Engaging community members on Discord can sometimes feel like solving a complex puzzle.
You may have noticed a trend: new members burst onto the scene with enthusiasm, and there’s a surge of activity when a specific technical question pops up. But in between these moments, regular members often seem to hang back.
Acknowledging and understanding this pattern of engagement is a fundamental step towards morphing your Discord server from a simple question-and-answer hub to a lively, continuously learning, and interactive space.
Yet, for a DevRel community to genuinely flourish on Discord, we need to evolve this platform from being merely functional into an ecosystem that fosters growth, shared learning, and encourages vulnerability.
Identifying Your Audience and Delivering Quick Wins
A key component of transforming your Discord community involves knowing your audience inside out.
Understand their needs, wants, and the obstacles they face. Once you’ve done that, the next step is to provide quick wins that address these issues.
Quick wins can be anything that provides immediate value to your community members, solving a problem they have, or giving them new insights or tools.
Consider this: in a DevRel community focused on cloud development, if members often find it challenging to choose a suitable tech stack, a quick win could be a curated list of popular tech stacks within the community. Couple this with reviews and user experiences, and you’ve got a helpful resource that not only solves a problem but also stimulates conversation.
The key to making quick wins work for your community is consistency.
By regularly providing quick wins, you subtly shift members’ perception of your community from being just another Q&A forum to a learning hub where they can engage in exciting discussions and acquire new knowledge.
Engaging with the Community
The next piece of the puzzle is building awesome community engagement.
To engage with your community effectively, start by understanding your audience through data. Identify the conversations that generate the most replies and likes and try to pinpoint why these topics resonate with your members.
With this understanding, focus on initiating conversations and producing content that strikes a chord with your community.
An excellent strategy is to create one piece of content per week and start at least two conversation starters. This might seem simple, but it is incredibly effective. (Curious what devs are interested in? See the data.)
When members visit your community, they should encounter engaging discussions, relevant content, and intriguing finds, not just a series of question-and-answer exchanges.
If you keep up a steady stream of content and conversation starters, you provide more reasons for members to engage and come back regularly.
External Pulls: Drawing People Back In
Another important factor to consider is the role of external pulls – the things you do outside of Discord to draw people back in.
For instance, you might send an email update about a new piece of content, or post on social media about a conversation that’s gaining momentum in your Discord community.
If members have been dormant in your Discord channel, these external pulls can serve as reminders, nudging them back towards engagement.
The Journey Towards a Thriving Discord Community
Remember, progress trumps perfection.
Start with small steps like initiating a couple of conversations each week, and observe what resonates with your community. As you learn more about your audience and refine your strategies, you’ll find the puzzle of engagement becoming less complex.
With time, you’ll spot trends in the content and discussions that often stir up interaction. This will help you create more engaging DevRel content and spark lively discussions on Discord.
Creating a thriving community on Discord doesn’t happen overnight. It requires consistent effort, creativity, and a willingness to listen and adapt to your audience’s needs. But the reward—a vibrant, engaged community—is well worth the journey.
As always, I’m here to help. Reach out if you have any questions or need guidance on boosting your Discord community’s engagement.
Together, we can unlock the true potential of your DevRel efforts on Discord.
Curious to get an awesome job in DevRel? Read my guide.
