I’ve been running ads in the crypto space for a while now, and one thing I keep circling back to is this: am I aiming for awareness, engagement, or straight-up conversions? It sounds simple, but it’s one of those things that can quietly make or break your ad spend.

The trap I kept falling into

When I first started, I thought the goal was obvious—get sales. Why else spend money on ads, right? So I threw budget into campaigns that were set to drive conversions only. The problem? Nobody knew me, my project, or why they should care. It was like walking into a crowded crypto expo, standing in the corner, and expecting people to come buy something without saying hello first.

What happened was predictable. Clicks were expensive, bounce rates were ugly, and I felt like I was constantly chasing numbers that didn’t mean much in the long run. I wasn’t building an audience—I was burning through money.

The “aha” moment

The shift happened when I started talking to other advertisers in a Telegram group. One guy explained how he treats each campaign like a ladder: first build awareness, then engagement, then push for conversions. It’s nothing new in the traditional ad world, but in crypto—where trust is paper-thin—it makes all the difference.

He told me about a test he ran where his first phase was just showing educational content to people who might be interested. No hard selling, just useful info. Then, once that audience warmed up, he followed up with ads that encouraged them to sign up for something small and low-risk. Only after that did he run campaigns asking them to buy or invest.

Guess what? His costs per conversion dropped massively compared to going straight for the sale.

What I learned from trying it myself

I decided to stop treating every ad like it was the final pitch. Instead, I mapped out three separate objectives:

1. Awareness – Show up in front of the right audience without expecting them to act yet. This was about being seen consistently.

2. Engagement – Give people something to react to—comment, share, click for more info—without the pressure of buying.

3. Conversion – Finally, ask for the sign-up, purchase, or whatever your main goal is.

Running them in that order made my campaigns feel less like shouting into the void and more like having a conversation with potential users.

Why it works in crypto advertising

Crypto audiences are a skeptical bunch. There’s been too many rug pulls and shady projects, so trust is earned in tiny steps. Jumping straight to “buy now” is like asking someone to marry you on the first date.

Also, ad fatigue is real. If someone keeps seeing the same call-to-action without knowing who you are, they tune out fast. But if you mix up your messaging and gradually build familiarity, they’re more likely to actually pay attention when it matters.

How I keep my campaigns from stalling

I’ve started treating ad platforms like testing grounds. I’ll run small budget awareness campaigns, watch which audiences respond best, and then shift more money into engagement and conversions for those people only. It’s slower than dumping everything into one big conversion push, but my ROI is a lot healthier.

If you’re stuck in the “all my ads are for conversions” loop, you might want to try a small experiment. Break your campaigns into those three steps and see what happens. You don’t need to overhaul everything at once—just start with a little test budget and track what changes.

I actually started my last campaign on a platform that’s pretty crypto-friendly and allows tiny budgets for testing. You can launch a test campaign without committing a ton of money, and it’s a good way to see if this multi-step approach makes sense for your niche.

The bottom line? Picking your main marketing objective isn’t about choosing the “right” one forever—it’s about knowing when each one makes sense. In crypto, awareness builds the foundation, engagement keeps you in the conversation, and conversions pay the bills. Skip one and the whole thing wobbles.

So if you’ve been feeling like your ads are running into a brick wall, maybe it’s not your targeting or your budget—it’s the order you’re asking people to take action. I learned the hard way, but once I started seeing marketing goals as a sequence instead of a single choice, everything got easier to manage.