How to Reject a Discord Application (Message Templates That Do Not Burn Bridges)
A good denied message says no clearly, gives one honest reason and tells them if and when they can reapply. Templates by situation, and what Mico sends.
Mico Team, Mico
6 min read
Most denied applicants are members you want to keep. They will still be in your server tomorrow, chatting next to the people who were accepted. How you say no decides whether they try again in a month or leave with a story about your "unfair staff".
This is about the message the applicant reads. How your team reaches the decision is a different job, covered in reviewing applications as a team.
What does the applicant actually receive?
In Mico, a denial is a direct message from the bot. By default it reads:
Your application was not accepted
Your application to Staff in Example Server was not accepted this time.
Reason: We are looking for moderators active in European evenings, and your hours do not overlap.
Three parts, and you control two of them:
The parts of a denial
- Title
- Always "Your application was not accepted"
- Body
- The standard line above, or your panel's own deny message on Premium and Pro
- Reason
- What the reviewer types in the Deny form. Optional. Shown to this applicant only
- Automatic note
- Added when the AI score denied it, not a person: "Decided automatically from the AI score the server set."
The Deny form labels the field "Reason for the applicant (optional)" and warns that they see it. Believe it. Anything typed there arrives word for word.
If their DMs are closed, nothing arrives, and the review message tells your team "Their DMs are closed: they were not told." The applicant can still find the decision and the reason later with /application, or on the website under their own applications.
How do you split the panel message from the reason?
The panel's deny message is one text for everyone who is denied on that panel. It cannot name the person. So write it for the whole group, and let the reason carry the personal part.
A panel deny message that works for nearly everyone:
Thanks for applying, and for the time you put in. We are not taking you on this round. You can apply again after the cooldown, and many of our staff got in on their second try.
Then the reviewer adds one line of reason per person. Custom messages are on Premium and Pro; on Free, the standard line above does the same job with less warmth, and the reason matters even more.
How do you write the reason?
One or two sentences. Specific, true, and about something they can change.
Your answers to the scenario questions were one line each. We need to see how you think
They know exactly what to do next time
We need people online on weekdays, and you listed weekends only
A fact, not a judgment of them
You joined three days ago. Spend some time here and apply next round
Kind, and tells them the way back
Not what we are looking for
Says nothing, invites "what ARE you looking for?"
Low effort
True maybe, but reads as an insult
The AI gave you a 34
A number they cannot see the reasons for, and it shifts blame to a tool
Other staff did not like you
Starts a hunt for who said it
Never paste the AI score or its explanation into the reason. Applicants never see their scores, and a number with no context helps nobody. If the scoring pointed at a real gap, say the gap in your own words.
Which templates fit which situation?
Reusable reasons, ready to adapt. Keep them in a pinned message in your review channel so every reviewer words the same situation the same way.
Reasons by situation
- The round is full
- We had more good applications than places this round. Yours was close. Please apply again next time
- Not enough experience
- We are looking for people who have moderated before. Help out in the community for a while and apply again
- Too new to the server
- We like staff to know the community first. Spend a few weeks here and apply again
- Answers too short
- Your answers did not give us enough to go on. Next time, tell us what you would actually do
- Hours do not fit
- We need cover at times you are not online. If your hours change, we would love to hear from you
- Missed a requirement
- The role needs a working microphone for voice events, and you said you do not have one
- Looks AI-written, reviewed by a person
- Your answers read as generic and did not mention our server. Next time, write in your own words about us
The last one is careful on purpose. You cannot prove an answer was written with an AI tool, so do not accuse. Describe what you saw. Spotting AI-written applications explains why.
When should you say nothing?
Leave the reason empty when:
- the honest reason is a report from another member, and naming it would expose them
- the applicant broke rules recently and already knows it
- they have been told the same thing before and argued every time
- the reason is about safety, and explaining it gives them a script to try again
An empty reason is not rude. The applicant still gets a clear "not accepted this time". What is rude is a vague reason that sounds like a dodge.
What about the accept message?
Write it at the same time, because it is the other half of the same moment. An accepted applicant gets "You were accepted", the standard line or your panel's own accept message, and a note if the reviewer typed one, plus "Your new roles were given to you." when a role was added.
Use the accept message for what happens next, not for congratulations alone:
Welcome to the team. Read #staff-handbook before your first shift, and your trial period starts today. Ping @Head Mod with any questions.
Which roles are given or taken on accept and deny is set per panel, and why a role sometimes fails to arrive is its own topic in giving a role on accept.
When can they apply again?
When the panel's cooldown ends. It is set in hours per panel and counts from the moment of the decision, accepted or denied. If they press Apply too soon, Mico answers with the exact time left: "You can apply again in 71h 52m."
Say the wait in your deny message or your reason. "You can apply again in two weeks" sounds like a door left open. Finding out from an error message sounds like a ban. How cooldowns and other limits work covers the setting itself.
The applicant's side matters too: when they come back, they should do better, not just send the same answers longer. Our guide for applicants is a fair thing to link in a deny message.
What are the limits here?
Mico handles
- Sending the denial as a direct message the moment you decide
- Your own deny and accept text per panel, on Premium and Pro
- A personal reason per applicant, on every plan
- Telling your team when the applicant could not be messaged
You still handle
- Placeholders such as the applicant's name in the panel message
- Translating the message: Mico's own texts are in English
- Saved reason templates inside the Deny form: keep them pinned
- A conversation after the decision: use the Talk to them thread, before deciding
A no that is clear, kind and specific costs a reviewer one extra sentence. It is the cheapest thing your server can do to keep good members around for the next round.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
A direct message titled Your application was not accepted, saying their application to the panel in your server was not accepted this time. If the reviewer typed a reason, it is added below. On Premium and Pro the panel's own deny message replaces the standard text, and the reason is still added.
Usually yes, in one or two sentences the applicant can act on. Leave it empty when the reason would start an argument or reveal a report from another member. A plain no with the date they can reapply is better than a vague reason.
The review message tells your team that their DMs are closed and they were not told. The applicant can still see the decision and the reason with /application or on the website, under their own applications.
When the panel's cooldown runs out, counted from the decision. If they press Apply sooner, Mico tells them how many hours and minutes are left. Put the waiting time in your deny message so it does not come as a surprise.
No. The panel's custom deny message is the same text for everyone on that panel. The part written for one person is the reason the reviewer types when denying, which is shown to that applicant only.
Keep reading.
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See it on your own server.
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