Any tips for a server owner?

[kiko123]

So I need tips to get a playerbase in and maybe donations.

I have a budget of about 20$
I have yet to buy the setup and stuff

Any tips I can use to get a playerbase in and donations, fast. ?

 

[Aelin]

Not sure what everyone is going on about needing 2k to start a server. I started one with less than $150 and make a solid $800 after expenses (which I honestly could have avoided completely if I didn't want to experiment with different forms of advertising), with about $1200 total donations in just over a month. My recommendation to you Kiko is to save up a bit of money, around $100-200 and work with that. $20 isn't enough, but you certainly don't need $2000. Don't get discouraged. Server owning is tough but rewarding.

You might not be able to have the best server with a million people if you don't spend on advertising, but you can also save a lot of money and if you do it properly, still turn a profit and eventually put money towards adverts which will make you grow.
Good luck!

 

[Atmazphere]

Incorrect, I've made many servers with spending as little as $100 and gained k's in profit. It's all about how you advertise it, you don't need slots and youtubers uploading videos to get players.

I have done that too, but the reality is, that’s luck. There’s no guarantee that’s going to happen to you in today’s Minecraft society. You really do need a fair chunk of money in order to get a big player base and maintain it.

To all these people that say they started a server with a low budget, if you’re telling the truth, which I think 50% of you are just saying that - it was luck. As stated above, a server today will not hold its player base on a low budget.

In order to make money, you have to spend money.

 

[Sparko]

Always take what people say w/ a grain of salt

 

[pcranaway]

Do not start conversations with new players/normal players.

 

[kiko123]

Thanks to everyone who has helped me. But in the post there is 50% go for it 50% don't do it

I have 100$, but considering I am unemployed and am not yet 18, 100$ is a big investment for me (I know I am broke) my point is I don't know the 'tactics' of server making, I seriously know jack about that. I know that youtuber advertising is costly but important, I know that advertising in general is expensive.

But, my point is, I don't wanna waste 100$, I once wasted 50 dollars on a server which launched and literally got 3 players online.
And keep in mind I only know the basics:
buy the custom setup
buy the hosting
make sure no bugs
get staff
get advertisers
launch

That is all I know about the steps to start a server, and don't get me wrong, I really want players on my server, but considering my budget is expensive for me, I wanna be sure to get it back atleast, and hopefully make profit[DOUBLEPOST=1519836287][/DOUBLEPOST]Is there any 'hidden' steps I can take to make sure I actually make some profit?[DOUBLEPOST=1519836315][/DOUBLEPOST]and should I still dive into this with little to no server owner experience

 

[kiko123]

I am not making the server myself

I'd say use cracked plugins until you can buy them, cuz at both 20$ or 100$ most of it will probably go for hosting and advertising, and you probably won't have any money for plugins at that point.

 

[Atmazphere]

Thanks to everyone who has helped me. But in the post there is 50% go for it 50% don't do it

I have 100$, but considering I am unemployed and am not yet 18, 100$ is a big investment for me (I know I am broke) my point is I don't know the 'tactics' of server making, I seriously know jack about that. I know that youtuber advertising is costly but important, I know that advertising in general is expensive.

But, my point is, I don't wanna waste 100$, I once wasted 50 dollars on a server which launched and literally got 3 players online.
And keep in mind I only know the basics:
buy the custom setup
buy the hosting
make sure no bugs
get staff
get advertisers
launch

That is all I know about the steps to start a server, and don't get me wrong, I really want players on my server, but considering my budget is expensive for me, I wanna be sure to get it back atleast, and hopefully make profit[DOUBLEPOST=1519836287][/DOUBLEPOST]Is there any 'hidden' steps I can take to make sure I actually make some profit?[DOUBLEPOST=1519836315][/DOUBLEPOST]and should I still dive into this with little to no server owner experience

Most of us were in your position before, I can admit I was. Back in 2013 it was easy to launch a server with $100. But now, I would definently save up a bit (a lot if you can) more as you’d be wasting your money at the moment.

Look at it this way, $100:
Logo - $25-80+
Hosting - $5+/ month for a budget host
Domain - $10-20

That’s just the basics, and then.. you’re out of money.

 

[Simpli_]

I suggest before starting a server at least have a budget of 100 - 200 dollars as your current budget wont take you anywhere.

 

[Atmazphere]

A logo starts at $2 ...

and bare in mind, the costs listed above are one-off payments and don't need to be addressed again once paid for

A shit logo starts at $2, and if your logo isn’t appealing, say goodbye to players that just joined. No one wants to join a server where they see no work invested into it. He said he has $100 only, if you read the OP. I’m laying down costs that are associated with opening a server. The only thing above as a one time cost is the logo. The host is paid monthly, and depending on your domain/website hosting, it’s either paid monthly or yearly.

That's where your wrong, To have a successful server you have to have a server that is open to it's community but is layed out well enough that it makes it smooth/easy to play and this will cause players to want to stay as it will catch their eye. Yes you need money to advertise but you can also go out on luck and get smaller YT'S (500 subs) to record and they will bring on 1 - 4 players and if they record enough , over time the playerbase and donations will build up. Basically everyone has what they need and that is time and patience

If you’re not showing players you don’t have money to invest in the server, then they’re not going to stay.

Open up two servers, one where you have a bare website, bare logo, poor advertisement, etc.

The other, have a nice website and a nice logo, and good advertisement.

See which server does better.

 

[kiko123]

A shit logo starts at $2, and if your logo isn’t appealing, say goodbye to players that just joined. No one wants to join a server where they see no work invested into it. He said he has $100 only, if you read the OP. I’m laying down costs that are associated with opening a server. The only thing above as a one time cost is the logo. The host is paid monthly, and depending on your domain/website hosting, it’s either paid monthly or yearly.


If you’re not showing players you don’t have money to invest in the server, then they’re not going to stay.

Open up two servers, one where you have a bare website, bare logo, poor advertisement, etc.

The other, have a nice website and a nice logo, and good advertisement.

See which server does better.

I like the points that your making, however it is a shame because basically what your saying is that anyone who is on a budget, even if that budget is 100-200 dollars, it isn't enough.

So in short, your opinion is that to have a guarenteed pb with donations and maybe profit, I need to give out a lottt of money.


Is there anyway of not doing so?[DOUBLEPOST=1519844965][/DOUBLEPOST]

But what is this going to prove ? In a matter of speaking if you stick at something and you enjoy what you are doing and like what you have made it may or may not go somewhere but lifes about taking risks so take it

I see you, but 20 dollars isn't much, 100 dollars is a lot for me, i can't just move on with life knowing that I just wasted 100 dollars, I wanna make good investments, I am starting a channel soon, dunno if that will help. But the thing is I just wanna succeed, I knew a dude, in 2017 who made a shitty factions server, like hella bad, and the ftop was 100 dollars buycraft not even paypal, and yet with 50 dollars of advertisement, he managed to get 250 dollars back in the first week of open time. Stories like that give me motivation, but should I go for it or not, I just don't know, so many people are saying go for it, so many aren't

 

[Aelin]

As someone said above, take everything people are saying with a grain of salt. However, I have some experience working with a small budget and here's a breakdown of the stuff you actually need to get started (assuming you can configure and build for your server. Prebuilt non-exclusive structures are cheap though- you could get one for like 50 cents probably so all you need to know about is configuring and installing plugins)
-15$ for a logo and server icon with (I recommend) Wolfieoh. Her icons are amazing and can be thrown on your website as a logo as well. Looks professional still.
-$45-50 for an animated banner to go on server lists. Take a screenshot of this animated banner for minecraft-server-list which doesn't allow gifs.
-$10-15 per month hosting. Use someone who offers subdomains, and don't bother with your own. I still use my subdomain- works just fine.
-25$ for whatever else you may need. Whether this is a particular plugin, someone to help you configure things, maybe an enjin subscription, use it to make your server better.
-Don't post your server on websites until it's 100% complete. When you're ready to post, wait for a high volume time like Friday afternoons or Saturdays. Bump it every day.

 

[Atmazphere]

I like the points that your making, however it is a shame because basically what your saying is that anyone who is on a budget, even if that budget is 100-200 dollars, it isn't enough.

So in short, your opinion is that to have a guarenteed pb with donations and maybe profit, I need to give out a lottt of money.


Is there anyway of not doing so?[DOUBLEPOST=1519844965][/DOUBLEPOST]
I see you, but 20 dollars isn't much, 100 dollars is a lot for me, i can't just move on with life knowing that I just wasted 100 dollars, I wanna make good investments, I am starting a channel soon, dunno if that will help. But the thing is I just wanna succeed, I knew a dude, in 2017 who made a shitty factions server, like hella bad, and the ftop was 100 dollars buycraft not even paypal, and yet with 50 dollars of advertisement, he managed to get 250 dollars back in the first week of open time. Stories like that give me motivation, but should I go for it or not, I just don't know, so many people are saying go for it, so many aren't

It sucks to be on a budget, but the reality is you can't get far with $100-200 dollars. If you're on a budget in person, it's impossible to go buy a Lamborghini and make payments, in the end it'd mess up your credit. Same as in Minecraft, if you're on a budget and it's strict, you can invest but in the end you're screwing yourself over.

There's not really a truly effective, guaranteed free way of advertising your server. But, a good start is definently getting a good team behind you.

But what is this going to prove ? In a matter of speaking if you stick at something and you enjoy what you are doing and like what you have made it may or may not go somewhere but lifes about taking risks so take it

What is what going to prove? If you don't have much to show for, no one is going to go to the show? Obviously making a server is a risk, agreed, but a tight budget in today's MC world, doesn't help you get too far.