This document outlines 10 steps to launching a successful initial coin offering (ICO). It discusses writing a white paper, getting feedback, incorporating a company and setting up legal structures, auditing smart contracts, marketing and hype building, priming the presale, executing the presale and main sale, listing the token on exchanges, and maintaining community trust after the sale. The overall steps are presented as a guide for founders to structure their ICO project for maximum success and regulatory compliance.

1. 10 Steps to launching a
successful ICO
Jan Sammut – CEO ICO Launch Malta & RefToken.io
http://linkedin.com/in/jansammut

2. What is this about?
• We’re going to review the steps required to launch a successful ICO
• We’re going to explore how tokenenomic models impact post launch
market performance
• We’ll cover the below-the-line marketing activities that propel ICOs to
blockbuster status
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

3. Who are you?
• Founder and CEO of RefToken, the worlds first blockchain affiliate
platform and ICO Launch Malta – A full stack ICO platform
• Over 10 years experience in the online gambling industry on both
affiliate & operator sides
• Held executive positions at IGT, Amaya & HLM
• Hodler and blockchain investor & ICO advisor
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

4. First, some context
• ICOs are experiencing a massive hype cycle, with hundreds of ICOs
launching every week and growing at an exponential rate
• The ICO model is revolutionary as it brings early stage investment
opportunities to the retail investor
• ICOs are attracting the attention of regulators, and inattentive
founders could find themselves exposed in the medium term
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

5. 1. Write up a white paper
• Explain the reasoning behind the project & the problem it solves
• Include a PESTLE analysis
• Go to market strategy (marketing & execution)
• Development roadmap
• Tokenomic model
• Raise allocation
• ICO structure
• Team bios and details
• Financial forecast (recommended)
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

6. 2. Get a reality check
• Most issues that impact ICOs are due to overlooking this step
• Happens prior to publishing WP, and generally when the project is still
in stealth mode
• Legal (review of token model, terms of sale etc.)
• Financial (review of financial plan and investment attractiveness)
• Cryptonomic and game-theoric aspects of the project
• Third party sense check of the project’s viability
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

7. 3. When things get real
• Incorporation of a company
• Drawing up of a SAFT
• Token sale agreement
• Drafting of a prospectus if necessary
• Establishing of banking & corporate exchange relations
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

8. 4. Call in the geeks
• Have your smart contract created and audited
• Deploy the contract to the blockchain
• Define your token’s attributes
• Mint your tokens
• Deploy a secure multi-sig wallet to safeguard your funds
• Establish robust Op-Sec protocols
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

9. 5. The fun part
• Creation of your brand and it’s identity
• Creation of content and artwork
• Deployment of a secure, DDOS protected website
• Deployment of a secure, low spam score transactional email solution
• Product testing
• Penetration testing
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

10. 6. Build hype
• Launching of your ANN thread, this has to have high levels of
engagement to create hype around your project. FOMO is real
• Going live with your marketing campaign (display, email, social,
retargeting)
• Getting press in tier 1 publications such as INC, HuffPo etc.
• Getting TV coverage on TV shows such as NewsWatch (200M viewers)
• Get listed on ICO rating sites (with favorable ratings)
• Get vloggers to review you
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

11. Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

12. Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

13. 7. Prime your presale
• Approach large investors, VCs, investor pools for large allocations at a
discounted rate
• Lock presale investors to prevent dumping on day 0
• Do your utmost to close your presale before it opens
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

14. 8. The moment of truth
• Ensure that all your primed deals are executed the moment the
presale opens
• Deploy a large PR campaign announcing the oversubscription
• Re-invest your presale funds into your hype machine
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

15. 8. Deploy your main ICO campaign
• Understand that people invest on two emotions – Greed and fear
• In a bull market greed overrides fear
• Deploy more press covering the oversubscription of your presale &
lauding your project
• Retarget your site visitors with news posts covering your success
• Attend events, meet more investors, set up strategic partnerships that
create more news content
• Maintain a constant barrage of marketing activity that leverages the
time sensitive nature of an ICO
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

16. 9. Get listed on exchanges
• A token with no trading volume is worth nothing
• Aim to get listed on as many exchanges as feasible as quickly as
possible
• Work your way up the liquidity ladder
• Have all your supporting legal documentation ready for the larger
exchanges
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

17. 10. Don’t be a
• Self regulation is a double edged sword
• Never underestimate the power of an angry, tech-savvy mob (that’s
getting richer by the day)
• Don’t dump your tokens
• Don’t run an exit scam
• Don’t kick back and chill now that the money is in the bank
• Keep the community in the loop
• Don’t move the goal posts
• Deliver on your promises
Jan Sammut – ICOMalta.com

18. http://linkedin.com/in/jansammut
Skype: Jan.Sammut
ICOMalta.com