NFT promotion ideas aren’t easy to come by, mostly because it’s still such a new space.

The advantage of that is that there’s a lot of opportunity.

That’s why we’ve compiled our unique tips for you (with examples)!

Sure, some projects take off with what looks like minimal effort — but to be honest, there is usually a LOT of marketing happening behind-the-scenes. And projects that choose to go the “no marketing” route too often fail, without getting the attention it deserved.

Many people think that making art is the most difficult part of releasing an NFT collection.

Here’s the thing: It’s actually marketing that is the most challenging (but also the most impactful) part of launching.

It’s not enough anymore to have awesome art — the truth is that you also need an awesome marketing strategy.

The good news is that even if you’re not a marketer, you can implement these simple strategies as soon as today. Marketing doesn’t have to be scary.

NFT marketing shouldn’t be hard, so check out these twelve ways you can promote your project (without losing your mind)!

1. Post in NFT subreddits (free)

While there are many small subreddits where you can post your collection, there is one prominent subreddit that contains the majority of members.

It’s called r/NFT and has over 215,000+ members, and you’ll find many creators posting there.

Generally, people respond well to transparency and are happy to check something out as long as you don’t spam. If you have a story about being a creator and your journey/story, all the better.

On top of that, there are many lurkers on this subreddit as well, as it’s a public subreddit. So, there are likely even more people than only the ones who’ve joined, making it a great free marketing resource.

2. Offer whitelist incentives to people who invite their friends to your Discord (free)

What’s better than marketing your NFT?

When your fans do some marketing for you!

There are a lot of successful projects out there that have grown their Discord servers exponentially, often resulting in lots of buzz on and around mint day.

But how do you grow your Discord?

The best projects out there offer fun perks to members that invite their friends.

For example, many good projects will have a rule like, “Invite 3 members to the Discord to get whitelisted.” Then, members will share their own unique invite link. In exchange, you can give them a whitelist spot so that they are guaranteed an opportunity to mint.

This gets people excited to share your project with their friends, while also giving them rewards for being a loyal fan.

However, you can offer all kinds of different perks. Ultimately, do what works best for you and your team!

In addition, you can even go a step further and reward highly active members with whitelist spots as well. This helps create organic growth and active engagement in your community, making it a place people want to hang out.

3. Social sharing incentives (free)

You can offer social sharing incentives directly on your official website.

This can produce amazing results, especially if it’s more than your typical social sharing button.

What do I mean?

Well, take this brilliant example by The Walking Chain:

When visitors to the website clicked “Don’t click,” it then prompted them to a pre-written tweet screen, where they had the choice to share this message:

You’re probably wondering: Did people actually click that button?

Yep, and it got them a ton of engagement: You can check out the tweet frequency right here to see for yourself.

So, why did this strategy work? It instilled a sense of curiosity in visitors, as well as amusement.

It’s original, fun, and just plain quirky.

Of course, it’s important to think of your own creative approach when you do something like this. The more in-line it is with your brand and mission, the better.

4. Get listed on NFT drop sites (paid)

To promote your NFT project, you can also list your project on NFT drop websites.

Full disclosure: We actually run New Drops, a website for new and upcoming NFT drops. We feature quality collections to readers with strong buying intent! We can’t accept every application, but you can apply here.

5. Upload a promo video to YouTube (free)

When is the last time you tried to find more details on something you love via YouTube?

It’s no secret that YouTube has become the search engine of choice for many people out there today!

Now, whenever you’re looking for advice or guidance, YouTube is often a common resource due to its visual nature. The visual nature also makes it all the more appealing to art collectors.

You can create a short promotional video for your collection and upload it to YouTube.

The trick is to use commonly-searched keywords. If you don’t want to use a separate tool for that, I’d recommend using YouTube’s auto-complete function in the search bar:

If you start typing a related term, it will come up with suggestions. Generally, the suggestions at the top are getting the most queries.

Also, this part’s important: it’s a major bonus if you embed the video to your website.

Why?

It will get more plays, which can help with its placement on YouTube. While YouTube is a bit of a mystical creature and it’s not fully known and nobody really knows 100% what goes into what content they decide to recommend to viewers, it’s helpful when your video gets more views, and YouTube will see that your content is high quality and receiving engagement.

6. Influencer outreach (paid)

It may get a bad wrap, but influencer outreach doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

In fact, it’s helpful when you’re looking to build up some buzz in the early stages of your project.

So, why have a not-so-great reputation? Well, mainly because there are influencers out there that are essentially bots auto-replying to threads from creators, offering their services.

Clearly, you’ll want to separate the humans from the bots and find influencers that are confirmed human.

To do that, check and make sure they aren’t auto-replying to others on Twitter with the same templated message.

Another tip: Don’t limit yourself to Twitter. There are great influencers on YouTube and other channels.

For example, on YouTube, you could search for related keywords and then sort by videos released “This month” to find up-and-coming influencers in this niche.

On top of reaching out to large YouTube influencers in this space, it’s also a good idea to collaborate with smaller ones that are gaining traction. For example, an influencer on the YouTube in the NFT space that just started creating videos 2 months ago but is getting 1k+ views per video might give you a better deal — and their videos may gain a lot more views over time.

If you’re chatting with influencers on Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter, you’ll also want to check social montiroing sites like Social Blade to make sure there isn’t any questionable activity.

For example, if it says an account lost 300 followers in one day, that’s a sign that their metrics are inflated. While it’s normal for an influencer to lose a few followers in a day, hundreds is not.

7. Giveaways (free & paid)

In order for people to enter your giveaway, you can ask them to retweet, follow your account, tag a friend, or even join your Discord for an entry.

You can also team up with other collections to giveaway 2 NFTs in exchange for following both of your accounts. This is also an awesome way to gain more momentum and buzz!

The best part? Hosting a giveaway is free.

If you want more promotion for your giveaway, you can always team up with influencers and websites to help amplify it.

8. Content marketing (free)

The more value you create in the community, the better.

Not only is content marketing a great way to create value, but it’s also an amazing way to spread the word and generate brand awareness.

Try to think about: What are collectors looking for? What are some common problems they face, and how can you help solve them?

You can create helpful blog articles on your website or even on websites like Medium, and then share them on social media using common hashtags like #NFTs.

Of course, this method is more time-consuming than some of the others, but when done well, can make a huge impact.

If you have writing skills, it’s worth testing and seeing how it works for you.

9. Start your marketing well in advance (free)

Strong projects start their marketing early and view it as a long-term game.

The #1 mistake creators make is waiting till the last minute to start marketing it.

It’s best to start marketing your collection months in advance.

The sooner, the better.

Why?

It builds excitement early, and gives you the right amount of time to build an organic community.

That way, it’s not so stressful and you won’t be surprised or caught off-guard on the public mint day.

10. Create special editions for notable figures (free)

Another promotion tactic is to create unique art for a notable public figure in your collection.

If they are interested and receptive, it can be great PR.

If you do this, it’s very important to remember: Ask them first if they are interested before creating one for them.

Many teams make the mistake of creating art for public figures without telling them first, in which case, they don’t feel involved.

If you offer it to them first by messaging them, it starts a dialogue. Getting a conversation going about it first is very important, so that they’re not surprise out-of-the-blue.

Plus, starting a dialogue with them early makes them feel more connected to your project.

11. Search for people talking about you on Twitter, then “like” their activity (free)

The best NFT projects amplify the voice of their fans.

In turn, this creates tremendous buzz. It’s a win-win.

Monitor your Twitter often, and using Twitter’s search, type in your website URL and sort by “Recent” to find tweets where people have been recently talking about you.

In addition, you can monitor your mentions. From there, you can like what people are saying.

Imagine that someone recommends your collection to their followers and tags you: in one scenario, that tweet is “liked” by the collection’s handle. In another scenario, it is ignored and gets no activity. Which one do you think will create a superfan?

Yep, you guessed it right: a simple “like” will create loyal fans and help your community spread its message!

12. Forge bonds with other creators with upcoming launches (free)

Just as it’s important to have allies for business projects IRL, it’s equally important in this space.

And you can definitely build meaningful bonds in the digital space.

Think of your powers combined: building each other’s communities up, engaging with what they’re putting out, and helping them amplify their voice.

It’s all about community, which is why it’s even greater when you can find another collection (or two, or three) to partner with, either on an informal or a formal level.

Meaningful bonds are where it’s at.

Bonus tip: Create a pre-launch day

Another idea that has seen success if to create an exclusive VIP pre-launch a day or two before the public mint.

Why?

It will help you make sure that the mint process is smooth, and that your infrastructure is sound (even after testing). In addition, you can offer these whitelist spots to community members.

It also gives you a chance to test out different marketing tactics and to learn from them before the public mint.

Ultimately, it helps prepare your team while also rewarding loyal fans and building buzz closer to your launch date. It also helps establish trust to anyone who is considering the public mint.

You can also like and engage with early holders who post about their art, creating more visibility.

In conclusion

As an experienced digital marketer, I hope these ideas have been helpful in getting the wheels turning.

As always, it’s important to get creative with it and think outside the box, and to use these strategies and make them your own.

Looking for more tips like these? Follow us on Twitter!