Mar 26 • General discussion
The exact tools I use to run marketing for crypto and AI companies — no affiliate links, just what works
I've spent the last 8+ years running marketing for crypto and AI companies (Ctrl Wallet, Maya Protocol, SwapKit, The Graph, and others). Along the way I've tested probably 100+ tools.
Most of them are noise. Here's what I actually use every day and why.
I'm breaking this into categories so you can swap in alternatives where they make sense for your setup.
🧠 AI Content & Research
Claude API (Anthropic) — This is the brain behind everything. I use it for content drafting, trend research, repurposing, and analysis. The key isn't just "using Claude" though — I built custom skills (structured prompt libraries) that encode my brand voice, platform rules, and quality standards so every output sounds like me, not like generic AI. If you're just typing prompts into ChatGPT and copy-pasting the output, you're doing it wrong. The skill layer is what makes AI content actually good.
OpenAI API — I keep this as a backup and for comparison testing. Sometimes I'll generate the same piece with both Claude and GPT-4 and pick the better version. Having two models keeps you from getting locked into one style.
🎨 Image Generation
Imagen API (Nanobanana 2 model) — All my post graphics, YouTube thumbnails, newsletter headers, and blog images are generated through this. I built a brand style guide into the prompt pipeline so every image comes out consistent: dark navy backgrounds, electric blue/green/orange accents, sharp geometric shapes. One command generates images sized correctly for every platform. No more paying a designer $50 per social graphic.
📝 Content Management & Operations
Notion — I run three databases here:
- Content Calendar: tracks every piece from idea → drafting → scheduled → published
- Task Manager: prioritized by P0 (today) through P3 (backlog), synced with my 12-week plan
- Lead CRM: tracks every prospect from first touch to closed deal
Notion is free and flexible enough to be your entire operating system. I connect it to my other tools via API so content status updates automatically when I publish.
Beehiiv — My newsletter platform. Free up to 2,500 subscribers. Clean editor, good analytics, and it handles email capture landing pages. I embed signup forms on my website and link to it in every piece of content. Your email list is the one audience you actually own — if X or LinkedIn change their algorithm tomorrow, your subscribers don't care.
Buffer — Social scheduling. Free tier gives you 3 channels and 10 scheduled posts. I batch content on weekends and schedule the week ahead. Nothing fancy needed here.
📊 Analytics & Tracking
GA4 (Google Analytics) — Free and sufficient for website analytics. I track which content drives traffic, where visitors come from, and which pages convert to Calendly bookings or email signups.
Platform native analytics — X Analytics, LinkedIn Analytics, YouTube Studio. I check these weekly, not daily. The metrics that matter: engagement rate per post (not total impressions), follower growth rate, and which content formats perform best.
🎥 Video & Recording
OBS Studio — Free, open source screen recording. I use this for YouTube videos. Screen-share format with voiceover means I don't need to be on camera. Just share my screen, walk through the topic, record.
CapCut — Free video editor. Does everything I need: cuts, text overlays, speed adjustments, transitions. Export directly to YouTube.
Loom — Quick screen recordings for client updates, community posts, or internal documentation. Free tier gives you 25 videos. Great for async communication.
🔧 AI Coding & Automation
Claude Code — This is the game-changer that most marketers don't know about yet. I use it to build custom internal tools, automation scripts, API integrations, and even full web applications. My entire Growth Command Center (an internal app hub that consolidates all 11 of my marketing tools into one dashboard) was built with Claude Code.
If you're a marketer who can describe what you need in plain English, Claude Code can build it for you. That's the unlock — you don't need to be a developer. You need to know what systems your marketing needs, and then you can build them.
🏗️ The Growth Command Center (my internal app hub)
This is the thing that ties everything together. Instead of jumping between 11 different tools, I built a single Next.js app deployed on Vercel that consolidates:
- Trend Scout (researches hot topics in my niche automatically)
- Content Ideator (turns trends into platform-specific content ideas)
- Content Studio (generates drafts for X threads, LinkedIn posts, YouTube scripts, newsletters, blogs, and case studies)
- Cross-platform repurposer (write once, generate for every platform)
- Brand image generator (one click, on-brand images for any content piece)
- Notion-connected content calendar, task manager, and lead CRM
- LinkedIn keyword DM automation
- X engagement monitoring and lead detection
- Newsletter compiler
I go from "I don't know what to post" to "here are 10 ready-to-publish pieces with images" in under an hour. I'll be sharing more about how I built this and giving early access to community members here.
What I DON'T use (and why)
- Hootsuite / Sprout Social — Overkill and expensive for a solo operator. Buffer's free tier does enough.
- HubSpot / Salesforce — Way too heavy for early-stage client work. Notion CRM does 90% of what I need for free.
- Jasper / Copy.ai — Generic AI writing tools that don't let you build custom voice skills. Claude API with custom prompts produces significantly better output.
- n8n / Make / Zapier — I used to use these for automation but Claude Code replaced them. Building custom scripts gives you more flexibility and no monthly per-operation fees.
- Canva Pro — Free tier is enough for the basics. For brand-consistent graphics, my Imagen pipeline produces better results faster.
The bottom line
My total monthly tool cost: under $50. Most of that is API usage (Claude and Imagen). Everything else is free tier.
The expensive part isn't the tools — it's knowing what systems to build with them. That's what this community is about.
If you want me to go deeper on any of these tools or how I set them up, drop a comment below and I'll break it down.
— Jordan
0
0 comments
The exact tools I use to run marketing for crypto and AI companies — no affiliate links, just what works
powered by
skool.com/ai-marketing-with-jordan-1336
Learn how to grow crypto, AI, and SaaS products using AI-powered marketing systems. Built by a marketer who codes.
Suggested communities
Powered by