How can you get more people to watch your stream? In our very first Streamer Feature blog, Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and gaming enthusiast Trui shares how to get more views on Twitch, build your own community, and get over the awkwardness of networking.
A lot of new streamers don’t know how to get more followers on Twitch. Here’s my guide on how to get viewers on Twitch and start building your own community of game devs, fellow streamers, and followers.
Viewers love a good stream
Here are few tips to help you make sure your stream is higher quality and attracts more viewers.
Get comfortable with talking to the camera. Keep talking, even if nobody’s watching. Try not to get distracted by your phone! Try to look into the camera lens while talking so that you make ‘eye contact’ with the viewer, which makes your stream feel like a natural conversation.
Make sure that you sound good. The difference between good audio and great audio isn’t huge, but bad audio really drives people away. If your mic is too loud, your audio will peak and sound awful. However, you can use a digital or physical sound mixer to help control your audio.
Use dynamics when speaking. Monotonous voices don’t really hold people’s attention. But don’t scream – it will make your sound peak.
Don’t leave your room messy. You can stream from your bedroom, but please make your bed. If I can make my tiny room look good, so can you!
Set up good lighting. Make sure that people can see your face. I also use my nightlight, a fill light, some fun ring lights, and a hanging light on the ceiling facing the back of my head to help create dimension.
Switch scenes! Make some time to speak to your audience with a Just Chatting screen, and use an intermission screen while your game is queueing.
Add overlays to help your stream stand out. You can make your own or find existing ones (uno has plenty of free overlays to choose from). Remember to choose graphics and colors that match your brand. With uno, it’s easy to customize the colors in our templates to match your brand.
Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. If you’re not a pro player – don’t pretend you are! People aren’t always watching you for your skill level. Be the authentic but slightly positive version of yourself.
Don’t overdo ads. Don’t make your viewers uncomfortable by pushing ad panels or guilt-trip them for not subscribing. You can play ads during your toilet break, which disables ‘pre-roll’ ads for a while.
Don’t break the rules of Twitch. Don’t use viewbots. Be respectful, don’t self-promote on other people’s chats, and never put other people down.
Learn from your mistakes. Watch your videos and reflect on what you can improve on. Take a look at your stats and use data tools like Social Blade to see which games and times are working for you.
Scheduled live streams attract viewers
Let people know when you’re going live, and what games you’re going to play during your live stream. Consistency attracts viewers!
Plus, when someone does a shoutout to your Twitch channel, a follow button will pop up and let viewers know when you’re streaming next, including the games you’ll play. This means you’ll automatically be able to advertise your next live stream and grow on Twitch!
Special events build hype
If you’re wondering how to get viewers on Twitch, a key way is to plan special events, for example Halloween streams, birthday streams, and more. If you’re doing something special, people want to watch your Twitch channel rather than just watching TV.
You can also set special stream goals and challenges (Twitch has both follower and sub goals). Offer incentives like special prizes to build hype.
Networking pays off!
It can be super hard to be found on any discover page, because people who have more views will be recommended more. However, you can beat this system by doing the thing we all dread – network!
Talk to other streamers, especially people whose interests overlap yours. You’ll be surprised how fun it is connecting with new people.
Put your email address everywhere – your social media accounts, your Twitch profile information. Make sure that sponsors, potential collaborators, and stream event organizers can reach you. Always answer your emails!
You can also find game devs, dev teams, and press lists that have emails you can subscribe or reach out to. Keep an eye out for PR agencies reaching out to you for special partnerships. Look for promos on new games coming out that you can take part in, which helps you grow your channel for free.
Invest in your community
A community is key in how to get followers on Twitch. Don’t ignore your chat during your live stream. Keep the conversation running with your viewers and ask questions. Encourage your community to talk to each other and get to know one another.
Having a Discord server makes you seem approachable and lets viewers talk to you – and you to them. This is especially important when you’re just starting out. Chatting to your viewers helps you know what they like and don’t like about your stream.
Make the most of your social media
Social media platforms give creators a far higher chance of people finding you and watching your streams on Twitch. I always recommend that you start with just a couple of platforms and funnel people to your Twitch channel.
You don’t have to create brand-new content to post on social media. Create clips on Twitch, which you can then post on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and more short-form video platforms. My YouTube channel includes both content edited from Twitch and videos that I only post on YouTube.
The most important thing about running your own channel is not to give up. If you think that everyone around you is succeeding and you’re not, remember that the rule of Twitch is that you only see the minority who succeed. Keep going, and you’ll have a pretty good chance of reaching a wider audience.
Follow Trui for more great advice on becoming a better streamer and how to get more views on Twitch, and watch her live gameplay on Twitch. You can also watch Trui’s review of our free overlays here.
