In short: rank channels by the cost of earning a buyer's attention, and start where the attention is cheapest and the trust is borrowed: partners, referrals, creators and owned media. Paid media comes last, once you know what converts.
Key points
- Sort every channel into open, restricted or closed before planning; never forecast a restricted channel before the paperwork clears.
- The channel ladder runs partners, affiliates and referrals, creators, owned media, answer engines, then paid media.
- A partnership without a first use case is a logo swap.
- Pay creators for a job such as a tutorial or honest review, match on audience fit, and require disclosure every time.
- Check what major AI assistants say about you; if it is wrong or missing, that is a content gap.
Three bands, before any plan
Before planning distribution, sort every channel into one of three bands for your category and geography:
- Open: you can use it without pre-approval. Partners, affiliates, creators, email, content, events, much of programmatic.
- Restricted: usable with documentation, licensing or approval. Plan for it only once the paperwork clears; never put it in a forecast before then.
- Closed: won't carry you in this market today. Name it early and plan without it.
Web3 teams often discover their closed band after a campaign is built. AI teams rarely face closed bands, but face crowded ones where costs climb fast. Either way, the sort comes first.
The channel ladder
| Order | Channel | Why it works early | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Partners and integrations | Borrowed trust; your customer is already there | Partnerships with no named owner or shared goal |
| 2 | Affiliates and referrals | Paid on results; scales with proof | Disclosure rules; quality of referred users |
| 3 | Creators and KOLs | Trusted voice to a specific audience | Paying for reach not fit; disclosure; one-off posts |
| 4 | Owned media | Compounds; you keep the audience and the data | Slow to start; needs a point of view |
| 5 | Answer engines | Buyers increasingly ask AI assistants who to use | Thin or inconsistent public information about you |
| 6 | Paid media | Scale, once conversion is known | Spending before you know what converts |
Partners first
The best early partner is someone who has your customer and gains something when you succeed. For a DeFi protocol, every asset issuer whose token you support has a reason to promote a new use for it. For an AI tool, the platform you integrate with often runs a marketplace, a partner directory or co-marketing for apps that make it stickier.
Write the shared goal down before the first call: what each side gets, what each side does, and the single first use case you'll launch together. A partnership without a first use case is a logo swap.
Creators, done properly
Pay creators for a job, not a post: a tutorial, a walkthrough, an honest review, a live session. Match on audience fit, not follower count. Require clear disclosure every time, both because the rules require it and because undisclosed promotion is exactly what erodes trust in crypto and AI alike.
Owned media and answer engines
These two are linked. When a buyer asks an AI assistant "what's the best tool for X?", the answer is assembled from what's published about you and your category. Clear, specific, consistent public material — docs, comparisons, research, case studies — is now distribution, not just marketing. Check what the major assistants say about you today. If it's wrong or missing, that's a content gap.
The checklist
- [ ] Every channel sorted into open, restricted or closed
- [ ] Three named partners with a first use case each
- [ ] A referral or affiliate offer with clear disclosure
- [ ] A creator brief that pays for a job, not a post
- [ ] What AI assistants say about you, checked and logged
- [ ] Paid media budget held until conversion is known
Common questions
How do I market a product when ad platforms won't carry it?
Sort channels into open, restricted and closed, then start with open channels where trust is borrowed: partners and integrations, affiliates and referrals, creators, owned media and answer engines. Hold paid media until you know what converts.
What makes a good early distribution partner?
Someone who already has your customer and gains something when you succeed. Agree the shared goal, each side's role and one first use case before the first call.
How should I pay crypto or AI creators?
Pay for a job, such as a tutorial, walkthrough, honest review or live session, not a post. Match on audience fit rather than follower count and require clear disclosure.