Why pay attention to airdrops?
Airdrop is a marketing and distribution method where project parties distribute tokens for free to early users or contributors. For us crypto players, airdrops represent not just "free money," but also a kind of:
• Bonuses for early participation
• Returns on reputation and contributions
• Opportunities to establish long-term relationships with new protocols
Basic classification of airdrops (you need to know which type you are doing)
1. Interaction Airdrop
You need to actually operate on protocols, such as trading, providing liquidity, cross-chain bridging, etc.
2. Community Airdrop
Distributed based on your contributions in the community (like retweets, creating content, participating in testnets).
3. Holder Airdrop
As long as you hold certain specific assets, you can receive (like past airdrops of UNI, ARB).
Full process of operation steps
1. Prepare a "clean and active" address
• Use your main wallet or a dedicated airdrop wallet (recommended to avoid too much switching; accumulating reputation is most important)
• Join some public ENS or Lens reputation system bonus projects
2. Track potential projects
Use the following tools to discover projects with airdrop potential:
• Twitter accounts like @AirdropOfficial
• DeBank, Zerion (see which protocols you interact with the most)
• Airdrops.io, Earnifi
3. Actual interaction: Small bets for big returns, creating an "on-chain resume"
Here are specific actions you can take (prioritizing Ethereum Layer 2 and emerging chains):
• Cross-chain once on Arbitrum/Optimism/ZkSync/Base, make a Swap, provide LP
• Try recent hot new protocols like LayerZero, Starknet, Zora
• Make a trade on DEX (like Uniswap, SyncSwap, Orbiter)
• Participate in testnets (Testnet), usually with simple faucets and test operations
4. Community participation and reputation building
Don't just operate mechanically; these are also very important:
• Retweet project posts and participate in discussions on Twitter (the project parties will remember you)
• Participate in tasks on Galxe, Zealy (most projects integrate directly)
• Become an early active user in Discord to accumulate OG identity
Common misconceptions (areas to avoid)
• Crazy opening of new wallets for bulk interactions: easily seen as a farmer, ultimately disqualified
• Leave it unattended after just one interaction: Truly valuable airdrops observe "retention" and "activity level"
• Ignoring community participation: Many airdrops are semi-automated, semi-manual audits, and community impression is super important
Conclusion: Airdrops are not just free handouts; they are an extension of on-chain reputation
Airdrops have evolved from "money-splash marketing" to "part of the reputation economy." Future protocols will increasingly value the quality of your participation and history, rather than just one-time interactions. Therefore, rather than treating airdrops as one-off operations, treat them as a process of building on-chain identity and reputation.
Every interaction, every comment, every participation you make is paving the way for the future.