How to Mint an NFT

Non-Fungible Tokes or simply NFTs are a massive topic of interest in 2021 and a lot of projects are continuously being launched at the time of writing this article. We have actually discussed what is an NFT in one of our previous articles and where NFTs can be bought, sold or traded at the biggest NFT Marketplaces by volume. In addition to that, our elite team of developers can help you launch an NFT Marketplace or your own NFT project.

However, how are NFTs minted? What is the process of actually acquiring an NFT? How to buy an NFT or how to own one? Most of all, how to mint an NFT? These are all questions you might be asking yourself and it is good that you are, because this article will provide details on a first-hand experience of how NFTs are minted.

Additionally, we will define what is minting, what is whitelisting and how to get whitelisted for any NFT out there. Across the article we will showcase different projects and examples such as Slotie NFT, MetaSlavs NFT, Cybernites NFT and Sublimes NFT. So keep on reading to find out more about how to mint an NFT.

Security

Security is very important when we are looking at anything Internet-related and NFTs do not fall short from being an object of security management. The key is to ask questions, do research and you will not get scammed. Many examples will follow in the paragraphs below. Consequently, there are a lot of scammers out there who copy or duplicate website interfaces in order to steal your digital assets from your DeFi wallet. As such, we would always advise you to be very attentive and careful. Most of all watch out for the following: fake Discord invites, fake Twitter profiles, fake websites and fake social media accounts. So let’s embark on a journey on how to successfully mint an NFT by starting with research.

NFT Research

Before choosing an NFT project, it is best to do thorough research on the project itself and its credibility. There are many scams and it is best to be prepared, rather than disappointed and scammed.

The best place to start is through rarity.tools, nftcalendar and of course all major NFT Marketplaces such as OpenSea and Rarible. Such Marketplaces can show details concerning if the project is listed or if it will be listed at all. Or in better cases some projects are even fully verified and have the small blue “tick” (☑) symbol which guarantees their authenticity.

After that, it is good to review the website, Discord, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Instagram and any sort of information which is distributed about the non-fungible token. For example, popular NFTs attract a lot of media attention before they are released. This is a good sign since it builds up hype and a larger audience around the project. Although, there are cases where the owners of a project tend to boost their media posts by paid adverts and soon after the project is launched, they withdraw from it leave users empty handed. Other NFTs without any media coverage tend to be nothing more than a short nuisance asking for public sale prices of 0.15 $ETH. So what is the key to minting an NFT and how to mint NFTs in general?

Discord

As soon as you have conducted your online research and you have selected a project of your liking, then it is best to start with Discord.

All non-fungible token projects have a few characteristics in common and the main one is – a Discord server. If you want to get a chance to mint an NFT, then you should definitely find the Discord of the project you are interested in and join their Discord server as soon as possible. After joining Discord, their channels will prompt you to verify yourself and there are few things to look out for:

1. The number of users on the server. (The server total.)
2. The number of active users. (Users who actually interact and actively post content.)
3. Roadmap of the project.
4. Official links.
5. Important dates.
6. The general chat of the server.

These channels within the server will help you better understand the project and to get a general feel of the community and what could be expected from the non-fungible token before or after it’s official minting dates. Additionally, each projects offers a set of fundamental channels which can be seen across most if not all projects and they include the following:

The total supply (total NFT collection quantity),pre-sale dates, minting dates, announcements, important information, roadmap, whitelist, FAQ, games, general chat and others.

NFT Websites

After that, the website of the NFT project is very imperative. Most importantly beware of fake websites. Research shows that cyberattacks tend to occur usually around the date of NFT presales or a few hours before the launch. Attackers take steps to mimic or even copy the original websites making sure they are identical. As a result, many users who do not pay attention a website’s URL bar or extension tend to input their MetaMask wallet (or other DeFi wallet) details and either lose access or send funds to a different address.

Slotie NFT

For illustration purposes, we will showcase Slotie NFT. Slotie recently launched and has a large Discord community of more than 200 000 users, most of which are active. Sloties are your ticket into the largest and fastest growing online Casino network on the blockchain. With only 10,000 VIP members ever to be minted, Sloties grant holders access to the new world of Defi Gambling. Sloties grant proof of ownership on the Ethereum blockchain, and are based on the ERC-721 standard. Using Sloties as an example is motivated not only by the project's large community and interest, but also by it's large trading volume within the last 24-hours on OpenSea, surpassing even The Sandbox.

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However, as large projects progress rapidly, issues tend to follow with their websites. For example, Slotie NFT saw many users dumping their $ETH to random addresses and getting scammed. This led to many disappointed users and caused credibility damage to Slotie’s project.

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The best advice here is to always check the website’s address in the URL bar, to look for any evident spelling mistakes and to confirm all details with the project’s Discord server or official Twitter account. Slotie NFT was subject to numerous attacks and saw websites with different extensions such as www.slotie.io, www.slotienft.cc or www.slotei.com,claiming to be the real deal while the official website is www.slotie.com. Ultimately, the Slotie Team added an incentive to reimburse users who got scammed.

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Credibility of an NFT project

An NFT project’s credibility and security can also be judged by the team behind it. If you cannot locate the team behind an NFT project, then this is most likely a red flag for you. Usually, teams will be listed in their website, Discord and Twitter. Some developers choose to hide behind fancy intros while others include their personal LinkedIn profiles or other work-related data which matches a real person. This helps credibility since you can actually see the person behind the project, their skills, their experience and what they can add to the equation. For example, projects like MetApocalypse NFT have not listed any details about who is behind their project and it is difficult to determine if the outcome will be positive after they launch their NFT.

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On the other hand, we have projects such as MetaSlavs NFT and Cybernites NFT which have their full team listed on their website with links to their LinkedIn pages and professional experience. Let’s imagine that MetaSlavs were to release a triple-A game (AAA game) and some of their developers have experience from Ubisoft or Epic games. This would be an immediate indicator that the project has larger potential as opposed to anonymously created projects.

How to get Whitelisted

After completing your research, selecting your non-fungible token project, learning about the team behind it, avoiding scammers, the next obvious step is to get whitelisted given the project has not launched yet. If the project has already launched, then its best to visit OpenSea, Solanart or any other major NFT Marketplace where it could be listed.

But what is the process of getting whitelisted and what is whitelisting at all? Whitelisting is a term used originally for a list of people or things considered to be acceptable or trustworthy. In practice, whitelisting is mostly used in emails or IPs as a security measure. For example, if certain email addresses are whitelisted, then they are deemed trustworthy and users can receive emails only from the whitelisted address. This will limit the amount of spam which enters an inbox. Another popular example is whitelisting IPs. Certain websites or software ask users to whitelist the IPs of their trusted devices. This is a security measure which prevents access to sensitive details from IPs which are not whitelisted.

However, in the NFT world, NFT whitelisting is a bit different. Instead of emails or IPs, users get their DeFi wallet’s address to be whitelisted. The most common example is with MetaMask wallets. Users who partake in different events, giveaways, games or level up in Discord by helping the community, have a chance to be whitelisted for NFT pre-sales. Therefore, whitelisting your MetaMask wallet gives you a VIP ticket in a sense. The ticket allows you to access the website’s minting page earlier than others and this increases your chances of minting an NFT. Moreover, whitelisted users are usually benefitting from a slightly reduced price than public sales. Typically, NFT pre-sale prices vary from 0.02 ETH up to 0.1 ETH while public sales go for around 0.08 ETH up to 0.25 ETH depending the project’s size and community interest.

Unfortunately, as NFTs projects are scarce and involve collections of up to 10 000 items, getting whitelisted is not easy. Users have to participate in many different scenarios in order to earn their whitelist spot. For example, they have to either invite 15 people to the Discord server, to reach level 10 by interacting with fellow members or to re-share Twitter posts on social media platforms. After winning a Whitelist Spot or as communities call it a "WL", users can connect their MetaMask wallet and enter a special page on an NFT's website. For example, Sublimes NFT launched on the 15th of December 2021 and only whitelisted users got the chance to enter their pre-sale minting page:

How to mint an NFT

The final step after getting whitelisted is to mint an NFT.

What means to mint an NFT?

In a few words, Minting NFT refers to the process of turning a digital file (JPEG, 3D art or MP3) into a crypto collectible. Usually, this is a digital asset on the Ethereum blockchain. The digital item or file is stored in a decentralized database or in some cases in a distributed ledger indefinitely. Therefore, as long as the blockchain exists it is impossible to edit or delete it. Similar to the process of distributing fiat coins, whenever a manufacturer mints a physical coin, the process of uploading a specific item onto the blockchain is known as “minting”.

NFT minting can also be defined as the process which allows for digital art or digital content to become part of the Ethereum or Solana blockchain. The minting process turns a simple file into a crypto asset easily traded with cryptocurrencies on a digital marketplace without an intermediary. During minting, the original creators of the NFT can add royalties to be earned from every subsequent sale which is in a sense a commission whenever the token changes owners and is bought again on a secondary market.

How long does it take to mint an NFT?

Minting NFT cannot be defined to a particular timeframe. Currently, NFTs are minted as soon as users acquire them, however this is subject to project reveal. For example, Slotie NFT initially launched and sold minting tickets. After that, users were allowed to mint and see their NFTs only after 3-4 days. Contrastingly, other projects such as MetaSlavs will allow users to mint immediately after users have bought their NFTs.

One more example includes Sublimes NFT as they have also recently launched their pre-sale. Sublimes listings on OpenSea are similar to Slotie and are yet to be revelead.

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The process itself is not difficult. It involves the creation of a DeFi wallet such as MetaMask and adding funds such as Ethereum or Solana if using the Phantom wallet.

After an NFT is minted, it can easily be uploaded to an NFT Marketplace such as OpenSea. The process is similar to uploading a video on YouTube or a phone on Facebook. The NFT has to be uploaded using any of the following extensions PNG, JPG, GIF, MP3 or MP4. After that, a simple title, description and auction prices can be set up. Below is an image of a random Slotie NFT which was recently revealed few days after the launch and minting process:

Is minting an NFT expensive?

The answer to this question entirely depends on the blockchain which the NFT is. Regarding Ethereum-based NFTs, then the answer would always be - yes. Even though gas fees vary from time to time, the cost to mint an NFT is essentially expensive. Normally the gas fees or “Gwei” on Ethereum are about 20 USD up to 200 USD depending on demand on the Ethereum Network.

Summary

In conclusion, we would like emphasize massively on security and research. The NFT minting and whitelisting processes can be difficult to understand at first. Therefore, careful consideration and clever decision-making must be involved throughout in order to avoid being scammed. Major NFT Marketplaces, Discord servers and Twitter are great places to start looking out for the next CryptoPunks or Bored Apes while getting to know the teams behind the projects. After that, getting whitelisted will be no easy challenge, but will be much appreciated after getting a cheaper price to mint. Ultimately, minting is the last process where setting up a DeFi wallet and adding funds to it will be help you get your desired non-fungible token.

If you have enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about NFT Marketplaces, NFT Games, then visit our Blog page. Alternatively, if you want to start your own NFT project, then definitely get in touch with our team of elite developers who can help you pioneer the future and successfully launch an NFT project.