How to Choose a Crypto Marketing Agency

Seven gates, all pass or fail

Scorecards suit fintech agencies, but crypto needs something firmer, because one bad practice can undo everything else. Ask for evidence on each gate. A single fail ends the process, however good the pitch.

Gate two is more than good manners. ESMA's reverse solicitation report reads the rule as catching promotion in the EU regardless of the means used, gives sponsorship deals and social media as examples, and names influencers as people who may solicit on a firm's behalf. A contract is not even required. If you are not authorised for a market, your agency must be able to keep you out of it.

What are they actually selling?

Crypto agency menus use friendly names for very different things. Here is how to read them.

Questions that expose weak agencies

Ask these on the first call, and listen for discomfort.

1. Which markets would you refuse for us, and why?
2. How do you prove an influencer's audience is real and in the right country?
3. Show me how a paid post is labelled.
4. What do you do if an influencer goes off-script?
5. Who approves content on our side, and how is that recorded?
6. What have you turned down in the last year?
7. What happens to our accounts and data when we leave?
8. Do you take equity, tokens or referral fees from anyone you recommend?

The eighth question matters most. An agency paid by the influencers, exchanges or market makers it recommends has a conflict, and you need to know about it before you take its advice.

Ask also how they handle UK audiences. The FCA says unauthorised people who promote a regulated product without appropriate approval may be committing a criminal offence, and its social media guidance covers influencers and affiliates. For crypto, the route depends on your own status, so have counsel confirm it before any UK-facing campaign.

Immediate deal-breakers

• Any promise about token price, trading volume or an exchange listing.
• Offers of bought followers, wash trading or coordinated "raids".
• Fees tied to token price or funds raised.
• Refusal to label paid content.
• Guaranteed impressions from a network nobody can name.
• Backlink packages. Google's spam policy treats paid links for ranking as link spam unless they are marked sponsored or nofollow.

Anything that manipulates a token's apparent demand is more than poor marketing. It can raise market abuse questions, so take legal advice before you go near it.

Look ahead before you sign

Regulation is moving against loose promotion. ESMA told the Commission on 30 September 2026 that it wants stricter rules on crypto marketing, particularly by influencers and third parties, and stronger powers against third-country firms soliciting EU investors. These are proposals, but a contract signed today will run into that future.

So keep contracts short, with monthly exit rights, and require the agency to adapt to rule changes at its own cost.

Do you need an agency at all?

Often you need less than you are being sold. Use this rule.

• Pre-launch or unauthorised: Spend on legal work, documentation and your product. Most agency services are premature, and some may be unlawful.
• Authorised, small team: Hire specialists for specific jobs, such as technical SEO or PR.
• Authorised, scaling across markets: A full-service agency can help, if it passes all seven gates.

Our crypto marketing strategy guide will help you work out which you are.

Where Sempor Labs fits

We are based in Limassol. Our work is search, content and AI search optimization, so if you need an influencer or community campaign, we are the wrong choice. See our fintech and forex SEO service if search is what you need. We quote in writing, and we will go through these gates with you the same way.

Your next step is simple. Send the seven gates to each agency on your list before the first call, and ask for a written response. How they answer will tell you most of what you need to know.