The Ultimate Guide to Navigating NFT Calendars and Drops
In this guide, we will discuss everything you need to know about NFT calendars and drops. We will cover what NFT calendars are, how to use them, and how to find the best NFT calendars in the space. We will also discuss the different versions of NFT drops, and how to prepare for them. By the end of this guide, you will be an expert on NFT calendars and drops.
Here are some of the main benefits of using an NFT calendar:
- Stay up-to-date on upcoming NFT drops
- Find the best NFT projects to invest in
- Avoid scams
- Get early access to NFT drops
- Learn about new NFT projects
- Connect with other NFT collectors
If you are interested in NFTs, then using an NFT calendar is a must.
Understanding NFT Calendars: What They Are and Why You Need Them
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are digital assets stored on a blockchain, representing ownership over various commodities like art, music, and in-game items. Put simply, NFTs can be viewed as the evolved and advanced version of digital assets, which have been around in games and the digital world for years. The popularity of NFTs has skyrocketed recently, leading to an ever-growing market.
However, it’s important to note that NFT is essentially a technology. Hence, the main focus for both investors and fans is the projects utilizing this technology and their developments. One of the most important developments in these projects is “Drops”, which represent their sales of NFTs, and also called “Mints” rather than Drops in many EVM-based blockchain projects. Beyond this, there are numerous critical events, including airdrops, giveaways, and launches, that you can be a part of these projects.
An NFT calendar is a tool that caters to all these needs. It’s one of the most effective ways to stay updated on the latest NFT drops or where you will get your answer when you say which NFT drops this week. NFT calendars provide details on upcoming NFT drops, including the date, time, and price of each drop. These calendars prove to be invaluable resources for collectors and investors who wish to stay informed and take advantage of the latest NFT or project releases.
In this guide, we will discuss the basics of NFT calendars, including what they are, how to use them, and their benefits. We will also provide a list of the top NFT calendars available and all the necessary knowledge to keep you upfront in the game.
Upcoming NFT Drops: What to Expect and How to Prepare
NFT Drops are one of the main gateways to enter NFT projects. They provide an infrastructure for the projects to build a community and raise funds. However, the question of how to prepare and what to expect is time-based, so let’s take a brief journey from the past to the present. Afterwards, we’ll look at the technical preparations we need to make, and how to design our claim strategy, whether the drop is paid or not.
The Evolution of NFT Drops: From History to Present
Looking back at 2020, NFT drops mostly consisted of artistic works and collectibles. With a lack of filtering infrastructure and a limited number of projects combined with growing interest, severe congestions occurred in projects and drops sold out rapidly with a first-come, first-served approach. In this barrier-free and sieve-less structure, bots emerged that manipulated the system, making bulk purchases, and causing harm to organic users and projects. These bot accounts were primarily used for instant profit-making by quickly realizing the products on secondary markets (flippers), but they also prevented genuine users from participating in some projects by holding a significant percentage.
In 2021, as the popularity of collectibles increased, many utility-based NFT projects were launched. Various methods were attempted to curb the bots. Some projects offered drop participation rights to people holding certain NFTs from the same project in order to attract people genuinely interested in the project. Other projects granted this right to those who completed certain social media tasks (Twitter, Discord, etc.). Some projects distributed this right by organizing events on platforms like Discord. The list of people with this right began to be referred to as a “whitelist”.
From 2022 onwards, it was seen that the methods used so far were actually useful in building a community, as they attracted users who were genuinely interested in the project and would be part of it in the long term. As a result, these methods became more permanent. Moreover, public drops (sales) with no or very few prerequisites started to take place alongside community or private drops for many projects, even for people who only discovered the projects at the last minute.
Taking all of these into consideration, a good preparation method for participating and preparing for drops could be regularly checking the calendar, detecting whitelist processes early on, meeting the necessary conditions, and becoming a whitelisted user. Of course, being in front of the screen at the time of sale and using the reminder system to avoid forgetting is also important.
Technical Preparations: Blockchain and Wallet and more
Aside from these, there are some technical details that need to be prepared. For instance, if you’re going to participate in a drop or mint that takes place on a certain blockchain – let’s take Solana as an example – you need to have a wallet account that supports the Solana network. Also, it’s important to ensure that you have an adequate amount of that network’s currency or the token in which the drop is sold in your wallet, according to the amount you request from the drop. Free drops are generally available across all networks. If you plan to participate in drops that follow a first-come, first-served structure or where you anticipate high demand, joining free drops on the same network beforehand to experience how the process works, what pop-ups appear, and what stages are involved will both increase your chances of catching the drop you’re aiming for and minimize the likelihood of making mistakes due to haste.
Claim Strategy: Pre-Drop Planning
For many brands, an NFT drop isn’t just about selling a single product. Many different NFTs are divided into different rarities, placed in various packages at different rates, and sold as bundles. Even if there isn’t a package structure, some brands sell multiple NFTs at the same time. In short, it will be to your advantage to strategize in advance about which package or which NFTs will be more suitable for you to purchase before the drop time arrives.
How to Add Your NFT Drop to the Calendar
You’ve got a game project, you’re an indie artist planning your own drop, or you’re a user closely following a DApp’s drop. You want to list this on the calendar, reach out to users, and strengthen your community.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add an NFT drop to the calendar.
Firstly, find the ‘Submit Event & Drop’ page of the platform where you’ll be adding your drop.
Collect the details relating to the drop you want to add. Typically, you’ll be asked for the following information:
- Personal details of the person adding the event (name, email, etc.)
- Brand/Company name
- Name of the drop or event
- Description of the drop
- URL of the drop
- Start date and time of the drop
- End date and time of the drop
- Photos or visual materials relating to the drop
- The blockchain on which the drop takes place
- If it’s an event, the type of event (drop, airdrop, launch, etc.)
- Category of the drop (DEX, CEX, gaming, art, etc.)
- Number of NFTs being sold in the drop
- Price of the drop
Depending on the platform, some or all of these details may be required, and some may be mandatory. However, the more information and details you provide, the more benefit you’ll get from calendar systems. For instance, if you don’t enter an end time for your drop, instead of moving from ‘upcoming’ to ‘ongoing’ after it starts, your drop might go straight to ‘ended’. In short, the more information you’ve finalized and entered into the system, the more visibility you’ll gain in user filtering results.
You can now submit your drop. The calendar platform will then review your drop according to its own policies and either approve or reject it.
Navigating the Best NFT Drop Calendars
In this section, we’ll take a deep dive into the world of NFT drops calendar, which can also be called NFT mint calendar or NFT projects calendar. We’ve analyzed over 30 different calendar services from the viewpoint of both investors and enthusiasts, considering a variety of metrics. We will discuss their current pros and cons and present our top 5 calendars based on this analysis.
Before we take a deep dive into the details, let’s take a look at the metrics we’ve considered:
- User Interface and Experience (UI/UX)
- Filtering options
- Support for different ecosystems and chains (Coverage)
- Depth of information for individual content (brand details, social metrics, etc.)
- Reminder feature availability
- Community-based interactive features such as upvotes
- Speed of content addition from the source to the system
- Accuracy of Information (critical)
- Amount of content (critical)
5. NFT Evening
NFT Evening stands out with its support for multiple blockchains and the presence of more than 50 upcoming content. Its ability to provide a lot of information about a single content in one place is among its advantages. However, the absence of visible social strength without leaving the screen and the presence of bugs affecting the upvotes and filters are among the factors that make it challenging to use.
What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
Content Amount | Lack of Social Metrics |
Support for different ecosystems and chains | User Experience (Several Bugs) |
Absence of Reminder Feature |
4. RaritySniper
RaritySniper stands out with its filtering features, search options, and the ability to review close to ten drops simultaneously on the screen. However, despite having over 200 contents, inconsistencies in content create a very negative scenario for user experience. Moreover, there’s no description of the collection or event.
What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
User Interface and Experience | Accuracy of Information |
Support for different ecosystems and chains | Lack of Social Metrics & Pre-information |
Absence of Reminder Feature |
3. Opensea Drops Page
As one of the strongest marketplaces, Opensea has a calendar that offers a pleasant experience with a reliable roadmap and a wide range of detailed information. However, it provides a limited experience due to lack of content and absence of ecosystem support.
What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
User Interface and Experience | Lack of Content |
Reminder Feature | Lack of support for different ecosystems and chains |
Customized detailed information | Absence of Filtering Options |
2. NFTCalendario
NFTCalendario stands out with its support for multiple blockchains and rich content. However, its user experience falls behind due to the limited information diversity for 1-2 contents displayed simultaneously and the inability to provide accurate timing.
What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
Content Amount | User Interface and Experience |
Support for different ecosystems and chains | Lack of Social Metrics & Accurate Drop Date |
Absence of Reminder Feature |
1. NFT Horizon
NFT Horizon Calendar focuses on the user’s needs and experience. Here are some of the key features:
- User Interface and Experience: Provides a user-friendly experience on both mobile and web interfaces.
- Filtering Options: Provides customizable filtering options such as blockchain, collection, type, category, and date.
- Support for Different Ecosystems and Chains: Supports Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, BSC, WAX, Avax, Cardano, and more.
- Detail of Single Content: All details, from images to explanations, social metrics to categories, are on a single screen.
- Reminder Feature: Support for Google Calendar, Office 365, and Outlook enables more planned investment or portfolio tracking processes.
- Upvote Option: With the active upvote structure and we deliver organic data/feedback to the user.
- Accuracy of Information: We deliver projects evaluated with many different metrics and filters in the background to the user.
- Content Quantity: By listing more than 100 upcoming events and drops actively, we prevent the user from missing out.
The Ins and Outs of NFT Drops: Costs, Preparation, and More
As both end users and creators, we’ve gathered a lot of information about NFT Calendars and how to bring NFT Drops to users through a calendar. But before all this, how will we conduct an NFT Drop, and what preparations and expenses will we encounter?
Some platforms make NFT Drop sales with Web2 infrastructure, but in reality, these aren’t NFTs but digital assets. However, they then grant the user the right to transfer their product to Web3, which isn’t so much a transfer as the creation of an NFT on the Web3 side that is then sent to the user’s Web3 wallet.
Choosing the Right Blockchain for your NFT Drop
If we put aside these hybrid solutions for a moment, if you’re going to conduct an NFT Drop, you need to decide which network, which blockchain, you’re going to do this sale or drop on, and which technical solutions offered by which blockchain and the audience on it are most suitable for you. Of course, many projects also follow the strategy of reaching multiple audiences by conducting sales on multiple blockchains at different times.
Creation of the NFT Collection and Setting Parameters
After this stage, you need to create the collection that will produce the drop on that network. Think of the collection as your brand or store. At this point, you may be asked to set values like royalty/market fee. In addition, more advanced questions may arise, such as which wallet addresses can access the collection and what proportion of the proceeds from the drops each will receive.
Preparing the NFTs for Drop
Once you’ve determined the infrastructure, you need to decide what product you’re going to drop, whether it’s something related to your project in general or something specific. For example, if you have a game and you’re going to drop a warrior NFT, at this point, you need to prepare these NFTs with the auxiliary tools on the blockchain you’re using, or with your developer.
The Whitelisting Process and Scheduling the Drop
For example, after deciding what its attack power will be, which information will be variable and which stats will be unchangeable, you have many questions like what will be the structure of the drop, will you put products of different powers in a package and make a drop, what will be the price. Also, will you have a whitelist process, who will you give the right to purchase to your drop, and when and at what time will you make your drop, all these should be determined during the preparation process.
Costs Involved in Conducting an NFT Drop
As for costs, firstly, the platform where the drop is made may ask you for a fee. OpenSea demands a 10% share from every primary drop sale. If you make a $100 drop sale, $90 will come to you. This varies from platform to platform and blockchain to blockchain.
In addition, some blockchains may ask for a transaction fee for every sale transaction. This can correlate and increase with the number of NFTs held in the collection.
Beyond these, the marketing process of the drop will constitute one of the main costs. If we just consider the NFT Calendar promotion, listing on many well-known calendars is free, but certain fees must be paid to highlight or feature them. The NFT Calendar cost typically represents a small fraction of the total marketing cost.
And again, some blockchains offer a pre-mint option. As we will discuss in the next item, normally, the production fees that the end user, the person who will buy your drop, would pay can be prepaid by you, and the NFTs can be produced and sold already produced.
NFT Minting: Costs and Considerations
As an end user, I’ve discovered a drop and I want to participate, whether it’s free or paid. At this point, if you’re claiming a free drop, you only pay the network fee, i.e., the gas or transaction fee. This could amount to quite high fees depending on the congestion (or we can say demand) on the ETH network, but it is minuscule if you are on L2 chains or fast, efficient L1 chains.
In addition, for paid drops, we might encounter a marketplace fee if we are buying the product from an NFT market. Generally, the most common structure we encounter is:
Buyer pays = network/gas fee + marketplace fee + seller received
In general, if you’re going to mint a large number of NFTs, the most significant cost is the gas or network fee. For example, when the gas fee on ETH is $30, if you mint 10,000 NFTs, you face a gas fee of $300k. If you do the same operations on networks where the gas or network fee is <0.01$, it leads to much less expense. However, the popularity and audience of the network are key factors influencing whether or not to incur this expense.
Keeping Track of New NFT Projects
For many investors, new projects mean new opportunities. As an unchanging rule in the Web3 ecosystem for years, no matter what project it is, those who discover and get involved first have the advantage. So how are we going to track new projects?
Let’s look at where projects are announced and where project developments are shared. You can generally encounter projects on Twitter or in specific groups, project alert telegrams, etc. Projects announce their developments and sales on social media like Discord or Twitter. Calendars that combine all this information to discover and track the developments of projects minimize all this workload and enhance your experience.
Calendars generally present you with content starting from that day. However, looking ahead to future dates will be beneficial in not missing the first-comer advantages while discovering new projects rather than just tracking projects.
Unraveling the Success of the Most Iconic NFT Drops
The most iconic NFT drops have been successful for a variety of reasons, including strong community support, unique and creative artwork, and high-profile collaborations and partners. Some of the most successful NFT drops include CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and CryptoKitties. These projects have all built strong communities of collectors and investors. Of course, these are not sudden events that happen in a single moment, this often consists of a process. There is a serious difference between the volumes and effects of these projects in their initial sales and the power they have developed over time. Additionally, these projects have all partnered with high-profile brands and celebrities, which has helped to increase their visibility and reach on the run.
Several lessons can be learned from the success of these iconic NFT drops. First, it is important to build a strong community around your project. This can be done by creating a Discord server or other social platforms like (Telegram, Twitter, etc.) where collectors and investors can interact with each other. Second, it is important to create unique and creative artwork that will stand out from the crowd. Finally, teaming up with famous brands and communities is key to getting noticed and expanding your reach. Even though we’re mentioning this last, it’s really important. If your overall network and partnerships are strong, your community can become a powerhouse on its own once your product is launched.
By following these lessons, you can increase your chances of success with your own NFT project.
Here are some extra details about each of the projects mentioned above:
- CryptoPunks were the first NFT project to gain widespread popularity. They are a collection of 10,000 unique pixelated characters that were created in 2017. CryptoPunks have become a status symbol among collectors, and some of them have sold for millions of dollars.
- Bored Ape Yacht Club is another popular NFT project that was launched in 2021. It features a collection of 10,000 unique ape characters that are all different in terms of their appearance and attributes. Bored Ape Yacht Club has also become a status symbol and Yuga Labs, creators of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), later released APE Coin and launched the Otherside Metaverse project, effectively building an evolving ecosystem.
- CryptoKitties is an NFT project that was launched in 2017. It features a collection of digital cats that can be bred, traded, and collected. CryptoKitties is one of the very first NFT projects to gain mainstream attention, and it helped to popularize the concept of NFTs.
These are just a few examples of the many successful NFT projects that have been launched in recent years. The NFT market is still in its early phase, but it is growing fast, and there are many opportunities for creators and collectors to get involved.
Safeguarding Your Interests: Avoiding Scams in the NFT World
The NFT world is a new and exciting space, but it’s also important to be aware of the potential scams that exist. Here are some tips to help you avoid being scammed:
- Do your research. Before you invest in any NFT, make sure you do your research and understand the project. Read the white paper, check out the team, and look for any red flags.
- Be careful about clicking on links. Scammers often send phishing emails or DMs with links that look like they’re from legitimate sources. Don’t click on any links unless you’re sure they’re safe.
- Never share your private keys. Private keys are the primary access method to your NFTs or assets. Never share them with anyone, not even the project team, or don’t put them in simple places other people can access (don’t put them in a txt file on desktop).
- Use a secure wallet. Use a secure wallet to store your most valuable assets or NFTs. A hardware wallet seems the most secure option, but most people don’t have one. If you don’t have any hardware one, and you are generally seeking new projects with uncertain reliability, have backup wallets and make these transactions/operations with secondary wallets.
By following these tips, you can help yourself to stay on the safe side.
Here are some additional tips to help you avoid NFT scams:
- Only buy NFTs from trusted marketplaces.
- Be wary of projects that offer too good to be true returns.
- “Don’t invest more money than you can afford to lose.” Easy to say, hard to execute, but a hundred percent valid point.
- Before conducting an operation you’re unsure about related to the project, you can ask questions on the project’s official pages to get support.
By following these tips, you can help protect yourself from NFT scams and ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience in the NFT world.
NFT Drops Glossary: Essential Terms You Need to Know
- Airdrop: An airdrop is a free distribution of NFTs (or tokens) to a community of users.
- AMA: An AMA (Ask Me Anything) is an online event where people can ask questions to a project team or other experts. AMAs are great events to learn more about a project and to get answers to your questions.
- Artificial scarcity: Artificial scarcity is a marketing technique used to create the illusion of limited supply.
- Blockchain: Blockchain is a revolutionary technology, often open source, that is not dependent on a centralized system, is protected from outside tampering, and where we are sure that transactions made on it will be certain and authentic.
- Burn: To burn an NFT is to destroy it permanently.
- Collection: A collection is a group of NFTs that are created by the same artist or many of them. You can think of it like a brand or a shop.
- Drop: A drop is a sale of NFTs at a certain time. Drops can be public or private, and they often generate a lot of excitement and demand.
- Floor price: The floor price is the lowest price at which an NFT in a collection is currently listed for sale.
- Gas fees: Gas fees are the fees charged by the blockchain for processing transactions. It can be called a network fee as well.
- Minting: Minting is the process of creating an NFT.
- Mutable/Immutable: An immutable object or stat of NFTs is data whose state cannot be changed after it is created. Once immutable data is created, it cannot be changed in any way. Mutable data is data whose state/value can be changed after it is created.
- NFT: An NFT (non-fungible token) is a compact computer, you can store or run a piece of code on it, and you can send it back and forth with knowing that that item or code is authentic.
- NFT Drops Schedule: Has the same meaning as NFT Drops Calendar.
- Open edition: An open edition is an NFT collection where any number of items can be minted.
- Private/pre/community sale: A private sale is an NFT sale that is only open to a select group of people. Private sales are often used by projects to raise money before they go public. Generally designed with a whitelist or allowlist.
- Profile picture (PFP) NFT: A PFP NFT is a digital token or artwork that is designed to be displayed as a person’s social media profile picture.
- Public sale: A public sale is an NFT sale that is open to anyone. Public sales are often the most competitive type of sale, as they are open to a wider range of buyers.
- Rug pull: A rug pull is a type of scam where the creators of an NFT project abandon the project and take the money that investors have put in.
- Staking: Staking is a process of locking up NFTs in order to earn rewards.
- Tokenomics: Tokenomics is the economics of a blockchain-based project.
- Wallet: We can say that it is the digital and blockchain-integrated version of the real-life wallet. Of course, in the NFT world, it is a structure where you store your NFTs and even serve as your digital identity.
- Whitelist/allowlist: A whitelist is a list of people who are invited to participate in an NFT drop. Whitelists are often used to give early access to projects or to reward loyal community members.
- NFT pack: An NFT pack is a collection of NFTs that are sold together. NFT packs can be a good way to get a variety of NFTs from a single project.
- White paper: A white paper is a document that provides information about a blockchain-based project.