Nazza
Building a more efficient acquisition and activation engine for a crypto trading platform.
Acquiring users wasn't the same as acquiring traders
Nazza is a crypto trading platform that lets users sell crypto for fiat, swap coins, and access everyday services like airtime purchases. When I joined, the company had acquired roughly 1,900 users over two years — primarily through influencer marketing, which had become expensive to sustain.
I was brought in to find a more cost-effective way to grow the user base. But as I dug into the data, acquisition turned out to be only part of the problem: we needed to not just acquire more users, but get more of them to become active traders.
Treated acquisition and activation as one problem
Instead of optimizing acquisition in isolation, I worked the full journey — acquire users more efficiently, then get more of them to their first trade.
Built a growth dashboard that told the truth
Worked with the data analyst to make active traders the primary growth metric, tracked alongside activation rate, trade frequency, ARPU, and company profit across the full journey: Acquisition → Signup → Activation → First Trade → Repeat Trading. This is what surfaced the core insight — acquiring a user wasn't the same as acquiring an active trader.
Found a message that could cut through
The first paid campaign, focused on generic "convert crypto to cash" messaging, failed in a crowded market. I refocused on a sharper concern — transparent rates, no hidden fees, reliability — instead of competing on the same message as every other crypto app.
Redesigned the acquisition flow
Replaced a direct Ad → App Store journey with Ad → Landing Page → Registration → App Download, giving users context before asking for a download and creating a measurable step in between.
Built a multi-touch calling system from scratch
Nazza had no formal calling process for new users. I designed a four-touchpoint system and expanded the team from one person to three, once it was clear trust — not awareness — was the real activation barrier.
Rebuilt onboarding email from the ground up
Moved from generic onboarding emails to personalized, sequenced messaging with a CEO welcome note for credibility, then A/B tested subject lines, value propositions, CTA placement, and timing.
The growth loop, not a single campaign
Calls and email weren't side experiments — they were how findings made their way back into targeting and messaging, on repeat.
Where the strategy became real work
The receipts — the specific campaigns, tests, and operational builds behind the loop above.
Tools: Mixpanel · Looker Studio · SendPulse · Meta, Google & X Ads · Google Sheets · Pixel Helpers & Conversion APIs
Paid acquisition on X and Meta
Google rejected our ads and other platforms restricted crypto advertising, so X became the test bed. The first campaign, generic "convert crypto to cash" messaging, underperformed in a crowded field. The rebuilt version led with a sharper line — "Why are you letting other apps cheat you?" — built around transparent rates, no hidden fees, and reliability.
Landing-page-first acquisition flow
Replaced the direct Ad → App Store → Download → Open → Register path with Ad → Landing Page → Registration → App Download. The added context and measurable step contributed to a 26.32% increase in acquisition within one month.
Four-touchpoint calling system
Built from a single support rep into a three-person team (Growth + Support) once customer conversations showed trust — not awareness — was the real blocker. Users who eventually activated were often the ones contacted 3–4 times, not once. The calling system contributed roughly 1% activation on its own.
Rebuilt onboarding email sequence
Introduced personalization, a CEO welcome email for credibility, and structured sequencing — with a 50/50 subject-line split test running underneath — in place of isolated blasts. A/B tested subject lines, value propositions, CTA placement, and timing across four motivations: speed, trust, rates, and reliability. The rebuilt sequence contributed roughly 1.2% activation, helping maintain an overall activation rate around 3%.
What the work actually moved
What this project taught me
"Acquisition and activation cannot be treated separately."
A cheaper acquisition channel isn't necessarily better if the users it brings in don't reach the product's core value.
"Sometimes the biggest growth lever is the journey."
The acquisition campaign improved when I changed not only the message, but what happened after the click.
"Trust can be an activation problem."
For financial products, users may need human reassurance before they're willing to take a high-intent action — no email sequence replaces that.
"Experimentation beats assumptions."
The original assumptions about channels, messaging, and activation were repeatedly challenged by user behaviour. The fastest way to the answer was to test, measure, and iterate.
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