How Underdog Projects Can Turn Around from Crisis in 3 Steps, Create Phenomenal Communication, and Directly Reach Binance
Recently, HUMA has swept through Web3, and Shabai also stored a batch of numbers in February, investing 50,000 and finally receiving an airdrop of 12,000, which is quite satisfying. Let's review the dramatic reversal of HUMA's reputation.
Do not avoid controversy, but rather manage it; do not suppress traffic, but convert it. While the vast majority of project teams are still learning how to "put out fires," HUMA has already demonstrated how to use the enemy's torch to illuminate its own path.
Phase 1: Cold Start Encountering Obstacles (April 8-10) — How to make the market "suddenly discover" an old story?
On April 8, HUMA officially announced the new mechanism for $PST and the collaboration with Jupiter, launching the "Deposit Can Be Liquidated" feature (allowing users to transfer assets during the staking period). Theoretically, this is a significant upgrade — but the market's reaction was tepid, with almost no discussion in Chinese communities.
Problem Diagnosis:
Narrative Fatigue: The RWA track has been repeatedly hyped, and a simple "technical upgrade" cannot stimulate the market.
Misalignment of Target Users: Initial communication focused on hardcore DeFi players, but the "speculative users" who could bring real traffic were not reached.
Breakthrough Strategy:
On April 10, HUMA adjusted its communication strategy, and @dov_wo launched a "Three-Tier KOL Bombardment":
Smart Money/Miner KOLs → Emphasize "profit opportunities" to attract funds
Emotional Traffic Gurus → Create expectations for the "next hundredfold coin"
Tutorial/Airdrop Bloggers → Lower the participation threshold, expand the user base
Effect: Discussion levels slightly increased, but it hadn’t broken out yet — until...
Phase 2: Crisis Erupts (April 11) — When "Black Traffic" Is Better Than "No Traffic"
On April 11, renowned KOL @0x0xFeng tweeted a question: "Isn't HUMA just P2P lending with a blockchain disguise?" This triggered 330,000 exposures https://t.co/uzcZxAYaz9
Team Response:
Founder Richard @DrPayFi personally stepped in, responding to each technical detail in the comments (not generic statements, but specific business logic)
Unexpected Gain: Rational debate attracted more onlookers, tweet interactions surged, and various viewpoints were shared @CalmanBTC
Key Turning Point:
Then came Kay and Feng Wuxiang exposing the HUMA team member’s educational discrimination, coinciding with the time of the "Female Contest Track" controversy, leading to an explosion of traffic. The incident rapidly spread into a PR crisis similar to that of Scroll's founder complaining about unwelcome airdrop users being called "ebeggars."
Phase 3: Crisis Public Relations 72 Hours (April 12-14) — A Textbook-Level Turnaround Script
Step 1: Firefighting (0-24 hours)
Richard issued a handwritten apology letter
Core Message:
"We made a mistake, but HUMA's mission has always been to lower financial barriers — including educational barriers."
Psychological Technique: Transform the "team scandal" into a discussion of the value of "industry fairness"
Step 2: Conversion (24-48 hours)
Invited top investment research KOL @Ice_Frog to publish an in-depth research report, reversing the views of many participants who wanted to abandon the project due to the "drama" https://t.co/PUKrPMrwq2
Theme: "HUMA vs P2P: Why This Time Is Really Different?"
Key Arguments:
Transparent fund flow (on-chain verifiable vs P2P black box)
Over-collateralization mechanism (compared to traditional P2P's unsecured model)
Step 3: Reconstruction (48-72 hours)
Solana Chinese Space Blitz:
Break through the traditional AMA format, allowing free questioning (including sharp questions)
Attracted a large amount of traffic to focus on HUMA’s business details, and various summarizations of AMA after the fact largely shifted public opinion
Key content releases for clarification were all handled personally by Richard, including the summaries of AMA
"Listening to advice, transparency, and responsiveness" — Richard's attitude and persona became the sharpest public relations weapon in the crypto world.
Narrative Nuclear Explosion (after April 15) — Attacking Industry Consensus
Richard initiated the "Critique of TVL Worship" campaign:
Core Argument: "High TVL = Good Project? Wrong! HUMA's 'Effective TVL' is the future."
Key Steps:
From a public opinion perspective, pull ourselves out of "another DeFi."
Rationally avoid the TVL that exchanges do not value, turning to indicators like "activities sold out" that can generate hype.
Warm-up, rush purchases, and reviews before each round of activities, maintaining FOMO
Ultimately, HUMA achieved a three-level leap in deposit efficiency through precise operations: from $20M needed 10 days to $10M sold out in just 3 hours, with growth momentum continuing to explode."
On TGE day, the entire network went crazy with sharing, and it was rightfully listed on Binance!
Core Summary: Traffic Equals Power, Narrative Equals Weapon
1️⃣ "First have traffic, then have narrative"
HUMA cut all competitors with "regulatory friendly" not because the technology is stronger, but because this label can generate the most discussion.
2️⃣ "Rather than being better, be different"
When all RWA projects are boasting about yields, HUMA talks about "compliance as the first principle" — the differentiating point is the memory point.
3️⃣ "Founder persona > White Paper"
Richard doesn't pretend to be an expert, but establishes trust with "continuous iteration + public acknowledgment of mistakes," receiving great recognition from users.
4️⃣ "Precise Comparisons = Free Advertising"
Actively comparing competitor data (even if one-sided), forcing the community to take sides in discussions, HUMA's TG activity level doubled this way.
5️⃣ "Exchanges only care about how many new users you can bring"
HUMA focuses on demonstrating the "on-chain conversion rate of traditional financial users," which is exactly what Binance truly wants.
Ultimate Truth of the Crypto Industry:
HUMA proves that instead of spending money to delete posts, it is better to turn a crisis into a stage for displaying authenticity.
