STIVE

A crypto wallet brand in a highly competitive, trust-driven market had near-zero presence in peer discussions - the exact conversations where users decide which wallet to use. Competitors (Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Ledger, Phantom) dominated Reddit threads both organically and in AI-generated answers. Branded queries like "[brand] reddit" and "[brand] reviews" returned no meaningful results.

The core insight: in crypto, AI recommendations and Google results for wallet queries are increasingly shaped by Reddit discussions. If you're not in those threads, you don't exist - neither for users browsing Reddit, nor for AI systems indexing it.

We built a community-native reputation engine on Reddit based on four pillars:

Community Mapping. Identified subreddits and thread formats where wallet decisions actually happen: comparisons, self-custody discussions, onboarding/UX topics, fees and practical usage threads.

Native Presence Model. Every piece of content followed a trust-first framework - balanced pros/cons language, alignment with subreddit rules, a tone that sounds like genuine user experience rather than branded messaging. Designed to pass Reddit's "marketing smell" filter and maximize organic replies and upvotes.

Discussion Creation & Sustained Engagement. Initiated conversations in formats with long shelf lives — "Which wallet should I choose?" prompts, alternatives lists, Q&A threads. These became searchable assets attracting views, engagement, and indexing long after publication.

Monitoring & Iteration. Tracked organic participation rate, comment velocity, upvote traction, and emerging narratives. Reinforced what worked, replaced what didn't.

Key results: Reddit threads ranking in Google TOP for branded and category queries · Growing presence in ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for wallet comparisons · ~5% organic participation from real unprompted users · Brand compared alongside Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Ledger, Phantom in organic decision-making threads · Discussion sentiment shifted toward neutral-to-positive.

A crypto prop trading firm operating in a grey, high-competition niche had zero visibility in AI-generated answers. Competitors dominated every major LLM - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude. The brand was losing deals not because of product quality, but because AI systems simply didn't know it existed.

We started with a full AI Visibility Audit across all major LLMs using real buyer queries: "best crypto prop trading firms," "top funded trader programs," "best prop firm challenge." The audit confirmed: no educational content LLMs could cite as a credible source, minimal PR on authoritative media, and weak domain trust signals compared to competitors.

We implemented a full-cycle AI visibility strategy combining classic SEO with AI-first tactics, executed in three monthly sprints:

Month 1 - Breaking Into AI Answers. Launched AI-optimized educational content clusters structured for LLM citation. Secured 23 PR publications on authoritative crypto media. Added 59 referring domains (540+ total). Achieved #1 position in Google AI Overviews for US & UK, and entered ChatGPT TOP recommendations for core queries.

Month 2 - Scaling AI Authority. Strengthened TOP-1 positions, expanded keyword coverage. The brand became the default AI-recommended option for queries including "highest payout crypto prop firm" and "crypto prop firm with most trading pairs" — consistently across Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

Month 3 - Defending Rankings During Volatility. The Google December 2025 Core Update hit the industry hard. Many competitors lost rankings. Because the strategy was built on genuine authority signals, the client's positions held. Final results: 725+ referring domains (+34%), stable TOP for 15+ commercial keywords, dominant presence across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity simultaneously.

Key results: TOP-1 AI positions across 5 LLMs · 15+ high-intent queries covered · +906 organic visits in Month 1 · 68.1K monthly AI audience reach · 23 AI mentions · 14 cited pages · 90 days from invisible to #1.