Non-Fungible-Tokens (NFTs) broke into the crypto market in 2021 and ever since, they’ve driven investments globally. NFTs are back on market track as the 2023 crypto market recovers from the worst winter in DeFi history. Besides that, NFT have also amassed a large community of creators and investors. This is one reason why there is a growing number of projects releasing NFTs.
Due to the buzz around NFTs, crypto enthusiasts would want to mint one, but not many of them can afford to trade them due to the huge gas fee. It is essential to know that you can mint NFTs irrespective of what you have in your bank account. You only need to know the right platforms to benefit from this cause.
Even though some NFT marketplaces’ gas fees is expensive, other marketplaces have come up with cheaper and better methods for people with little or no money to mint NFTs. So, if you want an NFT marketplace to mint NFTs for free, this guide is for you.
What are NFTs?
NFTs are blockchain-based tokens that prove ownership of digital items such as images, video files, and physical assets. NFTs can be anything digital such as music, artwork, sketches, or even drawings. The biggest excitement around NFTs is that people can now use technology to sell digital art and make more money.
Note that NFTs are different from digital assets such as Bitcoin. The non-fungible token is not interchangeable due to its underlying uniqueness. NFTs are gaining popularity and have attracted creators and artists who want to monetize their talents through blockchain technology. For instance, NFT artist Beeple, known for his top-selling NFTs, had an image sold for $69 million at Christie’s.
Minting NFTs is a process that involves publishing your digital art uniquely on a blockchain to make it tradeable. In other words, minting involves converting your digital file into a digital asset that can be traded by adding it to a blockchain, like the Ethereum network.
What Is NFT Minting, And How Does It Work?
Minting NFT involves converting digital files into crypto collections or digital assets stored on the blockchain.
Furthermore, minting an NFT is an act of publishing your NFT on a blockchain so that it can be sold, bought, or traded. You can use a blockchain like Ethereum. Minting NFTs is performed when an unchangeable and tamper-proof public ledger welcomes and stores your NFTs. This minting process requires NFT creators to go through some steps. Then these creators gain commissions for the sale of their NFTs.
Once your NFT is created, it is ready for trading on different marketplaces. But not all marketplaces are free. As stated earlier, minting NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain network requires some gas fees. But the good news is that many blockchain programmers have been able to help users find a cheaper way to mint and trade their NFTs for free.
The following platforms will help you create your NFT projects or NFT art and sell quickly.
Minting NFT For Free: The Steps
Follow the steps below to mint your NFTs on these NFT marketplaces for free.
Minting On Rarible
Rarible is an NFT platform that allows artists, creators, or beginners to create NFTs for free through their new “lazy minting” feature. This feature doesn’t ask you to pay gas fees or write a smart contract. The lazy minting feature on Rarible is a perfect option for creators looking for an alternative way to mint NFTs for free. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to mint NFTs for free on Rarible.
Step 1: Sign in on Rarible. Go to the official website of Rarible, Rarible.com. Then click on “sign in” and connect your account to your crypto wallet account.
Step 2: Create and choose the type of NFT. Click on Create and choose the type of NFT you want to create, Single or Multiple (if you want to make an NFT collection). Furthermore, upload the image(s) and fill out the necessary information to mint your NFT.
Step 3: Choosing type NFT minting. The next step is to choose the type of NFT minting. Switch free minting on to enable lazy minting on Rarible.
Step 4: Click on Create Item and sign authorizations with your wallet. Now you’re done.
Also, it’s essential to know that when your NFT is sold on Rarible, it will be minted, and automatically, the GAS fee or minting fee is sent to the buyer.
Minting On Opensea
Step 1: Open an account on Opensea: Go to the official website of Opensea, Opensea.io, to open an account. Avoid going to fake unauthorized websites to avoid being scammed.
Step 2: Open an account on MetaMask Wallet. MetaMask is the most commonly used wallet on Opensea and you can create it for free. Go to MetaMask on your PC to open a MetMask wallet account.
Step 3: Connect your MetaMask wallet account to your account on Opensea. In this step, you must ensure to connect your MetaMask wallet account to your account on Opensea.
Step 4: Set up your NFT collection. The next step is to set up your NFT collection on Opensea. To do this, you need to go to the Profile icon on Opensea and click on My Collections. Then, Create a single NFT, or Click on Create a Collection. Fill in the relevant details such as your name, logo, descriptions, price, royalties, etc.
Step 5: Choose the Polygon Network. Click on Polygon Network to make your minting process free since the Ethereum gas fee is expensive.
Step 6: Start your minting process by clicking on the collection and the Add Item option. Again, this will open up the form. Furthermore, upload the piece of the media that you want to convert to as NFT. Click on Create.
With these processes, you are done minting your first NFT on the Polygon Network without paying any gas fee.
Minting on Mintable
Mintable is another platform where you can mint NFTs for free. This Ethereum-based platform facilitates the creation and sale of digital assets on blockchains. Also, Mintable is an ideal marketplace for newbies in the NFT industry.
Step 1: Create an account on Mintable
Go to Mintable website to create an account. Click on Sign in and connect your crypto wallet account.
Step 2: Connect your wallet to Mintable
Once you have created an account and signed in, you need to connect your Metamask wallet to Mintable. Then click on Mint.
Step 3: Create an item
The next step is to create an item after clicking on Mint. Next, choose between the available options for minting. Again, choose the Easy mode for the minting, which will automatically help you mint for free.
Step 4: Fill in the details of your NFT
Fill in the details of your NFT and upload the digital file that you want to tokenize. Once you are done, then click on List this item. Then add a message to list your NFT for sale, and you are done. Your NFT will be listed and available for purchase on Mintable Gasless Shop.
How much time does it take to mint an NFT?
Minting NFT is something that can be done in a matter of minutes. You need to know that NFT marketplaces make this process very easy. The minting process and time solely depend on the traffic of the blockchain at the time of your purchase.
How To Promote Your NFTs
The next step after dropping your NFT is promoting it by having a good plan to reach out to prospective customers. The saturation of the NFT market can’t be overemphasized, which is why it is crucial to ensure your NFT gets the reach it deserves. So, once you have listed your NFT for free, the next thing is to ensure the world knows about your digital asset. Here’s how to go about it.
Create a community
Building a community will help you promote your NFTs. A community where you can talk and engage your followers on your digital creation will give you the publicity you need for your NFT. Continuous engagement in your community will also help the price of your asset to increase. When you want to create a new NFT, let people in your community know about it; your creation should be the only thing discussed in the community.
Contact influencers regarding your NFTs
It is 2023, and it is a no-brainer that you need the help of influencers to promote and create awareness of your NFT. With this in mind, reach out to relevant influencers who have promoted NFTs before to help you on your marketing journey. Influencers will also help you generate the right traffic, provided their promotions contain essential information regarding your NFT collection.
Many celebrities have been involved in several NFT projects in recent past. However, be careful of the influencers you engage. In August of this year, 19 celebrities were accused of promoting nonfungible tokenswithout stating their involvement with the projects. Among these celebrities are Floyd Mayweather and Tom Brady from sports, Eminem and Snoop Dog from music, and various actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow.
According to the SEC, celebrities and influencers who use social media to convince their followers to buy stocks or other investments could be accused of breaking the law if they fail to disclose the nature, source, and amount of any compensation provided, either directly or indirectly.
Use social media
Another way you can promote your NFT art is through social media. No matter your budget, you can successfully promote your NFT with the help of appropriate social media marketing skills. Social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Discord, Medium, Instagram, and Reddit are invaluable for promotion. Using the right hashtags, captions, and appropriate visuals will help you attract the right kind of audience that would convert into potential collectors.
NFT Calendar
For aspiring NFT creators, another vital step to promote your NFT should be NFT Calendar. The calendar will help build the needed hype around your NFT. The NFT calendar allows you to list events for free and to set up a calendar for the date you want to release your NFTs. It should also be the go-to place for your NFT drops.
When you click on List Your Event on the NFT Calendar site, you will begin the free process of promoting your NFT. In addition, you will be able to set up a calendar entry for the release date of your digital art. Ensure you fill in the details along with a sneak peek at your digital art with the help of an image to represent it. Once you fill out the needed information, click Submit Event and check your listing in the upcoming NFT drops section.
Initiate collaborations
Collaborating with different artists before releasing your NFT collections is vital. Initiating collaborations will help you gain access to a larger audience that may appreciate your digital art and generate sufficient sales.
Conclusion
Blockchain now allows artists and other digital creators worldwide to share and monetize their works in ways that were not even possible before NFTs were introduced.
We have shown you how to mint NFTs for free on different NFT marketplaces. The technology behind these processes is mature and user-friendly, and there is no need for coding skills.
So, if you are a digital creator or an artist, explore NFTs and mint one for free to see if it interests you. If you find the process exciting, you can also try out other NFT marketplaces that charge gas fees, which also provide a good return.
