How to run a free + VIP Discord for your picks
Most pick sellers end up with one Discord server, a free channel anyone can read, and a VIP channel only paying members can see. The details are where people leak picks, annoy members, or break Discord's rules.
The basic server structure
Keep it small. Every extra channel is one more place for members to miss something.
| Channel | Who can see it | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| #announcements | Everyone | Schedule changes, promos, rule updates. Rarely used. |
| #free-picks | Everyone | Free picks and teasers for VIP |
| #vip-picks | Paid role only | Full VIP picks with units and notes |
| #results | Everyone | Graded results for both free and VIP |
| #general | Everyone (optional) | Member chat, if you have time to moderate it |
Roles: how paid access works
Discord access is controlled by roles. A new server has one role, @everyone, which applies to every member (Discord: Setting Up Permissions FAQ). You create a second role, for example "VIP", and give only that role access to the VIP channel.
Payment tools like Whop and LaunchPass handle the role for you. The member pays, links their Discord account, and the tool's bot adds the VIP role, then removes it when the subscription ends. You tell the tool which role to assign and make sure its bot is allowed to assign it.
This trips people up. On Discord, a member or bot with the Manage Roles permission can only manage roles that sit below its own highest role in the role list (Discord: Roles and Permissions). If your payment bot's role sits under "VIP", it can't hand out "VIP". Whop's setup guide says to move the Whop bot above the role you sell (Whop docs, which now requires a login; we read it through a search excerpt). Check your tool's own guide for its exact steps.
Making the VIP channel private
Open the channel's settings, go to Permissions, and turn on Private Channel. Discord then removes the View Channel permission from @everyone, and you add the VIP role back in (Discord: Roles and Permissions; Discord: Role-Exclusive channel).
Channel permissions override server permissions (Discord: Setting Up Permissions FAQ). So if VIP lives inside a category, check that the channel's settings aren't synced back to a public category.
Then test it. Server owners and Administrators can use View Server As Role: Server Settings, Roles, pick a role, then View Server As Role (Discord: View Server As Role). Run it twice:
- View as @everyone only. The VIP channel should be gone from the list.
- View as VIP. The VIP channel should be visible and readable.
Repeat this whenever you add a channel, move one, or add a bot.
Webhooks versus bots
There are two ways software can post into your channels.
- Webhooks are a URL tied to one channel that other services use to send messages into it. You create them in Server Settings, Integrations (Discord: Intro to Webhooks). Anything holding the URL can post there.
- Bots are accounts you invite with a set of permissions, so they can do more than post.
To create, edit, or delete a webhook, a member needs the Manage Webhooks permission (Discord: Channel Permissions Settings 101). Give that permission to yourself and maybe one trusted admin. Nobody else needs it.
Treat a VIP webhook URL like a password. If one leaks, delete it and make a new one.
Don't ping @everyone for every pick
Pinging @everyone on every pick gets your server muted. Members can suppress @everyone pings from a server (Discord: stop @everyone mentions), and once they do, they miss the posts that matter.
Better options:
- Create an opt-in role like "Pick Alerts" and ping that.
- Save @everyone for real announcements, a few times a month at most.
- Limit who can use @everyone. The "Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles" permission can be turned off for regular members (Discord: Channel Permissions Settings 101).
Post results in both channels
Post each graded result in the channel where the pick went, and post it again in the free channel or #results, VIP results included. VIP members see their pick graded in place. Free members get proof that VIP is worth paying for, and hidden VIP losses look worse than the losses. One line per pick is enough: the pick, the units, and the result.
Teasers that don't leak the pick
A teaser tells the free channel that a VIP pick exists without giving it away.
Good teaser: "VIP pick is in for tonight's NBA slate. 2 units. Posted 2:15 PM ET."
Bad teaser: "VIP is on a road favorite in the late game." That's enough for anyone to work it out.
Leave out the team, the side, the total, and the game time if there's only one game in that window.
Keep the VIP channel worth paying for
People cancel when VIP feels like noise. A few habits help:
- Timing. Post early enough that members can get the number. Include the time you posted.
- Units. Use one unit scale and stick to it. Say "1u" or "2u", never vague words like "max play".
- The number. Write the line and odds you took, so members know when the price has moved too far.
- Short notes. One or two sentences on why.
- No clutter. Keep chat out of the VIP pick channel. Give VIP members a separate chat channel if they want one.
Moderation and verification
A busy free channel attracts spam accounts and impersonators who DM your members pretending to be you.
- Verification level. Discord's Verification Levels set requirements before someone can message, such as a verified email, account age, or a verified phone at the highest level (Discord: Verification Levels). Medium or High is a reasonable starting point.
- AutoMod. Discord's AutoMod can block spam content and messages with too many mentions (Discord: AutoMod FAQ).
- Read-only pick channels. Turn off Send Messages for members in #free-picks, #vip-picks and #results.
- Impersonation warning. Pin a message saying you will never DM anyone first to sell picks.
Discord's rules on spam and DMs
Discord's Community Guidelines prohibit unsolicited bulk messages (spam) and inauthentic engagement like artificially inflating member counts (Discord Community Guidelines). They also say every account must belong to a human, so "self-bots" that automate a normal user account are not allowed. A separate rule prohibits coordinating or taking part in illegal gambling.
In practice: don't mass-DM people, don't send members promotions they didn't ask for, and don't buy fake members.
A tool that does this for you
If you'd rather not manage webhooks yourself, SlipRelay is one option. It's posting software for pick sellers. It doesn't sell picks, take bets, or touch your subscribers or payments. You connect Discord in one click and choose the free and VIP channels on Discord's own screen, with no bot and no copying webhooks. VIP picks go only to the VIP channel, public platforms get a "VIP pick is in" teaser, and it never pings @everyone. Plans start at $24/month with a free week.
Sources
- Discord Community Guidelines
- Discord: Setting Up Permissions FAQ
- Discord: Roles and Permissions
- Discord: How do I set up a Role-Exclusive channel?
- Discord: View Server As Role Permission Guide
- Discord: Intro to Webhooks
- Discord: Channel Permissions Settings 101
- Discord: How do I stop @everyone mentions from select servers?
- Discord: Verification Levels
- Discord: AutoMod FAQ
- Whop docs: Start selling (login required; read via search excerpt)
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