engagement spark up organically;
- Match the right content with the right influencer — and they will deliver it to the right audience.
Share this post
