Stealth Launch - The Silent Launchpad Model

Why would you choose to launch your coin or project silently?
Do you want to find a launchpad for stealth launches?
And what are the pro's and con's of using a stealth launch?

In this guide, I explore all the options, what you should consider before adopting this approach, and hopefully you'll find some top tips on managing you team, community, and marketing along the way.

What is a Stealth Launch in Web3?

A stealth launch is a crypto project that launches without any prior announcement, pr, or marketing.
In a stealth launch, a token is released directly to the market, typically without a public pre-sale, ICO (Initial Coin Offering), or IDO (Initial DEX Offering).

This low-profile strategy is intended to promote a more fair token distribution and prevents early speculators and bots from dominating the market. However, this isn't always the case. So do your research!

By keeping the launch quiet, a stealth launch encourages an organic community to grow naturally, without a sudden influx that floods the market. Investors who find the project post-launch often do so through personal interest, casual conversation, or their own research - rather than chasing hype, being fooled by bots, or fear of missing out.

How Stealth Launches Work on Launchpads

Launchpads like Binance Launchpad, Polkastarter, and TrustSwap are platforms designed to facilitate the fundraising of new cryptocurrency projects.

These platforms typically rely on public whitelists, media buzz, PR, pre-existing community reactivation, and pre-sale events. However, stealth launches can still be executed on launchpads by keeping the specifics, such as the token launch time hidden until the last possible moment.

In a stealth launch, projects often skip the public pre-sale or whitelist phase, avoiding the exposure that brings early speculators. Instead, they go directly to decentralized exchanges (DEXs), allowing tokens to trade freely with minimal initial liquidity. While not the typical use case for launchpads, stealth launches help projects avoid the extreme volatility often seen with high-profile token offerings.

Why would you choose to do a Stealth Launch?

Stealth launches are becoming more popular because they offer several unique advantages:

1. Preventing Bot Manipulation: One of the primary motivations for a stealth launch is to prevent automated bots from scooping up large portions of tokens in the early stages. Without prior announcements, bots have less opportunity to prepare. But it's still possible for bot runners to scour these launchpad platforms and exploit them.
2. Fair Token Distribution: By keeping the launch under the radar, stealth launches can prevent large whales or investment groups from dominating the sale. This allows smaller, retail investors a fairer opportunity to participate. A more equal opportunity for all!
3. Organic Community Growth: Stealth launches are great for generating organic community development. Instead of a speculative rush to buy tokens, the community is made up of people who genuinely believe in the project's long-term potential.

What are the downsides and risks of Stealth Launches

While stealth launches provide several benefits, they are not without risks:

1. Lack of Visibility: Since there are no marketing efforts before the launch, the project may face a slow start as fewer people know about it. This can hurt short-term liquidity.
2. Limited Liquidity: Without the initial hype of pre-sales and public marketing, the stealth launch might struggle to reach the desired level of liquidity in its early stages.
3. Trust Issues: Investors may be wary of projects that don’t engage in public marketing or pre-sales, fearing a lack of transparency or legitimacy. A stealth launch could inadvertently alienate investors looking for clear, upfront communication.
4. Missed Hype Opportunities: Pre-launch marketing is often a key driver of early excitement and token price increases. By skipping this phase, stealth launches might miss out on the buzz and momentum other projects enjoy.

Examples of Successful Stealth Launches

One of the most famous examples is Shiba Inu, which started with virtually no pre-launch marketing but has since grown into a massive community-driven token.

Similarly, OlympusDAO took a stealthier approach to build its DeFi platform, allowing for organic growth without the typical speculative frenzy.

Marketing for Stealth Launches: Balancing Secrecy and Growth

One of the key challenges of a stealth launch is finding the right balance between maintaining secrecy before the launch and generating enough interest to support long-term growth. But we know that some launches prefer absolutely zero public messaging until they're ready to go. With that in mind, let's say you want to find a happy medium between the two, what can you do to help a stealth launch?

1. Quietly Build a Core Community

Before you go public, focus on creating a small, organic community of early supporters. Platforms like Discord, Telegram, and Twitter are great for building an engaged group without drawing too much attention to the project. Just don't go crazy and buy bots!

2. Post-Launch Influencer Engagement

After the launch, quickly tap into influencers and opinion leaders in the space to spread the word. Trusted figures in the community can help promote your project authentically, attracting more investors. This does come at a price, you either need to pay up front, create a revenue share contract, or give something away - hopefully not your soul.

3. Leverage Content Marketing

Post-launch is when content marketing becomes critical. Writing detailed blog posts, sharing project updates, and releasing explainer videos can help attract attention and build trust. Additionally, social proof like testimonials will go a long way. But we know that web3 typically doesn't use websites like TrustPilot, so you need to get creative here.

4. Forums, Threads & Groups

Sites like Reddit, Bitcointalk, and niche crypto forums are valuable spaces for engaging with the community. Just don't spend the whole time talking about your project, spamming blog post links, or running around posting meme's and expect anyone to respond. Be engaging!

5. Paid Marketing & Ad Networks

Targeted advertising can help raise visibility without over-hyping the project. This typically requires a large budget, with a team of SEO, CRO, and Advertising specialists. This is a heavy investment, but will pay off if you can afford the time and expense to beat the competition.

What are Stealth Launching a Project's Best Practices?

Successfully executing a stealth launch requires careful planning.
Not only do you need a team you trust, a business model, tokenomics design, and excellent marketing, but you need to be certain there is space in the web3 niche you're operating in to be successful.

Here are a few tips and ideas to make sure your launch goes smoothly:

1. Pick the Right Timing: Make sure your launch doesn’t overlap with major market events or larger token launches that could overshadow your project.
2. Competitors Research: You are going up against DAOs, Tokens, DEXs, dApps and anyone else in your space, did you do any marketing research? Do you know your target audience?
3. Engage with Your Community: Even in a stealth launch, engaging with your community post-launch is vital. Have a plan, and be transparent, truthful, and flexible.
4. Use Trusted Launchpad Platforms: Launch on secure and reputable platforms, with a long history and a great team. This gives you more security, features, and better prospects at making it through the next 6 months.
5. Ramp Up Post-Launch Marketing: So you're live - now what? Engage the community, create content, don't stop communicating, and keep trying new things! Brand awareness is incredibly powerful when actioned properly.

There are a lot of benefits to being stealthy. We talked about using stealth launchpads to avoid the bots, manipulation and growing naturally - but they come with downsides too.

If you're serious about using a launchpad for your token or crypto project - make sure you do your own research, reach out to the team, and look for reputable platforms like TrustSwap.