A Cheat Code I Wish I Knew When I First Started Airdrops

Chasing every airdrop is the fastest way to waste time and burn out.

This is just one of my 7 key takeaways from @Zeneca’s airdrop guide.

Here’s what I plan to do differently now:

The Arms Race Between Users and Protocols

Airdrops have gone mainstream. Everyone wants a piece of the “free money” glitch.

Protocols used to give away tokens freely to anyone who met basic criteria. But that strategy no longer works.

Many users bragged about Sybiling — using multiple wallets to farm multiple airdrops.

These users often insta-dump tokens. And that’s exactly what protocols want to avoid.

If they care about long-term value and their community, they’ll want to reward users aligned with their mission — not just extractive farmers.

Anti-Sybil measures are getting smarter.

Airdrop criteria are now more complex.

It won’t be as easy as it was with Arbitrum. Real usage now matters more than farmed metrics.

My stance on Sybiling:

If you want to do it, go ahead — but know the risks.

I gave up. It takes too much time. Especially crafting a unique footprint for every wallet.

Instead, I’m focused on qualifying for smarter airdrops:

Retroactive Airdrops Are Still the Most Profitable

These are unpredictable. No fixed formulas.

Sometimes, projects publicly deny any plans to airdrop.

That uncertainty scares many off.

So they focus on projects that announce guaranteed airdrops. But that also means everyone else is farming them too.

Projects with public points systems invite crowding. That means diluted rewards.

Retroactive and surprise airdrops are different.

No one knows the criteria. Projects reward organic, loyal usage.

That makes competition lower — and the upside higher.

Here’s how I increase my chances of qualifying:

Be Curious and Expand Your On-Chain Footprint

A strong footprint helps with retroactive airdrops.

Here’s all it takes:

• Interact with protocols you’d use even without a token

• Explore new features early

• Build up a track record as a user

Example:

Initia rewarded the top 2,000 LayerZero users across major chains — post-TGE.

Other footprint-based airdrops: DYM, AVAIL, PENGU

Despite all the hate, I still love rollups and L2s for airdrops. Why? Because one interaction often gives you exposure to multiple drops:

• The L2 itself (if it’s tokenless)

• Projects building on that L2

• Infra powering that L2’s modular stack (like PYTH)

• Ecosystems that reward active L2 usage

That said, I’m getting picky about which ones I interact with.

Picking the Right Airdrops

After 2+ years, I’ve learned how to spot the winners (and skip the disappointments).

The best airdrops have high barriers to entry.

Two main factors: Skill and Liquidity

Other things matter too — like the team and funding — but those are harder to gauge.

I’m putting together my own list of criteria for identifying high-quality projects. Will share soon.

Note: Some projects aren’t looking to give value. They just want to extract it.

They run campaign after campaign. Why? Because they know people won’t use the product otherwise.

So I’d rather channel my energy into a few high-upside opportunities.

Even though the best-case footprint would include every protocol — it’s just not practical.

Time and capital are limited.

There’s always an opportunity cost — even for “free” airdrops.

So I now focus on 2-in-1 opportunities that maximize upside.

And I ask myself:

Think Like a Project

Airdrops are a reverse engineering game. You want to:

• Spot tasks others won’t do

• Understand how tokens will be distributed

Here’s the one question I use to gauge airdrop potential:

What meaningful contribution did I provide to the project?

Every project defines “meaningful” differently.

But if you can prove you’re a high-quality, loyal user — your odds go up.

Quantity of transactions doesn’t always matter.

Value does.

Projects have tried to measure this with points… but:

The Points Meta Is Dead (…Maybe)

In 2023–24, every tokenless protocol launched a points system.

It worked… at first.

Then users got jaded. Campaigns dragged on. Rewards were delayed. Hype collapsed. (Hi MarginFi.)

Points only appeal to me for one reason: some show participation numbers — which helps gauge how underfarmed something is.

But even that’s no guarantee.

If the formula is public? It will get farmed. See: Aperture.

Not all points systems are bad.

Hyperliquid did it right.

They never revealed how XP was calculated.

No one could farm it.

So users had to consistently interact to earn more.

Still, points can mean nothing. It’s hit or miss.

The principle still applies: if a project has a high barrier to entry, it’s worth your time.

Learn to Filter the Noise

Plenty of airdrop accounts share “alpha.” But not all threads are actionable.

I avoid content that:

• Shills testnet campaigns

• Promotes social tasks

• Focuses on baseless airdrop rumours

Speculation is a waste of time.

Wait for official announcements. Then act.

Also — follower count doesn’t equal quality.

Some accounts with under 10K followers drop serious alpha.

And don’t get discouraged by others flexing their wins.

Airdrops are a long game. Opportunities will come.

So choose your strategy. Go hard on it. Ignore the noise.

Spreading too thin leads to poor results.

So ask:

Would I use this product post-TGE?

If not, why farm it?

Good products don’t rely on hype or incentives to retain users.

So I now prioritise those with real PMF.

Because they’ll survive long after the airdrop meta fades.

Final Thoughts

The time to interact with everything on the timeline is over.

I’m revamping my criteria for spotting good airdrops. And I’d love to hear what you use to decide.

The best way to win long-term is to play the value game.

Here’s to better airdrop hunting.

Thanks for reading!

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