I want to share a pretty popular way to make money in crypto that many newcomers often overlook — that is, an airdrop. What exactly is an airdrop deal? In simple terms, new projects will distribute (coin, token, or NFT) to people who use their products early. I think this is the best way for small-capital investors to enter the market without needing a lot of money.

The great thing about airdrops is that they fit many different types of people. If you have money but free time, you can join DeFi projects — just deposit tokens into the platform and wait; in about 3-5 minutes, it’s done. If you have little capital but time, I recommend choosing game or NFT deals — the rewards are usually much larger ($2-$10,000), but the risks are higher too. For beginners, I like testnet deals and product experiences the most — completely free, low risk, so you can earn money while learning about the market. For example, $ARKM: you just need to test the features, register with a gmail, and it costs nothing, and each user receives 200-300$ when the token reaches $0.8.

For how to allocate capital, I think it should be split like this: 65% for high-quality deals with high potential, 25% for risky deals, 10% reserved in case a great deal comes up unexpectedly. The important point is not to spread yourself across too many deals, because you won’t be able to complete any of them. It’s better to focus on deals that genuinely have potential, and only do extra ones if you still have spare time.

What do you need to prepare to start with airdrops? First is knowledge — you need to understand the market and how to identify what an airdrop deal is, so you can choose reputable projects. I usually follow news Twitter accounts to keep up with new deals. Second is basic skills: knowing how to manage wallets, interact onchain, and create accounts on Telegram, Discord, and X. Third is resources — money, effort, and time. You need to understand that an airdrop deal is essentially an exchange: you spend effort and time to experience the product in return for the project’s rewards.

The benefits of airdrops are obvious: you have a chance to receive coins or tokens from new projects, which you can sell for cash or hold for long-term investing. For example, Sui: people who received a WL airdrop to buy early at 0.03$ wouldn’t be able to lose once the token hits 0.35$. Also, through the process of doing airdrops, you’ll learn a lot about the market, connect with the crypto community, and find potential opportunities and relationships.

But you also have to admit that risks exist. The biggest risk is losing money — especially with deals that require depositing funds; you could end up losing everything without getting anything back. There are many scams in this space: fake links, fake airdrops, or scam invites. The second risk is opportunity — you put in effort, but you’re not 100% sure you’ll receive an airdrop that matches your effort. So I recommend treating airdrops as a second job — to help you earn extra — rather than relying on them as your main source of income.

In short, what is an airdrop deal? It’s not easy, but it’s also not as hard as you might think. The key is diligence, the ability to learn, and smart resource management. Focus on projects that truly have potential, stay alert to scams, and remember that this is only a secondary way to make money—so you can both explore the market and have a chance to receive unexpected rewards.