In today‘s social media landscape, building an engaged community is essential for brand growth and impact. Two platforms that have taken the world by storm in recent years are Discord and TikTok.
Discord, the chat app designed for gamers that has since expanded far beyond gaming, has seen explosive growth. According to Discord‘s internal data, they now have over 150 million monthly active users, up from 56 million at the end of 2019. The platform is especially popular with Gen Z, with 70% of users between the ages of 16-24.
Meanwhile, TikTok has become a global phenomenon, with over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. The short-form video app is known for its viral trends, participatory culture, and highly engaged userbase. TikTok is also dominated by younger users, with 60% under the age of 30.
Clearly, there is immense opportunity in leveraging both Discord and TikTok to build a thriving community. But to do so effectively requires understanding each platform‘s unique features and culture, then strategically integrating them.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll dive into exactly how to link your Discord server to your TikTok profile for maximum growth. I‘ll walk you through step-by-step on adding a clickable Discord invite link to your TikTok bio. More importantly, I‘ll share proven tactics to optimize your cross-platform promotion strategy, based on psychological principles and real-world case studies.
The Power of Discord x TikTok Integration
Why is linking your Discord and TikTok so valuable in the first place? There are several key reasons:
- Expand your reach across two high-growth, engaged platforms
- Drive targeted referral traffic from TikTok to your Discord community
- Deepen relationships with your audience through Discord‘s interactive features
- Diversify your community-building efforts and avoid reliance on any one platform
- Unlock new ways to deliver value, engagement, and belonging for your members
Think of TikTok as your top-of-funnel for attracting a wider audience, and Discord as your home for nurturing members into true fans and advocates. TikTok‘s short-form video format is ideal for grabbing attention and driving discovery. But its limited features and algorithm-driven feed make it challenging to foster deep connections.
That‘s where Discord shines. Originally launched in 2015 as a communication tool for gamers, Discord has evolved into a full-fledged community platform. Servers can have multiple channels for text, voice, and video chat, all organized around themed topics.
Discord‘s features make it perfect for hosting engaging discussions, events, co-working sessions, and exclusive content. You can assign roles and permissions to members, gate channels or perks for supporters, and even build your own bots and integrations. It‘s a powerful, flexible way to host your community on your own terms.
By funneling your TikTok audience to your Discord, you can convert casual followers into active members. You‘re not only driving more engagement, but also owning your community data and relationships. It‘s a smart way to future-proof your community-building efforts.
Step-by-Step Guide: Adding Your Discord Link to TikTok
Now that you understand the immense potential of linking Discord to TikTok, let‘s walk through how to actually set it up.
Step 1: Generate Your Discord Server Invite Link
First, you need to create an invite link for the specific Discord server you want to promote on TikTok:
- Open Discord and navigate to your desired server
- Click the server name at the top left to open the dropdown menu
- Select "Invite People" to open the invite link settings
- Customize your invite link‘s settings:
- Set "Expire After" to "Never" to make it permanent
- Set "Max Number of Uses" to "No limit" for unlimited joins
- Choose whether to grant temporary membership
- Click "Generate a New Link" then "Copy"
Your server‘s invite link will look something like discord.gg/yourservernamehere. Make note of it for the next steps.
Step 2: Switch to a TikTok Business Account
To add a clickable link to your TikTok bio, you must switch to a Business Account. Personal accounts don‘t have the option to add a link.
Here‘s how:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page
- Tap the 3-line menu icon at the top right corner
- Tap "Manage account" under Account
- Tap "Switch to Business Account"
- Select the category that best aligns with your content
- Tap "Next" to complete the process
Note that switching to a Business account is free and won‘t change your TikTok features or algorithm.
Step 3: Add Your Discord Server Link to Your TikTok Bio
Now that you have a Business account, you can finally add your Discord link to your bio:
- From your TikTok profile, tap "Edit profile"
- Under "Website", paste in your Discord server invite link
- Tap "Save" at the top right corner
Congratulations! Your Discord server link is now live on your TikTok profile. When someone taps the link, they‘ll be taken directly to your server to join your community.
Advanced Strategies to Maximize Discord Member Conversions
Simply having your Discord link in your TikTok bio is a great foundation – but to really drive significant member growth, you need a strong promotional strategy. Here are some advanced tactics:
1. Consistently Promote Your Discord in Your TikTok Videos
Alongside having a clickable link in your bio, frequently mention your Discord in your actual TikTok content. There are several effective ways to do this:
- Provide enticing reasons to join your Discord in each video, such as exclusive content, perks, events, or access
- Include prominent calls-to-action in your clips through text overlays or verbal shoutouts (e.g. "Join our Discord family, link in bio!")
- Tease your Discord experience with fun references, memes, or inside jokes that pique curiosity
Remember, not every viewer will check your bio, so it‘s essential to surface your Discord link in your videos too. The key is giving compelling reasons to click through and join.
2. Prioritize Growing Your TikTok Presence First
Linking to your Discord is most effective when you already have an engaged TikTok audience. Focus on implementing TikTok growth best practices first:
- Post new, high-quality videos on a consistent schedule
- Jump on viral trends, sounds, and hashtags to increase discoverability
- Interact with other creators‘ content through comments, duets, and stitches
- Cross-promote your TikTok profile on other social media channels
- Experiment with different video formats, topics, and styles to resonate with your niche
The larger and more engaged your TikTok following, the more people you can ultimately convert to Discord members. Prioritize growing your TikTok presence as a key component of your community-building flywheel.
3. Optimize Your Discord Onboarding for TikTok Members
Make your Discord server welcoming and intuitive for users coming from TikTok. Some ideas:
- Set up an intro channel specifically for new members from TikTok
- Offer special roles, perks, or access for your TikTok squad
- Showcase top TikTok comments or shoutouts on Discord so members feel appreciated
- Mirror your Discord server‘s design and tone to your TikTok brand for consistency
4. Use a Link in Bio Tool for Multiple Links
If you want to link to additional sites beyond just your Discord, consider using a link in bio tool like Linktree. This allows you to create a simple landing page that lists multiple links. Then you can use that page‘s link in your TikTok bio.
Your Linktree can include links to your Discord, other social profiles, website, store, and more. This is a great way to point TikTok traffic to several important destinations to further grow your brand.
According to Linktree, TikTok drives 23.62% of all traffic to Linktree pages, compared to just 3.3% in January 2020. Adding a Linktree to your TikTok bio is now a staple in many creators‘ growth strategies.
5. Analyze Your Discord Member Growth
Finally, track and analyze how effective your TikTok to Discord funnel is. Monitor key metrics like:
- Clicks to your Discord invite link (add UTM parameters for better tracking)
- New member joins in Discord over time
- Engagement levels of TikTok members vs. other sources
If you‘re getting a lot of TikTok link clicks but not many conversions to members, Survey your TikTok audience on what would compel them to join. Test different invite link CTAs, page designs, join perks, and more.
Continually measure and optimize each part of your funnel to improve results. Effective community growth requires ongoing experimentation and iteration.
Putting It All Together: The TikTok to Discord Flywheel
As you implement these tactics, you‘ll start to build a virtuous cycle between your TikTok and Discord. Your TikTok content will attract more people to your Discord, where you can engage them further.
In turn, your Discord members will become your biggest advocates on TikTok, liking, commenting, and sharing your videos. This boosts your TikTok reach in the algorithm, attracting even more new audience.
The result is a flywheel effect that powers community growth across both platforms:
To keep this flywheel spinning, focus on providing value on both platforms. Post consistently on TikTok while hosting meaningful discussions and experiences on Discord. Regularly cross-pollinate, such as by featuring top TikTok comments on Discord and vice versa.
As your community scales, consider adding moderators and implementing systems to maintain a positive, engaged culture. Set clear server rules, create channels for different topics, and proactively welcome new members.
With intentional integration between platforms, your TikTok and Discord communities can become a self-reinforcing growth engine.
Examples of TikTok to Discord Community Growth
Need inspiration? Here are a few examples of creators who have successfully grown active communities leveraging TikTok and Discord:
- Vanessa Lau (@vanessalau.co) is a business coach who frequently directs her 500K+ TikTok followers to her Discord server for support and mentorship. Her server has over 11,000 members.
- Walmart Yodel Boy (@kidyodel) is a creator who went viral on TikTok for his yodeling clips. He regularly shouts out his Discord in videos to his 7M+ followers, driving high engagement in his server.
- Yasmine Sahid (@yasminesahid) is an artist who has built a highly active Discord community of fans originally from TikTok. She shares her art process and hosts events on Discord.
These creators show how a TikTok to Discord growth strategy can work for a variety of niches and styles. The common thread is frequent, clear calls-to-action and delivering on the promise of community on both platforms.
Final Thoughts
Integrating TikTok and Discord is a powerful way to grow an engaged community that can become the heartbeat of your brand. The key is optimizing your cross-platform promotion strategy, then delivering ongoing value to your members.
As you implement a Discord invite link in your TikTok bio, remember:
- Provide compelling reasons to click and join in both your bio and video content
- Build your TikTok audience first to have a larger pool to convert to Discord
- Customize your Discord to create a welcoming experience for TikTok members
- Continuously track and optimize your conversion metrics
The future of community building is multi-platform. By combining TikTok‘s reach and virality with Discord‘s depth and engagement, you can create a sum greater than its parts.
Use the tactics and examples in this guide as a launchpad for your own TikTok x Discord growth experiments. Adapt and iterate to fit your unique audience and goals.
With strategic integration, your TikTok and Discord communities can become an unstoppable force for your brand‘s growth and impact. Embrace the power of these platforms to build the thriving community you‘ve envisioned.
