The only $0 airdrop I actually recommend (it’s not what you think)
$0 airdrops are a trap, and most people are wasting their time.
Many KOLs sell us the dream of making 4-5 figures with zero capital, but that’s usually not the case.
It might have been possible in the past, but Sybils have ruined it for us.
Now, testnet airdrops give the worst ROI on our time.
Which is why I never talk about them unless there’s something that entices me.
And since I get asked countless times what $0 airdrop I would recommend doing:
Here’s the only one that I believe is worth your time:
Become a Signal Creator
The best-performing $0 airdrop strategy today is sharing your authentic thoughts online.
Let me say my case before you close this article.
This is definitely not what you want to hear.
You want to spam transactions for free and get lots of airdrop tokens in return.
But that’s no longer possible:
Sybils can perform the exact same actions you’re doing at a larger scale.
Proof of Humanity protocols are available, but airdrop distributions are still being exploited.
Camp had over 390k participants in their campaign on Layer3, with many more likely to have interacted with the testnet.
So if you’re doing actions that can be replicated by almost anyone:
You have no edge. And you’ll get poor rewards.
So you’re probably just wasting your time and getting (almost) nothing in return.
While learning zero skills except for clicking buttons.
So here’s what to do instead:
Writing costs $0
The only barrier to start writing is an Internet connection.
Other tools (like Typefully) are nice to have, but you can literally just start sharing your thoughts online.
And I’m assuming you already have a decent enough connection by reading this, so you can just start posting away.
Twitter and other social media platforms (like Substack) have made it possible to put ideas out and see what sticks with an audience.
The algo seems to be your enemy, but it can work wonders for any account, no matter the size or your follower count.
So long as your content is solid and resonates with an audience, it will do well.
The algo’s job is to find readers who will see your content as valuable.
I would focus less on how to game the algorithm and more on providing value to my audience.
But there are millions of accounts out there, so why would anyone listen to you?
Your humanness makes you stand out
In this age of AI, it’s no longer about how hard you work.
If the tasks you do can be easily automated, then you will lose your job (or fail to qualify for an airdrop).
Quantity is useless, while quality is the new meta:
How much value can you provide in the shortest amount of time?
When everything becomes templatised and our brains are shrinking because we rely too much on AI:
What makes us human helps us stand out.
Becoming a Signal Creator is not about farming engagement for the most views.
But it’s about connecting with others by sharing your story, opinions, and experiences.
Your experiences are valuable to someone who sees you as an ‘expert’.
Sometimes, this just means that you’re a few steps ahead of them in a particular skill.
And you’re actually more relatable this way to them:
You can start, even with zero capital
You may think that no one would listen to someone who has absolutely zero in their portfolio.
But it’s easier to connect to those who are at the same stage (or just slightly behind you):
My content may seem unrelatable to some because I’m more advanced in the airdrop journey.
While they can resonate strongly with you because you know the pain points they’re experiencing.
And your personality matters too:
We can both write about the same topic, and someone will hate mine while loving yours.
The whole game is about building trust with a core group of audience.
The only flywheel to build a future-proof personal brand on CT
Building a brand around trust is slower, but it’s infinitely more powerful.
So, here’s how to start:
Build trust by documenting
The easiest way to write content is to do cool things first then share what you did.
That way, no one can doubt you, because you have proof that you actually did it (like your onchain history).
There’s no need to shill anything or farm engagement:
Just share what you did and the results it gave you.
Even better when it’s a failure because that makes you even more relatable.
Your readers can learn from your lessons and avoid what you did, which makes it even more valuable.
So even if you have $0:
Share what you’re doing to build up your portfolio.
If you’re doing a testnet, why did you choose this over others?
This doesn’t mean that you have to create the same content as everyone else:
It becomes commodity content with zero personality that anyone can copy.
It all starts by sharing your opinions on why you chose to do this airdrop (instead of the others that are available).
Build trust by consistently giving value, and you’ll amass social capital.
Projects are willing to pay for this premium too:
Personal brands give outsized returns
We have seen an influx of respected personal brands getting jobs at Web3 companies as a CT Lead, or founding creator (as shared by @balajis).
More brands are realising that KOL shills are the worst way of getting their name out there:
The account just talks about the project for the paycheck, and then never again.
So the alpha right now is to find creators that are aligned with their long-term vision.
Provided these projects are not here to extract.
And it’s not just because of their follower count either:
Follower count is an indicator of influence, but it can be easily gamed.
Otherwise, why isn’t Ardizor announcing any partnerships?
The trust built with your audience is something that can’t be measured by numbers alone.
Smaller creators who can prove their influence and trust will be rewarded.
Platforms like @xeetdotai are taking different approaches to InfoFi that go beyond views and engagement alone.
But one look at someone’s profile, and anyone can immediately tell if they’re just another Kaito yapper.
All we need to stand out is to be ourselves authentically online.
Yes, people will hate us and spam nasty comments on our posts (a lot of people hate me).
Yes, we won’t get millions of views with this path.
Yes, we won’t get results instantly.
But it doesn’t matter when we’re doing this:
We’re playing the long game
Becoming a Signal Creator is not like a job:
There is no guarantee of success, and we won’t get results instantly.
It doesn’t matter how much effort we’re putting in:
What matters is how others perceive our content.
If they think it’s valuable, they will trust us more.
And it takes time, especially if we’re ‘no one’.
I started from zero too, and it’s possible to build an audience if you keep going at it.
Play the long game and optimise for value over views.
And you’ll be guaranteed to get returns:
It all starts with taking action
You could either continue farming protocols and get mostly nothing, or start building your own asset with exponential potential.
Both cost $0, so which will you choose?
You could choose testnets like Fluent that optimise for feedback, but I’d rather build my own brand that is not heavily correlated to any specific project.
There’s no point in sitting on the fence either:
The cost of inaction is too high.
Keep sharing your ideas, and there’ll be one that resonates with someone.
All it takes is one post.
You don’t know who’s reading your content.
There could be someone out there who could give you a life-changing opportunity.
Even if he/she doesn’t press the like button on your content.
So increase your luck surface area by posting, and you’ll never know what happens.
The 30-day challenge to go from zero to Signal Creator
Want to capture the next wave of airdrops? You need both onchain and social reputation.
Stop wasting hours on low-value tasks and start building habits and systems that projects will reward with bigger airdrops.
Build the foundations for a reputable brand in just 30 days with one actionable tip you can implement each day.
It’s time to stop burning out on low-value tasks: