Once you reached two or three weeks into streaming, may one thing will not change, your viewers. At the start of your streaming career, there’s a whole new world your getting into. There’s so many questions ahead, like what to stream, when should I start, what to do while streaming? These questions are not new, and we have some answers for you to start with.
In this quide you will find the some of the best points of how to become a successful streamer. We’ll cover the gaming aspect, the show and entertainment side of the streaming, and we’ll talk about some technical details as well. You can stream gaming, do talk shows, or broadcast IRL, all of them are usable tips you should check out, If you want to reach better view numbers.
While this is a good start to be a well-known streamer, we wrote a whole e-book about streaming, which go into details. Currently in development, however you can subscribe to our newsletter, to be the first who acquire this knowledge.
1. Entertain
Most of the time, streamers just sit in front of the camera, while playing. It can be hard If no one watching you, because you may think that your content not viewable enough. Let’s take a step back and think about the big celebrities, or to Ninja as well. They all started where you are right now. You should speak, and entertain, also If no one watching you currently.
The first thing is to act in your streams like hundreds, what not thousands viewers you have. Make good jokes, comment your current playing, play with your friends and make fun of each other (in a good way). Do something unexpected, because you’re right now learning and exercise how you want to show yourself later on. There’s always a possibility that someone finds you and click on that follow button. Also, you should use your streams as Twitch highlights and on other platforms, which leads us to the second tip.
2. Recycling content
Always record. You don’t know beforehand that when comes that best 10 seconds, what you can cut out later on and put it on TikTok, which may give you thousands of views. If you have a little storage in your PC, that doesn’t a problem, while you can save your 1-2 hour stream, then create the little cuts, shorts, or just upload the all to your channel, lastly delete the footage. But for that purpose, you should always record your streams as the best quality, that you can.
With these montages, lil videos you can reach thousands of people organically, thankfully to social platforms. Make themed ones, like shorts just about fun cut outs, where you doing a good joke, or make an enormous takedown in your favorite game. Put these videos on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and on TikTok, and see what you can reach.
Be careful with the platforms, especially with copyrighted music or content. Also make sure to find the best videos for each platform, you won’t find the same audience on the different platform, but we’ll talk about it in the point four. Before that, always show yourself.
3. Use face camera
It is psychologically proven, that a face of other is always memorable, than a sound and the same game, what may your viewers plays like 2-3 hours per day. So in quick, use face camera while your streaming. Firstly It may be out of your comfort zone, however It is undeniable, that later on you must use it to reach hunderds of views. Yes, there are some streamers, whose only use sound and successful. Also there are some design based tutorial videos, which getting millions of views. Firstly they are the best players in the world, secondly those videos are inside a very strict group, where face is not important.
With your face, you make a memorable situation, and in the next time, for example when they find you on TikTok, they will know who you are, or vica-versa. So make sure to use it. In the other hand, you may heard about the first impression. This thing is stand here as well. Take out your brush, and make a good hair, wash your face, and just after that start streaming. Tidy your space around you (please, at least behind you), and make sure you position well the camera. Also get some lightning If your room is not getting enough sun.
4. Select the right platform
As we wrote before there are other streaming platforms, than just Twitch. In the beginning, you should check out all of them, not for just streaming, but for content too. Like, your shorts may work on TikTok, but not on YouTube. Your streams may get better views on YouTube, but not on Twitch. For that you should test, what works for you.
However there are some best practice, like for gaming, and tech related talk shows, you should use TikTok, while for other entertaining shows may YouTube will be a good choice. But as streaming, you should choose a platform where a decent amount of advertisement can placed, or there’s a system which helps you financially as well. For that, TikTok or for example Instagram Live maybe not the best choice. In contrast If you want to quickly contact with your followers these platforms are the one to choose.
5. Quality control – Hardwares
We always write in our articles, that the tools in the first place doesn’t matter. Why? Because firstly you should focus on your content, and for that it doesn’t matter If you streaming or uploading 720p videos or 1080p (but basically right now, all device know 1080p). While the appearance is one of the best way to catch a viewer attention, If you don’t do something interesting in the first 5-10 second, then your follower will go to the next channel. That’s the reason why we just put it in this place.
So after you get right the first four point, then the quality control takes it place. You should make a stream background, which shows you, copy your energy and helps you as well. We already wrote about the best tools for streamers, but for starters as we already mentioned a good light equipment is a must. With nice lights your face will look better, also your stream webcam will work better. Next, you can buy a better microphone, a better computer for streaming, etc. These things should come organically when you reach a certain point in your streaming. Like if you have constantly hundred viewers, while you streaming, you earned your first pennies, then and only then you should consider upgrading your equipments.
6. Schedule streaming
Todays world one of the main problem is consistency, that’s why you should be the one who sticks to it. Your followers should be lean on you, when comes to watching stream. That’s why you want to create scheduling and always show up when It’s time. It’s a little paradox with our before writings, that you want to be entertaining and make jokes. But in terms of timing you want to be the one, who always on time.
We are creatures of habits, and you want to point on that. Create a stream calendar, where you strictly lead when will you go live, and It is easily available for your followers and for others. Also you can make shorts and stories about that as well before one day, or before one hour. You can change it time to time, specially at the start, but we will speak about it in point 9.
7. Tailored visuals
This point is for intermediate streamers, whom at least have 100 viewer constantly. Because a tailored visual is come handy when we speak about memorable situations as we pointed out in the point 3. If your viewers meet your face, or in this case with your visuals on other platforms, they will instantly know, that’s you. You can think about for example Ninja or DrDisRespect transitions.
However you can get premium and not well known transitions and visuals for out of the box, with a little tweak options. But If we speak tailored you should speak with a designer, who specifically make you one based on your stream background, your appearance and style. With this, you make a deeper impression in your viewers. They will know instantly, that they are watching a premium stream.
8. Regular surprises
As we spoke about entertainment, you should conside surprises as one of the main point as well. So what we think about regular surprises? A point in your consistent streaming, when your followers and viewers waiting for the big wow moment. It can be a little surprise like, you play with an other streamer, as big as a prize draw. Of course, when you’re starting, you don’t need to hand out hundreds of dollars out of your pocket, to lure some viewer into your channel. However It’s a good gesture to think about something that will amaze your viewers, If you want to be a successful streamer.
These surprises should be based on your style, and should reflect you. At first, for example you can invite a viewer to play with you, and you can make this regurarly. Next If you reached a certain position, you can send some merch to the lucky ones. After a while you can hand out some key for games, or other bigger prizes as well.
Make sure, you don’t steer your channel into “I’m watching only for prizes” thing. It can happen easily If you’re not watching, and you create a camouflage, where your viewers not watching your stream based on you.
9. Quit your comfort – always test
This one is no surprise for sure. It should be your first point later on, but basically when your start streaming as well. When you quit your comfort, you can reach something new, something that your viewers can notice, that you’re doing something else. It’s not just for them, but for you, and that’s make it a so good point.
You should think about things like If you’re streaming only playing, you go out and do a little IRL. If you’re doing IRL, then play a little with some unknown games, and invite your viewers to teach you this game. Ask someone what’s thinking about a future game update, etc. Talk about things that not regular, and not usual. Do things, that new for you, and also for your viewers. Also we may built our world around that, and you should use this.
With that, we go to the second point which is testing. You should always test, what works and what not. We spoke about the content, but you can always check out the platforms as well. Like which content performs better on what platform. If you’ve done a little IRL, It’s working on YouTube, or TikTok. Has It reached more than double views on TikTok? Then you should start doing that more regularly and upload that content to TikTok.
But of course, make sure, you’re enjoying it, otherwise It won’t be as effective as It should be.
Lastly don’t be afraid of making mistakes. You’ll learn and adapt.
Don’t chase money
Quickly we come to an end, but we have a last point what we should cover, which is money. As a first sight, your viewers will get that If you’re doing only for money and income. As we saw previously on some streams, where the streamer freaks out, that viewers not sending money. It’s a shame, and you should never do that. Always put your content first, and make sure you’re doing anything to make yourself better every day. That’s how you can live in your true streaming career.
The money is secondary, and for just a quick point, It will come naturally and organically, without an effort.
Overall, Is it worth it?
It depends on your view. For a streamer you should have a good amount of creativity, and consistency, which not an easy pair. As Steven Pressfield says “The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.” That’s how you can reach your goal. For money, we already wrote an article about, what is the top, that may you can earn. Which is considerable to know, If you want to change your day-to-day job into streaming.
What is your choice? What’s helped you the most? Let us know in the comments.
