Skip to main content

​
Overview

iStory creators earn $STORY tokens through multiple revenue streams: direct tips from readers, paywalled content unlocks, and on-chain rewards. All earnings are paid directly to your wallet — no platform fees, no intermediaries.
$STORY is an ERC20 token on Base (Ethereum L2) with a max supply of 100 million tokens.

​
Revenue Streams

Tips

Readers send 1-50 $STORY per story as appreciation for your work.

Paywalls

Set a price to unlock premium content — you keep 100% of unlock fees.

Rewards

Earn tokens from engagement, streaks, and quality metrics (coming soon).

​
Receiving Tips

Tips are the simplest form of creator revenue.

​
How Tips Work

1

Reader Discovers Your Story

Your public story appears in the community feed or trending section.
2

Reader Adjusts Tip Amount

They use the slider to choose 1-50 $STORY tokens.
3

Reader Clicks 'Tip [amount]'

The StoryProtocol smart contract executes the transfer:
// Source: contracts/StoryProtocol.sol:30-38
function tipCreator(address creator, uint256 amount, uint256 storyId) 
  external nonReentrant whenNotPaused {
  require(amount > 0, "Amount must be > 0");
  storyToken.safeTransferFrom(msg.sender, creator, amount);
  emit TipSent(msg.sender, creator, amount, storyId);
}
4

Tokens Arrive in Your Wallet

The tip is sent directly to your wallet address — instant settlement, no withdrawal needed.
There are no platform fees on tips. If a reader sends 10 STORY,youreceiveexactly10STORY, you receive exactly 10 STORY.

​
Viewing Tip History

Check your earnings:
  1. Wallet Balance: View your total $STORY in MetaMask or the social feed dashboard
  2. Transaction History: See individual tips on BaseScan (search your wallet address)
  3. Profile Stats: Track total tips received in your creator dashboard (coming soon)

​
Setting Up Paywalls

Gate premium content behind a one-time unlock fee.

​
Creating a Paywalled Story

1

Write Your Story

Navigate to /record and create your story (voice or text).
2

Set Paywall Amount

In the story editor, scroll to “Monetization” settings and enter:
  • Paywall Amount: Price in $STORY (e.g., 10 tokens)
  • Teaser Text: Preview snippet to entice readers (optional)
3

Publish as Public

Set privacy to “Public” so your story appears in the feed with the paywall.
4

Readers See Teaser + Unlock Button

Your story card displays:
// Source: components/StoryCard.tsx:267-281
<div className="p-4 bg-[hsl(var(--story-500)/0.08)] rounded-lg">
  <p>{story.teaser || "Premium content locked behind paywall"}</p>
  <Button onClick={handlePaywall}>
    Unlock for {story.paywallAmount} $STORY
  </Button>
</div>

​
Paywall Unlock Flow

When a reader unlocks your story:
  1. Reader Clicks “Unlock for X $STORY”
  2. Approval Check: Frontend verifies token allowance 
    // Source: app/hooks/useStoryProtocol.ts:49-55
const payPaywall = async (authorAddress: string, amount: number, storyId: string) => {
  const amountWei = parseEther(amount.toString());
  if (!allowance || allowance < amountWei) {
    toast.error("Please approve tokens first");
    return;
  }
  3. Smart Contract Execution: 
    // Source: contracts/StoryProtocol.sol:44-52
function payPaywall(address author, uint256 amount, uint256 contentId) 
  external nonReentrant whenNotPaused {
  require(amount > 0, "Amount must be > 0");
  storyToken.safeTransferFrom(msg.sender, author, amount);
  emit ContentUnlocked(msg.sender, author, amount, contentId);
}
  4. Content Unlocked: Reader gains permanent access to full story
  5. You Receive Payment: Tokens sent to your wallet address
Unlocks are permanent and tied to the reader’s wallet — they can access the story anytime.

​
Best Practices for Paywalls

  • Use for premium content: Deep dives, exclusive experiences, tutorials
  • Write compelling teasers: Hook readers with 1-2 sentences that create curiosity
  • Pricing guidance:
    • Short stories (< 500 words): 1-5 $STORY
    • Medium stories (500-1500 words): 5-15 $STORY
    • Long-form (1500+ words): 15-50 $STORY
  • Build trust first: Publish some free stories to establish your voice
Once you publish a paywalled story, you cannot change the unlock price. Choose carefully!

​
$STORY Token Economics

​
Token Details

PropertyValue
NameeStoryToken
Symbol$ESTORY
NetworkBase Sepolia (Testnet) → Base Mainnet (Production)
Contract0xf9eDD76B... (View on BaseScan)
Max Supply100,000,000 tokens
Decimals18
StandardERC20 with Burnable + Permit extensions

​
Token Distribution

// Source: contracts/iStoryToken.sol:24-26
// Initial supply to admin for liquidity/rewards pool
_mint(initialAdmin, 1_000_000 * 10 ** decimals());
  • 1M tokens: Liquidity pool + creator rewards
  • 99M tokens: Minted on-demand for user activity (likes, streaks, engagement)

​
Earning Tokens (Future)

Planned reward mechanisms:

Engagement Rewards

Earn tokens when readers like, comment, or share your stories.

Streak Bonuses

Daily journaling streaks unlock token multipliers.

Quality Metrics

Stories with Gold/Silver verified badges earn bonus tokens.

Referral Rewards

Invite creators and earn a percentage of their tips.
Backend mints tokens via the MINTER_ROLE for off-chain activity rewards (source: contracts/iStoryToken.sol:29-32).

​
Checking Your Balance

View your $STORY holdings:

​
In-App Dashboard

Navigate to /social — your balance appears in the Community Impact card: 
// Source: app/social/SocialPageClient.tsx:484-490
<div className="text-xl font-bold">
  {isConnected && eStoryToken?.balance !== undefined
    ? `${Number(eStoryToken.balance / BigInt(1e18)).toFixed(0)}`
    : "0"}
</div>

​
Using the Hook

// Source: app/hooks/useIStoryToken.ts:8-19
import { useEStoryToken } from "@/app/hooks/useIStoryToken";

const { balance, formattedBalance } = useEStoryToken();

console.log(balance); // bigint (e.g., 10000000000000000000n for 10 tokens)
console.log(formattedBalance); // string (e.g., "10.0")

​
In Your Wallet

Add $STORY to MetaMask:
  1. Open MetaMask → “Import Tokens”
  2. Enter contract address: 0xf9eDD76B...
  3. Token symbol auto-fills as “ESTORY”
  4. View balance in wallet home screen

​
Withdrawing Earnings

No withdrawal needed! All tips and paywall unlocks are sent directly to your wallet.
To convert $STORY to ETH or stablecoins:
  1. Wait for DEX Listings: Uniswap, SushiSwap pools (post-mainnet launch)
  2. Swap on Base DEXs: Use Base-native exchanges like BaseSwap
  3. Bridge to Ethereum L1: Use official Base bridge if needed
Keep your STORYonBasetoavoidL1gasfees—Basetransactionscost<STORY on Base to avoid L1 gas fees — Base transactions cost < 0.01.

​
Security Best Practices

​
Protect Your Private Keys

  • Never share your wallet seed phrase
  • Use hardware wallets (Ledger, Trezor) for large balances
  • Enable 2FA on wallet recovery emails

​
Contract Safety

The StoryProtocol contract has built-in protections: 
// Source: contracts/StoryProtocol.sol:10
contract StoryProtocol is ReentrancyGuard, Pausable, AccessControl {
  using SafeERC20 for IERC20; // Prevents silent failures
  // ...
}
  • ReentrancyGuard: Prevents double-spending attacks
  • Pausable: Admin can halt operations in emergencies
  • SafeERC20: Ensures token transfers revert on failure
Only approve the official StoryProtocol contract (0xA51a4cA0...). Never approve unknown addresses.

​
Tax Implications

Consult a tax professional. The following is informational, not tax advice.
In most jurisdictions:
  • Tips/Paywalls: Taxable income when received (value at receipt time)
  • Token Holdings: Capital gains/losses when sold
  • Record Keeping: Export transaction history from BaseScan for tax filing

​
Next Steps

NFT Minting

Turn story collections into tradable NFTs with royalties

Community Feed

Publish stories to reach more readers and earn tips

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us