You may have seen the news about the chat platform Discord that’s in talks with Microsoft to be acquired by the computer giant for numbers north of $10 billion (as of the time I am writing this).
So, if you’re a PR pro, is this worth stopping and taking note of? Absolutely. I’ll share why.
What is Discord? What’s Discord? A recent article sums it up best…
- Discord was launched in May 2015 and by December 2017 had grown to around 87 million users worldwide.
- It is especially popular in multiplayer sports and role-play games in which players join up as teams or compete against one another.
- The app maker says: "It is perfect for chatting with team members, seeing who is playing online, and catching up on text conversations you may have missed."
- Discord also hosts thousands of Reddit-style message boards covering a range of subjects, many not related to gaming such as sport, politics and religion.
Even with its gamer-focused roots, enthusiasts in other genres couldn’t help but utilize the platform. Anyone from sneakerheads to retail investors to musicians can be found starting or joining “servers.” Servers are the spaces on Discord. They are made by specific communities and friend groups.
Discord in action I was somewhat familiar with Discord, but my first real experience with the platform came when a new client of ours, TIKI, started using it for the rollout of their beta launch. They created a channel, or “server” with various discussion threads about the rollout —linked here. The server also contains information about the app, options for support, etc. Essentially, it’s a place for the TIKI community, which includes employees and beta users that have signed up for the app, to congregate and discuss things specifically related to the company.
As I looked through the different channels my client set up, I couldn’t help but notice all the incredibly authentic and real-time conversation that was happening about their product. I was thinking to myself, “wow, this could be a gold mine of insight for story ideas.”
Discord is a place for organic chatter. Given that PR pros are always looking for ground-level insights that could be indicative of trend, there’s no better way to achieve that than to join a conversation of users and enthusiasts of your client’s product/service. Discord allows you to do this.
How can PR pros leverage Discord? Discord in my eyes is like Slack meets Twitter. It organizes conversation among likeminded individuals on a much broader scale than you can achieve with Slack. Slack is much more personal and “internal,” so think functionality of Slack but scale and audience of Twitter.
Now that you’re generally aware of its functionality, let’s dive into potential use cases.
- Monitor/join relevant servers/channels: As a PR pro, you need unfiltered insight from the customers of your client. Discord provides that and more, as these are where power users of your client’s product/service, or the power users of that industry live, should you client not have a server set up.
- No server or awareness from your client? This is your time to shine! Be that source of education regarding this platform for your clients. That is our job as PR pros! Update them on who in their industry is using Discord and how. If they’re adventurous, maybe they’ll start a server of their own that you can set up for them.
- Leverage the platform for your own ideas: Discord can be a great place to prepare for brainstorms, gather insights, or find relevant enthusiasts to follow on other channels in the industries you service. Overall, it’s our responsibility as PR pros to be aware of the latest tools that help people communicate.
Discord provides a platform for like-minded enthusiasts to meet and discuss what they are passionate about. In our socially-distanced world, meaningful connections have gone digital, so it’s important that our industry is aware of where these are occurring.
Stephen Karaolis is the CEO and Founder of Pear the Agency, a boutique public relations agency specializing primarily in earned media services for early-stage startups. He's an avid cyclist and homebrewer who loves his cockapoo named Rafi.
