As the campaign picks up traction, companies compile a list of potential token recipients. This can be done in different ways, such as collecting the wallet addresses of interested parties or snapping a screenshot at a set point in time to qualify a users’ eligibility by specified, metric-based criteria. If an airdrop is specified to users of a platform prior to September, for example, then the screenshot would include the wallet addresses of active users from that designated timeframe.

Sometimes companies gather additional information, like an email address, at this stage — especially if the company hosting the airdrop is seeking to expand its contact list.

After determining a batch of recipients, companies typically facilitate the airdrop through a smart contract, or a self-executing program that automates transactions. This program transfers tokens from the company’s treasury wallet and distributes it to select participants, with no action required on the recipient’s end. At this stage, companies typically publish their transaction block results to further promote the project and prove that the airdrop actually happened.

STANDARD AIRDROP

In a standard airdrop, no tasks are required aside from signing up for an account. The key here is to get in quick, as there may only be a certain supply of tokens tied to the release of a new project, doled out on a first-come-first-serve basis. The decentralized exchange RabbitX has used standard airdrops to reward new users who sign up for its platform.

BOUNTY AIRDROP

hese service-oriented airdrops are sustained by small favors and voluntary legwork done by recipients. Typically, companies require some low-lift promotional work, with rewards handed out to those willing to sign up for a newsletter, follow specified social media channels across platforms, interact with a project’s recent post or simply log on to a live forum. Foodie NFT platform One Rare listed a nine-step to-do list for eligibility in a $75,000 giveaway, which included following the company’s accounts across social media, tagging friends and adding accounts on a watchlist.

HOLDER AIRDROP

This type of airdrop rewards users who are ‘holding,’ or have accumulated, a certain amount of tokens at the time of the promotion. This is determined by a community-wide snapshot taken at a certain point in time of user wallets, which can occur on a specific date or during a set time span. Whatever the reward, it’s gifted to those who have met or exceeded a threshold amount

HARD FORK AIRDROP

When a protocol branches off or hard forks from its original code, splitting into two separate platforms, developers airdrop the new coins as a crumb trail to convert native users. An example of a hard fork airdrop would be ETHPoW, a proof-of-work chain going separate ways with Ethereum since it transitioned to a proof-of-stake system in an event known as The Merge. Like holder airdrops, these simply require users to hold the original token

EXCLUSIVE AIRDROP

Wallet size isn’t everything. Exclusive airdrops often reward a user’s time logged on a project, money spent on non-token activity or level of engagement within a forum. Exclusive airdrops reach those with empty wallets and deeper extra-curricular investment in a project. A famous example includes Uniswap’s generous airdrop of 400 UNI tokens to each of its long-standing users, regardless of holding status.

RAFFLE AIRDROP

If a startup announces a fixed number of rewards but receives an overwhelming response, it may choose to implement a lottery mechanism to deliberate the winners selected at random, dubbed a raffle airdrop. This option can also be utilized as an add-on to any of the previous airdrop methods. Gaming platforms Revv, Wolf Game and Phantom Galaxies all recently gave out $500 worth of their native coins to 100 lucky winners.