I assembled a KOL panel at Cookie Marketers’ House & asked questions we marketers think but don’t always ask. top 6 things I’ve learned during this panel: 1. RED FLAGS The biggest red flags for KOLs are when marketers’ expectations don’t align with what a KOL can do and what is the right fit for their profile, which results in constant back and forth on news shared, and dissatisfaction both ends. 2. READY CONTENT VS CREATIVE FREEDOM The most important thing is for marketers to strike the balance between giving clear talking points and guidance for a narrative a KOL should push around a project, vs giving the exact copy for post or wanting to review, edit, and approve the copy. I asked a follow-up question to the KOL panelist how they feel about materials with info and tov of the project ready to feed to an LLM, and they said they would be open to exploring this and seeing if this helps with more alignment on content creation. 3. CASH OR TOKENS? Something we wonder, but it’s never a good time to ask: cash or tokens? All KOLs agreed cash deals are their go-to if it’s one or the other, but a combination of cash tokens (KOL wound or OTC) is also something they are open to because this gives them more ownership and motivation to promote the project. An important insight was that KOLs are way more likely to work on a token-renumeration basis if they value a project and have a closer relationship with the team - again, building relationships first is so, so important. 4. BEST WAY TO APPROACH A KOL Cold reachout by a marketer is not something KOLs love because they want to work with people who value their content and work (shout out to Salvo, who said that some KOLs will work with you after a cold reach out but will give you 5x their price) - again, build relationships. Then try to collaborate. always. 5. LONG TERM COLLAB OR ONE TIME POST? Not surprising, but I feel we need to be reminded of this: KOLs much prefer long-term collaborations than getting paid just for one post. First, it’s good for projects they work with because this KOLs audience starts associating the kol they like with your brand, and you get more exposure (yes, it takes 8 brand interactions usually to move someone down the funnel); kols prefer long term collabs because then they can introduce their audience to the project and not look like shillers who promote everything. 6. EARLY STAGE GEMS OR LATE-STAGE MOMENTUM? I also asked my panelists if they prefer early-stage gems or late-stage momentum. They like both, although it looks like early-stage gems are slightly more attractive - guess it’s the hype that comes from being early one piece of advice to take away from this panel: building a relationship with KOLs you want to work with (yes, for paid deals as well!) is key. thank you for taking the time to chat with me @salvonchain @KongBTC @Carlitoswa_y @shivst3r