A Twitch streamer may seem like the ideal job for gamers. The premise is signing up for an account, creating a channel, and streaming you playing your favorite games for people to come and watch. They can socialize, you can form a community, and you can actually get paid for doing it.
Of course, it's hard to become a Twitch streamer who can make a living off this because so many people are trying. There are some key things you'll have to do to become a successful streamer and attract a solid, thriving community. We have the best tips.
10 Find What Game You're Good At
You'll want to find a game you're good at. Sure, every now and then it can be fun to play a game you're terribly bad at so your community can laugh along with you — and maybe even grow with you and see you improve — but you want to impress people, really. Show them why you're good at gaming. When starting out, pick something you're solidly good at and stick to it. People will be riveted by the gaming performance and stay to see just how good you truly are (and how your opponents fair against you, whether that's random in-game match-ups or collabs).
9 But Also, Keep Up To Date With Trends
At the same time, you have to keep up with trends. Remember, certain games go in and out of fashion, and some haven't been relevant for years. If you're going to pick a main game or genre and want to see that sub count go up, play something people will be searching for on Google or social media — you'll have more of a reach that way.
8 Stick To A Schedule
Although it's a tempting idea to sign on whenever you fancy and start playing, you'll want to stick to a reasonable schedule if you want to build your viewership. That way, people will know when to expect you, and dedicated viewers may even plan around it.
Picking a time can be hard, because nothing will make everyone happy, but it's best to pick a time that suits both you and the majority of your viewership. If you're in California and your viewers seem to be based primarily in, say, Australia, that might be difficult — but there should be a time that can make the majority happy.
And if not, at least keep the time consistent. Ish.
7 Buy Decent Equipment
You don't have to spend thousands on equipment right away for a venture that might fail but make sure your mic and camera are decent. No one wants to watch a Twitch stream where they can't hear the person or see them clearly, and it's not too expensive to make sure that your stream is of a decent quality. You can consider upgrading to great quality later.
6 Connect With Your Viewers On Social Media
Connecting with your viewers on social media is always a great idea. People like to feel invested in someone, not just the games — why pick you to subscribe to over the hundreds of other streamers playing that same game? Twitter is a particularly effective way to communicate, because you can tweet people back, heart their tweets, and even follow them if you're feeling connected. The more connected to you people feel, the more they'll want to support you.
5 Invite Them To Games Sometimes
If you're comfortable enough, you can play multiplayer games and invite people to play with you. There are numerous games that would be good for this, or you can even take suggestions and see what sticks in your head as a good idea.
If you invite viewers to games and play with them, you'll be known as inclusive and friendly. Don't be afraid to put your foot down if someone is being invasive or downright creepy, though — your community will notice too and support you. Don't let yourself be shoehorned into an uncomfortable situation. Not every viewer out there has a heart of gold.
4 Collaborate With People
Collabing with other Twitch streamers is a great way to grow your community, because you can benefit from each other's. You can stream at the same time on each other's channel and the other community might want to come and check you out after — or, if you're close enough, you can visit each other and be on the same camera and physically on each other's channels!
Just be safe, of course.
3 Promote, Promote, Promote
You'll have to promote yourself if you want to be successful. If you have any following on Twitter or Instagram, use it. Use hashtags to get yourself seen by the right kinds of people, comment on other Twitch streamers' social media that you like — don't be pushy, but don't be afraid to put yourself out there either.
2 Be Kind
Be kind to people. This can be a frustrating job, and it can be easy to lose your temper — and nor should you be afraid to put your foot down with a rude or abusive member of your community. But remember to be nice to people. As people start to grow in fame, it can be easy to forget where they came from, which can lead on their community slowly turning on them. Remember, your viewers are the people who determine your success. Never look down on them.
1 But Be Authentically Yourself
Don't be fake. People can sense someone fake from a mile away, and it'll be a serious turn-off. If they see someone who is genuinely, uniquely themselves, viewers will be more likely to stick around and genuinely like that person. After all, if someone spends hours watching you, perhaps even multiple times a week — do you really think they can't tell if you're being insincere?