Social media can be an incredible resource if utilized properly. Thousands of artists have found great success by posting their artwork across various social networks and waiting until it is discovered. If you are able to catch the eye of the public, you will begin growing a social network of people that are eager to see more. This is a huge key to unlocking valuable opportunities and earning money in the NFT space. If you have a large social following, people will be more likely to value your artwork when it comes time to sell something to them.
The best way to gain some traction on social media is to produce unique works. If you are creating generic artwork that has been seen thousands of times, you will be far less likely to get the viral attention needed for success. Here is an example of a piece of artwork that was able to spark the intrigue of millions of people:
This work by a user named vaskange on Instagram was reposted across all of social media, racking up millions of video views. When people found out who had created the work, they flocked to his social media pages, bringing him thousands of new followers. This single piece of artwork likely changed the artist’s life by garnering massive viral engagements. He now possesses a powerful tool for making money off his artwork: a strong social presence.
Build a community
I cannot stress enough how important it is to build a community within the NFT space. If you want to find success through your own work, one of the greatest assets that you can have is a dedicated community. These are the people that will support everything you make, and help thrust your creations into the spotlight. A community is a fan base, and no artist can be independently successful without loyal fans.
To build a community, you will want to look back at the previous step: showcasing your art on social media. You will need to attract eyes to your artwork before you can expect people to support you. On top of that, you will also want to engage with your supporters. Take note of who consistently interacts with your content, and be openly thankful that they are showing interest. Befriend your followers, and give them every reason to stick around.
A great tool for growing and managing communities is Discord. If you’ve been in the NFT space at all, you should be totally familiar with Discord and the power that it holds over NFT collections. Use Discord the same way that you see popular NFT projects using it: engage directly with your community, show off your current projects, and provide a fun space for like-minded people to interact with each other. You will soon have a growing fan base that will be happy to support you along your journey.
Connect with NFT project founders
One of the best ways to make money with NFTs is to open up new job opportunities via networking. If you are an NFT holder, you likely have easy access to chat (through Twitter or Discord) with project founders and make valuable connections. They will probably be happy to help out one of their supporters, and you will have direct contact with someone that can point you in the right direction.
After making some solid connections, you can begin opening doors for new job opportunities. Founders tend to have plenty of contacts from other projects due the current meta of whitelist collaboration. By getting in touch with various founders & project team leaders, you will get your name out as a potential asset for the next NFT art creation. You may land a role as the lead NFT artist on a new project, and depending on the success of that project, it could escalate to more and more paid opportunities.
Sell your own collection
Undoubtedly the greatest way to make money in the NFT space is to sell your own NFT collection. Not only does this give you full creative freedom to produce something that you’re proud of, but it also has the biggest potential for generating massive revenue. It is no secret that there are millions of dollars to be made through creating an NFT project. However, the execution can be incredibly tricky. You will need to properly strategize before you ever consider launching anything.
In order to sell a collection of your own, recognize the importance of completing the three previous steps: showcase your art, build a community, and establish connections. These will take a significant amount of time, and will be the hardest parts of the process. Without a social following, a supportive community, or the proper connections, you won’t be able to sell much of anything. Spend the most time working towards these before diving into your own NFT project.
If you feel like you have covered all of your bases, start building. Create NFT art that you think will stand out in the space and begin marketing it on social media. Use your personal social following to help promote your new venture, and give your community primary access to the collection.
Launching a large-scale collection requires you to assemble a team of community managers, mods, and developers. This path can get quite expensive, and has no guarantee for generating adequate revenue, so consider trying something at a smaller scale. Maybe release a smaller collection to your OG Discord community, as it will have a much greater chance of selling out (and holding a respectable floor price). Then, gradually create subsequent NFT art collections, rewarding your loyal holders with free/discounted mints or airdrops along the way. This can slowly build up the value that you’re providing to your NFT community, and add some legitimacy to your name.
Conclusion
Making money off your NFT art isn’t quite as easy as you may have hoped it would be. It’ll require a lot of leg work, some creativity, and a little patience. However, it can be extremely rewarding in the long term as you grow your audience, community, and revenue streams. There are no guarantees that you will find success, but you will never know until you try!
