Picture this - you've followed our advice on how to build an online community and you've got your Discord server off the ground. Now what? How do you go from a few members to a few thousand - or depending on how high you're setting your sights a few hundred thousand members?
You're about to find out. Today, we're going to teach you how to grow your Discord server to heights you never thought possible. You'll discover all the tactics the top community curators are using that you can steal for your own server. From affiliate marketing to leveraging the powerful Whop marketplace, there is an array of growth tactics just waiting to be harnessed.
First, though, let's talk about why you should prioritize growth - even if you are happy with the number of members you have right now.
Why Learn How to Grow a Discord Server?
Whether you are a gamer looking to connect with like-minded individuals, a content creator looking to share content and connect with a community, or even a business owner selling products or services - Discord as a platform and specifically Discord servers have come into the spotlight as one of the preferred platforms to host your community.
Creating your Discord server is only half the battle, though. After all, if your goal is to charge for access to Discord, it's all about growing that subscriber count. Think about it like this: With 10 members in your community at $5/month, you're barely able to keep the lights on. With 1,000 members in your community at $5/month, you're earning an income well above the average in the world.
But the benefits of learning how to make your Discord server popular aren’t just about earning income in the present day. You can resell Discord down the line and earn a huge multiple for your efforts - if you take the time to grow that membership count, that is!
Here are a few other benefits that come with learning how to get your Discord server popular beyond the monetization aspect:
- Increased engagement: A larger server often translates to higher engagement levels in the form of more messages, reactions, and interactions among members. This creates a lively atmosphere, making the server more enjoyable and encouraging members to stay active.
- Diverse perspectives: A growing server attracts members with varying backgrounds, interests, and expertise. This diversity can spark valuable conversations, debates, and idea exchanges, enriching the overall community experience.
- Expanded network: A bigger server allows members to connect with more people, helping them build friendships, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects. It can also provide excellent networking opportunities for individuals in similar industries or with shared interests.
- Higher server reputation: A well-populated server is often seen as more reputable and valuable in the eyes of potential new members. This can lead to more people joining the server, further expanding the community. This creates a snowball effect of growth that compounds on itself.
- Better support: A larger community can provide more support for members seeking help, advice, or feedback. With more members, the chances of someone having experience or knowledge in a specific area increases, making the server a valuable resource.
- Attract partnerships and collaborations: A thriving server may attract the attention of influencers, content creators, or other servers interested in partnerships or cross-promotions. These collaborations can bring even more value and growth to your community.
Now, all that sounds pretty amazing, right? So how do you make it happen? It's actually more attainable than you may have previously though. Read on below as we teach you how to grow a Discord server through simple, proven techniques.
How to Grow Your Discord Server With Simple, Proven Techniques
Ready to learn how to grow your Discord server?
Before we dive into our tips and tricks, we encourage you to read our articles on how to create your Discord server or set up a paid Discord server. These will help you get started in the right direction if you haven't gotten your community off the ground yet.
But with that said, let's talk about how to grow a Discord server. First things first - dial in your branding.
Branding
Before you set up your different funnels to drive traffic into your server, it is important to have your branding established so that community members can recognize your community and distinguish your community on different social platforms you choose to promote on.
For your branding, it is advised to have a catchy server name and consistent naming of your server and socials. An example of this is 'No Text To Speech', who keeps his branding consistent between his Twitter, Discord, and Youtube channel.
In addition, it is important that you fully use all features Discord makes available for your server including; logos, add a Discord banner, and Discord's server invite banner. This will make your server seem more professional and trustworthy. Other ways you can brand your server include the specific Discord rewards you use along with the Discord roles you create.
Many of these things are made easier through Whop, which just so happens to be our next recommendation for how to grow your Discord server.
Leverage Whop's vast marketplace
By listing your server on Whop, you can get your project in front of millions of qualified eyes. You can categorize your community to make it even easier for your ideal users to find your community and join. And if you end up making it to our top charts, there's no telling how fast you'll grow!
This is the most powerful tip we have to offer in our guide on how to grow a Discord server. Don’t disregard it - you’ll thank yourself later! Learn more here.
Word-of-mouth marketing
There aren't many methods that trump word-of-mouth marketing when it comes to how to make your Discord server popular. Providing a creative experience or a high-quality Discord server will normally lead to individuals discussing and recommending your community.
Ensure you are giving your Discord members a fantastic experience by engaging with your members, encouraging members to participate in discussions, and spending time in the voice chat with your community.
In addition, you can also take advantage of the different Discord bots available, you can find these on the Discord app directory and can be used to; play music, moderate your Discord server, create engaging chat games, and much, much more. All of this is possible through Whop - the best Discord bot.
Hosting events within your Discord server
Hosting events within your Discord server can be a fantastic way to rally your community and participate in activities/games you love. If you have a gaming-orientated community, we would highly recommend using Discord's new 'activities' feature and playing built-in Discord games.
If your server is grounded in educational content, live-stream your findings or analysis and get your community fully engaged. This will tie into the previous topic of 'word of mouth marketing' and take your Discord server's growth and engagement to the next level.
Server listing and advertisements
Listing your server on designated websites and running advertisements is a fantastic method to group the user base of your Discord server. Using popular platforms such as Disboard, a repository for all things Discord, will enable you to attract Discord native users.
At the time of writing the best Discord-related platforms for advertising are;
- Disboard
- Disforge
- Discord Street
- Discord Servers.com
When advertising on these platforms, it is important that you highlight the benefits of joining and use consistent branding as mentioned above.
Affiliate Marketing
If you are looking to grow your product exponentially and are running a paid discord community. The fastest way to increase your member count is through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is the process of using members within your community to attract more paying users by splitting the profit of that user joining your community.
This method of marketing and growing your Discord server, has a proven track record, with high-grossing paid Discord such as Meezy Picks, Ak Chefs and Hidden Society , all using this method to grow and scale their Discord.
If you are interested in accessing Whop's affiliate feature, we would highly recommend checking out our article on using Discord subscription bots.
Additional Tips on How to Make Your Discord Server Popular
The advice provided above entails the most effective ways to grow your Discord community. But, there are many others worth consider, including:
- Social media promotion: Share your server on various social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. Regularly post engaging content and interact with your followers to create awareness and encourage them to join your server.
- Collaborations with other servers: Partner with other Discord servers that share similar interests or target audiences. Cross-promote each other's servers, host joint events, or create shared channels to expand both communities.
- Influencer outreach: Reach out to influencers or content creators in your niche and invite them to join your server. They can help promote your server to their audience, bringing in new members.
- Engage in relevant communities: Participate in discussions within online forums, social media groups, or other platforms where your target audience is active. Share your knowledge and expertise, and when appropriate, invite interested individuals to join your server.
- Utilize search engine optimization (SEO): Optimize your server's website or content for search engines to attract organic traffic. Create valuable content that targets relevant keywords and includes a link to your Discord server.
- Run contests and giveaways: Host contests or giveaways on your server or social media platforms, with entry requirements such as joining your Discord server or inviting others. This can create excitement and encourage new users to join.
We encourage you to get creative in how you grow your Discord server. The possibilities are endless. But, your best bet is to get your community integrated with Whop today.
As you now know, many of these tactics are made easier with the help of our Discord membership bot. And through the Whop Marketplace, growing your community comes effortlessly as you can get your server in front of millions of qualified eyes. So what are you waiting for? Now that you know how to make your discord server popular, it’s time to put in the work.
Final Thoughts on How to Grow Your Discord Sever
There you have it - everything you need to know about how to grow your Discord server. At this point, you should feel capable and confident in your next steps.
You can learn more about how to build an online community in our blog - including tips for curating the best online community possible, choosing between Guilded vs Discord, boosting your Discord server, and more. We're here to empower you along your journey as a creator.
For now, though, it's time to bring our conversation on how to grow your Discord server to a close. Now that you know how to make your Discord server popular, get to work and see what's possible.
