Discord is one of the best platforms out there for building communities themed around specific interests and activities, and as an entrepreneur you could already be using Discord as a social tool. The question most content creators and sellers face, however, is when to transition from a free to a paid Discord server.
Well, you’ve come to the right place! This article will dive into the ins and outs of paid Discord servers and when you should consider starting up a paid Discord server of your own, so read on!
What is Discord?
If you aren’t already using it, it’s nice to know that Discord actually has its origins in gaming. Creators Stanislav Vishnevsky and Jason Citron were developing a multiplayer game with in-built voice functionality, and decided to focus on the voice part of the equation after seeing the level of positive feedback they were getting.
As with many success stories, Citron and Vishnevsky were also able to make their move at an opportune time. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications weren’t really doing the job, and Discord swept in, fixing various issues such as the need to manually share IP addresses.
From these beginnings in 2016, Discord has reached a figure of hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 2023. This makes it one of the top social media platforms in the industry, and it’s far more than just a way for gamers to chat with each other—it’s now a legitimate business tool as well.
How Discord Adds Value To Your Community
Discord servers are a call-back to the chat rooms of old, however, Discord can provide your subscribers with plenty of utility past simply voice functionality. Some of the top ways in which Discord can add value to your community are through:
- Streaming: If you want to give your audience a demonstration or live content, you can stream whatever you’ve got going on while also dialing in with your voice and video. There are plenty of streaming tools out there, but with Discord, only your community can access your live stream.
- Voice and video chats: Your subscribers are also free to stream (if you allow it) and also run voice and video calls with each other. Your content can be disseminated this way, and they can take full advantage of the network effect of being in a group of like-minded users.
- Bots and extensions: Bots and extensions can easily be integrated with Discord. This is especially handy if you’re dealing in areas such as betting or trading, as you can configure bots and extensions to give your community the alerts they need, when they need it.
- Personalized experiences: Within Discord, you can give users different “roles” in the servers you run. This includes aesthetic perks, custom banners, alerts, and various other benefits. That way, you can tier your subscriptions easily.
- Hosted events: As a server owner, you’re free to host whatever events you want, including contests where you can hand out real prizes to your community.
Free vs. Paid Discord Servers
As we have mentioned, you can think of Discord as the natural evolution of chat rooms - as well as VoIP apps along with services like Skype. Discord can centralize a broad selection of value, and provides real-time interactions between users in whichever way they want.
As such, the boost that Discord can give you as a seller of digital products and services is tremendous. The ability to give your customers direct access to yourself as well as each other is priceless, and you yourself have various tools to manage access and controls.
But the question remains - what is best for a community, a free or paid Discord server?
To clarify, free Discord servers have all of the functionality as paid ones do. However, you can use Discord’s native features to provide value to those that sign up to your paid server. Tiered membership can be used to provide access to different channels across different tiers, and in these paid channels you can run events, give additional education, host competitions, and so on.
Many content creators use Discord in the same way as they do platforms like Patreon, giving their paying community access to unreleased or bonus content, exclusive perks, and so on. Your community members will look at the fee as a knowledge investment, given that they get access to so much by signing up to your paid Discord server.
Should You Transition to a Paid Discord Server?
As mentioned, a free Discord server theoretically offers all of the functionality that a paid server does, so the question in your community members’ minds is “why should I pay for this?”
If you can answer that question convincingly in the positive, then transitioning to a paid discord server could be a very good idea for you and your business. For your customers, the subscription or access fee that they pay is an investment. As a vendor, it’s up to you to provide matching value.
So, if you’ve got knowledge to share, education to provide, or a constant stream of useful information to provide to your community, then joining your paid Discord server is worth it from their perspective. Once they’re in your paid Discord server they’ll see that the fee is well worth it, not just because of the value you provide but also from the benefits of being in the community itself and the chance to interact with like-minded people.
To find out more about creating a paid Discord server using Whop visit our Whop.com/sell/ page here.
Read next:
➡️ How To Create A Paid Discord Server
What Paid Discord Servers Can You Run?
If you’re still fleshing out your business plan but aren’t sure what you want to provide just yet, there are plenty of paid Discord servers you could explore. Here are a few ideas:
#1. Trading Education
If you have a significant amount of knowledge and experience when it comes to trading, trading education could be an area where you can provide your community with a lot of value. It may sound like a niche area, but trading is becoming more and more popular and not everyone has the background or time to be any good at it, or the skill to come up with educational resources.
You can provide your community with information on the most recent swings across various assets such as stocks, forex, or crypto. You can also create customized plans to make trades as well as macro ideas on various asset classes, all of which provide value to your subscribers.
#2. Options Trading
Options trading is another extremely lucrative type of paid Discord server to run, since any knowledge in this area is very valuable. Options and derivatives are a mystery to most people, so you can charge a premium for education in this regard.
Alerts and market opportunities can also be monetized, along with watchlists and trading analysis. You can also focus on stock options or crypto, but whatever asset you’re focusing on, remember that it’s knowledge or alerts you’re sharing, not direct advice when it comes to finance or investment—there can be legal issues and distinctions here unless you’re a licensed financial advisor.
#3. Sports Betting
Sports betting Discord servers are extremely popular because of they way they concentrate intelligence, and if this is your thing then you might have a gold mine on your hands.
By providing betting enthusiasts with a platform where they can connect, share insights and discuss strategies, you can leverage the power of the crowd while also providing your own value with information and analysis.
#4. E-Commerce
As a seller on Whop, you’re already a legitimate e-commerce expert, so why not share your skills and experience with a paid Discord server helping other fledgling businesses and entrepreneurs?
You can run educational events and make yourself available for consultation, while also putting together a community of forward-thinking risk takers who will soon see the value in having access to each other as much as you.
Key Takeaways
Discord has become one of today’s most popular and powerful social media platforms, and it provides a unique set of tools that can be invaluable to any sort of community. It began as a way for gamers to communicate but even large organizations have found out that it can be a top-tier productivity suite that’s far more than just a voice-chat or screen-sharing platform.
As an entrepreneur with extensive knowledge and cutting-edge expertise, you can utilize Discord by creating a paid Discord server of your own. Discord can bring your community together, and allow you to give them plenty of value whether it’s through live education sessions, one-on-one consultation, bot-powered alerts, and much more.
👉 If you have value to provide, then there’s nothing wrong with charging for it as long as your customers are getting their money’s worth. To get started with your own paid Discord server, check out Whop and get started selling in just a few clicks!
