Crypto Drops Guide: its essence, acquisition, and Return

A common experience I have is that I learn about an airdrop but don’t do anything about it, only remembering when stories about the big rewards others received come up. According to Google Trends, after the Arbitrum announcement, searches for “airdrop” doubled and new addresses on zkSync quintupled in just one week.

This emotional and sporadic approach often leaves us with empty wallets or a few worthless tokens with no liquidity. To truly profit from airdrops, they need to be turned into a systematic activity. Let’s see what they really are, why they exist, and how to organize yourself to benefit from them.

What are airdrops and their types?

Between 2014 and 2017, ICOs dominated: developers issued tokens that investors bought. It was supposed that they would create products that would add value to those tokens. But ICOs proved to be less ideal due to numerous scams and lack of guarantees.

Since 2017, blockchain startups adopted another strategy: distributing free or semi-free tokens to active users.

We call them “drops” or “airdrops” because tokens are “deposited” into wallets that meet certain criteria.

During the 2018 crypto winter, when retail investors were hesitant to invest, airdrops proved more effective at attracting audiences than discredited ICOs.

The first project to use an airdrop was AuroraCoin ( $AUR ) in 2014, which aimed to create an alternative currency for Iceland. Surprisingly, the project is still alive.

Types of airdrops

Depending on who and for what purpose tokens are distributed, there are several types:

• Free drop: Tokens for anyone interested with certain restrictions. Usually requires providing a wallet address and fulfilling simple conditions like subscribing to social networks. Today, these are almost nonexistent, as developers receive nothing in return. Additionally, scammers often use them as bait to steal assets.

• Hold drop: Tokens for those who already own other tokens or NFTs. The most well-known example is $APE, distributed to owners of NFTs from BAYC, MAYC, and BAKC collections. The assets held serve as an indicator of audience quality.

• Reward drop: Tokens as incentives for completing specific tasks. An example is Trader Joe’s Arbitrum Adventure, where associated projects rewarded users for completing missions on Crew 3.

• Lockdrop: A less common type where a project distributes tokens among users who have locked assets on another network. To participate in Edgeware ( EDG ), users had to lock ETH on Ethereum.

However, the potentially most profitable type is the “retrodrop,” when a project distributes tokens after already having a working product. The key is that conditions are not known in advance, which helps identify truly loyal users.

“Forkdrops” happen when owners of cryptocurrencies receive coins from a fork (, such as BTC receiving BCH ). These work automatically due to technical features of the blockchain.

Benefits of airdrops

Airdrops evolved as an entry strategy because they benefit both developers and users:

For projects:

• Attract loyal audiences instead of speculators
• Track on-chain activity to gauge genuine interest
• Solve the “cold start” problem
• Enable “vampire attacks” to attract users from competitors

For users:

• Free activity with potential ROI higher than direct investment
• Opportunity to join a community
• Rewards for loyalty and activity
• Recognition within the crypto community

How much can you earn?

Airdrop participation is accessible to all experience levels. Some examples:

• Participants in Aptos testnet received 150 $APT, sellable for $1000–1200 immediately or up to $19 at its peak
• Uniswap deposited at least 400 $UNI to users of the DEX ( valued between $1200 and $16,000 depending on the moment )
• 1 inch gave approximately 600 $1INCH to loyal users ( $600–800 at TGE, up to $4200 at its peak )

According to Messari, users who received and sold 10 major airdrops could have earned more than $100,000 on average.

To maximize earnings, you need to:

• Automate actions
• Understand the market
• Be disciplined and hardworking
• Possibly use multiple accounts

Unrecoverable losses rarely exceed $50–100 per account.

How to get airdrops

The actions to obtain airdrops are divided into:

• Interaction with products: Trading tokens, using bridges, providing liquidity. Requires a small deposit for fees.

• Missions: Specific activities on platforms like Galxe or Layer 3, with known conditions in advance.

• Testnets: Testing products before their official launch. No real tokens required, ideal for beginners.

• Ambassador programs: Creating content, translating materials, and promoting the project.

To find new airdrops, you can use:

• Airdrops section on CoinMarketCap
• AlphaDrops aggregator
• Specialized Telegram channels

It’s essential to keep track of your activities using spreadsheets or other organizational tools.

Security guidelines

Airdrop hunters face several dangers:

• Phishing: Fake sites claiming to “claim” tokens
• Rugpulls: Projects that disappear after raising funds
• Hacks and exploits: Services in early phases with vulnerabilities

To protect yourself:

• Verify announcements directly with official teams
• Use dedicated wallets for airdrops, not your main wallet
• Manage risks by limiting deposits in unknown projects
• Use services like Rugpull detector and Revoke
• Conduct your own research ( DYOR )

Keep in mind that some protection tools ( disposable wallets, VPN ) may be incompatible with some airdrop rules.

Airdrops remain one of the most effective ways to earn money in bear markets, often outperforming trading and investing in terms of ROI. With a systematic approach and following security rules, any enthusiast can participate regardless of their level.

Happy hunting! 🤠