Shill
Etymology
American carnival and gambling slang from the early 1900s: a shill was a confederate who posed as an ordinary customer to lure real marks into a game or sale. Crypto and online marketing culture revived the term for anyone hyping a coin, product, or project they secretly profit from.
verb · /SHIL/
To promote something enthusiastically for personal gain while hiding that you have a stake in it.
What it names
It names paid or interested promotion disguised as genuine enthusiasm — the tout who poses as an impartial fan. The accusation “you’re just shilling” charges someone with a concealed motive behind the hype.
Example
Every “honest review” on that channel is really him shilling whatever token paid him this week.
Related idea
Often the setup for a rug pull: shilling is the hype that draws people in, while the rug pull is the exit scam that strips them afterward.
See also