Resources

How To Build A Community For Free On Discord

27 Jul 2022

Whether you’re looking to migrate your existing social network or set one up for the first time, odds are you’ve heard of Discord. The platform is usually right up there at the top of most people’s list when they’re looking for a place to host their own community — and for a good reason.

Discord is free, easy to use, and since it’s been around for a while now, most people have at least heard of it. But, before we get into the basics of building a discord community, we need to understand what the platform actually is and what it offers users. That latter point is important because while Discord is great for creators looking to build a community, it was originally created for gamers, so it might not contain all of the features you’re looking for in a social network.

What Is Discord?

If we were to describe Discord in the simplest terms possible, we could basically call it a chat app, similar to Slack. However, that’s just an oversimplification, and there are plenty of ways Discord sets itself apart from the competition. Firstly, Discord was designed to be as efficient as possible. That’s because it was created to give people an easy way to communicate with friends and organize large groups while gaming.

Like Slack, Discord allows users to host their own servers (basically chat rooms) with customizable rules and options. These servers are also easily searchable. That means whether you’re looking for people playing the same game as you or people who are just into the same topics, it’s all really accessible. And while these topics were limited mainly to gaming shortly after the platform first launched, you can now find a server and community dedicated to just about anything.

Lastly, one of Discord’s biggest draws is the flexibility in communication it offers. Hosts can divide servers into channels — similar to Slack — and users can communicate using text, voice, or video. All of this is also totally free.

There are a couple of additional features explained in the next section. However, to sum it all up, many people choose to host their social network on Discord because it’s completely free and gives creators multiple ways to interact with their followers.

Why Use Discord For Your Social Network?

Now that we’ve explained what Discord is, it all sounds pretty great, right? Well, there are some other things to consider before building your community on the platform. These mainly relate to your brand’s goals and what kind of community you plan on building.

The service makes organizing and creating channels on your server easy. Hosts can assign moderators or community managers, reward members, and assign other roles. They can create text, audio, and video-only channels. They can set community rules and a Discord app allows users to access the community from anywhere.

Discord’s biggest draws are its ease of use, communication options, and cost. It does all of these very well. However, the platform bills itself more like a place for friends to hang out than a community for professionals.

For example, there is no built-in monetization option for hosts. And despite its popularity with non-gamers, the platform is still heavily tied to gaming. Many of its voice chat features are specifically designed to allow for more informal conversations, which can be good or bad depending on what you’re looking for.

That said, it all comes down to what you’re trying to do. Do you want a place to interact with followers? A place to build brand loyalty? What about a community to share tips and job leads? All of these are possible, but some will inherently require more work on Discord because of the inability to offer recurring payments through the platform.

Discord users also tend to be a bit younger, so knowing your audience and if they would be willing to join a Discord server is also important. We’ve broken down the pros and cons as follows:

Pros

Servers and channels are easy to set up and use
Multiple communication options, including text, audio, and visual
Hosts can assign roles and moderators
Discord offers an app
Free to use

Cons

Discord has a reputation as a more informal platform

There are no built-in monetization options

The user base tends to be narrower than other platforms

Building A Discord Community

Now comes the easy part, building a Discord community. Starting your own server is pretty effortless, but remember to include your business name and your logo so your server will be easy for others to find.

Create a server

To create a server, simply click on the plus symbol on the left side of your screen. Discord will then give you the option to make a blank server or use a template. This part isn’t too important since you will basically have access to create whatever you like if you choose to go with a blank slate.

Discord will then ask you what you plan on using your server for, giving you the option to click community or just skip answering entirely.

Next, you’ll have the option to name your server and upload a photo. Remember to incorporate your business name and logo since you’ve already worked so hard figuring out both.

Create channels

Now it’s time to create channels. These basically act like Slack channels. You can set up a channel for questions, resources, or community discussions.

Discord will also give you the option to limit channels to either text, or audio and video. This is great for making sure people aren’t flooding a channel with audio recordings. On the other hand, you could make an audio and video-only channel for things like introductions. You could also make channels for announcements, contests, or goals.

We should also mention that once your channels are set up, you can go into your settings and enable the community server option. This will give you access to more features.

Create rules

If you enable the community server option, Discord will allow you to create rules for your community. Think of these as simple statements or a small list of rules every member must read and abide by before joining a server.

No matter what kind of community you plan on setting up, you’ll probably want to utilize this feature. It’ll help reassure members that they’re going into a moderated space that doesn’t tolerate things like harassment. You can always go back in later and modify or change rules after getting feedback, but make sure to let your members known when you make changes.

Assign roles

Next, you’ll want to assign roles. You can create roles as you need them, but these basically decide things like channel access, permissions, and the color a moderator’s name appears on the server.

This is where you’ll want to assign community moderators or managers to make sure members have everything they need to get started. If your community is a bit larger, you might also want your community moderator to facilitate conversations, ask for feedback, or manage subscribers for paid communities.

Find like-minded members

Lastly, you’ll want to find like-minded members to join your community. You can advertise your community through things like newsletters or your personal social media accounts.

However, you’ll want to make sure that the people who are signing up for your community are excited to be a part of it. You want people who will start conversations, ask questions, or who are just genuinely excited to be a part of whatever it is you’re building. This is the best way to ensure your community has a strong foundation to build upon.

Conclusion

Building a Discord community is the easiest part of starting your own social network. The hard part is nurturing that community. Don’t be afraid to interact with members through seemingly simple conversations. Your members are there because they enjoy hearing what you have to say and interacting with you. Ask for feedback, what kind of channels members would prefer, or just share something you found interesting that day.

Remember that Discord is just a platform. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to provide your community with value. You can do this by giving members things like resources, fostering interesting conversations, and meeting one-on-one with members.

There Is A Better Way

Coincidentally, Nas is building tools to give creators access to all of these things. Our new platform provides all of the same features as Discord, but with Nas creators have access to built-in payment features, Nas Academy courses, expert advice, and a whole network of other like-minded creators.

Unlike on Discord, when you choose to host with Nas, you own your community, meaning you have access to unlimited analytics and the ability to move your members anywhere you choose. Some of the other features Nas offers include: