What is an NFT Whitelist and How Do You Get Whitelisted?

Whether you’re interested in purchasing your first NFT or you’re a seasoned NFT trader, you might have heard of the term whitelist.

Whitelists can be a great way to make more money off of your NFTs, and it’s important to understand that there are several benefits to being whitelisted. So, what is a whitelist?

An NFT whitelist is the process that explicitly allows an identified wallet address to access a certain privilege for a specific NFT project. Being whitelisted grants you early access and reduced mint prices for a set amount of time. Whitelists also help avoid increased gas fees (gas wars).

There are a few ways to get on an NFT whitelist, which we will outline in this article. Most of these methods take place on Discord, though there are also Twitter giveaways for whitelist spots.

So keep reading to learn more about NFT whitelists, and how to get on one!

What is an NFT whitelist?

A whitelist is like a VIP list for NFT projects. Very few people are on whitelists, which makes being on a whitelist very attractive to many people. It’s a special position within the NFT world with many benefits.

Essentially, a whitelist allows a select few people early access to cheaper NFTs than the general public.

They get a chance to purchase NFTs earlier than everyone else, and they can buy them for lower prices, all while avoiding gas wars (higher gas fees due to numerous people minting at the same time.)

Additionally, when someone is part of a whitelist, they can avoid gas wars more easily. Gas wars happen when there is high trading activity, generally on the Ethereum blockchain.

This extra demand drives the trading fees up, making trading ETH far more expensive. 

Considering most NFT transactions occur on Ethereum, being on a whitelist makes it much easier to get NFTs at a lower price without the huge cost of gas fees.

An NFT whitelist may include other perks as well, ultimately, it’s up to the creator of the NFT project to determine the exact terms of the whitelist.

Why get on an NFT whitelist?

There are many reasons you may want to get on a whitelist, the most common reasons include:

• Access to cheaper NFTs
• Avoid higher transaction fees (gas wars)
• Gain early access before public release
• Opportunity to flip for a profit once the floor price increases
• Airdrops
• You’re considered an early-supporter
• Other exclusive perks

Being on a whitelist means that you get early access to NFTs for lower prices, which allows you to sell them for a higher profit.

If you are interested in flipping NFTs for profit, it can help to get on at least one whitelist. 

Whitelisted consumers flip their NFTs for a profit far more often than those not on whitelists, simply because the floor price will sometimes rise after the initial mint of an NFT project.

However, this is becoming increasingly difficult due to supply outweighing demand. 

Overall, NFT whitelists are similar to buying a first-class plane ticket. You get the best spot on the plane, better snacks, and you get to board the plane first.

How to get whitelisted for an NFT Project

To get whitelisted for an NFT drop, follow these three simple steps:

1. Locate an NFT project before its release

First, you must find an NFT project that you actually like. You can use a tool like Rarity Sniper to find upcoming NFT projects.

Otherwise, browsing popular social media platforms like Twitter is a great way to find upcoming NFT projects, and to get on the whitelist.

Once you find a project that you like, always do your own research to ensure the NFT is something you feel comfortable investing your money in, and before spending time trying to get on the whitelist.

2. Follow the NFT project on social media, including Discord

A good way to research an NFT project and to get on the whitelist is to make sure you are following the NFT brand on all their social media platforms and spending time in the project’s Discord.

In Discord, there is generally a dedicated channel called announcements, this is where you’ll likely find whitelist opportunities.

If there isn’t anything there, you can always ask about it in the general chat section of the Discord server.

Also, you can try searching #whitelist on social media, however, you have to be careful as many NFT projects might be a rug pull or some other type of NFT scam. 

3. Follow the instructions to get whitelisted

Various NFT projects require different things for people to get whitelisted. 

These requirements can include recruiting new people to join the Discord server or community, attaining a certain level within the Discord server, being very active and helpful within the server, or sharing posts on social media.

Other NFT projects throw out puzzles, games, and riddles to determine who gets a whitelist spot. 

Another way to get an NFT whitelist spot is to build a following on social media because many NFT projects have reserved spots on their whitelists for influencers.

Alternatively, you might be required to write fan fiction or draw fan art about a specific NFT project, or share memes to get whitelisted. 

There are also giveaways for whitelist spots that require minimal effort.

What are the benefits of whitelists for NFT creators?

The creators of NFT projects benefit from whitelists because they make the project more attractive to consumers, provide additional value to their buyers, and increase brand awareness by word-of-mouth and through whitelist giveaways and competitions.

If there is an exclusive guest list for a party, it automatically gives people on the list a higher priority, exclusive VIP perks, and makes people feel special, hence why more people may want to be on the guest list.

Whitelists work the same way, driving people to attain that special spot on the list that will allow them extra privileges.

The more people who join an NFT project trying to get on the whitelist, the more consumers there are overall who are interested in purchasing the project’s NFTs. This leads to more NFT sales.

Is there an alternative to being whitelisted? 

There isn’t a more accessible alternative to being whitelisted per se, but there are other ways to make money off of NFTs without being whitelisted.

Firstly, and similar to the stock market, you can buy NFTs when sellers are desperate to sell them at lower prices, this is also known as buying the floor or the dip. 

You can take advantage of people who are whitelisted and have purchased NFTs before everyone else by waiting until the competition between them forces them to lower their prices if they desire more liquidity.

Meaning, you get to buy the NFT at a lower price than the whitelist mint.

Then, you can wait a little longer until the prices go back up again and sell it at a profit.

This works because people know that the overall cost of an NFT will go up a lot when gas prices skyrocket, and they’re willing to pay a little more to get an NFT early rather than waiting until the market is clogged up and transaction fees are high.

However, many people are impatient and tend to sell their NFTs at a loss, meaning you get a discounted price, sometimes below the whitelist mint price. 

Of course, always do your own research to ensure you are investing in an NFT project that will continue to drive value and demand for the brand.

Key takeaways

Being whitelisted for an NFT project is beneficial as a consumer because you get early access to NFT sales and lower NFT prices.

It also allows you to avoid gas wars in which trading fees skyrocket as many consumers trade NFTs all at once, making them far more expensive to purchase.

Whitelists also benefit creators because they increase demand for NFTs by attracting people to a given project, similar to how a VIP list makes people want to attend an event because famous people will be there.