So, you want to be a streamer, eh?  Well, you sure did pick a hard field to go into, didn't you?  Actually, if you can follow a few simple tips, which I will outline here, you can be well on your way to reaching your goal.  First, though, let us take a look at some viewer and platform background information of the Twitch platform.

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Viewer and Platform Background Information

If you keep some of these key statistics in mind, you will be prepared to take the tips that follow and help grow your live stream on the Twitch platform.  As of July 2018:

1. 71% of Twitch's users are millennials (those born between 1980 and 1994).
2. 21 years old is the average age of Twitch active users.
3. Twitch users spend approximately 3 hours a day watching videos on the platform.
4. Twitch has an average of 46 billion minutes of content watched per month.
5. There are approximately 3.3 million unique Twitch broadcasters per month.
6. 81.5% of Twitch users are male.
7. 35% of viewers are on a mobile device.
8. Nearly 63% of all activity on Twitch is done so in English.
9. The peak Twitch hours are at approximately 4 PM EST.
10. Of those 3.3 million unique broadcasters, about 27,000 are partnered and 220,000 are affiliates.

Given that information, how can you stand out above the crowd?  How can you rise above the rest and grow a community that will allow yourself to see success in the online world of live streaming?  Here are six simple tips to get you started.  (For some more up-to-date Twitch Statistics please visit here.)

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Keep a Schedule

The best advice I can give you to start is to set a schedule for yourself and keep to it.  If you say you are going to stream Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6 to 10 PM, then be there.  As a semi-retired streamer (let's face it, I am old at this point and it is difficult to make a comeback after health issues that have you out of the game for over two years), when I kept a consistent schedule, I had the most success.  I may not have been at the top of a directory, but I was slowly crawling my way up the list.

In this world, consistency is king.  It matters not if you are streaming, doing graphic design, making some barbecue, or any number of things.  Consistency is what will make sure you give your audience the environment to grow because they will know you are going to be there.

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Communicate With Your Audience

Nothing will turn a possible fan away faster than coming into your stream and you not saying a thing.  Your job as a live streamer is to entertain those who come in and watch you doing whatever you do.  Whether you play video games, create art projects, produce music, or just sit and chat; you should be focused on trying to provide some level of entertainment to those that join you on your voyage.

So, always be reading your chat.  Get yourself a microphone and have it set up in a way that allows you to talk with your viewers.  Get a webcam, look nice, and don't be shy.  By doing these three easy things, you will help to create a healthy community that can grow into something positive.

Moderate, Moderate, Moderate...

Nothing can ruin a stream faster than some evil troll, or group of trolls, coming into a stream and trying to force the broadcaster to go off the rails.   At first, you may not have someone to come in and watch your chat for you, so you will have to do that for yourself.

Before you go too far into your streaming career, sit down and create a list of rules you expect for your chat.  You can then place those rules in your Twitch channel settings and viewers will be shown those before they chat for the first time.

You can also setup up automatic moderation via twitch or add a chatbot, such as NightBot, StreamLabs CloudBot, or Stream Elements ChatBot.

Your biggest asset, though, will be to find friends of your stream to act as moderators for your chat.  You can assign these users the moderator rule by type "/mod username" in your Twitch chat.  These mods should be trusted individuals who understand your vision for your stream.

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Pick A Title

Sometimes, a title can draw them in.  For instance, would you go see a movie if it was simply titled "Zach and Miri," probably not?  It truly tells you nothing about the film other than there must be two characters; one named Zach and the other Miri.  What if the title of the film was spiced up more to convey something interesting to the viewer?  What if our film was retitled "Zach and Miri Make a Porno?"  That change things greatly.  The same is true for your stream title.

Be creative with your titles, but a few things that I have stuck to in the past to keep my titles focused included platform (if playing games), activities in the game, other streamers who may be streaming with you, etc.  The combinations are endless. Do me a favor though; just don't be the guy or gal who types "Tom Clancy's Division" as your title and wonders why people don't stop by.

Make Your Stream Look Good

When you start out, you probably aren't going to have the money needed to really invest custom graphics for your stream.  As opposed as I am to individuals using the included themes in StreamLabs OBS, they can be a good start but realize that they are so readily available to other users that you will not stand out above the crowd.

There are free resources out there that you can find to aid in making your stream look professional.  (We have some coming very soon here at Spection.) I just encourage you not to overdo it and place a large number of elements on your screen.  (I think my next journal entry may address this very topic.)

Also, take the time to use the native Twitch information panels on your channel to your advantage.  Use images and text to fill in information about yourself and your stream so viewers can gain an understanding of what your stream is all about.

Don't think you need to go out and spend a couple hundred dollars on a stream design just to start.  That is an investment that may never pay off for you in the long run.  Just strive to make it look nice, concise, and professional.  You can invest money into channel design once you start to see some significant growth.

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Develop Your Personal Brand

The biggest thing you have to decide is who you want to be on your stream.  How do you want to be perceived by your viewers?  If you hear the name Dr. Disrespect, you think of the wig, mustache, and sunglasses immediately.  That is the Doc's personal brand.  He has been curating that brand for over ten years.  You don't have to be a character, like Doc, but you need to decide who you are during your stream.

Are you the cosplay streamer?

Are you the rage-filled asshole streamer?

Are you the super nice and positive streamer?

Are you the pro gamer?

Are you the comedic streamer?

Only you can decide who you are going to be, but by doing so you can focus on that brand and build your community with that in mind from the start and not switch after you have started building your community and then watch them all turn their back on you because they say you changed.

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Conclusion

So, let's condense all that down to a simple list to follow to help you get started and on your way.

1. Set and keep a schedule.
2. Communicate with your Audience.
3. Moderate, Moderate, Moderate your chat.
4. Pick a stream title that will appeal to the viewers you want to attract.
5. Make your stream look good.
6. Develop your personal branding

Focus on these six things to start and you should find yourself growing as a streamer but also in your audience size.  It may take time, given the statistics from the start of the article, but doing these things should allow you to take a step above the guys and gals that choose to stream when they feel like it.

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