Best NFT Roadmap Examples

5 Best NFT Roadmap Examples for Creators

We analyzed 20+ roadmaps of the top 100 trade volume nft projects on Open Sea to identify the best nft roadmap examples and compiled a list for you. 

Our guide will help you create a stakeholder roadmap step by step, explaining what makes a good nft roadmap, what nft utility you should include, and how to get started right away. 

First, define a roadmap and why you need to increase your nft sales. 

What is a NFT Roadmap? 

A nft roadmap is a strategic planning tool used to set desired outcomes, milestones, and high-level tasks to release a product into the marketplace. While not all successful nft projects require one, they help set purpose and intent for both the creators and nft holders who buy into the collection. 

NFT Roadmaps focus on providing a list of what your project will accomplish and what features your product (in this case, nft collection) will include. For example, will you have exclusive merchandise, collectibles, in-person or virtual events, a website or discord, etc. all of these utilities require time and effort?  

In other words, a roadmap helps set expectations on when product features are released to the public and, more importantly, to your nft community. 

While an individual artist or small team can’t accomplish all of these at once quickly, they need a roadmap to determine which will come first and are the highest priority. 

Also, these roadmaps for nfts create transparency on where you are and where you are going. It explains your vision and establishes a purpose for your project’s commitment to do over the long run. 

Our NFT Roadmap Template provides drag and drop functionality with 75+ task ideas to help you get past the confusion stage when starting and saves you hours reducing the learning curvey by 2x at least.  

Also, have you seen our NFT Toolkit? It includes a Canva NFT Roadmap Design Template along with many other resources to speed up your learning curve on selling nfts. 

Crazy Roadmap vs. Clear Roadmap Can Determine How Much NFTs You Sell 

Roadmaps explain what you plan to do and get all stakeholders such as your team, clients, and customers excited about the future. However, a crazy roadmap can lead to disappointment, and that’s why you must keep them realistic and achievable. 

Can you get done what you committed to and the entire Roadmap? While you don’t have to do every item in the order, and it can be similar to an extensive checklist, it’s more effective to start with one at a time and work through the list as they come up. 

Here are some tips on how to make your nft Roadmap practical and examples: 

Realistic and Achievable 

  1. Deciding to focus on what you can control first—for example, setting up social media platforms for your nft project and ensuring you get the consistent handle/username across each of them. 
  2. Pick items you know you are good at—for example, if you love to illustrate comics by hand now, you can convert those to digital nfts for selling on the blockchain

Unrealistic and Unachievable 

  1. Underestimating how much something will cost in time, money, or both—for example, planting 1 million trees in one day once the nfts after selling out would be challenging to accomplish because of the costs associated with it. 
  2.  Delivering on an impossible promise—for example, getting to meet with a celebrity you do not know when purchasing the nft artwork. 

Quarterly Roadmap vs. Monthly Roadmap 

Quarterly NFT RoadMap

A roadmap leverages timelines to help set priorities, and it’s usually split between Quarters or Months, or Both. How much detail and transparency you’d like to give to your nft holders will determine which you plan to use. 

If you have a team in place or feel you can reasonably get your roadmap items checked off, you can use the ‘Monthly’ view to keep you focused on short-term objectives. However, if you need a long-term view, quarters work better because they allow you to keep items ‘loose’ until they come into the picture. 

What makes a good nft roadmap? 

We share the best crypto roadmaps below, however, each have the following elements in common:

  • Public: It should live on a website or publicly for stakeholders to hold you accountable. 
  • Utility: Explain the utility your nft project has and the value it creates for others. 

Ask yourself these three questions when starting on your road map: 

  1. What’s something unique I can offer those who hold my nft? 
  2. What does my community want from me and our project? 
  3. How will I expand and grow my nft project in the future? 

For example, Gary Vee knew he’d launch an annual conference to foster in-person community and used his nft collection as the ticket to get in. Can you create an event or activity that others can use their nft to access? 

  1. Status: Roadmaps help track how much work gets done at a high level. Collectors look at roadmaps to determine if a nft project is worth investing in and follow through on their commitments and overall promises. If collectors see more than 4 to 5 items cross off a roadmap in the last year, they are more likely to buy in because they know the community is growing and the product is improving.
  2. Depth: How much you share about your progress and the specific tactical tasks you need to complete or accomplish the better. The more detail, the better, as it gives collectors confidence that you’ll deliver and meet expectations. 
  3. Readable: It should be easy for collectors to get the main point in under 90 seconds and have a big picture of what you, your team, and the project are currently working on. Using one-word headers and keeping the message short (under 120 characters) will help make it more readable to nft investors.

What are the best nft roadmap examples in the crypto? 

Creating a successful nft roadmap requires full transparency and explaining your ‘promise.’ Here’s a list of good nft roadmaps worth learning from and following closely.

1. Azuki 

Azuki Roadmap

Azuki calls roadmap a ‘Mind Map’ instead; however, it uses phrases. 

You can click in to see the status and more details on how the phrase is going. 

NFT List Azuki

The green color suggests ‘in progress’ while the yellow suggests ‘exploring’ or just starting. 

2. NFT Worlds 

NFT Worlds Roadmap Project List

NFT World’s roadmap is like a checklist with items already checked off. 

Each item had a specific date when done or when it would be either ‘released’ or ‘expected’ depending on the feature type. 

Ironically, a roadmap item is to create a new roadmap once you’ve completed the first one. 

3. Degen Toonz Collection 

Degen Toonz

Degen Toonz roadmap you’ll see a combination of great utilities for this project outlines in a phased approach.

  • Discord & Website
  • Receive Tokens & Whitelist Benefits
  • Exclusive AirDrops & Merch
  • Metaverse Meet Up

Taking time to explain what each phase will accomplish helps collectors connect with the nft project even more.

4. Rebel Rabbits 

Rebel Rabbits

Rebel Rabbits uses a monthly roadmap breaking down between ‘Early’ and ‘Late’ to demonstrate when to expect to see the releases. The roadmap layout is a timeline to keep collectors engaged and looking towards the future. 

It’s wise to include usage rights in your Roadmap or closely near it on your website because collectors want to understand what they can do with a nft after buying or purchasing. 

5. Dippies 

Dippies

Dippies Roadmap looks like a timeline that fades away when you scroll down the page, keeping website visitors engaged. It also focuses on building a community as the first task. Next, they work on making a solid community that loves these nfts. 

They’ve also added the perk of when you mint a King/Queen Dippie (there are two of each), you will be sent 3 ETH straight to your wallet. Another benefit is their 5% primary mint and 25% secondary market royalty. 

Lastly, they will provide exclusive merch to flex your Dippie nft in public. 

Why NFT Roadmaps Matter 

Roadmaps allow you to take the time to think about the future and plan for success. 

When you have a successful NFT collection, you’ll have new responsibilities such as publishing to your social accounts, designing new art, or scaling an exclusive merch shop. Now is the time to think about what you truly want before those responsibilities become too important to ignore. 

They also help with the following: 

1. Create a timeline that holds you accountable 

Your nft Roadmap must keep you moving forward. It helps you define success as outcomes like when you finally launch your exclusive merch or open your discord community to its first members. Once done, you can celebrate the milestones while keeping your community engaged via social media. 

2. Understand that what you put on the list can be reworked or changed in a future release. 

For example, Rebel Rabbits produced a static website telling their story to new collectors. However, their Roadmap has another item called “redesign website to be more interactive.” It shows progress can come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s valuable to reevaluate when looking to enhance the overall product. 

3. Remember, NFT projects are a product and need trade volume to survive.

A roadmap helps you create new features that improve customers’ experience. While collectors technically ‘invest’ in you, your team, and your nft collection, they also impact what goes into this product. Listening to your community for feedback helps it continue to grow and stay relevant. 

You do not need to set specific dates; however, it’s essential to decide on setting by quarter or month. 

Best NFT Roadmap Starter Thoughts 

We analyzed over 20+ nft projects and found ‘exclusive merchandise’ among the top items on their Roadmap. While not every project has a roadmap, it does increase sales when you have one.

Top OpenSea List

Each nft project we analyzed among the top 100 on Open Sea had an online presence which consisted of building a website, making it a great first item for your Roadmap.

Other items like building an online presence and building a community are also every day. For example, it could be growing a discord community or other social media platforms. 

Here’s a list of thought starters for your nft roadmap examples: 

Roadmap Item Level of Difficulty Est. Timing
Discord & Website Medium 4 Month(s)
Twitter Spaces Low 1 Month(s)
Exclusive Airdrops Low 1 Month(s)
Collectibles (30 Unique Desk-Size Toys) Medium 2 Quarter(s)
Royalities Low 1 Month(s)
Create Play to Earn Systems High 3 Quarter(s)
Metaverse Meet Up Medium 4 Quarter(s)
Exclusive Merch Medium 1 Quarter(s)

Infographic: 5 Myths To Break About NFT Roadmaps

We put together an infographic describing what’s not true about NFT Roadmaps.

NFT-Roadmap-Infographic

NFT Roadmaps Are Building Blocks for A Successful NFT Collection

Planning the future isn’t easy; however, spending the time upfront will be worth it. NFT projects are for the long term and require a lot of work. Most independent artists are leveraging teams to help manage the workload with these projects. 

As you focus on adding your nft utilities to your future Roadmaps, such as in-person events, metaverse clothing, and royalties, you’ll find excitement and joy about the project. You’ll find even more fulfillment when crossing off those items on the list. It’ll also keep your stakeholders happy because of how transparent you are about the project’s milestones and progress. 

If you’ve enjoyed reading our guide about nft roadmaps and how to get started, you may also like these: 

Have you seen our NFT Roadmap Template?