The airdrop market has transitioned from its peak in 2021, where numerous projects have backfired, to this year, where VC projects are rife with insider trading. The returns from airdrops have dwindled compared to those from OP, ARB, and UNI. Nowadays, airdrops belong to an era where there are many wolves and too little meat for small retail investors. Studios are monopolizing the opportunities. Many airdrop bloggers have either switched careers or are still holding on. Witnessing the collapse of airdrop communities has prompted me to reflect on my thoughts about airdrops. To outsiders, it seems like everyone is making a fortune, and they aspire to join this industry. Only those involved know how difficult it truly is. If possible, I would also like to choose a job I enjoy, with set working hours, rather than endlessly conducting research and completing tasks day and night.
Speaking of the airdrop industry, it began to rise around 2021. In recent years, many friends and airdrop bloggers around me have gradually faded from my view. Airdrops carry risks and rewards in equal measure. As a studio, making one wrong move can lead to collapse. Not only do you have to worry about dangers from tools, but you also constantly fear being tracked by project teams or falling victim to scams. The expenses related to witch hunts, three-piece sets, personnel salaries, and a series of costs can be quite substantial. I remember the friends who were once passionate about airdrops are now down to just me still holding on. From a time when a group of people shouted about dropping out of traditional jobs to pursue Web3, now very few people mention Web3 or airdrops. I’d like to offer some advice and insights to newcomers who want to enter the airdrop space: after reading this article, consider whether you still wish to join this circle.
Let me share my experience. I initially got into airdrops during the UNI airdrop that year. I saw someone mention that UNI airdropped $10,000, and at that time, I was still in college. The temptation was huge, as I could earn that amount with just a simple interaction. I entered the crypto space in 2019, playing some 'sign-in for tokens' schemes that were popular domestically. Since then, I gradually connected with the crypto world until the UNI airdrop opened a new world for me. There was a website called 'Anti-Coin Dog,' where numerous small tasks for airdrops were posted. Back then, the meme gameplay was still about following Twitter, leaving comments, and joining Telegram groups to earn tokens. I remember that was when I got my first major airdrop, but I didn’t hold onto it. It was LOWB, and after the airdrop, I found it was worth 300 USD, which was my living expenses for a month. Excitedly, I sold it and went out to have fun, only to return and see that LOWB peaked at over $20,000. That was the first time I experienced a huge loss. After that, I searched for airdrop-related keywords across various social media daily, refreshing each term until no updates were left. I accidentally joined a community focused on airdrops, although it has since disbanded. In that group, I saw a table with star ratings that indicated the importance of each project. I randomly selected a significant project called BICO, which required a mere $100 cross-chain task. I remember it involved completing tasks across three different chains, but I forgot about it until December 2021 when BICO announced an airdrop, and I opened my wallet to see 30,000 USD.
With the money I earned, I completed my university education. Coming from a rural background, 30,000 USD was astronomical for me. Since then, I plunged into the airdrop industry, and I’ve participated in many quality projects like OP and ARB. From that time onward, airdrops became a part of my life, right up until now in 2025. Yet, I increasingly feel that this industry no longer suits me. Last year and this year, I’ve worked on countless projects, with endless tasks and characters to manage, and looking back, there’s hardly any return. I haven’t managed to profit from major projects; the ones I worked on have all backfired or are perpetually 'soon.' Airdrops have become increasingly challenging.
How should one participate in airdrops now, do newcomers still have a chance?
In fact, when participating in airdrops now, you need to keep a calm mindset. If you plan to do airdrops full-time, you must be prepared to give up your days off. To be honest, to reap rewards in this field, my advice is to not only focus on project testnets and mainnets, but also explore niche projects. For example, back in December last year, in the AO ecosystem, there was an agent where binding a social account could earn you 3000 tokens. Many airdrop hunters may have overlooked this seemingly unreliable project, but who would have thought that 3000 tokens could yield up to 7000 USD? Binding the account only took a few minutes. So remember the saying 'simplicity is key in airdrops.' Another example is the first meme project on Solana called STNK, where simply commenting in a Discord server would earn you 10 tokens, and early participants received 100 tokens. After the project distributed its tokens, it disappeared, and I always thought it had gone rogue. There were several times I considered destroying it because it was just taking up space in my wallet. But suddenly, it came back to life last year, with tokens peaking at 379 USD and transactions at 3700 USD. Therefore, airdropping is sometimes not about how hard you work or how careful you are, but largely about luck.
For newcomers entering the field now, my advice is to first learn how to conduct research. Research doesn’t mean just taking a project from an airdrop blogger and acting on it. You need to understand that more often than not, the projects they post are somewhat invitation-based, aimed at bringing you in to boost their own numbers. Research means having your own criteria and methods for selecting and studying projects so you can quickly grasp what new projects are emerging and which have good investment backing. Moreover, focus on projects with fewer participants. The specific methods you need to develop should be unique to you; no one can teach you this. If you’re too lazy to research this yourself, I recommend you not enter this circle, or you’ll find yourself putting in a lot of effort with zero returns.
However, once you enter the world of airdrops, you must be prepared for nearly year-round work without breaks. It may seem simple, but the time commitment is no less than that of a regular job. Personally, I spend almost 15-16 hours a day browsing Twitter and completing tasks, and checking Twitter has become a daily habit for me. Without sifting through a large amount of information, you won't know the latest industry trends and new hotspots. If you plan to rely on paid groups for guidance or pick and choose from others’ compiled lists, I can only tell you that this is purely based on luck, unrelated to effort. Many who strike it rich in airdrops have done so through their own research and a thorough analysis of projects, dedicating significant time to a project. If you merely follow what others post, you're relying on luck, and the odds are that you might get burned because some of those who write articles are mainly concerned with gaining traffic and don’t conduct in-depth research on the projects.
So after saying all this, what specifically should be done? Here’s a summary of key points:
1. Find a research method that belongs to you.
2. Do not have biases against any project; conclusions should only be drawn after your own research.
3. The scope of airdrops should be broad; don’t just focus on L2 cross-chains.
4. Repeat simple tasks.
5. Try to focus on quality projects, especially if you are an individual without the energy to manage multiple accounts.
6. Never be lazy.
7. Never rely on hearsay; have your own judgment.
Finally, the road in airdrops is tough. If you are not prepared, having a satisfying job is also good. There's no need to dive headfirst into this field. I hope every airdrop hunter finds their own suitable place.
To every airdrop enthusiast still persevering, and to newcomers wishing to enter this circle.
