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Last Updated on October 23, 2022 by Chris Panteli
Making Money On Discord
Discord may not be your first thought when thinking of new ways to earn money. The truth is that the Discord app is hugely popular; with a massive worldwide user base. Data from 2020 shows Discord has over 300 million registered users. That number will keep growing!
The gaming community makes up the core group of Discord users, but Discord can be used by more than just gamers. That means making money on Discord is a definite possibility.
Discord’s revenue in 2020 was $130 million! That Discord revenue should inspire you to start making your own money from Discord.
You just need to know how to use Discord to its full potential and in the process earn cash.
The Truth About Making Money On Discord
Discord is a communications app allowing users to talk via text, video, voice calls, and images. Users can create servers that cater to a specific interest to talk, hang out, and build a community.
First, it’s important to know the Discord platform does not offer any tools to help users make money. You will need to build and grow a server yourself, then monetize it using as many features as possible.
Discord server owners can monetize their server using a variety of methods. Once your server is up and running you can use multiple methods to earn money from your community.
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10 Epic Ways To Make Money On Discord
If you want to make money from your Discord server, then these ideas will be the best places to start.
1. Accept donations
Donations are the easiest way to make money from your Discord server. That’s because you don’t have to do anything other than add a link for members to pay you!
Many community members are happy to donate. If you’ve built a server that provides value to the community you serve, most will send you money. You can add a PayPal link or a donate bot to the Discord server and that’s it! Each Discord user can now donate should they want to.
2. Create a paid membership Discord server
Discord servers are free to set up. This creates a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to earn from a Discord server.
First, build a free server and grow the community. Once you’ve established that your server is worth following, the next step is to build a paid membership Discord server.
You will need to offer paid members extra features and perks. However, converting existing followers to paid members should be straightforward. Now you can make money by charging a monthly subscription fee.
3. Add a members only area
If you can provide unique knowledge or offer advanced tips, guides, or other info, then a members-only area could be a great way to make money online.
Start by building your server community and offering fantastic value for all free members.
Now add a private area to your Discord server for members that are happy to pay. If you have expert knowledge of the topic this could give members direct access to you. You could answer questions, offer guidance, or simply chat with followers.
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To make money from a members-only area it must offer great value to members on top of the amazing free content you already provide.
4. Recruit sponsors
Businesses are always looking for ways to advertise their products and services. A popular Discord server is one potential way for brands to connect with their target audience.
By growing a community that caters to a specific niche you could be sitting on a goldmine!
In exchange for payment, you could allow businesses to promote their products and services on the server. Businesses could be allowed to answer questions from the community. You could also agree to allow bots to be created that advertise the business at set intervals.
These are all legit ways to earn from sponsors. Just make sure that your community isn’t spammed otherwise followers will leave in droves!
5. Link a website to sell additional content
Remember that Discord is primarily a chat application. That means that Discord is not the perfect place to share certain content. This opens the door to another way to make money on Discord.
You can create a website offering further content. Detailed guides, in-depth tutorials, or products for sale are a few things you can make money from by directing Discord traffic to your website.
For example, perhaps you excel at video game design. You’ve built a community around this topic perhaps focusing on particular games. You could build a website offering members access to tutorial videos teaching them how to design their own video games!
Nearly any skill you can think of can be monetized in this way. Writing, video game design, art, and more could all be taught using videos, eBooks, or an email course.
Depending on what you can offer, some may be happy to pay for access to a blog that provides additional insight.
Get creative with your website and who knows where it might lead!
6. Allow ads
If you’ve ever had a blog or YouTube channel, you probably know a creator makes money by allowing ads to be placed on the page. Discord also permits you to join an advertising network and allow ads on the server.
To get started join a Discord advertising program, install their Discord bot, set up your server, and start earning!
Finding bots for ads is made easy thanks to the Discord store page. Alternatively, search online for a Discord bot that will suit your needs.
7. Build a bot
Bots make Discord a better place by adding great value and functionality to each server. Did you know you can build your own bot and make money from it?
Building a Discord bot could be an excellent money-spinner, especially if you can build a large community!
There are two ways you can do this. You could make a bot that will enhance your community and charge members to use it.
Otherwise, you could build a bot that has two tiers. Tier one offers lots of features entirely free. You can then offer tier two (which requires payment) but offers an extra feature or multiple features that will be of value to the community.
To think of a bot that would enhance your server, start by listing everything that is currently missing and see if a bot could plug the gap.
Another option is to simply ask each community member what they would like to see. By doing this market research you will have a much better idea of a bot that will add value and make you some money at the same time!
You can program a bot yourself, or hire a developer to do it for you. Sites like Upwork and Fiverr are great places to find reasonably priced developers that can build you an awesome bot.
8. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a super simple way to make money. You offer your community a product or service and earn a commission whenever a member completes a purchase using your affiliate link.
You may be tempted to spam your community with links to try and make the most money possible. Please don’t do this! Nothing will destroy a community faster than spamming them.
Instead, be open and honest with your community about your affiliate links. Most importantly, offer relevant products and services that your community will go nuts for.
Doing it this way should mean you make more money too!
One way to market your affiliate links is to create a page or link to a website listing all the products you recommend. For example, if you’re an avid gamer you might provide affiliate links to gaming chairs, headsets, and other equipment. If members make a purchase using your link, then you earn a commission!
Some of the best affiliate networks you can scour for relevant products include:
Make sure all your recommendations are of the highest standard, so your community doesn’t lose trust in you. You may also secure discounts from affiliate partners for your community. Discounts can help boost sales which are awesome for you and great for your members as they save money too!
9. Run competitions
One unique way to make money from Discord is by running competitions. To make money from competitions you charge an entrance fee, this could be as little as $1, and winners get a percentage.
Community members often love to enter competitions and for a small fee, most will happily participate.
You could even offer a prize to the top 3 contestants to keep community members interested. Let’s say you raise $100 from entrance fees. 1st place could get $25, 2nd place, $15, and 3rd place $5. That leaves $55 for you! Do that once a week and you are earning yourself over $200 a month. That’s not bad for spending a little time running a competition.
If you’re struggling to think of competition ideas why not ask your community what they would like to do. After all, they will be the competitors!
10. Discord grinding
Discord grinding is the latest innovative way to make money on Discord. In a nutshell, Discord grinding involves working around the clock to boost a crypto project.
DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) use Discord to create communities around crypto projects. Discord grinders (often Discord experts or marketing gurus) will use their expertise in NFTs and crypto to boost engagement in Discord servers.
Discord grinding can involve many tasks. Answering questions, creating lists for NFT drops, hyping the server on social media, and admin support are a few of the key tasks a Discord grinder will engage in.
Freelance platforms like Fiverr and UpWork are great places to find opportunities. You can also search online for job boards advertising work for Discord grinders.
How Do I Make A Discord Server?
Now you know how to make money from a Discord server, what’s next? You need to make that server! Here’s how.
Sign up for Discord
Get started by creating your free Discord server. You will need to complete the registration form, accept the T&Cs, then complete verification by email or SMS.
That’s it! In a few minutes, you’ve set up your Discord account.
Creating a Discord server
To build a community you need to create a server. Look for the ‘+’ symbol on the left-hand side of your Discord screen. Now you can choose the theme of your server and decide whether it will be public or private.
A private server is just for you and your friends. If you want to make money from the server, you should create a public server that’s open to all.
All that’s left to do now is add a photo to represent the server and choose a name. Congratulations! You’ve just built your first server.
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To grow your server you can customize functions, add bots, invite members, and create channels. Build your thriving community and you can start using the methods listed above to make money.
Tips For Monetizing Your Discord Server
Monetizing your Discord server can be risky. That’s because if you get things wrong you could drive people away!
Instead, follow these tips and you should not only keep your community happy, but it will encourage more to join. More members mean more money for you!
Don’t remove free content
Members of your community will happily pay for extra features, but if you take away existing free content, they will leave!
Instead, keep providing lots of great features for free. Make sure paid content is offering extras such as access to an expert, detailed guides, or special perks.
Invest in your server
As the saying goes, sometimes you have to spend money to make money. By investing in your server, the earning opportunities can grow infinitely.
You could spend on premium bots, pay an expert to make a tutorial for your members, or use funds to build a supporting website.
Provided you are adding more entertainment, features, and support for your members, then your community will continue to grow.
Make monetization count
One of the quickest ways to destroy a community is to make it all about the money. Constantly spamming the server with offers will make members feel like you only want them there to try and profit from them.
Building a successful Discord server is usually best when it’s a community you also enjoy being part of. Keep this in mind and try to only offer things that members would benefit from.
If in doubt ask yourself one question, ‘Would I be willing to pay for this’?. If no, then why do you think your members would.
Be honest
Honesty will go a long way to building trust with your community. Most people understand that money needs to be spent to keep a successful server running and that you deserve to be paid for the time you spend managing it all.
By spending some of the money improving the server, your members can see a reward that benefits them too.
Explain clearly why you charge for things or that you may make money from activities such as affiliate marketing or competitions. Make sure to always keep members informed about improvements too.
FAQs
Is Discord free?
Yes! The Discord business model means Discord accounts and servers are free. If you want, you can set up multiple servers at no cost to you.
Is a Discord server open to anyone?
If you make your server private, you can control who joins. Otherwise, anyone with a link to your Discord server can join when invited.
What’s the best way to make money from my Discord server?
Ultimately, the best way is the one that makes you the most money! Every method listed above is a legit way to earn money on a Discord server. You don’t have to limit yourself to one revenue stream. If you want, you could implement them all.
Just remember not to alienate your members and keep the offers relevant. The Discord community will be quick to turn against you if you don’t treat them well.
What is Discord Nitro?
Discord Nitro and Discord Nitro Classic are paid memberships offered by Discord. Membership grants you access to custom emojis and a server boost on every Discord server you are a member of.
Your Nitro subscription also gives you an animated avatar, serving boosting, and much more.
What extras would members pay for?
Every premium feature a server owner can offer could be something members are willing to pay for. You could offer expert advice from streamers, a Q&A with a game developer, or a discount at a game store.
Premium memberships can also be a great way to earn provided the membership offers value. Live streaming tutorials, a chat with Stan Vishnevskiy (Discord founder) on Microsoft Teams, or guidance on how to build a rich presence online are all examples of extras that premium memberships could offer.
What are stage channels?
Stage channels are voice channels you can activate on your server. You can designate speakers and listeners in the channel. These are great for running an audio event like an AMA or reading event.
