Beginner’s Guide to How to Make Your Discord Server Public in 2024

 

Discord has become a go-to platform for online communities and seamless communication. However, gaining visibility as a server owner can be challenging. Making your Discord server public unlocks opportunities to expand your reach. This guide covers steps and strategies to open your server to the public eye.

Understanding Discord Server Privacy

Before diving into how to make your Discord server public, let's clear up what we even mean by "privacy" on Discord. It may seem straightforward, but privacy surrounds a lot of customizable settings that shape your server experience.

 

Discord gives server owners granular control over things like who can join, what remains visible, and how much autonomy members have. You get full flexibility to make your server an exclusive private space or a wide-open public forum. More private servers value greater oversight, while public servers embrace exposure and access from the crowds. 

 

Neither is right or wrong - understanding these core privacy concepts just allows making the best choice for your community's needs. So now that we've demystified the nuances of Discord server privacy, you can make informed decisions about public, private, or in-between when creating your server vision!

Why Make a Discord Server Public?

When you switch your Discord server from a private space to a public one, you're not just making it more accessible; you're also unlocking a bunch of awesome benefits. Here's a closer look at what making your Discord server public can do for you:

 

Expand reach: Public servers can be discovered by thousands of users actively searching Discord. This significantly grows your potential member base.

 

Drives engagement:  More members means more conversations, content sharing, and overall activity in your server. A public server with high participation stays lively.

 

Attracts partners: Public servers gain more exposure to collaborative opportunities with creators, influencers, and brands.

 

Enhances marketing: Listing a public server makes marketing to your target audience easier across platforms.

 

Gains prestige: Public servers are perceived as more popular and credible than private ones restricted to small groups. 

 

If expanding your community beyond a private circle interests you, making your Discord server public can accelerate growth.

Requirements to Make a Discord Server Public

So you just created a Discord server. Can you make the discord server public instantly? Well, the answer is ‘No’ you can’t. Before your server can be discoverable by the masses, you'll need to meet Discord’s baseline requirements that ensure legitimacy:

 

- Have at least 1000 real members 

- Be at least 8 weeks old and established

- Have a verified, registered email linked 

- Enable 2-factor authentication for security

- Follow all Community Guidelines fully

- Ensure your server and channel names are clear and concise

 

Checking all these boxes proves to Discord that your server is an authentic, safe community ready for public exposure. This prevents brand-new or questionable servers from going public immediately. Meeting these requirements displays your server is trusted, secure, and ready to handle an influx of new members from public discovery features. So tackle this checklist to unlock the benefits and growth of making your Discord server public!

How to Make Your Discord Server Public(Step-By-Step)

Step 1: Open Discord App 

To get started, open the Discord app on your computer or access it through any web browser if you don't have the app installed.

Step 2: Server Menu

Right-click on the server icon to access multiple options, then select "Server Settings" from the menu.

Step 3: Enable Community

Scroll up to the 'Enable Community' tab to convert your server into a Community Server. Click "Get Started." Follow the steps for safety checks, setting up basics, and finishing touches.

Step 4: Safety Checks

Confirm you meet safety checks like email verification and content filtering. Click "Next." 

Step 5: Activate Discovery

Once the "Community" feature is enabled, go to the left sidebar, click on "Discovery," and enable it. Ensure your server meets the minimum requirements for discovery eligibility.

 

Setting Up a Thriving Public Community Server 

Making your Discord server public involves designating it as an official Community server. This unlocks features to help manage and grow a broader audience. When establishing a public Community server, following these best practices will create a thriving hub for discussion:

Define Purpose Clearly

Think about what you want your server to be about. What are your interests? What do you want to achieve with your server? Once you know what you want your server to be about, you can start to create a specific community identity that will resonate with your target audience. 

 

Whether you're interested in gaming, sports, hobbies, networking, or something else, a defined purpose will help you attract members who are passionate about the same thing. These members will be more likely to engage in on-topic conversations and build connections with each other. Generic servers, on the other hand, often struggle to build connections because there's no clear focus or purpose.

Server Rules and Guidelines

With a public server, you are moderating conversations at scale. Create ground rules around respect, harassment, illegal activities, and other conduct. Dedicate a #rules channel describing restrictions on hate speech, bullying, spamming, self-promotion, etc. Outline consequences for violations like muting or banning. Consistent enforcement of well-defined rules enables healthy discussions as you expand.

Organize Channels 

Structure channels around topics like general chat, media sharing, announcements and voice discussion. Organize related channels into categorized groups for easy browsing. Create clear channel names and purposes. An organized public server is navigable for newcomers seeking conversations. Keep moderation channels private to avoid confusion.

Appoint Moderators

Public communities require more moderation. Appoint mature, responsible members as moderators to help oversee conversations and activity. Ensure they represent your rules and values. Grant them abilities to remove inappropriate messages and discipline repeat offenders through timeouts or bans. Active moderation sustains a positive environment at scale. 

Buy Targeted Discord Members

Services like SocialPlug provide niche-focused Discord members at affordable rates starting at just $0.1 per member. Purchasing an initial member base instantly fosters lively discussions and credibility. Their members blend in seamlessly thanks to advanced AI behavioral modeling. Buying members establishes momentum for organic community growth so boost your Discord server now.

Drive Traffic Through Promotions

Marketing your public server is key to growth. Share your invite link on social media and relevant forums. Collaborate with influencers in your niche to co-host events. Post your server on discovery sites like Disboard for visibility. Run giveaways and contests to create buzz. Promote events and new features to your existing members. Think about growth in all your community outreach.

 

Adopting these public Community server best practices will help you stand out from the crowd and foster a hub of vibrant discussions between members over the long term.

Public Server Discovery Platforms

Websites like top.gg, DiscordServers.com, DiscordHub.com, and Disboard.org help users find and join public Discord servers. If your server doesn't meet Discord's requirements yet, listing it on these discovery sites allows potential members to find you. 

 

Make sure to keep your server descriptions enticing across these platforms. Listing your server publicly accelerates community growth by increasing discoverability without excessive promotion.

Moderating a Public Discord Server

Running a public Discord server comes with unique moderation challenges. As more members join, discussions can easily spiral out of control without active moderation. As a public server owner, it's crucial you establish clear guidelines around respect, harassment and hate speech. Draft simple rules of conduct, and be transparent in enforcing them. 

 

Appoint mature moderators you trust to monitor chats, warn rule-breakers, and ban members if needed. Moderate actively yourself, and set an example of positivity. Utilize Discord's word filtering to automatically catch offensive terms. Be responsive to user complaints, but avoid playing favorites when moderating. 

 

The key is consistent, good-faith moderation focused on safety and comfort. Healthy public communities require members to feel secure. With the right rules and moderators, you can maintain an inclusive space for friendly chatter. But don't hesitate to ban those who disregard server guidelines. Your priority is protecting members from harm. With a thoughtful approach, your server can flourish as a place for meaningful connections.

Should You Make Your Discord Server Public? 

Now that you know how to make your discord server public the decision is in your hands if you want to make your server public. Here are key questions to determine if going public is right for your server now:

 

Making your server public opens up a lot of possibilities for growth, engagement, and collaboration. It also makes it easier to market your server and attract new members. Plus, it gives your server a more credible and established feel.

 

If you're looking to grow your reach, increase engagement, and get more recognition, making your server public is a great way to do it. The following sections of this guide will provide you with detailed steps and strategies for making the transition smoothly.

• Is your server focused on a specific interest or community? 
• Do you want more discovery and members? 
• Are you ready to moderate conversations at scale? 
• Does your server already have steady activity? 

 

Deciding to change your Discord server from private to public is a big decision, and we're here to help you figure out if it's the right move for you. If you can answer yes to these questions, transforming your server into a public community may provide benefits. Otherwise, you may want to focus on building activity and rules as a private server first.

Conclusion

Making your Discord server public opens up an exciting new chapter for your community. While it comes with added responsibilities, the benefits of increased reach, engagement, and partnerships are immense. 

 

As we've covered, the keys are having a strong foundation first - a defined purpose, active conversations, fair moderators, and community guidelines. Invest time in fostering a lively, welcoming environment as a private server before exposing it more widely.

 

Once you've built up that vibrancy and are ready to manage an influx of strangers, open up discovery and promotion. Maintain your unique character while implementing public server best practices. Strike the right balance between access and oversight. 

 

With the proper strategies, making your Discord server public can help it thrive for years to come. But approach the transition thoughtfully - not every server is ready for primetime. Gauge your readiness, weigh the trade-offs, and time it right. 

 

Done carefully, going public will reward all your private community-building efforts with exponential growth. Then you can focus on sustaining that momentum by delivering ongoing value to new and veteran members alike. The decision is ultimately yours based on your vision. We hope this guide has provided clarity on the process and possibilities. Here's to the next stage of your server's journey!