Washington DC-based crypto firm RAD Lending last week announced the results of its study which analyzed 100 successful initial coin offerings (ICOs) from the past 6 months, checking 20+ variables to see what factors are likely to make a token sale a success, looking at medians and statistical correlations. The study found that USD 9,275,000 was the median amount of contribution for success, and a wide social reach was key — the median number of followers is 4,203 for Twitter, 5,471 for Facebook and 2,982 for Telegram. Advisors also played a big part, their number strongly correlated with money raised.

RAD gathered candidates from ICO list sites, eliminated those that did not provided social proof of a finished ICO or were too good to be true, according to the company’s statement. The researchers used tools, like GTmetrix and Pingdom, but also relied heavily on manually checking data accuracy.

The main findings of the study appear below:

What does the online communication for a successful ICO look like?

Snappy and memorable: The length of the domain name is seven characters.

The length of the domain name is seven characters. Radiates trust and experience: There’s a median of 10 team members and five advisers presented on the website.

There’s a median of 10 team members and five advisers presented on the website. Has a wide social reach: The median number of followers is 4,203 for Twitter, 5,471 for Facebook and 2,982 for Telegram.

The median number of followers is 4,203 for Twitter, 5,471 for Facebook and 2,982 for Telegram. Mentions across the web: The median number of backlinks is 6,510.

The median number of backlinks is 6,510. Shares a lot about itself: The sites are large with decent load time. The median site size is less than 3.5 MB and loads under six seconds from anywhere in the world.

What are the key indicators for success?

Advisors: The number of advisers presented on a website strongly correlates with money raised.

The number of advisers presented on a website strongly correlates with money raised. Telegram: Out of all the social channels, the number of Telegram followers strongly correlates with money raised.

Out of all the social channels, the number of Telegram followers strongly correlates with money raised. Traffic: Paid and organic traffic correlates very strongly with money raised.

Finally, the big question. How much?

USD 9,275,000: The median amount of contributions for a successful ICO.

The median amount of contributions for a successful ICO. Accepts mostly ETH: Ethereum and bitcoin remain the most prominent forms of contribution, while altcoins and fiat lag behind.

To download the complete 12-page paper, sign up to RAD Lending newsletter by visiting: https://radlending.com/blog/key-winning-ico/