Creator communities in Web3: Growth challenges and perspectives

8 min readJun 11, 2022

Web3 supporters suggest it would bring the Internet back to its roots with decentralisation, by utilising blockchain technology, NFTs and token-based economics to keep it in the hands of creators. Creators who can not only read and write on Web3 but also own it. This new version of the web is growing with each passing day, with an influx of creative minds looking to develop themselves and their products. So, in this new version of the Internet, what could we expect from some of these creator communities? What challenges do they face? What should they consider when monetising their products or solidifying their reputation? What metrics do they use, and what advice would they give to potential creators and artists within Web3?

YourJustice is aiming to make the new layer of the Web3. We expect the platform to empower communities and DAOs in building trust, to prevent unwanted behaviour, scam and injustice in the various industries, and to assist people in improving human interactions.

Having a high reputation in Web3 doesn’t necessarily mean being heard by everyone.

Our AMA host Gary Izquier, who is also a content writer and communications expert, and our speaker Marta Poltorak, a content creator for Web3 and DAOs, have helped us dig through these questions and better understand the inside workings within Web3 communities.

Gary Izquier agrees that nowadays reputation means everything and that you can’t have a good reputation unless you have good accountability. That’s important as Web3 moves forward. How would a content writer ensure that the tenets of accountability are being kept? Marta Poltorak explained her thoughts on reputation within Web3 creator communities.

“For me, gaining a reputation in Web3 is more about knowing which people you should reach out to, as well as showing yourself as a person that delivers high-quality content and education in this space…”

“It’s not necessarily growing the reputation by focusing on the numbers. Having a high reputation in Web3 doesn’t necessarily mean being heard by everyone, but it means being noticed by the educated people within this space. Analytical people who want to bring value into that space and have very strong ethics and values that they follow. Having a high reputation in the Web3 space is actually like being part of the community that’s focused on bringing change and not just scaling up the numbers of views or followers in that space.”

We may consider that art is a form of individual expression, but in the Web3 space the situation is changing.

With the importance of reputation for artists going forward in Web3 and, particularly, within the field of artistic expression, creators will face many challenges in growing their reputation. Poltorak addresses some of those barriers.

“If artists want to grow their reputation in this space, they need to have a background in business, SEO, and marketing, not only in creating art. This can be hard because there’s a lot to do on their own…”

“This also brings me to another very interesting point. We may consider that art is a form of individual expression, but I feel like in the Web3 space the situation is changing. Artists need to realise that if they want to grow their reputation, they won’t be able to achieve it on their own. I’m not only talking about collaborations or promos on social media. There are projects where artists come together and work on creating art together. When these projects succeed, it increases the reputation of every single participant, as a side effect.”

What about vanity metrics? Does Web3 allow creators to avoid those metrics and focus on more sustainable ways of marketing their art?

Marta Poltorak: “Honestly, I think vanity metrics are just the means, it’s a tool. It all depends on how you’re going to use that. If an artist wants to go mainstream, they will help. However, the question is, how many people will remain followers in the long run? How many people will engage with the content? Vanity metrics become more of an improver rather than the key strategy method to grow a sustainable follower base.”

Essentially, Marta states that vanity metrics are more of the garnish or side dish than the meal itself, and it is not necessarily a universal rule of growth and reputation.

“I also don’t think that one solution fits all. I’m a fan of organic, sustainable growth. I’ll be growing my project in the next few years, and this is a strategy that we will apply. We won’t be aiming for big numbers. When people want to reach a huge audience, they kind of lose their niche.”

Gary Izquier: “Right. There is a saying in Spanish that it’s better to have one bird in your hand than 100 birds flying. Sticking to the niche is a temptation that many Web3 companies, applications, and artists will have to face.

If you want your community to be remarkable, then you need to be specific.

So what would be a good example of a quality creator community? Specifically the one with organic, sustainable growth?”

Marta Poltorak: “If you want your community to be remarkable, then you need to be specific. Maybe a few years ago, when people were still exploring the idea of Web3 and DAOs, it was already something specific, but now, because this space is growing so fast, you need to work towards being more and more focused. On Discord, I’m in around 30 groups, but I participate in about five of them. If I wanted to stay up to date with all those groups, then I would not have enough time for work.”

Gary Izquier: “So basically, what Marta suggests is not spreading yourself too thin. Stick to the particular niches or sectors in which you can offer the most. I agree, and one of the significant challenges that I personally face as a content writer is identifying differences between the current audience and the desired target audience. When you develop a crypto company, you’re going to have a pre-established audience that will always be there for you. At the same time, you will have an aspiring target audience, and you will have to distinguish between the two and know which media to use for each of them.”

What would you say to creatives who want to monetise their talent and reputation?

“So if you’re not creative per se, what would you say to creatives who want to monetise their talent and reputation? What strategies would you recommend?”

Marta Poltorak: “Don’t set your prices too low. If you want to sell your piece cheap, then you’re not going to benefit from that in the long run. If you make it too accessible for people, you’ll have this amazing piece and undervalue the other. Also, talk to professionals….”

“Artists are often scared to sell their pieces for a higher amount of money. They will usually see that in the long run, it’s way harder to raise the prices of an art piece when people have already got used to buying your pieces at a low price…”

“Another thing is that if you want to monetise your business, then you should at least educate yourself about business. Without educating yourself, you are not going to monetise your business, because you are not even able to tell how much you want to sell your piece for. I think that many artists forget about it, or they just avoid it.”

Gary Izquier: “So moving forward, vanity metrics, as mentioned earlier, are the garnish to the meal. They’re not as important. But then what should creators focus on? How do they start prioritising follower engagement over vanity metrics?”

Marta Poltorak: “Well, it all depends on how big we want our business to become. Some people are good with being known locally, and it’s enough for them. Some artists want to go global, so, for example, if you want to focus on a smaller community, then you can focus more on your product. However, I believe that the main thing here is time. Just imagine, you get used to one technique of increasing your follower base, and then, a few weeks later, a social media platform such as Twitter or Instagram changes their algorithm.“

“There’s not going to be just one way to grow your follower base. I think that flexibility is necessary here, as well as knowing how the algorithms work. If you know how to work with the algorithms, then you will not have to be frustrated and you can focus on gaining more followers.”

If you want to grow organically, you have to understand that by spending your time in the Web3 space… you are making a long-term investment.

Gary Izquier: “Marta is right. The growth with an organic approach is not as steady as it might be with vanity metrics. For instance, it comes in bursts, like when your wisdom teeth grow, they don’t all grow at a steady pace. What do you think the artists can do when they have already reached a certain number of followers?

Marta Poltorak: “If you want to grow organically, you have to understand that by spending your time in the Web3 space, you’re not making a one-year investment, and you’re not even making a three-year investment. You are making a long-term investment, for at least the next 10 to 15 years. We are still building it, we’re still sculpting something that is really in the process of being explored. The earlier we understand this, the easier it will be for us to adapt and to thrive in this space in the long run.”

“Create a base for your business. Create a base for whatever you’re creating now. Because even the people who want to educate others about NFTs and about Web3 are still in the process of educating themselves.”

The Web3 space is a growing environment filled with flexibility and potential. Creator communities can make the most of it through their support of one another and collaborations. It’s always good to keep things simple and with a niche focus, because it’s better to have one bird in your hand than 100 birds flying.

You may be interested in

You can read more about YourJustice here.