Discord is a voice and text chat app where you and your Patrons can connect to build the community you envision. Our Discord integration syncs your Discord server roles with your Patreon tiers to grant Patrons exclusive access.
Creators who are on a Professional or Premium Platform plan can enable our Discord integration.
Discord created a Beginner's Guide to Discord with a ton of information and tips as you get started.
Glossary of Discord terms
Discord has a specific vocabulary. Below are some terms they use and we use when describing Discord and Patreon's integration. Please note the definitions below are taken directly from Discord's resources and will be updated if changed by Discord.
Server: Servers are the spaces on Discord. They are made by specific communities and friend groups. The vast majority of servers are small and invitation-only. Some larger servers are public. Any user can start a new server for free and invite their friends to it.
Channel: Discord servers are organized into text and voice channels, which are usually dedicated to specific topics and can have different rules.
- In text channels, users can post messages, upload files, and share images for others to see at any time.
- In voice channels, users can connect through a voice or video call in real-time, and can share their screen with their friends - we call this Go Live.
Roles: Roles are a way of designating who is who in your server. You can keep channels within your server exclusive to certain roles (for example, your highest-paying patrons get their own private channel). Roles can have their own set of server and channel-specific permissions (see below).
Permissions: Permissions allow users to have specific privileges and functions in a server. Some permissions can be as basic as allowing users the ability to add reactions to messages while other permissions grant users more administrative actions. These permissions are based on the roles assigned to users in a server and permissions can be assigned per role on both the server level and channel level. Learn more about permissions from Discord, here: Setting up Permissions
DMs and GDMs: Users can send private messages to other users as a direct message (DM), as well as start a voice or video call. Most DMs are one-on-one conversations, but users have the option to invite up to nine others to the conversation to create a private group DM (GDM), with a maximum size of ten people. Group DMs are not public and require an invite from someone in the group to join.
Go Live: users can share their screen with other people who are on a server or a DM with them. You can disable this for certain roles and disable it for others using role permissions.
How can I use Discord?
Give patrons access to your private world with our Discord integration. Discord is a versatile community-building app with a thousand and one ways you can utilize it. Here are just a few ways you can use Discord to add benefits to your membership:
Access to private patron-only channels
You can give patrons special access to locked channels. Here is how you can create a super-secret channel just for patrons:
- Log into your Discord server
- Click on the "+" icon next to one of your existing text channels
- Type in the new channel name and select the option for a Private Channel
- Choose the role(s) that will have a VIP pass to access this channel
- Finally, click Create
Hang out with your patrons with a Voice channel
With Discord, you can create voice channels where patrons can have conversations in real-time. You can also video call individual patrons that you’ve had direct messages.
FAQ
Does Discord cost money?
Discord is free to use! All you have to do is create an account: Create your Discord account.
How should I moderate my Discord server?
Many creators self-moderate their servers while they’re getting started. You can pin “Server rules” in a specific channel that you direct all new patrons to. As your community grows and becomes more active, you’ll start to recognize users who naturally regulate channels — those are the people you can reach out to and ask if they’d like to help moderate your server.
Discord has created a resource for learning about server moderation. It also breaks down how to set up a channel and permissions you can customize: Discord Moderator Academy
