⚙️ Launch Mechanics: Mint Process
Understand allowlists, public mints, and Dutch auctions
Launch your own NFT collection from start to finish
Your Progress
0 / 5 completed⚙️ Launch Mechanics: Whitelist, Auction, or Fair Launch?
How you distribute your NFTs dramatically impacts success. Whitelist mints reward early community but require management. Dutch auctions find fair price but confuse buyers. Fair launches are simple but vulnerable to bots. Each mechanic has tradeoffs in fairness, speed, and technical complexity.
🎮 Interactive: Mint Mechanic Simulator
Compare three popular launch mechanics. See how each distributes NFTs, manages demand, and affects your collection's success.
Whitelist + Public
Early access for whitelisted wallets, then public mint
Result: Balanced approach—rewards community while allowing public participation.
✅ Pros
- • Rewards community
- • Prevents bots
- • Creates FOMO
- • Guarantees for supporters
❌ Cons
- • Complex management
- • Can alienate public
- • Requires strong community
- • Snapshot logistics
📊 Real-World Examples
Pre-sale for early community (1,000 spots), then public mint. Sold out in 12 hours. Floor went 100x.
Started at 2 ETH, sold out at 0.5 ETH after 8 hours. Fair price discovery, no gas wars, happy buyers.
Free mint, FCFS, no whitelist. Bots grabbed 30%, but viral hype led to floor mooning anyway. Chaos worked.
💡 Key Insight
There's no "best" mint mechanic—it depends on your goals and community. Strong pre-launch community? Whitelist rewards loyalty. Unknown project? Fair launch maximizes reach. Want optimal pricing? Dutch auction finds market rate. Most successful projects use hybrid approaches: whitelist for early supporters (20%), public for reach (80%), with bot protection built into smart contracts. The worst approach is changing mechanics last-minute—pick one, communicate clearly, and execute flawlessly.