If you’re involved in the NFT space you’ve undoubted been hearing about POAPs. In this quick and dirty guide I’ll break down everything you need to know about POAPs, from collecting them to creating your own. And, at the end, I’ll also give you my number one tip on how to create a POAP that increases viewer retention.
But before we begin I have to get one key piece of housekeeping out of the way.
How do you pronounce the word POAP?
I, admittedly, was saying the word POAP incorrectly until very recently. At first glance it may appear that POAP sounds like the word “pope,” however POAP is pronounced more like an Edgar Allen Poe app: “Poe-App.”
What is a POAP?
POAP stands for Proof of Attendance Protocol. You can think of a POAP as a digital ticket stub commemorating an event that you’ve attended. Every POAP is an NFT that you collect using the POAP app and your Ethereum wallet.
The beauty of a POAP is that it’s absolutely free. That’s right, no matter how crazy gas gets on the Ethereum network, POAPs are 100% free and do not even cost gas.
This is an enormous benefit of POAPs for both event coordinators and collectors. It’s possible because POAPs are created on an Ethereum side chain called xDai.
What you can do with a POAP
So a POAP is a free NFT commemorating a moment that you were a part of. You can simply enjoy your collection of POAP NFTs in your POAP app.
However, a POAP is an NFT on the Ethereum blockchain, so that means you can sell your POAP on OpenSea or trade it like any other NFT if you migrate your POAP to Ethereum. This is possible because xDai is an Ethereum side chain. So, technically, every POAP is already on the Ethereum network, but it’s in an enclosed community.
The downside of migrating a POAP to Ethereum is that this does cost a gas fee. So unless you really want to move a POAP to sell it or trade, I’d recommend keeping it on xDai and in your POAP app.
How to see your POAPs in your Ethereum wallet without migrating
Even if you aren’t planning to sell a POAP, it’s understandable that you may want to enjoy it alongside your other NFTs. Well there is a solution, the Rainbow wallet.
In my opinion, the Rainbow Ethereum wallet is the most beautiful NFT wallet experience. You can use it like any other wallet interface, such as MetaMask, but you can also simply enter any wallet address or ENS and use it in read-only mode. Read-only mode is my preferred method since I have a Trezor hardware wallet to keep things extra secure.
All that to say, Rainbow lists your POAPs alongside your entire NFT collection, right there in the app. No additional steps required. So this is a perfect way to view your entire NFT collection, including your POAPs, in a beautiful app interface.
How to claim a POAP
STEP 1
First, download the POAP app from the Apple or Google Play App Store.
Once installed, click the Mint button and then Secret word.
STEP 2
Then enter the Secret Word and click Mint.
STEP 3
And that’s it! Once you close this pop up it may take as long as 2-3 minutes to show in your app, but rest assured that as soon as you see this screen your POAP has been claimed!
Just note, if you’re ever unable to claim a POAP using a Secret Word, it’s likely that the supply has run out. POAPs are always in limited supply and only allow minting during a window of time.
If you run into any trouble claiming your POAP for an episode of either of my NFT shows, Starting Now or Relentless, just send me a DM on Twitter and I’ll do my best to help.
Do you have any burning NFT-related questions that you need answering? Let me know and I’m happy to help in any way I can!