I’ve been in the NFT space for exactly two months. Not so much time, right? Let me tell you that two months is an eternity in this particular space. Every day, someone innovates a new coin, a new protocol, a new trend, or a new platform affecting all market dynamics. In addition, new artists and collectors are leaping, bringing more opportunities and growing the community.
During this time, I’ve primarily written articles about crypto artists and the story behind their creations. I also created and sold my 1st collection and sold my newsletter as individual NFTs (pretty cool, huh?).
My obsession led me to try many things, and I’ve seen others try a bunch more. I just wanted to share with the community four basics tips that every newcomer should know. If I knew this from the beginning, things would have been a little bit easier.
1. Twitter is King. You need to be there and spend time there
Everyone in the NFT space is on Twitter. It is a great medium to connect, discover and showcase your art. You can be discouraged by looking at other’s people followers while you are still on low numbers. Don’t worry about this. What matters is the quality of followers rather than the number. I have a couple of suggestions to build an audience in the Twitter universe:
1.1 It’s better to have a dedicated account for your NFT(s) endeavor(s). This way, you can follow and be followed by people in the space and don’t bother your non-NFT friends. I now have two accounts, Kaloh and my personal, non-NFT account. In my case, it feels like creating my character. You can be free and post whatever you want, build a persona around your art.
David Bowie Multiple characters/personas?
1.2 Hashtags help you to find the community. What’s the biggest problem with NFTs platform right now? It’s tough to discover and filter NFTs and collections. Not convinced? Let’s do a quick exercise. Try to reproduce all the steps a collector (that doesn’t know your username) has to do to find your art. Yes, it’s almost impossible.
Use them wisely to discover and filter content in the space. My favorites are #NFTCommunity, #NFTart, #NFTartists, #NFTCollectors. If you are on a particular platform, you should use their hashtags so collectors and artists can discover you. (e.g. #hicetnunc, #opensea, etc. ). It would be best if you didn’t overuse hashtags; otherwise, your content will look “over-produced” and artificial.
1.3 Participate in the “shilling” posts threads but don’t think they are magic. Think of them as a way to research and find artists and art. I’ve discovered great pieces that way. Just keep in mind, the chances of someone buying your art from those threads should be less than 1% (I haven’t done the math, just guessing here ;)).
I could write a book about Twitter itself, but let’s stick to those three for now.
2. Engage, engage and engage!
This is probably the most important thing you can do besides creating art. It would help if you interacted with others. Think of it as your marketing strategy.
2.1 Where do you do it? Through Twitter (that is why I put it as #1, duh).
2.2 What does engage mean, exactly? Well, it means that you need to connect and interact with others in the space genuinely. Yes, I did bold genuinely because you should stay real. Interact with those artists that create the pieces that you love and feel connected to. You should also engage with collectors. They are the ones buying your art. The good thing about the NFT world compared to real life is that many artists are also collectors, making it more straightforward.
2.3 How do you engage? Just be curious! Ask about the meaning behind the art; what techniques are you using? What software? What artists do you follow?. Not sure if it is me, but I am usually very eager to learn about other artists. You can also help other fellow artists. Promote the works you like by retweeting, sharing, or even buying. I have seen successful NFT artists giving back to the community by spending 20% to 30% of their profits collecting.
3. You don’t need to be everywhere. It can be overwhelming!
I like to divide the NFT Web 3.0 platforms into three groups. First, the Marketplaces, the ones that you use to sell. For example, Foundation, Rarible, Super Rare, MakersPlace, Hic et nunc, Kalamint, etc. Secondly, you have the Promotion Channels. These channels are where you build an audience, interact and showcase your stuff—for example, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bitclout, Mirror.xyz, etc. Marketplaces try to be promotion channels, but they are not that good at doing it.
Sounds like a lot of platforms, right? The worst (or maybe the best) is that every day a new one pops up. Remember, you don’t need to be everywhere. Stick to this rule: pick one marketplace and one distribution channel to begin your journey. When you feel under control, you can expand and create accounts on other platforms. Remember, it is better to focus and build an audience in one place than to spread thick all around the place.
Finally, there is a third group, the Aggregators. Once you have accounts in multiple places, you need to group them in one place so your followers and future collectors can easily find your art. The aggregators are services like Showtime, linktree, and y.at come in handy. Link your aggregator service in all your profiles, and remember to keep them updated!
4. Think outside the box, be where others aren’t.
I already mentioned the Twitter shout-out threads. There is a slight chance someone sees your work through them, but still worth tweeting your piece (it just takes a few seconds anyway). Everyone is doing that, so you need to find other ways of showcasing your work and build an audience. I believe this is an ever-changing space, so more options will open. Here are some ideas:
Thinking inside the box
4.1 Twitter Spaces. One more reason why Twitter was on top of the list. Audio platforms are becoming so mainstream because they are practical and convenient. You can listen while you work on your art. There are rooms with artists and, if you are lucky, with collectors looking to buy hidden diamonds. In Twitter Spaces, you can share your story and your work differently. It is perfect to create a connection with your audience. You should join and “jump” into the speaking area. Start telling who you are and your story. I can guarantee you will build a solid audience in no time, as long as you participate in a couple of rooms per week.
4.2 Online publications. Blogs, online magazines, or newsletters (yes, like mine https://www.kaloh.xyz). Some of these publications are always looking for content; you might even write down the story behind your piece, which will save them time and increase your chances of getting published.
4.3 Ads. Depending on the price range and type of art you are creating, you might need to think about paying for ads. Don’t feel bad about paying for ads; it is a widespread technique used in all industries and might be the only way to reach a wider audience. I also offer specialized ads for NFTs in my newsletter. Learn more here.
4.4 Virtual Worlds. Promote your work on virtual worlds like Decentraland. Chat with the landowners, and maybe they agree to post your art in there.
I hope these tips help you to enter this exciting space faster and more confidently. Remember, there is much more to learn, and as I said, this world changes very fast. Do you have additional advice for newcomers? Share in the comment below. I would love to learn your tricks!
Until next time,
- Kaloh
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Shilling Section
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