So you are into Twitch, and you are interested in starting a channel of your own… But where should you begin?
This is by no means an in depth guide to the technical aspects of getting started as a Twitch streamer; think of this as a compilation of best practices that we have observed as regular Twitch streamers, viewers and partners with some of the biggest names in eSports. So, let’s get started…
2. Get comfortable talking
about yourself.
A good way to start a dialogue with your viewers
could be letting your ‘inner gamer’ out; say what
you are thinking, explain why you are doing what
you are doing and what your next move is, express
your excitement and your frustrations in an
engaging fashion… NINJA is a streamer that does
this very well. Make comments on some of the
most recent gaming news, talk about the latest
season of your favorite show that you binge
watched the entire season of in one sitting… Do
anything to differentiate yourself from the
hundreds of others playing the same game as you.
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3. Choosing Games to Stream
Start with semi-popular games, the
only way for Twitch viewers to
discover new streamers is by
browsing. Channels and game lists
are categorized by viewers,keep in
mind that people will have to scroll
through hundreds of channels with
more viewers before they stumble
across your stream.
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4. Single Game? Or Multiple
Games
This is completely up to you and the streaming
personality your create yourself. Starting with a
couple games may help to keep it fresh, so you are
not talking about the same topics all the time and
you are expanding your ‘reach’ across Twitch.
There’s a downside to streaming multiple games,
in that some people prefer to watch one game, in
this case you may see viewers began to drop off
as you switch games. We have seen both methods
create a viral effect on Twitch, you just need to
find what best suits your streaming personality.
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5. Punctuality
Remember the days before Netflix and Hulu, when we had to
patiently wait for a specific time and day to view our favorite
shows? Think of your streaming as the new version of cable TV.
Having a schedule is important- consistency is key. Determining
your streaming schedule may seem like a project if you think too
much into it. Sure there are some time periods that are busier
than others, but as an English-speaker, you will be happy to find
an audience at pretty much any time of the day. So, find a time
slot that works for your lifestyle, and own it- this is where you’ll
build your core audience and return viewers. Follow this advice
and watch your view count increase every week.
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6. Interact with your
viewers
Engaging with your viewers is the unique value
that has grown Twitch’s popularity. You are
running a LIVE community, so treat is as such.
People are watching not only to be entertained,
but also to interact with you, so hang out with your
viewers between games, after you go down or at
any point that allows you to give a shoutout or or
slip into a conversation. Having said that, there
are always lurkers, so let them be-don’t call out
people for not contributing to the conversation,
they didn’t ask for your attention and if you put
them on the spot you will more likely lose that
person as a viewer, don’t force people to chime in
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7. Stream length
Stream for at least an hour at a time. It is important to
understand the difference in YouTube and Twitch audiences.
With YouTube, people are actively paying full attention to the
video, as it has a time limit, whereas with Twitch, some people
will throw on a stream while doing work, studying or just a
background distraction. While others want to hang out, chat and
absorb the pawning you are spreading across their screen.
Also, Twitch’s notification system can be a bit laggy. We have
seen most success in hoping on stream for 3 hours sprints, as
there have been plenty of cases where we’ve had viewers show
up at the 2-hour mark only because they had just received the
notification. So to stress again, schedules are important and
necessary when building your channel.
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8. Your Channel layout
Given the demographic that surrounds the streaming
community, you want your visuals to be on point. In the same
way that you wouldn’t pick up your first date in a dirty car, you
don’t want your viewers to bounce off your stream immediately
due to poor presentation. Create some decent graphics for your
panels there are free online resources like Canva.com that
provides a plethora of templated visuals for you to work with,
and is super user friendly; it’s basically photoshop for dummies-
great resource for you non-graphic designers. Your channel
layout should act as your Twitch resume of sorts: provide a bio
for viewers to get to know what you are all about, use those
graphics as calls to action to let people know that you have a
presence elsewhere and keep it consistent and practice
authenticity. Real recognize real.
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9. Stream Settings
Use VODs and highlights- in your channel settings there is an option to
automatically create an archive of your broadcasts. Assuming that you are
not a Twitch Partner, the video-on-demand (VOD) will only be accessible for
the next 14 days. So, whenever there is a clip or video that you want to share
on other channels or just to have as your own, make sure to take note of the
time. After you’ve done this, you can head into the VOD and use the Twitch
‘highlights’ tool to find the best moments from your broadcast and cut clips
of your gameplay. Another reason why this is a good practice- aside from
having a sweet archive of clips, when people visit your channel while you
are offline, they will still be ableto view your clips and feel more inclined to
tune in for your next broadcast.
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10. Get your sound right
Before you start a broadcast, make sure that you
have checked your audio levels for overall quality
and the well being of your viewers. The last thing
you want is to have a great play, scream with
excitement, and bust your viewer’s’ computer
speakers. So, make sure that the voice audio is in
tune each time you are prepping to stream. In the
same fashion, viewers want to hear the game and
your voice over it. The best practice here is to
simply do some experimenting offline prior to
each stream.
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