The best ways to promote your NFT project

Creating a cool NFT project is only one half of the battle, once you have figured out the artwork and the utility, getting into the NFT space in the right way is a challenging task. Within this space we have seen how NFT projects with much potential are introduced in a suboptimal way and as a result, it restricts their reach and alters people's perception of the project for the worse. It is essential that you prepare for every step from creating the Twitter page, the Discord and how to find your community.

We have created a detailed guide to help creators promote their crypto art projects, by following the steps below you will address every important detail there is to making the launch of your NFT collection a success!

In this guide we will walk you through:

1. Your website
2. Growing your NFT brand on social media
3. Creating partnerships
4. Contests
5. Giveaways
6. Twitter Spaces
7. Participate in the NFT community
8. Collaborate with artists for 1-of-1s
9. Be organized with a presale sign-up form or mailing list
10. Launching your NFT project
11. The mindset for success
12. Maintain interest and trust through updates

Create a mint website

This is your first step before even thinking about social media. I know it's tempting to start tweeting about your new NFT project but speaking too soon with nothing prepared can only hurt your brand. To start off on the right foot, you need an eye-catching website that aligns with your brand's aesthetic and artwork.

Use your website to guide visitors through the story of your collection, that way you can make sure they get the best introduction to your project possible. Having an awesome website also builds anticipation, it is the place that generates the initial buzz around your collection.

Your site will also be the only place for information on what you have planned, some common sections that people will be looking to find information about are: The story behind your project, roadmap, rarity distribution, FAQ (common questions such as an estimate of the launch date and the price etc), and social links. The imagery, language and tone used in your website will give people an idea of what to expect and you want it to resonate with people who are genuinely interested.

Some examples of impressive websites are: Doodles, Invisible Friends and Robotos.

Growing your NFT brand on social media

In the NFT space the use of social media is the number one tool that is going to help you build a connection with collectors. Every successful project used social media to attract, connect and cultivate their community. Even corporate businesses such as Adidas used social media as their entry into the NFT space. This is because social media is where the NFT enthusiasts, collectors and investors hang out, share ideas, have discussions and where all the excitement happens. Twitter and Discord are the main places where you can find your potential buyers. Other platforms where you can also find NFT communities are Youtube, Medium, Reddit and Instagram.

If you are not familiar with Twitter or Discord then you must prioritize learning how to use the platforms, find accounts to follow and then engage and participate with the community. Here are the steps to get started on social media:

• Find accounts (through our blog or a google search) of popular projects and people in the NFT space. Study their tone, language and how they engage with their followers.
• Start participating in the space, through leaving comments and sharing your own tweets to start developing your own style and personality.
• Jump in on threads where there are open discussions about a topic within the space. Read other peoples opinions and get a feel for what the NFT community values.

However, whatever you do, do not spam. Spamming and plugging your own project in places and tweets that are unrelated (this is called ‘shilling’ in the NFT world) will only get you blocked and get you a negative reputation very fast. Only contribute to conversations that are relevant to you or that you are interested in learning more about. You’ll be surprised at how friendly people are, and will gain friends and followers faster than you think just by being active.

Creating partnerships

Establishing relationships with other NFT projects is an essential part of promoting your NFT project. But you must be strategic when doing so, reaching out to every project regardless of relevance or reputation will only damage the chances of your project reaching the right people who will resonate with it. You need to do your own research (DYOR in NFT lingo) and find projects with a similar target audience, mission, values or art that are growing in the community. Finding projects who are still in their growing phase is a great match as both projects will have similar goals. Lets give you an example:

Let’s say you have a collection inspired by music and you are targeting collectors who love NFTs and music. In this case, you would find projects that are inspired by music through their art, or have a music NFT collection, or have a community who have a lot of conversions about music, or are clearly passionate about it. Now that you know what you're looking for, here is how to reach out:

• Follow and engage with their community. As you learn more about their project you will come across the right people to contact for partnerships. Either DM that person or it may be the case that you need to open a ticket in their Discord. Once you have done either of those actions, simply carry on engaging with their community. Do not spam or message the entire team, let them take the time they need to respond to you.
• Tell them about your project, why it is a special project and why you want to partner with them.
• Share a preview of your art, this shows you are prepared and helps build trust.
• Offer something to their community, this is usually whitelist (presale) spots or even a giveaway of your NFTs when it launches.
• If agreed, set a date to launch this collaboration and hype it up on social media.

Here is an outreach template you can use to get started:

Hi (NAME) , I'm reaching out to your community in the hopes of setting up a collab. We're looking to partner with select communities that we respect and admire in the NFT space, and offer your community some whitelist spots.

We value your community and would love to give (INSERT AMOUNT) whitelist spots to your community and do a fun art collab to share on Twitter. Our hope is that we can bring value to your community and build a strong partnership.

Keys to engagement

Contests

Contests are used by so many businesses outside of the NFT space, think about challenges and competitions that get those who are interested to actively participate. In the NFT space, many use contests as a way to generate user based content, grow engagement and give away presale spots or free NFTs from the collection. Here are some examples of contests you can run:

• Food contest: Recreate your art with food!
• Meme contest: This option only requires a good sense of humor, let peoples creative juices run wild
• Art contest: Invite people to recreate your art in their own style
• Discord game contest: Host a game on your Discord server and dish out prizes to the winners

Make sure to include a range of contests so that everyone has a chance to get involved, whether they are artistically inclined, have a great sense of humor or otherwise.

Giveaways

Giveaways are popular strategies to grow communities by offering whitelist spots or free NFTs as prizes. To run a giveaway on Twitter, here is a template you can follow to format it properly:

We’re excited to partner with (Project Twitter Username) to give away (Number of Spots) whitelist spots! To enter: 1️⃣ Like and RT, 2️⃣ Follow (Account 1) + (Account 2) 3️⃣ Tag 2 friends Ends on (Date + Hour) & Winners will be announced here

To run a giveaway on Discord, it is common to create a dedicated channel and install a bot to pick a random number of winners. Giveaway Boat is a reliable option for a bot. Here is a template for Discord Giveaway announcements to get you started:

We partnered with (Project Name) to offer (Number of Spots) whitelist spots How to enter:

1. React with the (IMAGE) emoji on the Giveaway Boat.
2. Join the (Project Name) Discord and say hi!
3. Have the (Name of Role) role. Rules:

• 1 entry per person, wallet, and Discord handle.
• Winners will receive one whitelist spot only
• Once the winner is announced, we will DM you for wallet info

Twitter Spaces

Twitter is one of the best places to interact and discuss NFTs because not only can you share your thoughts, retweets, images, and videos but thanks to the Spaces feature you can have live conversations with large groups of people about NFTs. The way you can use Spaces to promote your project is by hosting AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions where people can pick your brain about your project. You can also co-host Spaces with projects you are collaborating with to combine your communities and connect.

To learn how to get started, you can join Twitter Spaces hosted by other influencers in the NFT space to pick up what topics they discuss, and observe the interaction amongst the community. Then taking what you've learned you can use that knowledge to make your own Spaces events as entertaining and valuable as possible. Below are some NFT influencers with popular Spaces that you can tune into:

• Farokh
• Pablo Stanley
• OhhhShiny
• Nouns
• Art Chick

Participate in the NFT community

Supporting and uplifting projects that you admire lets other people know that you are an active participant in the community and allows people to connect with you based on your interests. It shows that you are paying attention to the NFT space and are open to building relationships. Shouting out artists and projects by sharing their work and why it inspires you, can increase your reach to new audiences and enhance your reputation.

Collaborate with artists for 1-of-1s

Collaborating with artists from other projects to create unique pieces, 1-of-1s, to be included in your own NFT collections can enhance your community by expanding your reach to other like minded individuals. A great example of this is where CryptoBatz partnered with 11 projects to create 1-of-1 pieces from artists such as Pablo Stanley, Peaceful Groupies, Toadz, Deadfellaz, CryptoKongz, Alien Frens, and more.

Be organized with a presale sign-up form or mailing list

Make sure to stay organized by creating categories such as presale (those who have whitelist spots), public presale or public sale. You can use forms for people to sign up to and collect the information of those who are most likely to buy. This is a good way to gauge how much interest you have and will make your launch run that much more smoothly.

Launching your NFT project

Your NFT represents the products people are buying, but it doesn't represent their relationship with those products. When people purchase your NFTs, you shouldn’t see them as customers but rather they're investors. Instead of waiting until after launch to provide value, you need to show them how they're getting a good deal by paying you now.

The mindset for success

Before launching, it is a good idea to set realistic expectations for how fast your project will grow or how much immediate interest you will receive. By preparing yourself to strive for long-term goals, you will not be discouraged by the results you see in the short-term. You are going to experience people who do not believe in your goals, or may stick around for a short while and then disappear. What is important for you is to keep a growth mindset and make sure that you handle any negativity that comes your way in a responsible manner.

Make sure as you're promoting your project, to be as genuine as possible. Don't over-hype it and don't make false claims about your capabilities— there are plenty of projects out there already making those kinds of mistakes, and sooner or later those claims will catch up with you and will only damage your reputation and slow your progress.

You want to cultivate a community of people who genuinely relate and resonate with your project's values. It is far better to steadily grow an audience who are here for the long-term rather than grow super fast with a community full of people looking for a profit flip. This will leave you disheartened and make your project look bad.

Remember to also not overwork the members in your community, it is not necessary to ask them to be active all day on your Discord or have them engage with your Twitter posts immediately. They are real people who have responsibilities they must attend to in their lives and cannot drop everything for you. So although you want them to be excited about your project make sure to be realistic and considerate of your community and in return you will reap the rewards.

Maintain interest and trust through updates

Promoting a new project can be difficult right before launch. So the earlier you start creating content and building a community around your project, the better! Join the NFT space, and make it fun! Take pleasure in the process of achieving your goals, and try to find enjoyment in the little things in everyday life too.

Make sure you follow us on Twitter @ApedIn as we announce our new blog posts, product updates and more there.