How to advertise a Minecraft server

The best way to advertise a Minecraft server is to put a short, specific pitch where players are already choosing a server: server lists, the server-ad channels of Minecraft Discords, r/mcservers, and short gameplay videos. All of those are free. Paid spots on lists come after, once you know new players stick around.

This page is the channel-by-channel playbook: what each one costs, what to post there, the rules that get ads deleted, and how to make a trailer with free tools. If you haven't launched yet, read how to get players on your server first. Advertising a server that loses people in its first five minutes just loses them faster.

Every channel compared: free vs paid

Write one ad first, then adapt it

Every channel wants the same four facts in a different shape. Write them once:

1. What it is, in one line. The mode and the twist. "Semi-vanilla SMP with land claims and a player-run economy" beats "the best server ever".
2. Why now. A new season starting, a launch date, a weekend event. Ads with a date get more clicks than evergreen ones.
3. The practical facts. Version range, Java or Bedrock or both, region, whether it's whitelisted.
4. Where to go. The address, and your listing or Discord link.

Here's a plain-text template that fits most Discord and Reddit rules with little editing:

Where to advertise your Minecraft server for free

Server lists

Server lists are the only channel where every visitor is looking for a server at that moment, which is why they come first. List on several, and make each page complete: a real description, gameplay notes, the right game-mode tags, your banner and your Discord. On ours, adding a server is free and takes about two minutes; we ping it, show its real player count and uptime, and you claim it with a code in your MOTD. You can also list before launch under Coming soon, where players can ask to be emailed when you open. If your server follows Mojang's rules, also consider the official list at findmcserver.com, run by GamerSafer with Mojang, which has no paid placement.

Our guide to server lists and vote sites explains what to look for in a list and how voting feeds the ranking.

Minecraft server advertising on Discord

Many Minecraft Discords have a channel for server ads, and some whole Discords exist only for that. They can bring a quick burst of players, but they have rules, and moderators enforce them.

• Read the pinned rules before posting. Most set a cooldown (one ad per day, per few days, or per week), a length limit, and sometimes a required format.
• Post in the right channel only. An ad in #general is the fastest way to get banned from a community you wanted players from.
• Use the channel's format, even if it's different from your template. Moderators delete ads that ignore it.
• Answer replies. A question under your ad is a player about to join.

• No DM advertising. Discord's Community Guidelines ban unsolicited bulk messages, and servers built around mass DM ads count as spam servers. Accounts that do it get reported and actioned.
• No self-bots or auto-posters running from your personal account.
• No "join my server for free rank" posts in communities that ban incentives.

Our own Discord has a showcase board for server owners: join it here and read the channel rules first.

Where to advertise a Minecraft server on Reddit

r/mcservers is the subreddit made for server ads. Read its sidebar rules before you post; like most ad communities, it limits how often you can advertise the same server. A good Reddit post is a bit longer than a Discord ad: say what the server is, add a screenshot or short clip, and stay in the comments for the first hours to answer questions. Don't post ads in general Minecraft subreddits that don't allow them.

Your own players and other small servers

Give current players an easy way to share: a /discord and /vote command, a shareable listing link, and maybe a small cosmetic reward for bringing a friend who stays. You can also team up with a small server running a different mode for a joint event. Two servers of 15 players each can put on an event that feels like 30.

TikTok and YouTube Shorts: what to post

Short vertical clips are the only free channel that reaches people who weren't looking for a server. They're also the most work. What tends to work for servers is real gameplay with a hook in the first seconds, not a logo intro.

Put the address on screen at the end and in a pinned comment. Post on a schedule you can keep for months; a few clips a week you can sustain beat a daily plan you drop after a week.

Minecraft server trailer: how to make one with free tools

People search for a "Minecraft server trailer maker" hoping for one button. There isn't one, but a good trailer takes a free mod, a free editor and an afternoon.

1. Record with a replay mod. Flashback is a client-side Fabric mod that records your gameplay so you can replay it and set up cinematic camera shots afterward. At the time of writing (September 2026) its Modrinth page lists support up to Java 26.3. Replay Mod does a similar job for 1.21.x and older; check its Modrinth page for the versions it supports.
2. Stage a few scenes with real players. A busy spawn, a fight, a build, an event. Record a session, then pick the angles later.
3. Cut short. Open on your best shot, not your logo. Aim for the length the platform suits: under a minute for Shorts and TikTok, a bit longer for a listing or YouTube trailer.
4. Export two versions. A vertical 9:16 cut for Shorts and TikTok, and a 16:9 cut for YouTube and your Discord.
5. End on the address and the edition (Java, Bedrock or both) for a few seconds.

How much does it cost to advertise a Minecraft server?

There's no standard price. Lists sell spots in different ways: fixed dates at a set price, auctions for top positions, or boosts on a single page. What a spot is worth depends on how many players see it and how well your server converts them, which only you can measure. Before paying anyone, ask these questions:

• Where exactly does it show? Home page only, every list page, or one game-mode page?
• Is it labeled as an ad? Players trust labeled spots more than rankings that quietly move for money.
• What happens if my server goes offline? Paying to send players to a dead address hurts you twice.
• Does paying change votes or rank? If it does, the whole list is less trustworthy, including for the players you want.
• Can I pick dates? Line the ad up with a launch or a season start.

Our answers: we sell a featured header card on the home page, sidebar cards beside every list page, and list boosts shown above the ranking on a page you choose. All of them say "Ad" or "Sponsored", never take a rank number, never change votes, and are hidden automatically while your server is offline. Prices and dates are on the advertise page.

How to tell if an ad worked

Minecraft doesn't tell you where a player came from, but there are two simple tricks. First, ask: a one-question "how did you find us?" in your Discord onboarding or a first-join chat prompt. Second, give each channel its own hostname (for example tiktok.yourserver.net) pointing at the same server. Bukkit's player login event exposes the hostname a player used to connect, so a small plugin can count joins per channel.

Advertising a plugin, mod or website instead?

Server lists are for servers. If you're promoting a plugin or mod, the places players and owners actually look are the project pages on Modrinth and CurseForge (and SpigotMC or Hangar for plugins). A clear description, screenshots, a changelog and quick replies to issues do most of the promotion. For a server website, the website's job is to send people to your address and Discord; link it from every listing.

Quick questions