Veit Geiger

Veit is a poet, writer, and Blogger. A professionally trained Writer, Veit has spent the last decade reading,…

If you’ve heard the craze around crypto or cryptocurrency, Bitcoin and blockchain technology, you might be feeling you have missed out.

But wait! It’s most definitely not too late. There are plenty of ways you can take your first steps in crypto without too much risk.

Crypto can also be a bit technical. Which can obviously scare off people who want to invest with the minimum effort. But it doesn’t have to be, and there are more and more platforms making it easy for people.

We’ve put together this advice for people who want to get into crypto but don’t know where to start.

User-friendly exchanges

The easiest way to take your first steps in crypto is to use a user-friendly exchange such as Coinbase. With Coinbase, you simply deposit the money you want to invest and buy the coin you want to hold. That’s it!

No need to set trades, or do anything complicated.

If you’re not a fan of Coinbase for whatever reason, other easy-to-use cryptocurrency exchanges include Nexo, Amon, Crypto.com, and BlockFi.

Get Free crypto!

Wait, free? Like, really free? Yes, there are plenty of places where you can get free cryptocurrency- although it won’t be life-changing money it is a good start.

Mentioning Coinbase again, they actually give free cryptocurrency for people who take a moment to learn about projects.

There are also games that pay in cryptocurrency and other ways to earn Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency rewards.

Check out this list of great places to earn free crypto.

Pick up some free NFTs

If you’re not entirely up to speed on crypto, you might prefer to start with NFTs. You might have heard of NFTs or non-fungible tokens. An NFT can be any form of artwork or document that is stored in a blockchain and can be traded for crypto on marketplaces such as OpenSea or Raible.

NFTs have become very popular in the past year, but did you know you can actually collect some for free?

You’ll often find NFT giveaways on platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, Discord, or Facebook. Just search for free NFTs on these platforms and follow your nose.

And although your NFT might not be worth much, it might be worth something. You could just list it on an NFT marketplace and see what happens…

Sell stuff for crypto

Don’t want to invest your hard-earned cash into crypto? Well, what about if you just sold some of your old stuff, like on eBay?

At the moment new platforms are springing up, such as Ether, where you can list items and get paid in crypto. It remains to be seen if this will become a viable way to earn crypto, but it’s possible that eBay and Amazon will most likely accept crypto soon.

Get paid in crypto

Another way to sell stuff for crypto is to list your own freelance services. There are a growing number of freelance services sites, similar to Fiverr or Upwork. But the difference is that your hard work is paid in cryptocurrency.

Some are genuine job sites, such as CryptoGrind and XBT Freelancer.

But you can also find jobs that pay crypto on Reddit, for example on r/Jobs4Bitcoins. Or on Twitter and Linkedin.

Buying crypto for the long term

There is a culture of people who feel that cryptocurrency is a way to get rich quick. And although some people have got incredibly lucky and made fortunes from cryptocurrency, the truth is that for most people it should be viewed as a long-term investment.

Like all investments, you should research your market first before committing any money. Yes, you might hit the next Shiba Inu coin and manage to 1000x your investment in six months. But, more realistically, you will invest in a coin that will increase in value slowly and steadily over a number of years.

Find projects with real-world use and with the potential for growth. Meme cryptos, such as those promising ‘to the moon’ are often worthless projects destined to turn to dust.

We hope this has helped you find a way to take your first steps in cryptocurrency!