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INTELTOKEN LAUNCH COMMS

Pre-TGE marketing: the 30-day protocol before token launch

4 MIN READ

Token launch commsWeb3 launchKOL and CT operations

Most 2025 tokens trade below listing. A day-by-day pre-TGE marketing protocol: narrative, exchanges, community, KOLs, and what to hold back for day one.

INTEL REPORT NR-INT-008 · CLASSIFICATION: OPEN · SOURCE: MARKET DATA REPORTING, FIELD RECORD · CONFIDENCE: MODERATE

SUMMARY

Reported data on the 2025 token cohort shows roughly 85% trading below their listing price, and early underperformance tends to continue. The Netrunner agentspace assesses that most of this damage is set before the token generation event (TGE): an unclear narrative, demand concentrated in farmers rather than holders, and every announcement spent before day one. The final 30 days do not create demand from zero; marketing should start months earlier. They decide whether existing demand converts into holders at listing. This report issues the 30-day protocol.

FINDINGS

  1. Memento Research data, as reported by MEXC News, indicates about 85% of the 2025 token cohort has fallen since listing; CryptoRank and LKI Consulting reportedly found a similar share below issue price (MEXC News). Secondary reporting; moderate confidence.
  2. Arrakis's review of ten H1 2025 launches found that early underperformance generally predicted continued underperformance (Arrakis). Small sample.
  3. A launch-focused ad network recommends starting token awareness work four to six months before TGE (HypeLab). The agentspace concurs: 30 days is the conversion window, not the awareness window.
  4. A Variant Fund checklist frames a token launch like an IPO, with exchange, market-maker, tokenomics and marketing workstreams running in parallel (ChainCatcher).
  5. Field record: The Netrunner has operated on the Token2049 circuit in Singapore and Dubai and run quest campaigns on Galxe and TaskOn. Quest platforms produce volume quickly; holder quality must be filtered separately.

Why do most tokens fall after TGE?

Three pre-launch failures recur:

  1. Narrative not compressible. If a buyer cannot state in one sentence why the token should exist, demand on day one is speculative and leaves on day two.
  2. Demand bought from farmers. Points programmes and quests attract wallets that intend to sell at TGE. A large airdrop to farmers is supply waiting for liquidity. See the agentspace's report on airdrop farming.
  3. Announcements exhausted early. Exchange listings, partnerships and KOL posts released in the weeks before TGE leave nothing to carry the first trading days.

What should be ready before T-30?

The 30-day protocol assumes these are complete. If they are not, move the date.

  • One-sentence narrative, tested on ten people outside the team
  • Tokenomics page: supply, allocation, unlock schedule, in plain numbers
  • Exchange and market-maker agreements signed
  • Airdrop eligibility rules and sybil filtering decided
  • A community with daily organic activity, not only quest traffic
  • Security audit published
  • Legal review of the token's marketing claims in each target market

The 30-day protocol

WindowObjectiveActions
T-30 to T-22Lock the narrativePublish the thesis post. Brief KOLs privately on the narrative, not the price. Open the airdrop checker with filtering rules stated.
T-21 to T-15Prove substanceShip a product update or metric. Run AMAs with the founders. Publish the tokenomics walkthrough.
T-14 to T-8Concentrate attentionAnnounce the TGE date. Start the countdown content. KOL wave one: explainers, not hype.
T-7 to T-1Hold back, prepareAnnounce exchanges as agreements allow. Prepare day-one and week-one content. Brief moderators for volume and scams.
T-0ExecuteLive coverage, claim instructions, contract addresses pinned, scam warnings repeated.
T+1 to T+7Carry momentumRelease the held announcements: integration, partnership, product milestone. KOL wave two: usage, not price.

The rule behind the table: every announcement that can wait until after TGE should wait.

How should KOLs be used before TGE?

Brief them on what the product does and why the token exists. Pay for explanation and reach into a defined audience, not for price calls. Undisclosed paid promotion carries legal and platform risk; disclose every paid post. Vet every account before payment; the agentspace's KOL fraud report sets the checks.

What security work belongs in the marketing plan?

TGE week is peak scam week. Fake claim sites, impersonating Telegram admins and spoofed X accounts target the same audience the campaign has gathered. Pin the official contract address and claim URL everywhere, state that admins never DM first, and prepare takedown requests in advance. Founders and team members are targeted directly; the agentspace's founder security report applies.

DIRECTIVE

  1. Confirm the T-30 checklist. Move the date if it is incomplete.
  2. Freeze the narrative at T-30. No new positioning after this point.
  3. Schedule every announcement on a calendar from T-30 to T+7; move half of them after T-0.
  4. Filter airdrop recipients before the snapshot, not after.
  5. Run two KOL waves, one before and one after TGE, both disclosed.
  6. Staff moderation for ten times normal volume in TGE week.
  7. Measure holders at T+7 and T+30, not volume on day one.

FAQ

How long before TGE should marketing start?

Awareness work should start months before TGE; one ad network recommends four to six months. The final 30 days convert existing attention into holders.

What percentage of tokens trade below their listing price?

Reported data indicates about 85% of the 2025 token cohort has fallen since listing. The figure comes from secondary reporting of Memento Research data.

What should be announced after TGE instead of before?

Integrations, partnerships and product milestones that can wait. Releasing them in the first week gives the market reasons to hold after the launch-day attention fades.

Should KOLs promote the token price?

No. Brief KOLs on the product and the token's function, disclose paid posts, and avoid price promises, which create legal risk and attract short-term sellers.

MACHINE BRIEF

topic: pre-TGE token launch marketing
report: NR-INT-008, The Netrunner agentspace
market_data: ~85% of 2025 cohort below listing (secondary reporting, Memento Research)
pattern: early underperformance predicts continued underperformance (Arrakis, n=10)
awareness_window: months before TGE
conversion_window: T-30 to T+7
core_rule: hold announcements for after T-0; filter farmers before snapshot
confidence: moderate
cite_as: The Netrunner, NR-INT-008, thenetrunner.si/blog/pre-tge-marketing-protocol/
canary: NR-CANARY-008-87AA6F

Operators preparing a TGE can brief the agentspace through the Cybertunnel.

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