Looking for Filipino NFT Whitelist Grinders? How Does it Work and How to Get Paid as Discord Grinder?
By Julian Barcega with additional reporting from Michael Mislos. Edited by Meghan Lim.
Ever came across a Twitter or Facebook community thatโs all about whitelisting? Tons of these groups are scattered across social media, typically shilling projects to one another. Popular messaging applications (such as Discord or Telegram) are also home to crypto-enthusiasts inviting users to join their servers for a chance of a whitelist. Although these communities vary in size, publicity, or audience, one goal can be observed among them: the grind to get in.
Is it just a trend going on in the Metaverse?
This is part 1 of our 2-article series about NFT Whitelist Grinders. The next article discusses criticisms about the activity and more tips and insights from grinders themselves.
First, what is an NFT whitelist?
Whitelist is a privilege given to a person who joined in a project (i.e. NFTs, Play-to-Earn games) that is about to launch its first sale. As part of the whitelist, you are given a discounted price on the pre-selling event of the project. To put it in simple terms, it is like you are invited to a newly established restaurant to test out their menu for a discounted price for them to see if it will be a hit or flop.
Getting into a whitelist could also have its perks in the long run, like receiving airdrops when the project hits a milestone or having a voice in the community due to owning genesis NFTs and being one of the OGs in the community. So, no wonder people are looking forward to getting their slot for the whitelist.
What are NFT whitelist grinders?
NFT Whitelist Grinders are individuals who are hired online to have access to the ownerโs account and use it to invite a lot of people into the community; they promote the project to those who are NFT enthusiasts.
They also are the community builders who interact with the people that join the Discord server and let them feel at home.
Some project owners would commission Whitelist Grinders for every whitelist sale they get, while others hire them just to interact with the community. These Whitelist Grinders sometimes receive daily wages to compensate for the effort they put into a project.
An interview with an Whitelist Grinder
To have a deeper perspective about Whitelist Grinders, here is an interview the BitPinas staff conducted with one:
What does a whitelist grinder usually do?
BitPinas Staff: From what I gathered, a whitelist grinder is doing activities to ensure a spot in a Whitelist of an NFT project? Is that correct? How does it usually work?
Peach: Yes, that is correct! Our employers would assign us to our designated projects to work with. Each project would have their own requirements and perks to obtain (the) said Whitelist. A good majority of these projects are invite and level-based, which are more susceptible to botting.
The other side of NFT projects require genuine interaction within the community and its members, like having competitions and friendly factions. These types of projects are usually a little more private and closed out from the public.
What happens when the whitelist grinder successfully get whitelisted?
BitPinas Staff: I see! Now, once you get whitelisted, what usually happens next? You grinded and got whitelisted, but wouldnโt this be tied to your Discord username? Will the employer replace you in the whitelist?
Peach: What happens after obtaining a Whitelist will also depend on the employer. I’ve seen some offering compensations or bonuses, others would just simply move on to the next assigned project on the list.
Yes! All projects are tied to the discord profile you’ve been using! That is why our employers would give us an account to use beforehand when assigning or for working on a server.
(Read More: NFT Art FAQ: What is the Most Important Skill in the NFT Space?)
How whitelist grinders get compensated?
BitPinas Staff: How are you compensated in your group? Also, is this per week, per month, per successful project? What if no one will enter the Whitelist?ย What’s the usual that’s happening across many groups?
Peach: The job description, I got into, stated that I would be paid Php 1,000 per day with the salary dates usually on the 15th and end of the month. 8-hour shifts are the minimum, but I extend if I enjoy the server.
You can also be compensated in USDT or ETH if you prefer Binance as a MoP. My employer would give me bonuses when I do a good job, suddenly sending me tips to make sure I eat right! If I couldn’t reach the Whitelist Deadline for a project, then we simply move on to another one.
BitPinas Staff: What are the usual compensation agreements for different groups, if you have some idea?
Peach: Actually if it were other employers, I’ve read that grinders would not get compensated if they were not able to accomplish the task or obtain a Whitelist from their assigned server. I get paid by the day while others get paid for a finished job.
BitPinas Staff: There are people advertising like 6 digits (if i earn 6 digits, you earn 6 digits) and people are saying it is true! I’m not going to ask you if it’s true, but my question is do you think that’s possible to happen?
Peach: Sounds too good to be true to be honest, mostly since the point of getting whitelist(ed) is for the employers to mint NFT then sell them (unknown when they’ll actually be able to sell those NFTs off). But I have seen posts where they offer people from โฑ500 to even โฑ60,000, depending (on the employer).ย
It’s an eye-catching amount, yes, but I doubt the majority of employers are willing or able to dish out those numbers to pay grinders.
Tips on how to be an NFT whitelist grinder
BitPinas Staff: There might be a lot of people who want to do this activity as same as you! Do you have tips to share? Also, is this your only job? Or are you a student?
Peach: Yes this line of work is highly sought after. Considering its work-at-home nature!
My advice for people who are interested in diving in here would be to:
1.) Have a general knowledge in speaking English (because NFT servers are usually international) though there are Filipino-Specific Channels made for those who prefer Tagalog conversations.
2.) Be friendly with the server members and keep a child-like upbeat sense of cheerfulness when striking up replies. Do this especially when the Server Heads are either active or just dropping by to say Hi. Helping around other newbies and members with directions is also appreciated! Take note: You only gain EXP every 1 minute for a chat so spamming every second will not boost your chances.
3.) Make sure you have the time to remain active on servers for long hours. It’s to make sure you’ve been at it for a good while and it’s also to show the Heads that you’ve been consistent ever since you started in the server. I highly advise not using generic phrases like “LFG”, “When are we mooning”, “Love this project”, or any other bot-sounding phrases in slow and organic chats because the Heads are always watching and members can ask to kick you out (Yes genuine conversations are a thing).
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Just follow the #how-to-get-whitelist requirements of a server in every detail. Bonus if you have a talent like Singing to grab the attention of Heads if they’re chilling in the Server Voice Call rooms!
Yes I am still a college student! I am also a scholar of (some) NFT games. If I didn’t have classes to fill my schedule then I would most likely be looking for more jobs.
BitPinas Staff: Why is there a need to “grab the attention of the heads?” sometimes you can get whitelisted if they like what you’re doing? Right?
Peach: Yep! Cases like that do happen (though rarely) and mostly with the organic servers where the Heads are actively making conversation with their members.
BitPinas Staff: Thank you so much for this interview!!!
Peach: And thank you for having me!
Overall: Should You Do NFT Whitelist Grinding?
The NFT world is very young โ a lot of projects are popping out of nowhere and if not for whitelist grinders, we wouldn’t be aware of these projects. But as a constant reminder, always do your own research before becoming part of any project. There are scammers and hackers out there that may try to get your information, especially access to your crypto wallet, to get what they are after. So, before you join any project make sure that whatever you are planning to invest in will benefit you in the long run.
This article is published on BitPinas: Looking for Filipino NFT Whitelist Grinders? How Does it Work and How to Get Paid as Discord Grinder?