# 5 Steps to Launch an NFT Collection

By [Leo Ariel](https://paragraph.com/@leoariel) · 2022-04-29

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NFT projects are all the hype, but how do you actually launch one? In this article I will walk you through the process of making an NFT project, from start to finish. I will use the [Doodles](https://doodles.app) collection as a case study.

Step 1: Image Generation
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The first step is to assemble your images. You can either create them yourself or work with an artist. First create parts, then use an image generation script to form 1000s of combinations of them.

Here is an [example](https://github.com/HashLips/hashlips_art_engine) of such a script. You can also write your own.

![Doodles Collection](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/17d56a92103efb3ded4baedf101b0f81e1f8ca7b8d6bb5e9fc7f593b46a7c28a.png)

Doodles Collection

Step 2: Storage
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The next step is to store your images. You can either use cloud storage (eg. Amazon S3) or a fully-distributed database (eg. [IPFS](https://ipfs.io/)). If you use IPFS, I recommend using [Pinata](https://pinata.cloud) as your management tool.

Step 3: Smart Contract
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You need to set up a smart contract. A smart contract defines the rules of buying, selling, and transferring NFTs. Fortunately, you don’t have to do this from scratch. [ERC-721](https://erc721.org/) is a standard template that you can use.

You can find smart contracts on sites like [Etherscan](https://etherscan.io/). Here’s Doodles: [Link](https://etherscan.io/address/0x8a90cab2b38dba80c64b7734e58ee1db38b8992e#code).

Step 4: Website
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Set up a website for your project. The website is where people can go and see your project.

**Sections you can include:**

*   Story
    
*   Description
    
*   Perks
    
*   Roadmap
    
*   About
    

![Doodles Website](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/93d6e92dd8a75cb598721a8d5793fd56a6d761eb31ad6fcb5bd45f33789efeef.png)

Doodles Website

Step 5: Mint Page
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Minting an NFT makes it official. Unfortunately, minting comes with a transaction fee. If you want don’t to pay it, you can have your fans mint your NFTs for you.

![Doodles Mint Page](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/8cf50c5e38428e8f0d726da38a6f0ae32ef95a9af3c11f8981359f512435b961.png)

Doodles Mint Page

Preparing for Launch
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### Social Media

Building up a following on social media. Twitter is the most popular platform for NFT discussions.

### Community

Start a community. [Discord](https://discord.com/) is the go-to app. A strong community makes for a successful launch.

Launch 🚀
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Now it’s time to tell the world! Set a date for the mint to begin, and you’re off to the races!

If you found this article helpful, please share it with others. As always, you can find me on [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/lxoariel).

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*Originally published on [Leo Ariel](https://paragraph.com/@leoariel/5-steps-to-launch-an-nft-collection)*