Brands commonly have an “announcements” channel for official news, a “general chat” channel where members can discuss upcoming drops and meet each other, plus other themed channels of the brand’s choice.

Each server can have multiple customisable threads, or channels, similar to Slack, and Discord also allows for engaging via voice and video. On Discord, brands can create their own servers to both attract NFT enthusiasts and share NFT projects with existing fans - either approach gains the NFT projects attention from an eager audience. Brands that are trying to build a community understand the value of building relationships within these gated communities because the existing communities are the ones that seed the new ones,” she says. “Leveraging Discord is influencer marketing in Web 3.0. Cassatt adds that its software also makes it easy to introduce a token-gating mechanism, meaning that owning a certain NFT might automatically grant access to certain servers. “If there's a Soho House of Web 3.0, it's on Discord,” says Amanda Cassatt, CEO of venture studio and marketing firm Serotonin, which helps Sotheby's and luxury fashion brands enter the metaverse. “Discord is its own ecosystem, like Instagram, Twitter, Reddit and LinkedIn all wrapped into one, with 24/7 engagement from people all around the world. Each NFT of the 2,000-piece collection that is purchased - only 100 of each “skin” will be sold - comes with its physical counterpart.ĭiscord is “like the heart and soul of an NFT project”, Yang says, adding that the brand originally tried to hire influencers, but that didn’t drive traffic. The brand is digital-first, starting with 3D animations sold as NFTs. It’s more fitting than Instagram or TikTok, says founder George Yang, who spent time as a designer at brands including Theory and Costume National, because of Cult & Rain’s NFT tie-in. To build hype around the upcoming presale, the brand turned to Discord, the six-year-old platform that started with gamer chatrooms. The brand’s sneakers are made only after they’re purchased, encased in premium packaging designed to act like a trophy case as well as a shoebox.

Luxury sneaker startup Cult & Rain is holding its first official presale for the brand’s Italian-made shoes, valued at more than $1,200, in February.

Discord server website