Get Started with DraftBird

What do I need to use DraftBird?

To use DraftBird, you’ll need:

• A computer with a browser capable of installing Chrome extensions.
• An account on a supported fantasy platform (ESPN, Sleeper, Yahoo, or Clicky Draft. Others coming soon).
• A DraftBird account (free or paid tier). Credit card NOT required for the free tier.
• A stable internet connection for real-time draft syncing.
• Most importantly, you need to want your draft party to be as entertaining as possible!
• Optional/Recommended: A TV or large monitor for displaying the draft board.
• Very Recommended: Two TVs or large monitors for displaying the draft board AND DraftBird TV.
• Even More Recommended: Bluetooth speaker to route the DraftBird announcer's audio to.

Get a DraftBird Account

Video Tutorial Link

1. Click "Sign Up" menu above. This will take you to our sign up page.
2. Enter your email and password.
3. You'll receive an email with a confirmation code. Grab that code and come back to the sign in page.
4. Enter your email and password again.
5. After we've validated your login, a confirmation code input will appear.
6. Enter your confirmation code and click confirm.
7. You're now confirmed!
8. From here, you should check out the admin console to review your account and set up your draft!

How to create and configure a draft

Video Tutorial Link

1. Log in to DraftBird and navigate to the Admin Console.
2. Under Drafts, on the left side menu, select Create New Draft.
3. Enter your league details (name, platform, draft type, number of teams, rounds, etc.).

Pro Tips

• If you don't enter a team image for each team, then their team name will be displayed in the draft board.
• Team Names and Owner Names are required for each team. Any new teams will be pre-populated with fake names.
• Team Images and board background images are optional, but fun!
• The number of rounds you select need to equal the amount of roster spots.
• Your first saved draft will default as your Active Draft, which will be explained later
• If you are on the tier2 plan, then you will be able to create up to 10 separate drafts.

How to customize the phrases that will be announced on the DraftBird Draft Board.

Video Tutorial Link

1. Click on Speech Phrases on the left side menu of Admin Console
2. Select the emotion. This phrase you're entering will only be spoken if the pick analysis matches the "emotion".
3. Enter a phrase that matches the emotion.
4. Make usage of the "variables" menu below. For instance, the announcer can start the announcement with "With the xx pick in the xx round" by selecting the variable or typing ~WTPR~ in the input menu. Play around with the different variables that you can select.
5. In the "Output Phrase" box, review what the phrase will look like after variables are applied.
6. The "Play Voice" button will play the exact announcement through your speaker, so you can hear if the phrase sounds correct to you.
7. Choose a "sex" if the sex of the person should be considered. If your phrase should only be spoken if the drafter is a male, then choose "Male only". Most phrases will most likely just be "Any".
8. You can save this phrase or cancel. Don't worry, if you don't like it, you can edit or delete it later.

Pro Tips

• At tier1, you get 100 different speech phrases. Tier2 bumps you up to 1,000
• The default phrases are provided to you. Feel free to delete them.
• The draft cannot run correctly if there isn't at least one phrase for each emotion. If you delete all phrases for any emotion, then we will use the default phrase for that emotion.
• Make good usage of the variables. It's great to hear your name, team name, etc being announced.
• All phrases are applied to all of your drafts.
• The annnouncements are announced over the DraftBird draft board, which is included with all tiers.

How to customize DraftBird's analysis header line on the DraftBird TV app.

Video Tutorial Link

1. Click on Analysis Headers on the left side menu of Admin Console
2. Select the emotion. This short header you're entering will only be displayed if the pick analysis matches the "emotion".
3. Enter a short (20 chars or less) Header/Title that matches the emotion.
4. You can save this phrase or cancel. Don't worry, if you don't like it, you can edit or delete it later.

Pro Tips

• At tier1, you get 10 different analysis headers. Tier2 bumps you up to 200
• The default headers are provided to you. Feel free to delete them.
• The draft cannot run correctly if there isn't at least one header for each emotion. If you delete all headers for any emotion, then we will use the default header for that emotion.
• Variables do not apply here as these are meant to be more generic.
• All headers are applied to all of your drafts.
• The Analysis Headers are displayed above DraftBird, on DraftBird TV, after every pick is made. DraftBird TV is included with all tiers.

How to customize the analysis that will be displayed on DraftBird TV after every pick.

Video Tutorial Link

1. Click on Analysis Phrases on the left side menu of Admin Console
2. Select the emotion. This analysis phrase that you're entering will only be shown if the pick analysis matches the "emotion".
3. Enter a phrase that matches the emotion.
4. Make usage of the "variables" menu below. DraftBird loves to be specific with his insults or compliments! Play around with the different variables that you can select.
5. In the "Output Phrase" box, review what the analysis phrase will look like after variables are applied.
6. Choose a "sex" if the sex of the person should be considered. If your phrase should only be shown if the drafter is a male, then choose "Male only". Most phrases will most likely just be "Any".
7. You can save this phrase or cancel. Don't worry, if you don't like it, you can edit or delete it later.

Pro Tips

• At tier1, you get 100 different analysis phrases. Tier2 bumps you up to 200
• The default phrases are provided to you. Feel free to delete them.
• The draft cannot run correctly if there isn't at least one phrase for each emotion. If you delete all phrases for any emotion, then we will use the default phrase for that emotion.
• Make good usage of the variables. It's great to hear your name, team name, etc being announced.
• All phrases are applied to all of your drafts.
• These analysis phrases are displayed below DraftBird, on DraftBird TV, after every pick is made. DraftBird TV is included with all tiers.

Steps to install DraftBird Chrome Extension

Video Tutorial Link

1. Visit DraftBird on the Chrome Web Store.
2. Click Add to Chrome and confirm by selecting Add Extension.
3. Once installed, the DraftBird icon will appear in your Chrome toolbar.
4. Click the icon and sign in with your DraftBird account credentials.

Pro Tips

• Extension is compatible with Chrome compatible browsers only (Chrome/Brave/Edge/etc)
• Brave Browser is HIGHLY recommended for DraftBird TV. Brave Browser will block youtube ads pretty consistently.

Actually Run the Draft!

Video Tutorial Link

1. Open up your draft page (or mock draft page). This is as simple as going to the board that you'll draft from. Except for Yahoo. Yahoo instructions are a little different, listed below.
2. Once your board is open, open up the DraftBird extension and make sure that your "Active Draft" is correct. If not, you can change that either within the admin console or within the extension itself.
3. Click the "Lock Board" button once you have the correct URL for your draft loaded.
4. After your draft site reloads, the extension will be sending all picks to our server, as soon as they happen!
5. From the DraftBird extension, open up the "Board URL" Link, and move that tab over to the monitor that you want to display the draft board on.
6. To hear the announcements, you first need to click anywhere on the board, to give us permission to use Text To Speech on your computer. This will remove the "Click To Enable TTS" warning.
7. From the DraftBird extension, open up the "Talk Trash URL" Link, and email it to your league mates. This gives them the ability to announce their own text to the league!
8. From the DraftBird extension, open up the "DraftBird TV" link, and move that tab over to your monitor or TV where you'll display DraftBird TV! This shows the highlights and DraftBird's analysis.
9. Once DraftBird TV is opened, click the button to open up the youtube window, so you can position the YouTube window in the correct spot. That window will stay in the same spot for as long as you don't touch it!
10. That's it really! It probably sounds harder than it is. Watch our YouTube tutorial!

Pro Tips

• It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to dry run your setup using mock drafts. It's fun to do anyway. You'll get a good idea of why it's important (and super fun) to have hundreds of different phrases.
• Set up a bluetooth speaker for audio output of the announcer. Your choice to do it or not. But, I do it!
• Multiple laptops and monitors makes for the best experience. You can share the DraftBird Draft Board URL from any computer with a browser. The extension is not required on that machine.
• The extension is required on the machine that DraftBird TV is running on.
• The DraftBird Extension is compatible with Chrome compatible browsers only (Chrome/Brave/Edge/etc)
• Brave Browser is HIGHLY recommended for the DraftBird TV app. Brave Browser will block youtube ads pretty consistently.

What ELSE?

• Extension not syncing? Ensure you’re locked to the correct draft page and refresh the browser.
• For scraping Yahoo drafts, the extension requires a separate tab opened up in "presentation" mode... Instructions: Load the Yahoo draft and look at the bottom bar and you'll see a "settings" button. There will be an option to "present draft". Click that. This opens up a new tab, in "presentation mode" which you'll need to lock the extension to. You can't make draft picks from here but that doesn't matter. You can minimize this and ignore it until the draft is over.
• Check out the DraftBird subreddit to connect with others and make suggestions.
• Still stuck? Email support@draftbird.net for help.