15M AT prize pool plus Square content competition. On the surface, it looks like regular marketing, but @APRO-Oracle has played it differently. This is not just simple token distribution, but a meticulously designed user growth system.
Let's look at the data. After the event started on November 28, the trading volume in the first 24 hours was $64.6 million. The number of holding addresses surged from 18,000 to 43,000, an increase of 140%. There were 33,000 active addresses with a relatively balanced trading ratio of 44 buys to 72 sells. What do these numbers indicate? They show that APRO is attracting not just opportunists but real users.
The problem with traditional airdrop projects is that users take the tokens and sell them immediately, showing zero loyalty to the project. APRO's gameplay is completely different as it sets multiple thresholds.
The first threshold: trading tasks. Users must complete a specified trading volume to earn AT. This filters out those who just want to take advantage of the system, leaving those willing to participate with real money.
The second threshold: Square content creation. Posts with APRO Oracle tags must display at least a $10 trading screenshot, like, comment, and share to earn points. This again filters out those unwilling to learn about the project because you must research what APRO is doing to write a post.
The third threshold: referral commission. Invite friends to join, and friends must also complete trading tasks. This ensures the quality of the referrals because you won't recommend it to someone who knows nothing about crypto; otherwise, they won't be able to complete the tasks, and you won't earn commissions.
These three thresholds combined create a user filter, ultimately leaving high-quality users who have funds, are willing to trade, can create content, and will recommend friends. The value of such users far exceeds that of ordinary airdrop seekers.
But the smartest thing about APRO is using content creation for user education. Oracles are too abstract. If you tell users that we use the TVWAP algorithm to prevent price manipulation, 99% won't understand. But what if you let them write posts sharing their experiences?
Users will be forced to research what APRO actually does, how it helps me play DeFi more safely, and what benefits there are to using APRO's data to play the prediction market. This proactive learning process is much more effective than passively receiving information.
Moreover, user-generated content (UGC) itself is the best marketing. If a KOL writes positively about APRO, some might believe it, but if a thousand ordinary users share their experiences using APRO, the credibility and reach of this grassroots communication far exceed official promotions.
From the posts on Square, many users are sharing real use cases. Some say they used APRO's price data to arbitrage on PancakeSwap, some say they avoided pitfalls of a certain RWA project using the AI verification function, and some say that the APRO oracle ensured price accuracy when participating in Lista DAO. These real cases are more persuasive than any advertisement.
The allocation of the 15 million AT prize pool is also quite particular: trading tasks 3.3 million, trading volume leaderboard 11.25 million, referral commission 450,000. This ratio has been carefully calculated.
The 3.3 million for trading tasks is the base reward, ensuring that most participants can earn something, increasing satisfaction. However, relying solely on trading tasks won't yield much, which forces users to compete on the leaderboard or make referrals.
The trading volume leaderboard's 11.25 million is significant, rewarding the most active traders. Who are these people? They aren't retail investors; they are professional players, market makers, and arbitrageurs. APRO uses this leaderboard to filter and bind core users, those who will genuinely use AT to participate in ecological construction.
Although the referral commission is only 450,000, it leverages the effect of viral growth. Users refer friends, and friends refer friends, leading to exponential growth in community size, and users brought in through referrals tend to be stickier because there are personal connections involved.
From on-chain data, the effects of this wave of activities are immediate. The number of holding addresses increased from 18,000 to 43,000. But more importantly, the quality of these new holders is crucial. They are not airdrop seekers because APRO's HODLer airdrop has long ended. This wave of growth mainly comes from active participation, buying AT, completing tasks, and earning rewards.
The number of active addresses in 24 hours is 33,000. Buying 16,800 and selling 16,700 is almost balanced, indicating that users are not just taking the tokens and running, but are genuinely interacting, buying, transferring, and participating in activities. This model shows that users are not simply chasing airdrops but are truly using AT.
But what I value more is the community accumulation brought by this wave of activities. Many users continuously create content on Square to earn points. This content continuously attracts new users, forming a self-growth cycle, and the project team no longer needs to spend money on advertising; the community is spreading the word itself.
Moreover, these active users may become APRO's node operators in the future. They have already held AT, understand the project, and have a sense of participation. When the node staking system goes live in 2026, they will be the first batch of operators. This transformation from users to contributors is the essence of community building.
KOLs are discussing whether APRO's Square competition will become a phenomenal event like Binance Square. Based on participation, it indeed has this potential. Many users post daily to share trading screenshots and recommend friends to participate. Such enthusiasm is not common on Binance Square.
However, some have questioned whether users will leave after the activities end. Once the prize pool is depleted, will anyone still participate? This is a reasonable concern. Many projects see activities that are lively during the event but cool down afterwards.
APRO's response strategy is to retain users through long-term mechanisms. The node staking system will go live in 2026, allowing users to stake AT to run nodes and earn rewards. The governance mechanism lets users vote to decide the protocol's direction, and data services allow users to pay oracle fees with AT. These long-term mechanisms are the true moat.
Events are just an entry point to let users come in and learn about the project, but whether they can be retained depends on whether APRO can provide real value. If the oracle service is indeed useful, can help DeFi protocols avoid risks, and can verify data for RWA projects, users will naturally stay.
From the current data, APRO's actual usage is steadily increasing. The November report shows 97,000 data verification calls. Although the absolute number is not large, the month-on-month growth is stable, indicating that the underlying actual demand is increasing. The user traffic brought by the activities has indeed converted some into real usage.
Moreover, APRO's 25% ecosystem fund has not yet begun to exert its full force. This 250 million AT will be released over 48 months, with nearly 5 million AT available each month to subsidize projects and incentivize developers to hold events. Once these investments bear fruit, APRO's ecosystem network will be much denser than it is now.
Ultimately, the 15 million AT prize pool and the Square competition are not the goals but the means. The goal is to build an active, loyal, and valuable community. From the current results, APRO is heading in the right direction.
Those who are still mocking APRO for issuing tokens may not understand one thing: in the crypto space, the community is everything. No matter how advanced the technology is, it cannot grow without community support. APRO has converted 15 million AT into 43,000 holders and 33,000 active users with countless UGC content. No matter how you calculate it, this is a profitable deal.
Moreover, this is just the beginning. Once node staking goes live, and more DeFi protocols are integrated, and RWA and AI agents truly explode, these early community members will become the most solid foundation for APRO. By then, you will understand that the 15 million AT is not just a prize pool, but the Great Wall of the community.
