Why teams want to pay in tokens
Paying creators in your own token looks like a good deal. You keep stablecoins for runway, and the creator gets a reason to care how the project does after the post.
In spring 2026, we asked 1,051 crypto creators in the Wallchain network how they want to be paid. Most of them don't see it that way.
What creators told us
59% want to be paid only in stablecoins. 40% would take tokens, but almost always on top of a stablecoin fee, not instead of one.
How creators want to be paid | Share of creators |
Stablecoins only | 59% |
Stablecoins plus unvested tokens | 24% |
Any tokens, vested or unvested | 9% |
Stablecoins plus vested tokens | 7% |
Only 9% are open to being paid in tokens alone. A token-only offer reaches about one creator in ten.
Creators want tokens they can sell
Among creators who accept tokens, most want them unlocked. 33% would take unvested tokens (24% with stablecoins, plus the 9% open to any tokens). Only 16% would take vested ones (7% plus the same 9%).
Our read: most creators value a token as cash at a discount, not as a stake. A lockup turns their fee into a bet on your project, and a creator who posts for dozens of projects a year has little reason to take that bet.
How to offer tokens without losing the creator
Pay the base in stablecoins. Set it near the lowest price the creator would accept for a plain post.
Add tokens as a bonus. Tie it to something you can track, like users who sign up or trade through the creator's own link.
Fix the dollar value in writing. Agree on the amount in USD, which price you'll use to convert it, and on what date.
Say early if tokens vest. Put the lockup in your first message, so you don't lose a creator after a week of talks.
Before tokens: the price itself
How you pay is one half of a creator deal. How much is the other? The same survey covers price per post by audience size, package discounts, and how much room creators leave to negotiate. Oznaka, our creator vetting tool, published it as the Crypto Creator Pricing Report 2026. The short version: a typical creator's lowest acceptable price sits about 30% below their first quote.
If you'd rather not handle payments yourself, Wallchain Select holds the campaign budget and releases it to creators after their posts go live.
Also, follow Oznaka on LinkedIn.