Project Token Launch Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Exchange Listings, Market Making, and Marketing
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Project Token Launch Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Exchange Listings, Market Making, and Marketing
Every token launch is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach usually doesn't work.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: Ash
Translation: TechFlow
Founders, especially if you plan to launch a token soon, save this guide.
When discussing portfolio value appreciation, it's not just about introducing your project to other VCs or angel investors to fill out a funding round, but actually working with founders to build a proper success strategy. One key component includes an appropriate token listing strategy on trusted centralized exchanges (CEXs).
Below is the high-level guide I've written to help you and your project navigate the complex landscape when listing tokens on major CEXs.
I've divided it into five sections:
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Token Listing Documents
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Negotiating with CEXs and Market Makers
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Community
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Media Coverage
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Others
Before diving in, having a solid fundraising plan is essential before launching your token strategy.
Make sure you do the following:
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Set aside a budget to cover exchange listing fees (higher during bull markets) and market-making (retention) costs.
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Plan how to raise funds from venture arms of large CEXs (e.g., @BinanceLabs, @cbventures, @OKX_Ventures), as this significantly increases your chances of listing.
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Build relationships with VCs and angel investors who have strong industry connections.
1. Documents Required for Token Listing
To launch a token, projects need to prepare several documents in advance—these are among the main requirements for CEX listings.
These include:
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A well-written whitepaper (detailing the project’s vision and mission, explaining protocol mechanics, team, roadmap).
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Tokenomics (token details, utility, vesting schedule, sustainable distribution).
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Protocol security and token audits from reputable audit providers.
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Legal documents (entity registration, legal opinion from counsel).
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Investment and fundraising documents (latest valuation, cap table).
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Completed CEX listing forms (each CEX has its own unique token listing form to fill out—typically including company registration, financial data, team, tokenomics, protocol mechanics, community and impact, legal documents).
2. Negotiating with CEXs and Market Makers
(a) CEX
Today, every CEX listing involves listing fees, which range from stablecoin (USD) payments to granting a certain percentage of total token supply. Based on our discussions, expect to pay $200k–$500k (sometimes more) or grant 5–20% of total token supply.
In addition to listing fees, projects may also need to cover technical fees (audits, token integration), marketing expenses, and deposits.
Every CEX now has a waiting list, as more and more projects compete for listings. Building relationships with the right people can significantly speed up the process.
It’s crucial for founders to apply to multiple CEXs to increase chances of getting listed and to use them for negotiation leverage. Collaborating with various CEX DeFi wallets and marketing campaigns is also a smart way to attract more attention.
(b) Market Makers (MM)
Engaging market makers (MMs) is a necessary step in the listing process to maintain price stability and ensure healthy token liquidity.
MMs generally fall into two models:
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Loan + Option Model: The MM borrows tokens from the project to provide liquidity and receives call options (the right to buy tokens at a lower price).
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Retention Fee + Revenue Share Model: The project pays the MM a monthly fee to maintain liquidity.
@0xLouisT and @minjung_eth have done deep research on market makers:
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https://x.com/0xLouisT/status/1808489954869133497
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https://prestolabs.io/research/market-making-predatory-or-essential
3. Community and Social
Build a strong, highly engaged community—almost cult-like—that will become your first users and organic advocates.
Suggestions:
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Master the three core social platforms: Discord, Telegram/WeChat, and Twitter.
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Hire excellent community managers to run Discord and Telegram groups, and ecosystem/business development (BD) leads to secure partnerships and localization strategies (e.g., APAC lead or Korea market head).
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Be active on Twitter from both main and founder accounts, sharing project updates and product promotions. Even better if the project has dedicated intern accounts or meme shillers to maximize brand awareness (e.g., @intern <> @monad_xyz, @HugoMartingale <> @Polymarket).
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Integrate with major quest platforms as another go-to-market (GTM) strategy (e.g., @Galxe, @zealy_i, @layer3xyz) and build community.
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Founders must consistently promote their project and remain passionate about what they’re building. (Study @keoneHD <> @monad_xyz, @Punk9277 <> @_kaitoai, @SmokeyTheBera <> @berachain, @Taran_ss <> @stix_co).
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Airdropping tokens to core users and making them rich remains one of the best ways to build a loyal user base (though harder today due to mass farming and fake accounts).
4. Crypto Twitter (CT) Media Coverage
Every day is flooded with memes, shills, charts, project updates, and posts. Projects need a well-designed, comprehensive marketing plan to ensure all aspects are fully covered.
Advanced strategies:
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Publish on major crypto news portals for maximum exposure, such as @TheBlock__, @Foresight_News, @BlockBeatsAsia, and @PANewsCN.
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KOL marketing, often involving paid promotions or letting influencers invest at a lower valuation in exchange for marketing content (posts, articles, videos, channel shoutouts).
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Outsource to top-tier marketing agencies. I’ve had the privilege of working with some great ones, including @snow949494, @cryptofreedman <> @hypepartners, @JiraiyaReal <> @TailoredWeb3, @ciaobelindazhou <> @ShardDXB.
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Publish in-depth research articles: Besides big names like @Delphi_Digital, @MessariCrypto, and @blockworksres, many high-quality firms exist, such as @Ian_Unsworth <> @kairos_res, @Steve_4P <> @FourPillarsFP, @blocmatesdotcom, @asxn_r, and @Shoalresearch.
5. Others
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List token on @coingecko / @CoinMarketCap.
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Enhance token information via @dexscreener.
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List project on @DefiLlama.
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Showcase relevant on-chain metrics and user analytics via @DuneAnalytics dashboards.
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Add protocol to supported list by @DeBankDeFi.
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Become a data partner with @tokenterminal.
I should note that every token launch is unique, and cookie-cutter approaches rarely work.
A successful launch clearly involves much more than what I’ve covered here—this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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@ahboyash
