What Is Discord & How do You Use it: a Guide for Creators

Finding ways to connect with your audience is important for all businesses, but it's especially important for creators who are trying to build a membership site or turn their content into a thriving business. Discord can be an invaluable tool for making those important connections, building community, and adding value to your offer so your followers keep coming back for more. But what is Discord, how does it work, and how do you use it as a creator? Keep reading to have all of those questions answered and more!

What Is Discord?

Discord is a chat app like Slack. When it first hit the scene in 2015, Discord was geared toward gamers and gaming influencers, giving them a way to connect, coordinate play sessions, and chat while playing. The platform supports text chat, voice chat, and video calls, making it a powerful option for groups who don't want to try to coordinate via Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Facebook.

While the app has private, invite-only servers, it also supports larger communities like ones for Fortnite or Minecraft.  But why do people love it so much?

Discord is great for families, classes, and everything in between. Some people use Discord to make family plans, communicate with friends, and tutor students. 

While Discord got its start as a haven for gamers, the platform has since grown to encompass groups with limitless interests. One example of how Discord is used to build a thriving community is Ari Dutilh’s Photography Lounge community. Dutilh started the community when he was 15. As a novice photographer, he wanted to build a photography community that was beginner-friendly. To date, the server has over 19,000 members. It has also reached the 5 million mark for messages sent and 350,000 photos shared since it was launched.

Source: discord.com

According to Dutilh, to create a successful Discord community, you must listen to your members, find ways to improve your servers, and get involved. Using Server Insights to monitor your numbers and stats also helps. 

Another growing community on the platform is the MCAT server with more than 27,000 members.

Source: discord.com

Created by Shrooberry, the server is dedicated to healthcare students who want access to educational resources. “Creating a server is easy, however growing it to be a welcoming community requires significant effort. To build a successful server, focus on building the community itself, i.e. friendships, trust, and common interests,” shared Shrooberry. One strategy the MCAT team employs is consistently providing valuable content to members, regardless of their educational level. This helps with member retention. 

The MCAT team also encountered the challenge of growing the server and keeping their members engaged. While the server hit the 30% benchmark for engagement, they wanted to increase it to keep the community active. To address this, they hosted regular activities like game nights, study parties, and Ask Me Anything sessions hosted by healthcare professionals. 

Creating a private server for members is becoming more and more common among creators — both those who sell memberships and those who don't. Plus, Discord is free!

How to Join Discord

Joining Discord is easy. Download the app for free (desktop or mobile). You can also access Discord on your browser via its web client. 

Once done, you can either create a Discord account via the app or the Discord registration page. You’ll need to claim your account by verifying your email. This lets you enjoy Discord’s chat features. You may also verify your phone number to help keep your account safe. Note that some servers may require you to have a verified account.

Create a unique username or display name. Then, customize your account by adding an avatar and choosing a banner color. 

Now you’re ready to join a Discord server. There are two ways to do so: via an invite link or by searching for discoverable servers. 

Source: support.discord.com

If you have an invite link, click the + icon on the Server List. Press the Join a Server button, paste the link, and click Join Server. If you’re looking for other servers, click the Explore Discoverable Servers button on the Server List.

How to Use Discord as a Creator or Influencer

By now, you're probably already getting some ideas about how you could use a platform like Discord to build a community around your business. 

Some influencers create dedicated servers to provide their followers with a place where they can chat. Others have servers with leaderboards that followers can use to monitor their standing in games. There are also non-gaming influencers who use Discord to discuss topics with their followers, share photos or videos, and connect their servers to memberships or subscriptions on platforms like YouTube or Patreon. 

Other content creators who use the platform include podcast creators. According to voice actor, sound designer, and podcast producer Tal Minear, podcasters use Discord to create three main server types:

• Production Servers – Used to coordinate how podcasters create their show
• Creator Servers – These servers allow podcasters to build their network and provide support to other podcasters
• Fan Servers – These allow podcasters to create a curated community around their show

To use Discord to its fullest potential and ensure both you and your followers have the best possible experience, here are some tips you might consider.

1. Get Verified

Yes, verification is everywhere, even on community forums like Discord. Getting verified on Discord can help you bring in more fans and followers. It also confirms that you're actually the person you claim to be and that your server is the real deal. When you're verified, you can promote your brand through custom art, a personalized link, and access to VIP voice services that come with better performance than the standard voice servers.

2. Implement Private Channels

Discord allows you to set private channels, known as role-exclusive channels, which are channels that can only be accessed by members with specific roles on your server. These roles are set by you and help you create exclusive communities within your larger community where you can provide discounts, greater access to you, or other special benefits.

3. Use Bots for Easy Moderation

Discord bots can be your best friends. You can use them to automate tasks related to moderation and admin to keep your admins and mods focused on other things that a bot can't do. At the very least, you should have a moderation bot to welcome users to your server, enforce your norms and guidelines, and get rid of spam. As your server grows, consider adding human mods. While AI-powered bots are capable, they often lack human nuances, especially when it comes to understanding context. Human moderators can help you develop a healthy and safe community by ensuring that hate speech and harmful behaviors don’t make their way into your community. This is especially crucial, given that conversations take place in real-time (and in different time zones) on the platform. 

4. Know Your Server’s Features

Discord comes with several built-in features designed to help you create engaging experiences for your fans. Community-enabled servers have three key features that make it easy for fans to join you on the platform. These are:

• Community Onboarding – This lets you create a custom onboarding flow to welcome new members. 
• Rules Screening – This allows you to create rules that members must agree to before they can engage with your server.
• AutoMod – This feature automatically filters out any harmful or undesirable messages to help you maintain a clean and safe space.

Your server also has several features to help make your members feel engaged and involved in your community. These include:

• Announcement Channels – These are channels dedicated to delivering updates to members. 
• Stage Channels – These allow you to organize in-server events like seminars, live shows, and AMA.
• Events – These help you notify members and grow your audience by sharing information on relevant events that take place in or outside your server.

5. Utilize Subscriptions

Discord makes it easy for content creators to build a subscription-based business. There are two ways for creators to generate revenue from their communities:

• Server Subscriptions – Creators can monetize their Discord server by offering monthly subscriptions to members. In return, they can access unique server perks like premium emojis or exclusive text or voice channels. You can also offer sneak peeks, downloadables, and Premium Roles. Through Server Subscriptions, creators can keep 90% of each subscription they sell, after applicable deductions. For example, if you’re a health and fitness creator, you can provide added value to users through offerings like exclusive content showcasing platform-exclusive workout tutorials, downloadable guides, and nutrition plans. You can also create fitness challenges and goal-setting sessions to boost your community’s engagement. 
• Promo Pages – These are customizable web pages where creators can showcase their subscription offerings. If you have a Discord promo page, you can also share this outside your server to engage other fans, including those who don’t have a Discord account. 

6. Become a Discord Partner

You used to need a powerful following on other social media platforms if you wanted to apply to the Discord Partner Program. These days, Discord bases acceptance to this program on Discord-related stats. Becoming a Discord Partner gives you access to some great perks like free access to Discord Nitro, a Discord hoodie, personalized servers, an exclusive badge, and high-performance voice servers. You have to apply to be considered for the Discord Partner Program and will definitely need an already strong presence either on Discord itself or on another platform. To give you an idea of what you're up against, the average Discord Partner has more than 100K YouTube subscribers, more than 10K followers on Twitter or Twitch, and more than 800 members on their Discord server.

The Discord Partner Program is built for active and engaged communities that act as role models for other server owners on the platform. When you become a Discord Partner, you'll get access to a personalized server with a custom URL, server banner, and invitation splash. You'll also get Discord Nitro for free, access to the Partners-only Discord server, and rewards for your community. Plus, you get a special server badge that helps your server stand out on the Discovery page. Benefits are always being added, so check out the Discord Partner Program page for up-to-date details.

What Is Discord Nitro?

Okay, we just said Discord is free, but there's also Discord Nitro to think about. Discord Nitro is a premium subscription that gets you things like larger upload size limits, animated avatars, custom emojis, and HD video for streaming and screen sharing. If you subscribe to Discord Nitro, you also get two Server Boosts (tokens you can use to improve your server). Server Boosts include things like animated server icons, better video and audio quality, more emoji slots, and more. Boosts allow users to show their support for their favorite communities. By giving a server a Boost, you unlock perks for the server’s members, such as Soundboard slots, custom Role icons, and up to 100MB upload limit for all members.  

Features

• Collect or make your own custom and animated emojis
• Use an animated avatar and claim a custom tag
• Get two Server Boosts and 30% off extra Boosts
• 100MB upload size for high-quality file sharing
• Hi-res video, screenshare, and Go Live streaming

Pricing

Discord Nitro costs $2.99 or $9.99/month. You can also buy additional Server Boosts for $4.99/month for five boosts. There’s also a $1.99/month option that gives you two boosts.

Key Discord Statistics for 2024

Discord has been around since 2015 and has enjoyed some excellent success since. According to the LATKA SaaS database, Discord generated over $937 million in revenue in 2023, marking a 207.08% year-on-year growth.

Source: getlatka.com

Discord’s Growth

Nearly all of Discord's revenue comes from Discord Nitro. In 2023, CNBC reported that Discord was planning to expand its online marketplace by adding new revenue streams. That same year, it debuted its own in-app store called Shop, which offers virtual items that premium Nitro subscribers can use to further personalize their profiles.

Source: discord.com

In an interview with CNBC, Discord Senior Vice President of Product Peter Sellis shared that non-Nitro subscribers previously had no way to customize their avatars. “We will be opening it to non-Nitro users, who are obviously a much larger cohort of users, via the shop,” Sellis said. 

Aside from the Discord Shop, the company plans to offer eligible developers in select regions a way to share in the company revenue. These developers can build apps on top of the platform and allow users to subscribe. Already available in the US, this service will allow developers to keep 70% of the sales. 

According to Bloomberg, Discord’s sales have reached $600 million since 2020. In a bid to generate profit this year, the company launched a new product called Quest, which allows players to discover games on Discord. To earn rewards, they need to accept these Quests and stream the game. 

Source: discord.com

Quests also help video game companies find new players. These companies will then pay Discord to offer rewards tied to games like Call of Duty or PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. Quests hold a lot of potential for growth for video game companies, given that 93% of Discord users played at least one game within the last 30 days. The platform also sees over 1.5 billion hours of gameplay per month, according to Discord’s 2023 Internal Data.

Discord gaming statistics

Key Discord Stats Worth Looking Into

Let's take a look at a few more interesting Discord statistics:

• Discord has over 200 million monthly active users and more than 991 million monthly visits in April 2024. (Influencer Marketing Hub, Semrush)
• In 2023, the platform had 19 million monthly active servers, indicating a 180% growth compared to 2020’s 6.7 million servers. (Statista)
• The platform had approximately 563 million registered users in 2023, a significant increase from 2020’s 300 million and 2017’s 45 million. (Tech Report, Statista)
• The most popular server on Discord (April 2024) was Midjourney, with close to 20 million members. (Statista)
• US Discord users spend around nine minutes on the app daily. That’s roughly 280 minutes per month or approximately 5 hours monthly. Worldwide, Discord users spend about 24 minutes on the platform daily. (Influencer Marketing Hub, Cloudwards, SignHouse)
• Discord’s system can handle trillions of messages. (Discord Blog)
• The company is valued at $14.7 billion and is one of CNBC’s 2023 Disruptor 50 companies, taking the 18th spot. (Pitchbook, CNBC)
• Discord has a 56% brand awareness in the US, with 34% liking the brand and 88% of users stating that they’ll continue using the platform (Influencer Marketing Hub, Statista)
• 850 million messages are sent on Discord every day (VentureBeat)
• 4 billion minutes of conversation take place on Discord each day (The Verge)
• 6 billion messages are sent on Discord every week (VentureBeat)
• 25 billion messages are sent on Discord every month (VentureBeat)

Why Discord Matters for Creators

Creators can use Discord to turn followers into a community. And community is a powerful thing. Having space where your followers can come together has several benefits for creators:

• Helps creators identify their brand evangelists (those followers who are most active and actively promoting them)
• Encourages followers to form their own relationships (this increases affinity for the creator for giving them that space to connect)
• Takes some of the pressure off of creators to continuously engage and produce
• Improves relationships with their audience to maintain relevance
• Provides their community members with a dedicated space where they can learn, co-create, and more
• Gives creators an avenue where they can add value to their community through features like exclusive content
• Enables creators to build their own professional network and connect with like-minded individuals, opening up opportunities for new projects or partnerships

Popular Content Creators on Discord

Discord is home to popular creators like Marques Brownlee, Lindsey Stirling, and Bella Poarch. Discover how these creators are making their own communities and how they’re using the platform to build stronger connections with their fans.

1. Lindsey Stirling

Violinist and songwriter Lindsey Stirling has amassed a huge following on social media. She has over 14 million subscribers on YouTube and nearly 4 million on Instagram. Through her Discord server, she’s able to get to know her fans better. As of writing, Stirling’s official Discord server has nearly 8,000 members. Here, they can chat with Lindsey and share their ideas or feedback on her projects. 

“My community has been with me and grown since the very beginning of my career. Being on Discord has given me the opportunity to…learn about those coming to my shows, …what their favorite merch is…and bring them along on my musical journey,” Stirling shares in her Discord Creator Stories feature. 

She adds that when creating content for her Discord community, Stirling goes beyond thinking about the content itself. She shares that she also wants to nurture connections with her server members. 

2. Marques Brownlee (MKBHD)

MKBHD is a YouTuber who is known for creating tech-focused content. On YouTube, Brownlee has 19 million followers, while he has 4.8 million on Instagram. Although he has been making content for over a decade, he recently created his Discord server in 2022. Brownlee uses the platform to give fans a dedicated space where they can talk about their shared interests. In his Discord Creator Stories feature, Brownlee shares that Discord opens up the opportunity for two-way communication with his fans. As of writing, MKBHD’s server has more than 88,000 members.

3. Bella Poarch

Bella Poarch uses Discord to connect with her fans. On her server, she runs the Good Alpaca Loyalty Program that gives members access to exclusive server features like adding reactions and embedding links. Aside from using the platform to get to know her fans better, Poarch uses her server to help fans connect with each other over their shared interests. 

She also added Server Subscriptions. Through subscription tiers, members can unlock benefits like early access to merch drops and behind-the-scenes content. As of writing, Poarch’s Discord server has over 11,000 members. 

Tips for Businesses: How to Get the Most From Your Time on Discord

Discord provides creators with a highly engaged and enthusiastic audience that is interested in what they have to say. But if you've never run your own community, it can seem a bit scary. Never fear! Here's how you can effectively market to the followers on your Discord server:

1. Know Your Audience

It's vital to know your audience. Discord users tend to be on the younger side (teens and young adults), so if your target audience includes folks in their 60s, Discord might not be the right platform for you. It's also not a professional space. Discord definitely has a more casual feel and users are typically on the platform because that the vibe they're looking for.

2. Set Community Guidelines

Setting clear community rules helps users know what’s expected from them. Guidelines also ensure that your community follows Discord’s Terms of Service. Make sure that your moderators firmly and objectively enforce these rules. Doing so helps keep your server a safe space for everyone. Plus, guidelines help you mitigate any unruly activity or behavior, which is especially helpful as your community grows.

3. Engage With Your Audience

Just like any other social platform, it's important to engage with the people on your Discord server. That's why they're there, after all. Many creators use Discord as a perk for their Patreon members, giving paying supporters easier access to them on the server. This is a fantastic way to build your membership program, earn additional income, and build relationships with your strongest supporters. With Discord, you'll be able to speak directly to your followers through text, video, or chat.

4. Offer Exclusive Deals & Discounts

Offering exclusive benefits to your Discord server members is another great way to keep your audience engaged. You might try hosting contests and giveaways, or just offering exclusive content. You can even use Discord to distribute early-access content if that's a benefit you've decided to provide to your paying members.

5. Answer User FAQs

People generally have lots of questions. As a creator, you can use those questions as an opportunity to engage with your followers, get feedback, and fine-tune your product offering. Give members a chance to ask you questions directly, or set up a bot that can handle those questions for you.

6. Track Discord Activity

Discord provides server insights that you can use to better understand member retention, channel engagement, where your server members are from, and more. You can track this information on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and export it to a CSV file if you need to do some more analysis. Tracking your server's performance is a great way to find out if the value you're offering to your Discord server members is worth it to them.

7. Cultivate User-Generated Content

User-generated content is a great form of social proof that can be a huge benefit in terms of marketing. Encourage your Discord server members to share their own content related to your brand. You can also collect UGC to use in your marketing — just be sure to get permission first.

8. Make Use of Discord’s Resources

Discord offers several resources to help creators build and grow their communities. The platform offers Creator Academy Lessons and Lightning Lessons. The former has helpful guides for both new and seasoned content creators. Some of the topics covered in the Creator Academy include content strategy, launch tips, and server management. 

Meanwhile, Lightning Lessons are short video lessons from other Discord content creators. For instance, you can find a video on MKBHD sharing tips on how creators can build and nurture fan relationships on the platform. There’s also a short video by Chef PK (Food Fight Academy server) on how creators can use Server Subscriptions to create more engaging experiences for server members.

Source: discord.com

9. Use Communities to Promote

Discord servers are a great way to promote your brand and bring together your followers to build a community. And an active community is a huge draw for new members! Starting your own server is super easy. From the Discord site, just click on the plus button in the menu on the left side of the screen. You can start a server from a template or create your own. Discord walks you through it!

Once you have your server set up, why not head over to Patreon or your favorite membership site and start up an account. Then, link your Patreon account to your Discord server and offer community membership as a perk. You'll be building a community and a revenue stream at the same time.

Discord Scams in Direct Messages to Be Aware Of

There are several common Discord scams you need to look out for. Before diving into what these are, here are some tips to help you keep your account secure:

• Enable two-factor authentication
• Create a strong and unique password
• Don’t share your Discord password and token
• Don’t open or scan suspicious links and QR codes
• Limit who can send you direct messages by customizing your Discord privacy settings (Settings > Privacy & Safety > User Settings)
• Report scams to Discord

With that in mind, here are some of the most common Discord direct message (DM) scams.

Free Nitro Scams

This involves receiving an unsolicited DM claiming that they are giving away a free Nitro account. The message may require you to scan a QR code or click on an embedded link to get the free account. 

Impersonating Discord Staff

Some bad actors may impersonate official Discord responses using bots or user accounts. They will then send threatening direct messages prompting you to comply with their requests. They may ask you to share your password or Discord token. Avoid engaging with such accounts or bots to protect your account.

Fake Giveaways

You might receive a DM from a trusted individual or well-known bot stating that you’re eligible for free giveaways or NFT drops. The message may include suspicious links or QR codes. 

Scam Bots

Some scammers take over administrator profiles and create bots to trick other Discord users. If a server suddenly has a lot of spam messages offering free Nitro or if you get messages from bots about such offers, then it’s probably a scam.  

Fake Downloads, Games, or Programs

A stranger, who may be pretending to be someone you know or is using a compromised account, will ask you to download a program, test their game, or watch a video. Some may even ask you for your Discord token. Don’t click on any links or download anything. Doing so will compromise your account or get malicious programs into your device. 

What’s Next for Discord?

As Discord continues to grow, it still retains its community-focused approach. Discord has a lot of things lined up for its users, according to Discord CEO Jason Citron. In a recently released article, Citron shares that the company is building a faster and more powerful app to make way for a better Discord. The company is looking to expand the platform’s capabilities to deliver enhanced cross-platform experiences for users. Discord has already taken steps to achieve this by:

• Improving video latency by upgrading to Electron 28
• Rolling out an updated 64-bit desktop client
• Providing users with more fun things to do on the platform like new Shop drops and Soundboards
• Developing a new look and visual identity for the app

About the Author

Jacinda Santora

Writer

Jacinda Santora is a copywriter, marketing consultant, and owner of JMS Copy. She enjoys using her SEO expertise combined with experience in and a deep love for all things marketing to create high-quality marketing-related content