The approach to the investing in altcoins should be close tot the investments in penny stocks. Actually, the principles would be almost the same. In such cases, fundamental analysis would be much more important than technical analysis. There are several main steps:
1.Firest of all you should analyze the idea and define its strenth and weakness. It is important to understand the role the blockchain technology itself plays in the solution the company offers. It would be better to avoid projects using word "blockchain" just to draw additional attention to thier tokens.If the idea is realy interesting and useful, and it solves the problem that exists in reality, you can move to the next step.
2. Find everything you can about the company and team. Who they are? Pay attention to their experience in related spheres. It is also necessary to check the registration of the company. If they are going to launch offering in US, they should register it with SEC under the Reg A, for example. If there is no any information about the registration, or about the company itself, it is very likely to be a scam.
3. If the altcoins are already listed, pay attention to the trading volume. If it is too low, it could be difficult to get or cover relatively large position without impacting the price.