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Phyrex_Ni, a Chinese influencer, focuses on macro and on-chain data content, while paying attention to the ETF and foreign exchange markets. Over the past three years, he has insisted on producing content with his own style and has grown from 0 to 1 to become a Chinese influencer with 250,000 followers.
We are curious about what drives a person to persist in producing content on social media after transforming to Web3. Therefore, OKX specially invited him to be a guest speaker in the Friends of OKX series. We hope that his transformation path, his understanding of the current situation of the industry, and his methodology on how to become a Chinese-speaking influencer will be helpful to you.
Friends of OKX Series is a special column produced by OKX and hosted by Mercy (@Mercy_okx), the official community ambassador of OKX. It aims to explore the work stories, industry thinking and lessons learned of KOLs from different backgrounds for novice users to learn and refer to.
1. Talking about the opportunity of cross-border Web3
1. Mercy@Mercy_okx: What opportunity brought you into the Web3 field? How has your past work experience helped you in your current development?
Ni Da @Phyrex_Ni: I started my career in traditional TV, where I produced Chinas first online game show. Since then, I have been deeply involved in the game industry, with a special focus on the childrens game market. By 2017 and 2018, I was responsible for a companys investment and mergers and acquisitions in the game field, focusing on the childrens game field.
We have cooperated with many well-known toy companies such as Aofei and Lingdong to develop many licensed games. Although we have a lot of high-quality IPs, we mainly launched web games at that time, which coincided with the markets transition to mobile Internet, and the overall effect did not meet expectations.
In 2017, the company’s capital chain began to be tight, and the boss suggested that we try the blockchain field. Unfortunately, due to lack of experience, the investment suffered heavy losses. This failure prompted me to start to seriously study blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency market.
In 2019, we shifted our focus to Cosmos and the Polkadot ecosystem, betting on this track. We invested in multiple Polkadot ecosystem projects and purchased a large number of Polkadot tokens. In this process, I gained a deeper understanding of the blockchain industry.
In 2021, I realized that it was difficult for small institutions to obtain investment opportunities for high-quality projects, so I began to consider transformation. Our team shared some content every week. At first, it was just posted on WeChat Moments, but later, at the suggestion of friends, the content was gradually moved to the official account.
I officially started sharing content on Twitter on October 12, 2021. At first, I tried to create English content, but found that my English level was not enough, so I switched to focusing on Chinese content creation.
That’s how I started creating content for Twitter. As the company has scaled back, I’ve focused more on creating content. Today, I mainly post tweets, but I also do other things on the side.
This is how I entered the Web3 industry and the starting point of sharing content on social media. Through continuous learning and sharing, I gradually established my influence in this field.
2. Using Myself as an Example, Discuss the Methodology of Becoming a Big V
2. Mercy@Mercy_okx: As a Twitter influencer with 250,000 followers, how do you continue to produce high-quality macro content over the long term?
Ni Da @Phyrex_Ni: Actually, I didn’t have a strong desire to express myself at first. It was more due to the need for self-growth and learning. After the market crash on May 19, 2021, I felt confused about market judgment and began to study data analysis to find direction.
I first came into contact with some on-chain data analysis tools and found that data analysis was more objective and intuitive than K-line analysis, which suited me. I studied the data in depth every day and recorded the analysis results as a means of self-review and learning.
Over time, I realized that relying solely on on-chain data was not enough. The news of the Feds interest rate hike at the end of 2021 made me realize the profound impact of macroeconomics on the market, which prompted me to start studying macroeconomics and combine on-chain data, macroeconomics, and technical analysis to form a more comprehensive analysis framework.
I insist on publishing content because of two reasons: first, I am responsible for myself and improve my analytical skills by writing to sort out my thoughts; second, I hope to help other investors who have been confused. I am well aware of the confusion in investment and hope that my sharing can provide reference and help for others.
The key to long-term persistence lies in sincerity and passion. Each analysis is based on my own trading decisions, and this attitude of self-responsibility naturally reveals sincerity. At the same time, the continuous exploration of the field keeps me passionate, and even when the market is down, I can still gain growth and fun from it.
3. Mercy@Mercy_okx: What do you think is the difference between a personal IP and an ordinary KOL? What are the differences in the way they output content?
Ni Da @Phyrex_Ni: The difference between personal IP and ordinary KOL lies in the positioning and use of influence. Personal IP focuses more on achieving long-term demands through influence, while KOL focuses more on traffic monetization.
As a personal IP, I focus on building influence in public domain traffic and focus on Twitter, rather than operating other social platforms or paid groups. This allows me to focus on improving content quality and expanding influence.
In terms of content output, I always create with a responsible attitude. Each article is based on my trading decisions and thinking. I ensure the authenticity and practicality of the content and continuously output high-quality content.
I believe that valuable personal IPs should be committed to creating long-term value for the industry and users, rather than just pursuing traffic monetization. The cooperation with Solana is based on a resonance of ideas rather than monetary transactions, and aims to help high-quality projects and communities create real value.
Personal IP should have a long-term perspective, aiming to promote industry development and continuously create value for users, rather than focusing on short-term interests.
4. Mercy@Mercy_okx: From 0 to 250,000 followers, what methodology can you give to newcomers?
Ni Da @Phyrex_Ni: For newcomers, there are several key points worth learning:
First of all, sincerity is the most important thing. Be sincere to yourself and your fans. Every piece of content I publish is based on my own investment decision. This attitude makes the content more valuable and easier to win trust.
Secondly, choose a track that suits you, and don’t blindly follow the crowd. Find a field that you are truly interested in and have accumulated a certain amount of experience in, and do in-depth research to continuously produce high-quality content.
Third, patience and perseverance are essential. Success cannot be achieved overnight. It took me three years to post 180,000 tweets, investing a lot of time and energy. If you just pursue traffic or revenue, it is difficult to persist.
Fourth, keep learning and growing. The market is changing, and knowledge needs to be constantly updated. I am always learning new methods, from on-chain data to macroeconomics, and then to multi-dimensional combinations.
Fifth, be proactive in interacting. In the early stages, you can gain exposure through the comment section of influencers, but make sure the comments are constructive. At the same time, take the feedback in the comment section seriously and be kind to the interaction.
Finally, content is the core. Traffic is important, but if you can’t continuously output valuable content, traffic will eventually be lost. Therefore, focus on improving content quality rather than simply pursuing numbers.
In general, building personal IP requires time and passion. Only by finding an area you love and continuing to learn and share can you establish long-term value.
5. Mercy@Mercy_okx: Has the status of a Chinese influencer brought you any benefits?
Ni Da @Phyrex_Ni: Becoming an influential big V has indeed brought me many opportunities and conveniences, but what I value more is how to use these opportunities to create greater value rather than simply pursuing personal interests.
Take my cooperation with Solana as an example. There is no money exchanged between us at present. My participation in the Solana community, such as video production and conference participation, is all self-funded because I believe in the potential of the Solana project and hope to help more people understand and participate in this ecosystem.
I think that once you have gained a certain amount of influence, the most important thing is how to use it to make positive contributions. For me, this means introducing more people to high-quality projects in the Chinese-speaking area and changing their stereotypes about these projects.
At the same time, I also strive to introduce high-quality overseas projects to the Chinese-speaking community. My goal is not to simply promote them, but to enable community members to better understand these projects and make independent judgments through in-depth analysis and introduction.
Although this approach may not bring direct financial returns in the short term, I believe it can generate long-term value. This not only helps me build deeper industry insights, but also allows me to meet more outstanding project parties and investors, which are resources that money cannot directly buy.
In general, I value how to use this identity to create value rather than how to make a profit from it. I firmly believe that only by truly creating value for the industry and users can we gain continuous support and recognition in the long run.
6. Mercy@Mercy_okx: Compared with the previous cycle, what changes have taken place in the KOL ecological niche?
Ni Da @Phyrex_Ni: Indeed, the ecological niche of KOLs has changed significantly in this cycle, which is a positive development trend.
First, the influence of traditional media is weakening, while the influence of individual KOLs and self-media is increasing. Individual KOLs can provide more timely, professional, and in-depth content, especially in the field of on-chain data analysis, where their response speed and professionalism often surpass traditional media.
Secondly, there are more and more KOLs who are experts in niche areas. As the market becomes more complex, single-dimensional analysis cannot fully explain the market. KOLs who can provide in-depth insights in specific areas are becoming more and more popular, such as analysts who focus on macroeconomics or specific technology fields.
Third, the value of KOLs lies not only in the dissemination of information, but also in the interpretation and analysis of information. In the era of information explosion, content that helps users understand information and provides insights is truly valuable.
Fourth, the projects cooperation with KOLs is also evolving. Cooperation is no longer a simple paid promotion, but seeking in-depth cooperation to truly reach and educate users through KOLs.
Finally, truly high-quality KOLs are more likely to stand out in this cycle. As the market matures, users’ ability to discern improves. Only KOLs who continue to provide valuable content can gain users’ trust and support in the long term.
In general, the KOL ecosystem is developing towards greater professionalism, segmentation and depth, which is a positive signal for the entire industry, meaning that the quality of information is improving and users can obtain more valuable content.
3. Interesting things about OKX
7. Mercy@Mercy_okx: The noise in the KOL circle is quite loud, and it is easy to lose your original intention. How do you adjust your mindset and stay true to yourself?
Ni Da @Phyrex_Ni: I always maintain the mentality of I am just an ordinary bricklayer. I know that what I do does not have a high technical threshold, and many people can do it as long as they are willing to spend the same time and energy. This cognition keeps me humble and I dare not be proud or complacent.
Secondly, I am very aware that my current influence is hard-won and is given by many people who support me. This influence is not my personal achievement, but a responsibility. I know that if I do anything beyond this, I may lose this support very quickly. Therefore, I always remind myself to cherish everything I have now and not do anything that may consume this trust.
Furthermore, I always insist on doing the right thing. When you have a certain influence, you will find it easier to do the right thing. For example, I often use my influence to help some people who have a small amount of funds but really need help. These things may not bring me direct benefits, but they make me feel that I am doing something meaningful.
In addition, I have always maintained my passion and curiosity for the industry. I continue to learn new knowledge and study new phenomena. This state of continuous learning keeps me humble and allows me to continue to provide value to the community.
Finally, I think the key to staying true to your original intention is to always remember why you started doing this. For me, the initial motivation was to better understand the market and make better trading decisions. Now, although my role has changed, this core goal has not changed. I am still working hard to improve my analytical skills, and I also hope to help more people understand the market.
In general, keeping your original intention requires constant self-reflection and vigilance. It is not something that can be achieved overnight, but requires reminding yourself every day to stay humble, cherish everything you have, and always be committed to creating value for others. Only in this way can you maintain influence and credibility in this rapidly changing industry for a long time.
Risk Warning and Disclaimer
This article is for reference only. This article only represents the authors views and does not represent the position of OKX. This article is not intended to provide (i) investment advice or investment recommendations; (ii) an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or hold digital assets; (iii) financial, accounting, legal or tax advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of such information. Holding digital assets (including stablecoins and NFTs) involves high risks and may fluctuate significantly. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you based on your financial situation. Please consult your legal/tax/investment professionals for your specific situation. Please be responsible for understanding and complying with local applicable laws and regulations.
