How to list a token on the exchange. Complete guide for founders

The successful listing of a token on a cryptocurrency exchange is the most important stage in the development of any project, determining its popularity and further development. Listing on an exchange significantly increases the liquidity of the token, expands the project's community and builds trust in the team. However, for many founders who decide to list their token on their own, this path becomes an insurmountable obstacle, involving months of negotiations, non-compliance with the technical and legal requirements of exchanges, and many other problems faced by almost any team that has not previously dealt with token listing.

In this guide, we will look at the requirements crypto exchanges have for listing new tokens and how to prepare your project for listing. We will compare self-listing and listing through an agency, and give you key tips to help you avoid the mistakes most beginners make. Let's get started!

How to prepare a project for listing on the exchange

First, you should decide which cryptocurrency exchange you want to list your token on. This will determine the specific requirements you need to meet. For example, Tier-1 exchanges such as Binance or Bybit will have the most stringent requirements, while Tier-3 exchanges will only require you to meet a minimum set of rules.

Many exchanges evaluate not only the technology, but also the overall maturity of the project, including well-developed documentation and an active community. The following points will increase your chances of a successful listing:

• Well-developed documentation. A white paper should be prepared in advance, clearly and transparently explaining the purpose of the project, its architecture, the technologies used, the roadmap, the role of the token and its tokenomics, as well as disclosing information about the project team. Properly drafted documentation will eliminate additional questions that the exchange team may have, speeding up the listing process.
• Tokenomics and security. It is important to outline the token distribution model in advance, create a vesting plan, provide a dump protection mechanism and have the smart contract audited by one of the verified auditing firms.
• KYC and AML compliance. Your project must comply with international know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. For example, the lack of a legal framework or registration documents may result in a refusal to list.
• Active community. The cryptocurrency exchange team often checks the involvement of the project's audience: the number of followers on social networks and their activity. It is not worth trying to attract subscribers to give more weight to the project. Instead, it makes sense to engage in natural community development through contests, AMA sessions and marketing activities that will increase the size and activity of the community.
• Have a marketing strategy. It's important for the exchange that your token doesn't "die" immediately after listing, which means you need to have a promotion strategy, existing partners and media activity. A well-developed plan will show the next steps in your project's development and will increase the exchange's confidence in your project.

Listing yourself or through an agency: why listing yourself is a bad idea

Many teams facing the need to list their token for the first time ask themselves whether they should do it themselves or trust professionals to do all the work on a turnkey basis.

At first glance, self-listing may seem easier and cheaper than hiring an agency, but in practice, teams that choose the self-listing route often achieve the exact opposite result - they take much longer to list and spend more money compared to projects that choose to use the services of agencies, which usually know how to save money on listing and get through all stages of approval in a matter of days.

The requirements of crypto exchanges are often too high, even if you have not chosen the most popular exchanges. Without relevant experience, the project team will not understand how to complete the documents correctly and what exactly needs to be attached. And the slightest mistake means that negotiations drag on for weeks and months, with a high probability of rejection.

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It takes 1-3 months to submit an application and have it reviewed by the exchange, and the process can take longer if the exchange has additional questions. Instead of developing the product, the team will negotiate, agree on the nuances of the listing and make the necessary revisions.

Another common problem is that, in an attempt to save money, teams may agree to list on low liquidity exchanges that do not benefit the project.

If you look at large projects - many of them choose to flood their token through an agency. Simply because there is a team that specialises in listing projects:

• Has direct contact with the head management of exchanges; 
• Knows their requirements and can tailor the project to them; 
• Can get the best terms in terms of timing, price and positioning; 
• And can help the project with marketing and the necessary level of liquidity.

So by choosing an agency, you save time, nerves and resources..

How to choose a token listing agency: 5 key criteria

If you have decided to entrust your listing to professionals, you will benefit from 5 important criteria for finding a good agency.

1. Study experience and cases. The more years a company has been in business and the more cases it has, the better. The presence of large projects in the portfolio that many people have heard of can be considered a sign of quality, so you should pay particular attention to this.
2. Existence of a direct link to the exchanges. The agency should have personal contacts in the management of the exchanges - this will significantly speed up the negotiation process and reduce the likelihood of rejection. Check the agency's website to see which exchanges they work with.

3. Transparency of terms. Make sure the cost is fixed, there are no hidden charges and the terms and conditions are clear to you.
4. Turnkey work. Make sure the agency is turnkey and investigate what options are included in the service package. A good agency will guide its client through all stages of the listing process, from selecting exchanges and preparing the project for listing, to developing a marketing strategy and supporting the project after a successful listing.
5. Research the agency's reputation and reviews. Read reviews, talk to the agency and ask any questions you may have. Many companies offer a free consultation to answer your questions and create a work plan.

For example, Listing.Help has been on the market since 2017 and has helped more than 2500 projects, including TON, Tether Gold, Gala and Shiba Token, through the listing stage. Companies like these can be a great starting point for your future listing.

Tips before token listing: how to avoid mistakes and save time

Many startups see agencies as an additional cost and choose to list themselves. However, in practice, using an agency can save you money that you would have spent on listing and finalising your project to meet the requirements of the exchange. Listing.Help has saved its clients more than $250 million. Savings are achieved thanks to accelerated listing, good conditions obtained by the agency team and competent preparation of the listing, which saves resources and helps to focus on the main thing.

To avoid wasting time and making rookie mistakes, you should:

• Take your time. A poor and opaque token economy or a poorly thought out roadmap can ruin all your efforts, so don't rush the fundamentals of your project in the pursuit of a quick listing.
• Start marketing early. All press releases, partnerships and social media activity should start well before the token is listed.
• Think about the liquidity of your token. Without a market maker or the support of an exchange, the price of your token could drop on the first day of trading.
• Don't chase the top exchanges. It's worth properly assessing your resources to find an exchange on which to list. Sometimes it's better to choose a reliable tier 2 exchange with a good audience and liquidity than to try to break into Binance without a chance.
• Seek help from experts. You should not neglect the experience of professionals who know all the nuances and pitfalls of listing. The Listing.Help team will help you choose a promotion strategy, the right exchange, complete the paperwork and get listed in a matter of days instead of months.

Conclusion

In summary, it is possible to list a token on your own, especially if your team has experience listing other tokens. However, for beginners, the process can often take an inordinate amount of time and money. That's why most teams without listing experience choose to hire agencies to take care of all the complications.

If you want to get through the listing process quickly, without mistakes and with excellent results, we recommend working with professionals. You can choose Listing.Help or any other agency, come for a free consultation and get answers to all your questions. Getting this knowledge from the consultation will save you days and weeks of re-listing on your own. We wish you a successful listing!