If you’re reading this, I’m sure you’re aware of the hype surrounding NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. Perhaps you’re interested in creating some yourself. Though it might sound complicated or intimidating, anyone can do it, even a non-expert like me! I’ll show you how I minted mine for free on OpenSea, step by step.
- Create your NFT
This is the step that is most open-ended. You can use an image, video, audio, or 3D model. That means you can draw your own or even use a photo of your dog as an NFT. The world is your oyster.
I personally used the ProCreate app on iPad to draw my own, then sent it to myself as a jpg.
Try to get creative here. Popular collections typically depict trendy cultural artifacts, like Birkin bags, or cartoon animals dressed up in different get-ups. I would spend some time looking up successful collections and what they have in common. If you’re an influencer, you can even get away with minting easy iPhone photos of yourself. People have done it!
Some good advice here, if you’re creating a design on your own, is to keep it simple, unless you’re a superb artist (I am not). If a design is digitally drawn and modular, you can easily switch out some colors and have a brand new NFT for your collection with minimal effort.
2. Go to OpenSea.io and create a new account
After you get onto OpenSea, you will be prompted to connect an Ethereum wallet. I used MetaMask, which gave me no problems.
You’ll be prompted to install MetaMask for your browser. Just follow along the steps here to create an account.
When you’re creating your account, MetaMask will share with you your unique secret backup phrase, which you’ll need to backup your account or use to reset your password. Write this down somewhere and keep it hidden!
3. Create a new collection
Once you’re into OpenSea as a new user, you’re going to want to create a new collection. Go to the upper right hand side corner and under your profile icon, select My Collections.
After that, this screen will pop up (yours will be empty if you’re just starting out):
Hit the blue Create a collection button. You’ll then be able to create your collection details. I would recommend creating a captivating logo image, banner, and featured image to draw in potential buyers.
Next, come up with a name for your collection. It can use alliteration, puns, or whatever you like. Something short, sweet, and memorable should do the trick. Then, customize your collection URL and write up a short description about what your collection stands for. You can also select a category for you collection. Some options include: Collectibles, Art, Music, Photography, and Sports.
Underneath that, you’ll see a space to share links to your collection socials. In order to help promote your collection, consider creating social channels for its marketing. Discord, Reddit, Twitter, and TikTok are popular communities to promote your collection.
Next thing you’re going to do is select the percentage fee you want to receive when a buyer resells your NFT. NFTs sell on marketplace, just like used shoes do on StockX.
Select a percentage no greater than 10%, then paste your MetaMask wallet address when prompted so you can get paid for resells.
Most importantly, in order to keep this process free, you’re going to want to list your NFT on the Polygon blockchain:
Select the dropdown and make sure the Polygon blockchain is selected. Now that’s about it. You can choose how you want your NFTs to display based on size/aesthetics, and hit that blue Create button. Congrats on your first collection!
4. Begin minting your NFTs
Now let’s populate that collection. Select the collection (profile icon -> my collections) and click “Add item” in the upper right hand side.
Now you can upload that NFT you created in step 1! Make sure the file is high quality, and upload it, name it, and describe it.
You’ll get a chance to add more details, and can even mint multiple copies of this NFT. Consider the rarity level you want this NFT to be and choose accordingly. Again, be sure that it’s minted to the Polygon blockchain if you want zero fees and a free minting process.
Now press “Create”.
5. Set a price
This is important: Once you hit create, your NFT isn’t for sale yet. You need to press the “Sell” button on the upper right.
Now you can set your price and the duration of sale. Remember to check the ETH-USD conversion that shows up in gray to see how much your price is in USD.
After this, your NFT is minted and ready to go. Now you just have to wait and see.
Keep in mind that selling an NFT is harder than putting one up for sale. Discovery by organic search is difficult, so most NFT creators will have to use social channels to promote their collections. Don’t expect it to sell right away and without promotion efforts.
Try different channels, and see what works best for you. Let me know if you have any questions, and I’d love to hear about your personal experience creating NFTs.
Best of luck, my new NFT creator friends!
