In this episode of the Building Web3 podcast, we sit down with Dean, the CEO of FortyIQ, to explore how founder-led marketing can supercharge growth for crypto projects. Dean opens up about his journey from swing trading blue-chip stocks in 2020 to diving headfirst into DeFi and eventually founding FortyIQ, a crypto marketing agency focused on simplifying storytelling in a jargon-heavy space. His mission is to ensure that founders drive their company’s narrative and connect with their target audiences authentically.
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Chapters
00:00 Dean's Journey into Crypto
03:03 The Importance of Founder-Led Marketing
05:50 Strategies for Effective Social Media Engagement
08:45 Building a Personal Brand in Crypto
12:07 Content Creation Hacks for Founders
15:00 Team-Based Marketing Strategies
17:51 Navigating Content Formats and Posting Strategies
20:51 Growing Your Social Media Presence
22:11 Creating Engaging Content
24:49 Future Aspirations and Startup Ideas
26:00 Benefits of Data-Driven Content Expansion
28:40 Overcoming the Cold Start Problem on Social Media
30:20 CTAs, Conversions, and Effective Marketing Funnels
Dean breaks down the importance of personal branding in Web3 and why founders—not faceless brand accounts—should take center stage. Drawing on real-world examples like Elon Musk and Tesla, he explains how founder visibility boosts hiring, brand awareness, fundraising, and even token price momentum. Dean shares practical advice on creating consistent, impactful content on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, emphasizing that founders can tap into industry insights, leverage their teams, or work with agencies like FortyIQ to maintain a steady flow of value-driven posts.
Throughout the discussion, Dean highlights how founders and their teams can overcome common hurdles, from writer’s block to time constraints. He recommends accountability partnerships, ghostwriting, and utilizing content scheduling tools. Dean also emphasizes the value of collaboration and how engaging with industry communities, whether through conferences, Telegram, or Discord, is critical to gaining those first 1,000 followers on social media.
For companies looking to scale, Dean outlines team-based marketing strategies, showcasing examples of crypto teams like Eclipse, Omni, and Monad that have successfully built mindshare and brand loyalty. He stresses the importance of data-driven decision-making when expanding channels and discusses which content formats—whether short, funny tweets or long-form articles—are performing best under Twitter’s evolving algorithm.
Dean also touches on the future of crypto marketing and FortyIQ’s plans to develop comprehensive services for founders, including strategic guidance on legal setup, tokenomics, and market entry. For those new to the space, Dean’s advice is simple: start by solving real problems, understand your audience, and build authentic, consistent narratives.
Whether you’re a founder, marketer, or someone curious about Web3, this episode provides a wealth of actionable insights to help grow your on-chain presence. Don’t miss this engaging discussion filled with practical advice on marketing strategies, founder-led narratives, and how to scale visibility in the rapidly growing world of Web3.
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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Building Web3 is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Jax, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
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