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The vibrant PGO Discord community has grown from 10,000 members to over 320,000 in the last 2 years thanks to Kevin and the help of a strong, dedicated staff team.
In the summer of 2017, Kevin joined a local gaming community in Ottawa, Canada so he could connect with local players. In the summer of 2020, when the game introduced remote raiding, Kevin took ownership of the server as they opened their doors to a global audience of players looking to connect, battle in remote raids, and make new friends.
There is a distinct difference between how everyone in this community interacts and engages with each other, and with Kevin, versus how fans and followers engage with each other on a video or photo sharing platform.
“Growing an audience feels more of a one way street to me - whereas building a community is a thriving, living space that fosters engagement and connection. This is the major differentiator with Discord compared to other social networking platforms. Discord empowers creators to create a space where these connections can not only be made, but strengthened in an organic way that no other platform provides.”
In a community, members don't want to have a “lean back” experience, they want to be involved and participate wherever possible.
“On Discord, there are not only more opportunities to create opportunities for engagement, but also opportunities for meaningful engagement that has a lasting effect on the community. This can be in the form of a stage event, a livestream in a voice channel, or personal conversation in a text channel.”
When planning a content strategy for a Discord community, it’s less dependent on videos and images coming from the server owner and more around activities, interactive events, and tools to participate and find connection with other like minded people.
“Our community is unique in the sense that it serves a main purpose of connecting with other players to battle in raids. There are also many secondary unique benefits we host such as in-game challenges, contests, live events, and exclusive content such as game guides, event infographics, and a leading in-depth knowledge guide for new and veteran players. All of this is also enhanced by having a thriving 24/7 community to discuss and engage around those features.”
It's not a simple task to build and manage a community of 200K+ but the long term value of building a community is clear. Giving your fans and followers a space to find belonging will lead them to becoming more deeply engaged with you and your content as a creator.
“Discord will help evolve your fans and followers into a community by giving them a space that they can truly feel a part of, revolving around your content or niche. There are many people out there looking for fresh, welcoming spaces, free of toxicity, where they can connect with other similar minded people. Your community could be that place, and make an impact on their life.
Seek help from your community for those who want to be more involved and help lead the charge, you can’t do it alone!
“A successful community also requires more than one person, so finding other passionate people to help steer the ship is crucial on the path to success. Bringing on the right people is a learning process that requires time and patience, and leading by example will be vital in a strong team. Be the person you want to see in your team, and they’ll share that same voice through to your community.”
A big thank you to Kevin for sharing this wisdom with us! If you want to join the PGO server and support the community, you can join here!
