Most people buy crypto based on hype. Here's what I actually look at before putting money into anything:

1. On-chain activity over price action

Price can be manipulated. Active addresses, transaction volume, and developer commits can't (easily). If a project has rising on-chain activity while price is flat or down — that's where the opportunity is.

2. Token unlock schedules

Nothing tanks a token faster than a massive unlock event. Before buying anything, I check when insiders and VCs can sell. If there's a cliff unlock coming in the next 3 months, I wait.

3. The team's shipping velocity

Are they actually building? I look at GitHub activity, changelog updates, and whether the roadmap items are getting checked off. Talk is cheap in crypto — code is not.

These are the basics, but most people skip them entirely. If you want the full breakdowns with specific projects and real-time analysis, that's what I do inside Chain Signals.