How to Get More Votes on Your Discord Bot

Most bot developers launch, list on one site, get 12 votes from friends, and then wonder why growth stops. I've watched this happen hundreds of times running DiscordForge.

The bots that break past that early wall aren't always the best built ones. They're the ones that understand what votes actually do, and they build growth into the bot itself.

If your bot shipped this week and you're not sure why people aren't voting, this is for you.

What are Discord bot votes (and why do they matter)?

A vote is a user visiting a bot list page and clicking "Vote" to endorse your bot. Most vote systems reset every 12 hours, so the same user can come back and do it again.

Votes matter for two reasons.

First, ranking. Almost every Discord bot list sorts its catalog by votes in some form. More votes means a higher position, which means more people see your bot organically. On DiscordForge, votes also contribute to featured tier eligibility.

Second, social proof. When a server owner is choosing between three moderation bots, the one with 800 votes looks safer than the one with 3. Fair or not, this is how people decide.

Votes aren't a vanity number. They're the mechanism that decides whether anyone discovers your bot at all.

Where to list your bot

Before you worry about tactics, cover the basics. List your bot on every major directory you can.

• DiscordForge (free listing, webhook support, Staff Picks)
• top.gg (largest by traffic)
• discord.bots.gg
• bots.gg

All free. All take about 10 minutes to set up each.

Some devs skip smaller lists because they don't want to maintain more API tokens. That's a mistake. Early on, roughly 90% of your discovery comes from list traffic. Every list you skip is a funnel you closed.

7 tactics that actually move the needle

1. Build vote rewards into your bot

This is the single biggest lever and the one most devs skip entirely. If voting gives users a perk inside your bot, they'll come back every 12 hours without you asking.

What works:

• Custom colors, badges, or cosmetics
• Double XP for 12 hours after voting
• Exclusive commands (think: "premium-feel" at free price)
• A bonus pull in your economy bot
• Priority queue in your music bot
• Skip cooldowns on a command

What kills retention: hiding core functionality behind votes. That's a paywall with extra steps, and users resent it. Keep the base bot fully usable. Reward voters with fun extras, not unblocking them.

2. Ping voters in your support server

Set up a webhook from each bot list to your support server. Every time someone votes, drop a message thanking them by name. Most bot lists support this out of the box.

Two things happen. The voter feels seen and keeps voting. Other people in your support server see the vote counter going up and vote themselves, because now they know voting is a thing this community does.

I've seen bots triple their weekly vote count after wiring this up. Takes ten minutes.

3. Make the /vote command obvious

Your bot should have a /vote command that replies with direct links to every list you're on. Add it to your /help output. Run it as a passive tip after heavy commands like /play or /mod warn.

If a user has to Google "how do I vote for [your bot]," you've already lost them.

4. Set up a vote reminder

Bot lists send a webhook the moment a vote fires. Store the timestamp. 12 hours later, DM the user one line: "your vote is ready again."

Make it opt-in. Don't spam. For power users who opted in, this turns voting into a habit loop and those users keep your numbers high all month.

5. Write changelog posts people want to share

A lot of votes come from "hey, this bot just shipped X, go check it out." That doesn't happen if your updates read like a corporate bulletin. Ship something worth talking about, then post it in your support server's #announcements with a link to vote if people enjoy it.

One ask per release. Not a weekly pestering.

6. Ask in onboarding, once

When your bot joins a new server, its first greeting to the owner can include a subtle line: "enjoying it? you can support us with a free vote here." That's it. Once. Never again.

Most bots either never ask, or they beg constantly. The middle path converts far better.

7. Aim for curated lists, not just the catalog

DiscordForge has editor-picked Staff Picks and featured tiers. top.gg has Certified Developer. Some lists publish weekly or monthly roundups. Getting on one of these sends a wave of votes that permanently raises your baseline.

Criteria is usually obvious: active development, solid docs, good support server, no sketchy behavior. If you're building something real, apply. It's free and the upside is massive.

How to wire vote rewards in code

Every bot list sends a POST to your webhook endpoint when a vote fires. Shape varies, but the pattern is the same: a user_id, sometimes a guild_id, and a signed Authorization header you verify before trusting the payload.

Rough sketch in TypeScript (adjust header name per list):

app.post('/webhooks/discordforge/vote', async (req, res) => {
  if (req.headers.authorization !== process.env.DF_WEBHOOK_SECRET) {
    return res.status(401).end();
  }

  const { user } = req.body;

  await db.voter.upsert({
    where: { userId: user },
    update: { lastVotedAt: new Date() },
    create: { userId: user, lastVotedAt: new Date() },
  });

  await grantDoubleXP(user, { hours: 12 });
  return res.status(200).end();
});

Read each list's webhook docs, copy the verification pattern, and wire them all to the same handler. One afternoon of work. Keep working for years.

Mistakes that kill vote counts

• Listing on one site only. Every list you skip is 20-40% of your funnel.
• No reward for voting. Users forget. Give them a reason to remember.
• Begging in every message. One ask in onboarding is fine. Every /help output whining about votes is not.
• Ignoring your support server. The people who joined your Discord are your warmest audience. They're the ones who vote in week one. Pay attention.
• Publicly pointing out low counts. "We only have 12 votes, please vote" screams desperation. Just ship, and they'll come.
• Buying votes. Every major list delists for this. Don't throw away months of work.

FAQ

How often can someone vote for my Discord bot? On most bot lists, every 12 hours. A handful allow once per 24 hours. Check each list's docs.

Do votes actually affect my bot's ranking? Yes. Almost every Discord bot list uses vote count as a primary ranking signal. On DiscordForge specifically, votes feed both the main catalog sort and featured tier eligibility.

Should I pay for votes? No. Every major list will delist your bot if they catch incentivized voting outside the normal vote rewards system. Not worth the risk.

What's the fastest way to get my first 100 votes? Ship a working bot, wire vote rewards, post a changelog in your support server, and add /vote to your command list. If the bot is solid, first 100 comes within a week.

Can I get my bot featured on DiscordForge? Yes. List the bot, build some activity (votes, reviews, active guild count), and apply via the dashboard. We look at uptime, docs, support server quality, and whether the bot does something useful.

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If your bot is live and growth has plateaued, this is almost always the fix. Votes are a growth loop you build once and compound on forever. List on DiscordForge, wire a vote reward, ping your support server on each vote, and give it two weeks before judging the result.

List your bot on DiscordForge | Read the webhook docs