The key to opening good lightning channels is knowing where users would like to make payments next. If you can offer reliable payments to desirable destinations at attractive fees, the network will reward you.
If you want to sell liquidity for fees, make sure you have liquidity pointing at desirable nodes.
So, what are the most desirable nodes?
Consult the fees. A node’s incoming fee rates signal the price the market is willing to pay for liquidity to that node. The higher the incoming fee rates, the more demand for one-way liquidity to that node.
Currently, the highest fees are to looping services. Looping services are especially valuable during these early stages of network growth as sats slosh to find efficient allocation. By positioning yourself as part of the network that funnels and rebalances liquidity to and from looping services, you set yourself up in the most valuable part of the network.
Popular looping service nodes include:
Perhaps in the future, once liquidity allocation has settled, other services will command the highest network fees. If they do, the fees will tell you. Follow the fees.
You can’t sell liquidity without bidders, and inbound channels are your bidders.
So, how do you find good inbound channels?
Consult the fees. A node is generally a strong source if they have low incoming fee rates. The fees to strong inbound nodes gets bid lower and lower as the market competes to acquire their valuable inbound.