Key Insights:
- 200+ influencers took up to $60K per post to promote crypto tokens.
- Fewer than 5 disclosed ads out of 160+ deals.
- Many earned more from promos than trading.
- Leak fuels regulatory scrutiny over market manipulation.
A new leak suggests much of the apparent “organic” crypto buzz is artificially purchased.
On Sept. 1, crypto sleuth ZachXBT released a leaked spreadsheet listing over 200 influencers contacted to promote an unnamed token.
The sheet includes each influencer’s pricing tier, wallet address for payment and whether posts were to be labeled as advertising.
According to ZachXBT, roughly 160 of those influencers accepted payment, yet fewer than 5 of them marked their posts as ads.
In other words, over 95% of these endorsements went undisclosed, blurring the line between paid promotion and genuine community interest.
Influencer Rate Sheet Exposes Paid Crypto Campaigns
The leaked document leaves little to the imagination. It shows a tiered fee structure: top influencers charged tens of thousands of dollars per post on X.
For example, one account nicknamed Atity asked for a whopping $60,000 for a single X promotion, with a Solana wallet on file.
Another major account agreed to $12,000 for six tweets (about $2,000 each). Even mid-tier names demanded four-figure fees: MediaGiratfes quoted $10,000 for two posts and Sibeleth $40,000 for one.
Across the board, these paid tweets carried no “#ad” tags. “None of their profiles marked those paid posts as ads,” notes one report.
In total, the sheet reports promotional rates ranging from $750 to $60,000 per post, with wallet addresses attached, making all transactions fully on-chain and traceable.
Thousands Per Post, No Disclosure
The lower tiers were similarly organized. Dozens of smaller influencers are listed charging a few thousand dollars per mention.
The sheet shows accounts offering packages (for example, OfficialSkyweel bundled multiple tweets for $22,000) or simple one-post deals ($1,500–$2,600 at Tier 3).
Even the cheapest featured influencers advertised $1,500–$2,000 per tweet. Crucially, virtually none of this paid content was identified as advertising.
As ZachXBT emphasized in his tweet: “From 160+ accounts who accepted the deal, I only saw <5 accounts actually disclose the promotional posts as an advertisement.”
Regulation and Crypto Market Impact
This practice runs counter to advertising laws. In the U.S., the FTC requires influencers to clearly disclose paid endorsements, and similar rules apply in Europe and Asia.
Regulatory guidelines warn that failing to label ads “misleads investors and may lead to regulatory scrutiny.”
Indeed, industry watchers say the leak underscores “the need for tighter regulations, stronger disclosure rules, and more investor awareness.”
Until then, experts advise treating unverified promotional posts with skepticism. The contrast between hype and fundamentals has real market effects.
When influencer-driven pumps fade, prices can tumble. A recent case in point was the “CR7” meme token scam: thanks to massive social promotion, it surged to a $143 million market cap in minutes before crashing 98%.
Influencers promoting it then quietly deleted their posts, hiding their role in the hype. This episode and the new leak both highlight the volatility risk tied to hidden promotion.
For retail and institutional participants alike, the message is caution. Broad social media buzz does not guarantee long-term value or adoption.
Studies have found that viral campaigns can drive surface-level metrics but often fail to create lasting on-chain growth.
Ultimately, “blockchain growth is hard” and depends on fundamentals, not just flash-in-the-pan social media spikes.
Investors should therefore corroborate the fundamentals behind any crypto rally. Check on-chain indicators and trading volumes independently, watch for coordinated trading patterns, and heed disclosure requirements.
Regulatory bodies are also paying closer attention: undisclosed promotions can attract penalties or investigations under advertising and securities laws.
The ZachXBT leak may spur platforms and regulators to enforce stricter transparency in crypto marketing.
Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2025/09/02/leaked-data-reveals-crypto-organic-buzz-is-often-bought/
