Guide
Discord shoutout brand deal rates
Figures and workflows here are illustrations, not financial, tax, or accounting advice. Talk to a tax or finance specialist in your jurisdiction before you invoice, set payment terms, or treat a number as a rate you should charge.
What a Discord shoutout actually is
You are renting a message in a channel your members trust, optionally pinned for a set number of days. That is closer to a newsletter slot than to a public Reel: the audience opted into the server, and a bad ad hurts your moderation credibility. Price the trust, not only the member counter.
Nanos who also run small Discords should use the same honesty rules as nano influencer rates: show real activity, refuse vanity screenshots packed with bots, and keep a cash floor even when the brand offers roles or nitro codes as “payment.”
Pin days × server size ladder
Build the ladder from (1) members who can see the channel and (2) how long the message stays pinned or bumped. A no-pin shoutout that scrolls away in an hour is cheaper than a 7-day pin in #announcements. Mass pings are a premium only if your rules allow them — many healthy servers never sell @everyone.
| Server / visibility | 1-day pin | 3-day pin | 7-day pin |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~1k–3k visible, active chat | $80–$150 | $150–$260 | $240–$400 |
| ~5k–15k visible (example ~8k) | $180–$320 | $320–$520 | $500–$800 |
| ~15k–40k visible, moderated | $350–$600 | $600–$950 | $900–$1,400 |
| No pin (scroll-only post) | 0.55× 1-day | n/a | n/a |
| Allowed @here / role ping | +25–40% | +25–40% | +25–40% |
| Extra AMA (60 min) | + flat $200–$500 | Same | Same |
Use visible members for the channel you will post in. A 40k server with a 900-person announcements role prices like ~1k, not like 40k.
Worked quote: 3-day pin in #announcements
Inputs: ~8,000 members, announcements role ~1,200, brand wants a 3-day pin, no @everyone, one link, copy under 500 characters, one revision. They offered a free product code for members instead of cash.
| Line | Math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 3-day pin mid-band (~8k server) | Ladder midpoint | $420 |
| @everyone / @here | Not sold | $0 |
| Member product code drop | Optional value-add | Not a fee substitute |
| AMA hour after shoutout | Not included | +$300 if added |
| Total shoutout | Pin only | $420 |
| Gifted-code-only offer | Refuse as payment | Send $420 invoice |
If they want the message re-pinned after you take it down on day 4, that is a new pin window. Screenshots into ads need a usage line.
Payment before post. Discord drama after an unpaid “we’ll PayPal Friday” shoutout is avoidable. Same deposit instinct as other brand deals — post after cleared funds, not after vibes.
Moderation, rules, and sibling inventory
Write channel rules into the SOW: no invite raids, no scraping members, no recruiting mods into the brand’s server, no NSFW if your community is clean. You remain the moderator; they do not get admin “to help track clicks.” Tracking is a unique link, not a permission upgrade.
Disclosure
Label paid partnerships in the message. Community trust is the product you are renting.
Frequency
Cap paid shoutouts per month. Over-serving ads is how active Discords go quiet.
Sibling surfaces
Newsletter, Linktree, and social posts are different SKUs — bundle only with visible lines.
If the brand wants a permanent partner role, branded channel, or weekly drop, that is a retainer or channel rental — price monthly, name deliverables, and include an exit that removes their channel without a public fight. Do not hide that scope inside a one-time shoutout fee.
What Discord shoutout pricing is not
- Not a free add-on to every TikTok or Reel package.
- Not nitro giveaways as substitute payment for a required brief.
- Not permission to DM your members or export the member list.
- Not the same as a YouTube community post or email primary — similar scarcity, different ladder.
Publish the pin-day ladder with your real visibility numbers and a hard no on surprise pings. When a brand says “quick Discord shout,” you already know whether that is $180 or $800 — and what moderation work is still not included.
Related guides
Rate cards & media kits
Discord shoutout rate questions
+How much should a Discord shoutout cost for a mid-size server?
Anchor to members who can see the channel, not vanity totals. A common band is $150–$400 for a 24-hour pin in an active 5k–15k server, then scale pin days and channel heat. Dead 50k shells price like small active rooms.
+Is a Discord shoutout priced like a newsletter sponsorship?
Related scarcity idea, different surface. Newsletter uses opens/CPM; Discord uses pin days × visible members and channel rules. Cross-link the SKUs — do not copy the email invoice math blindly.
+Do I have to host the brand’s support tickets in my server?
No. Shoutout is a message + optional pin window. Ongoing support channel, role menus, or AMAs are separate retainers with moderation hours.
+Can brands require @everyone on a paid shoutout?
Only if you sell pings explicitly — and many communities ban @everyone for ads. Default to no mass ping; charge a ping premium only when your rules allow it.
+What server stats should nanos show brands?
Online peak (30-day), channel where the ad posts, and honest member count. Follow the same honesty bar as nano social rates — inflated bots destroy trust faster in Discord.
+How many revisions on shoutout copy?
One. Discord ads that turn into a week of rewrite threads are change orders. Cap length (e.g. 500 characters) in the SOW.
List Discord pins next to your social rates
BlueRateCard packages help creators show community inventory beside Reels and TikToks so shoutouts stop being free favors. Free for creators.