Advertising your Runescape private server is one of the keys points to a server's success. In fact, it is perhaps the most important aspect of attracting players to your RSPS. Together with having unique / bug-free content and a motivated team, your server can become a great success.

There are many great methods which you can utilize to advertise your RSPS. All options are good, but the best practice is to combine a variety of advertising strategies – don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. In this way, you are can maximize your chances of reaching the most amount of potential players. 

1. Hire Content Creators

One of the most effective, yet costly strategy to attract players to your RSPS is hiring content creators. This entails paying a Youtuber or Streamer to create videos for your server. First, you want to find an active content creator and negotiate a deal for their services. It is important that you provide the content creator with key features to cover within the video. Content creators often work with multiple other servers which means they cannot always keep up with all the content in each server. The more information you can supply them, the more your video will video will turn out how you want it. 

A single video is not going to cut it either - repetition is what sells. It is recommended to plan a video advertisement campaign with content creators. Preferably, the content creator should record a series of videos for your RSPS to constantly remind players of your server and give them the impression that your server is continuously active. 

While searching for the right Youtuber / Streamer for your server it is important to keep in mind that not every content creator earns their views, likes, and subscribers fairly. Some content creators inflate their engagement by purchasing fake subscribers/views/comments to make it seem like they are doing better than they really are. In reality, you might be paying way too much and receive little in return on your investment. With that said, the number of views and subscribers aren’t everything. You can utilize tools like Socialblade to research the background of Youtubers’ channel growth. You can use this tool to view Youtuber statistics to see if there are any unusually high spikes in followers / views. If a Youtuber’s subscribers jumped by 200 people in one day, then you could probably infer that person is purchasing fake subscribers. Additionally, you can always ask around the RSPS community to see who players enjoy watching. Or you can likely conclude Youtubers that are frequently used by large servers are probably a good outlet to promote your server.

A content creator costs on average between $60-$250 per video/stream. Of course, the price difference is typically determined by the number of real subscribers and activity on the channel. For example, a channel with about 1500 subscribers might cost $60/video, whereas a channel with about 2500 subscribers might cost around $125. On the higher end, a channel with 5000+ subscribers can cost around $200 per video. It is possible to make a special deal with the content creator so that you get more videos for less money. Remember, a content creator usually expects to get paid first before they get started.

2. Buy advertisement spots on RSPS platforms

Another possible way to advertise your RSPS is to buy ad spots on one or more RSPS platforms, such as RuneList. These platforms offer multiple ad spots for a longer period. For example, you could place an advertisement banner for one month at a fixed rate. Like content creators, placing advertisements on RSPS websites is certainly not always cheap either. The prices of these ads differ between websites and can range from $25 to $600 per month.

There are different types of advertisement opportunities available on Runescape private server community websites. For example, you can buy sidebar, header, footer, and vote gateway spots from us. We also sell an RSPS toplist sponsored server listing. Similar options are also found on many other RSPS platforms. Some of the most effective and sought-after ad banner placements are located on the vote gateway as these banners are typically visited the most by players voting for servers. The most expensive ad spot is the Sponsored Server Listing, also known as Top Ads. These range from $100 to $600 per month and place your server at the top of the list.

3. Advertise with Google Ads

Advertising through Google is flexible and allows you to spend as little or as much as your budget can handle. Via Google Ads, you can indicate for which target groups, origins, and interests you want to advertise. You will find a difference in price per keyword used. A keyword is a word that describes the content on your page or post best. By using Google Ads, when a specific keyword is searched your website will appear at the top of the search term, or other various key placements. This makes your website stand out immediately and can lead players to your website quickly. 

With further research and implementation, you can also advertise almost for free on Google. For example, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can contribute to a higher position on Google. The better your SEO is, the faster and better you can be found on Google. Stay tuned for future articles related to SEO. 

4. Advertise on Social Media

Advertising on social media works almost exactly the same as advertising on Google. Social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, allow people to advertise based on target group, origin, and keywords. You get to choose how well your ad performs based on your budget. These ads will then appear in the feed of the people. Additionally, creating social media pages is a great free resource to increase your SEO and thus get noticed.

5. Use an RSPS Toplist (FREE)

An RSPS toplist, also called a RuneScape Private Server List, can contribute to the acquisition of new players. It is quite easy to add your server to a top list. First of all, you have to make sure you have voting software on your own website. Then you can register a server via an RSPS List. Here you fill in useful information and add images that will make your server stand out. Because people vote for your server, your server will be higher in the list and will be noticed faster. It is possible to purchase additional votes on some lists, although this is certainly not recommended. There is also the possibility to purchase highlighted toplist listings, these stand out more than the normal listings, so you can catch the eyes of new players easily.

6. Create advertisement threads on RSPS platforms (FREE)

Another great free method to promote your server is to create advertisement and project threads on RSPS community websites, such as RuneList or Rune-Server. Here you can share the features of your server, include images of gameplay, and explain to players how to play the game. This method is not always as fast as the other options mentioned but is nonetheless an option that should be used.

7. Advertise in Discord Communities (FREE)

Advertising in Discord Communities is usually free. In most cases, you can place a post with information about your server in the advertisement section of a RSPS discord community. Members of these Discords may see ads in these sections and choose a server they are interested in. It is also important that you study the rules within the community. For example, in multiple Discord Communities you cannot just share a direct link to your server’s website. Some require you to have a certain level of membership or rank within the community. Other communities might require you to share only links associated with their website. This is easily done by posting a link to your server’s website in the free advertisement / project thread you created in the previous step. This article, which contains a url to your website, can often be shared in Discord Communities as opposed to direct links.

  Which of the advertising strategies do you use or suggest? Feel free to comment your opinions below. 

Article Written By Sander