When the market crashes, most people do one of two things:
Panic selling, then retreating from the market
Going all in with leverage, trying to break even
But the approach of seasoned crypto veterans may be completely different. They do not blindly engage in directional speculation but instead turn to repeatable cash flows and advantages.
The following 7 strategies can help you make money in a declining market like seasoned veterans, without needing to accurately time the bottom.
Hold onto the assets you truly want to hold and earn profits
If you plan to hold BTC, ETH, or other mainstream cryptocurrencies for the long term, you might as well let them earn profits for you.
Revenue channels
Staking/liquid staking
Blue-chip DeFi lending (Aave, Compound, etc.)
Transparent yield products on centralized exchanges
Why it works in a bear market
As long as you are willing to hold the underlying for the long term, volatility will not cause you severe losses; instead of trading frantically during price fluctuations, wait patiently, which can yield returns instead.
But you insist on investing in mainstream assets and top protocols, avoiding investments in tokens with unclear prospects to prevent being tempted by double-digit or triple-digit annualized yields (APY).
View yield as an additional reward, not the core reason for holding assets.
Learn the mindset of seasoned players: 'I will hold these assets no matter what. Yield is just to compensate for losses.'
Points and brushing airdrops
In a bear market, collecting airdrops is not just about randomly clicking on junk links; the target needs to be precisely located.
Selection criteria
Protocols that may issue tokens
Already have actual users and support
Prioritize active users, not just 'tourists' who clicked once
Why it works in a bear market
Because even if prices fall, protocols still need users, and competition in bear markets actually decreases as most people no longer pay attention.
The yield from a powerful airdrop may exceed the yield from months of small trades.
But focus on infrastructure and core DeFi (L2 layer, bridges, re-staking, wallets, etc.), and invest a small but stable amount of capital, using simple tables to record your yield farming projects and reasons.
Remember, experts treat airdrops as a stable income stream, not a lottery ticket.
Inquiry/Arbitrage: Profiting from inefficient markets
If you are only profiting from price deviations, you do not need to predict direction.
How to arbitrage
Arbitrage means buying low in one marketplace and selling high in another. Inquiry (RFQ) completes large OTC trading orders at spreads.
This strategy can apply from simple CEX-DEX price deviations to more advanced cross-exchange arbitrage.
Simple version:
Track several trading pairs on 2-3 mainstream centralized exchanges and 1-2 decentralized exchanges. Watch for periodically occurring 0.5-1% spreads and trade using low fees.
Advanced version:
Use bots or tools to hint at price spread changes. Maintain reasonable trading sizes, focusing on execution speed and fees.
Why it works in a bear market
Volatility = frequent price deviations; panic operations can create temporary price gaps between trading venues and trading pairs.
You don't need to guess the 'ups and downs'; instead, profit by filling the spread.
Provide liquidity (but avoid becoming exit liquidity)
If LP provides liquidity carelessly, they often suffer losses, while seasoned players see it as a professional business.
How to play LP
Provide liquidity for automated market makers (AMM) like Uniswap, and choose stable trading pairs or related assets. You will receive trading fees and additional rewards (tokens/points).
To avoid liquidation, start with stablecoin trading pairs or highly correlated trading pairs (e.g., ETH-stETH, USDC-USDT).
Use narrow fluctuations only if you understand rebalancing; otherwise, keep the strategy simple.
If impermanent loss always prevails, then the strategy needs to change.
Why it works in a bear market
Even in bear markets, people will still trade, and trading volumes may soar.
If trading pairs are chosen strategically, fees can offset losses caused by price fluctuations.
Think like a market maker, not a gambler:
"Is the yield I receive enough to bear such price risks?"
Lightweight market making on a few trading pairs
You don't need to be as aggressive as market maker Jump; you just need to trade systematically.
Use grid trading
Grid trading involves placing buy and sell orders near the current price simultaneously, aiming to profit from the spread and fees.
Small accounts can operate manually or use simple grid bots, choosing 1-3 trading pairs you are familiar with.
If you don't have familiar trading pairs, you can directly choose liquid major currency pairs or large-cap stocks, avoiding trading those 'ghost coins'.
Determine your 'holding range': the maximum amount of assets you are willing to hold.
Strategies should not be overly complicated; even basic grid trading can be profitable as long as your holding range and size are reasonable.
Why it works in a bear market
Markets with high volatility and low trading volume lead to widening spreads. Each time people cross the spread to buy or panic sell, they pay you fees.
This is not about predicting K-line trends but about selling shovels during a gold rush.
Cultivate content, stay clear-headed when everyone panics, and get rewarded.
Attention has never disappeared. It has simply shifted from 'just posting meme images' to 'what should I do now?'
Cultivate content
Now is the right time to write long thematic posts, newsletters, and in-depth analyses; if conditions allow, you can also produce short YouTube videos, spaces, podcasts, and other niche updates.
Choose a niche (AI, L2, RWA, contracts, re-staking, etc.) and publish content according to plan, for example, 2 thematic posts and 1 newsletter per week.
Focus on a clear framework, avoid hype; that's the key to standing out.
Once influence is established, you can profit through sponsorships, referral links, paid subscriptions, and consulting/advisory collaboration opportunities.
Why it works in a bear market
People urgently need clear information and screening mechanisms. Crypto projects still need distribution, especially after the hype fades.
Your research already exists; content is just amplifying it.
In a bear market environment, signals are more important than dopamine; funds will flow towards signals.
Consulting and 'think tank' advisory services
Once you can think clearly and express effectively, people will be willing to pay for your services.
Content that can be served
Help teams build narratives, design token economics, or develop listing strategies
Provide industry and project advice for funds/OTC trading platforms
Support founders in market positioning, creating presentations, and developing community strategies
The key is that you need to take your past content as crystallized thoughts and clarify your advantages (research, token economics, storytelling, business development, etc.), then start from small-scale, high-value deliverables, 1-2 quality clients > 10 waste-of-time clients.
You can charge a monthly advisory fee, growth revenue share, or token distribution.
You will transition from being a 'struggling trader' to an operator who earns from multiple participants.
Why it works in a bear market
Excellent teams do not stop development in bear markets. When retail investors flee, they actually focus more on narrative, research, and strategy.
They would rather pay those who truly understand this market than just find a random agency.
The bear market thinking of seasoned players
When the market crashes, seasoned players won't:
Track every K-line
Triple the leverage
Pray for a miraculous bottom to appear
They will tighten strategies and ask themselves:
"How to profit from actions rather than just direction?"
"Which skills will generate compounding effects in the next cycle?"
"How to transition from a liquidity provider to an infrastructure builder?"
If you want to avoid following the crowd, you can choose 2-3 of the above 7 strategies and make small-scale investments with systematic management, lasting for months instead of days.
This way you can get through this phase and position yourself advantageously when the next real trend appears.
From: The strongest one-click token issuance platform GTokenTool #加密市场反弹
