Zapvertising (some thoughts)
337,000 sats generated ($277)
Opinion was split. I’d say about a third of users thought it was fun and interesting, a third found it useful and participated, and a third hated it and probably muted me lol.
The anchor pricing of the menu had the desired effect, with most people opting for the 1k, 5k, and 10k sat options. The higher options were only there to make the main choices feel cheap by comparison.
“Zap menus” as a concept received mixed feedback. Some people appreciated the transparency, while others felt it was a gross commoditization of interaction.
Results for influencer-based algorithmic marketing were solid. Most boosted posts saw higher-than-normal engagement, with the highest-paid promotion leading to a doubling of follower count. I suspect this has less to do with my endorsement and more to do with visibility—people simply wouldn’t have seen those posts without a larger account like mine surfacing them.
Conclusion:
These kinds of behaviors—while still rare on Nostr and somewhat at odds with its organic, grassroots ethos—will likely become more common over time, just as they have on every other platform.
The differentiating factor on Nostr is the lack of trust required to form these kinds of transactional relationships. Because the zap itself guarantees the interaction—there’s no middleman, no escrow, no contracts. Just a simple, verifiable exchange between peers. Which seems to broaden this type of marketing. And that’s interesting and different.
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Nos try that on twitter 😂
Follow me and ill zap you in ur ballz
I learned that you don't follow me.
Go fuck yourself, you ain't getting my sats.
Check again
💀
You know I love you bro.
🫂
Yes - I know. I'll do better.
I was intrigued and checked your post a few times throughout the day yesterday. I was genuinely surprised/amazed to see a few people paying the higher amounts. People may joke around sending 1k sats for this or 5k sats for that, but when they get to the 50k-100k+ range it feels like a more genuine transaction. Interesting to see what people are willing to pay for. Good experiment.
Kool
Gotta say, this was fascinating to watch unfold. Felt like the first real infomercial era of Nostr…. “For just 5,000 sats, YOU TOO can boost your post!”
But seriously, the experiment highlighted something unique about Nostr: the zap is the contract. No DMs, no backroom deals, just public sats and public boosts.
Sure, some folks clutch their pearls at the “commodification of interaction,” but maybe we’re just being honest about how attention already works.
Looking forward to the next season of Zapvertising. Maybe with tiered merch? “Pay 10k sats and I’ll roast your post too.” 🤣
I mean, I would roast people for free. 🤷♀️
Ladies and gentlemen, I've officially made it! Someone actually remembered my position well enough to shit-talk it!
"The commodification of interaction", I'll have to remember that phrasing.
where was I?
It really helped us get exposure. Hadn't been posting regularly and think we failed to keep up with new users. Nostr had felt like speaking into a void for a while, so it was great to get a bump.
That’s cool to know. Yeah it’s kind of a service people need
it also showed us who the commies are. lol.
I love the concept.
The fairness in capitalism makes it cool.
My 5k zap didn't get me a repost though.
Sad face.
@walker zapvertizing is expanding 😲
Super interesting. We're all writing the playbook now.