Thinking Crypto, a podcast with over 180,000 YouTube subscribers and 60,000 followers across Apple and Spotify, emerged as a direct response to the credibility gap in cryptocurrency media. Founded in September 2017 by SEO expert Tony Edward, the platform has grown from zero to millions of views by delivering professional cryptocurrency news and interviews with government regulators, founders, and investors.

Tony's path to creating this media venture began in digital marketing. "I've always been into technology, the Internet, and trying to build websites and do different things with computers," he explains. “As the Internet grew, I found myself doing search engine optimization. I built websites and blogs and monetized them with Google AdSense."

His breakthrough came when he discovered cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, shifting his approach from clickbait-focused strategies to authentic enthusiasm.

"I recognized this is the next level on top of the Internet and how we're going to transact with each other," Tony shares. "I viewed this as my generation's dot-com boom. In the 1990s, you had Google and Amazon, as well as the incredible companies born out of the dot-com era. However, I was unable to participate. I was in high school then. So now I can participate, understand it better with my life experience and being older, and even invest in it."

This passion led Tony to create Thinking Crypto, specifically for cryptocurrency enthusiasts and investors seeking reliable education without sensationalism. 

"I want to be a source where people find information, and they know me for that," says Tony, who transitioned to running the podcast full-time in 2024. "My podcast doesn't focus on hype. Many people in the crypto space focus on generating hype, often driven by financial motivations. I try to keep it professional when I cover the news."

Why ‘Thinking Crypto’?

Thinking Crypto offers a multifarious approach tailored to specific needs in cryptocurrency media consumption. At its core, Thinking Crypto provides news coverage and educational content with a level of professionalism that Tony notes is often missing in the space. "I try to keep it professional where I cover the news," he emphasizes, contrasting it with the sensationalism common in cryptocurrency content, where financial incentives often drive exaggerated claims and predictions.

The podcast also features interviews with prominent figures across the cryptocurrency ecosystem, providing insights not available elsewhere. "I am interviewing members of Congress, regulators in the government, millionaire/billionaire founders and CEOs, people I would have never thought I would be able to be in the same room with," Tony notes.

Tony's interview style deliberately avoids the structured, promotional format standard in financial media. "I try to bring that ‘Joe Rogan feel’ where it's an authentic conversation," he explains. “I try to start with the person's background and learn about who they are, where they grew up, and what made them decide to go in the direction they did in life and work into, okay, how do they start this business or why are they investing in this space?"

Understanding different audience consumption habits, Thinking Crypto delivers content across multiple platforms. YouTube hosts the visual content, while audio versions are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.

Growth Through Digital Marketing Expertise

Tony's SEO background provided the technical knowledge to grow his platform systematically. "SEO was so important because there's so much content out there now—there's a lot of noise," he explains. With his knowledge of optimization techniques, Tony has been able to broaden his reach not just on YouTube, but also in other platforms such as Spotify as well as in other formats and channels.

His strategy includes strategic keyword placement without overoptimization. As Tony explains, "You don't want to be trying to spam and stuff a whole bunch of keywords that the algorithm can sniff out as well. But as always, be authentic. What is my topic? Am I piggybacking on some of these trends? And I need to ensure I put the keywords in the title, description, and tags."

Additionally, Tony implemented a hub-and-spoke distribution model to maximize reach. "What I do is I have branded social profiles on all platforms of my podcast. I have reels and clips of my interviews, as well as some industry news items. And if there's breaking news, I'll put images out there. So those profiles are updated daily."

This method, according to Tony, captures attention through short-form content before redirecting users to long-form material. In this manner, he has "captured more eyeballs, where I draw them in with the short-form content and lead them back to the long-form content, whether it's on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify."

Part of Tony's strategy is adjusting his approach to each platform based on user behavior patterns. And this awareness of context also helps drive his content strategy. "If I'm listening to audio, I'm most likely doing something where I can't sit in front of a computer or a TV. But versus YouTube, I am doing that," Tony explains.

Overcoming Creator Hurdles

Building “Thinking Crypto” wasn't without obstacles. Tony shares the challenges he faced and how he overcame them. "When I was focused on monetization and getting clicks and views because I wanted to say, 'Hey, I made this YouTube channel and it's earning X amount of revenue per month'—that was not the right approach," Tony admits, adding that this made him realize that passion must precede monetization.

He also credits much of his growth to a willingness to experiment, saying "One of the things that helped me was being open to trial-and-error testing. I experimented with thumbnails, descriptions, and distribution across social platforms."

He acknowledges the psychological barriers to trying new approaches: "Sometimes we have this barrier in our mind, like, 'Man, that looks hard.' But once you start doing it becomes not as hard. Sometimes I look back and I'm like, 'Why didn't I do this sooner?'"

Tony shares that the demands of consistent content creation led to periods of exhaustion, so he had to take deliberate breaks so he can "come back with some fresh ideas, do some grounding," he continues.

Blockchain’s Impact on Creator Media

Tony's expertise in both cryptocurrency and content creation formed his perspective on how blockchain technology could transform the creator economy itself. "Blockchain is going to be integrated into YouTube, all the Facebooks and all that, so that when you publish something, it puts a date stamp that you're the originator of this content," Tony predicts. 

He believes that this could solve growing pains with AI-generated content, because the technology can help idenify the difference between the original content and one that has been enhanced or photoshopped.

Looking ahead, Tony foresees changes to creator compensation: "We may see, because of tokens on the blockchain, that the monetization will be set up differently where you're not—it's going to disrupt the publisher-advertiser model."

And as for what lies ahead in terms of audience engagement, Tony sees utility in NFTs beyond their common applications: "Creators will be able to use the technology to better engage with the audience. They can give away these NFTs, and you can put certain restrictions within—if you're running some sort of giveaway promotion, or you win this special NFT, that means you get an hour access with me every month, whatever it may be."

Marketing Principles in Practice

Tony believes the methodical application of digital marketing principles to cryptocurrency content shows how creators can build authority in newer fields by focusing on professionalism, authenticity, and planned distribution.

As he reflects on his transition to full-time creator, "Going out as an entrepreneur is scary because it's all on you, versus if you're working for a company. But I have more freedom with my time, and I spend more time with my family, my daughter. It feels great to be my own, have my own business."

As for “Thinking Crypto,” growth is the top priority. “I aim to launch more products,” Tony says. “In February, I launched a digital course MyCryptoCourse.com. Eventually, I would like to start a crypto investment fund.” 

“I want to leave a legacy of education about blockchain and crypto, and I was a pioneer in the podcasting space for this topic. And even after I'm gone, my grandkids can see my legacy online.”