FADE IN - INTERIOR HOME OFFICE - NIGHT

You have just finished your first live stream on your new Twitch channel. You enjoyed playing games with your friends that night; you even had your first 40 kill game in the new Call of Duty. But something was missing: the hundreds of viewers that you anticipated hosting on your first night.

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Starting a new endeavor is always nerve-wracking, whether it's a new business or a new streaming channel on Twitch or YouTube. No matter what endeavor you are taking on, you have likely been watching or following someone who is successful in your industry and you aspire to be like them. And by be like them, I mean have the same amount of (or more) viewers or followers than they do. But how? What are you doing wrong? Chances are, the answer is: nothing. However, that doesn't mean that there isn't more that you can do right.

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Why do you want to live stream?

No one just wakes up one day and decides they want to turn on their webcam, boot up OBS, and start up a live stream. So why do you want to do it? You don't have to have a solid reason as to why you want to do it. Many people just find the concept interesting and want to try it themselves. There is, however, a wrong reason to want to stream. That reason is because you want to gain followers and, in turn, make money.

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I will just go ahead and say this quickly as possible: if you go into streaming with the sole purpose of watching the follower count on your Twitch profile grow, leading to a career in streaming, you're probably in the wrong business. Now don't get me wrong, accumulating followers is pretty awesome. Knowing that people are coming to your stream and deciding to click that follow button is great — but if the only reason why you click "Start Streaming" each day is to boost your own ego with a follower count, you're doing this for the wrong reasons.

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So now you're probably asking yourself, "what is the right reason?" To be honest, that is up to you. Some people do it because they have been told by a friend that they're really funny and they want to see what others think. Others may do it because they are ridiculously good at a particular game, and they think people would enjoy watching them. No matter what the reason is, you have to give people a reason to click on your stream, and to decide to stick around to watch you play. But then what's next?

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What are you offering your viewers once they are there?

It isn't uncommon for people to go on the "Browse" section of Twitch, choose their favorite game, and pick a random stream that looks interesting and start watching. Let's be honest: as of 2018, there were reported to be over 2.2 million broadcasters streaming on Twitch each month. Let's say that, whenever our hypothetical potential viewer (we'll call him Timmy) is browsing Twitch, there are 250,000 broadcasters live at that time. That means that your stream has a 0.0004% chance of being viewed among others. So, if Timmy has chosen your stream instead of the other 249,999 streamers that are live, you should feel pretty darn lucky! Now what? Timmy has opened your stream and is watching, what are you going to do to keep him there?

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Commentate your gameplay, and engage your viewers.

My fellow Spection team member and live streamer Rick Black recently shared a Stream Tip to our social media accounts titled "Never shut up!" Since I read his reasoning behind that tip, I truly believe that it is the key to a successful live stream. What we mean by "never shut up" is that, during the course of your stream, there should be very few moments that you are not saying something. Obvious exceptions to this are if you're watching a cut-scene in a game, engaged in a heated gunfight in a game like Call of Duty: Warzone, or if you step away to take a restroom break. For the most part, you should always be engaging the game that you are playing by talking about what is happening. If you are at a point where you don't really have anything to add to the gameplay, talk directly to your viewers. Take the time to read the messages they are sharing in the chat and respond to them.

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Trust me, I understand that whenever you are just getting started you aren't going to have 3,000 viewers in your stream at one time. To be completely honest though, that makes the interactions you have with your viewers even more intimate. Rick shared with me (and as a viewer of smaller streams) that some of the best interactions that he has ever had with his viewers came when he only had three or four people in his chat.

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Think of it like this: you're hosting a party and your stream viewers are your guests. Just like if it were a party, your "guests" would feel neglected if you didn't interact with them. In response, these people would probably decline your offer if you ever had another "party."

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Converting your first-time viewers into long-term followers.

In the world of business, a common goal is to convert a lead into a customer, and a first-time customer in to a repeat-customer/promoter of your business. With streaming, your goal is a little different, but with the same considerations in mind. You're going to want someone who is referred to your stream by a friend, or, like our hypothetical viewer from earlier, Timmy, that found your stream via the Browse section of Twitch to not only stick around for their initial stream, but to also come back for future ones! This is where amassing followers comes into play.

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Now as I mentioned earlier on, someone should never get into streaming with the sole person of getting x number of followers. This does not, however, mean that your followers aren't important. Quite the contrary, actually. Your followers are the backbone of your stream, and will act as promoters that will help lead you towards your overall growth as a content creator. So what can you do for them in return? I'm glad you asked!

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Interact with them in chat and respond to their comments. I mentioned this earlier, but it's so darn important I feel the need to mention it again. Whenever someone says something in chat, especially if it is a direct question or comment towards you, you should try your best to respond. Your viewer made that comment with the hope that you would respond to it and, especially if you are a smaller streamer with only a few people in chat, you have an obligation to acknowledge them!

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Give them value. Depending on the content of your stream, "value" can take many forms. I'll give you a couple of examples. Let's say you are a graphic designer who is streaming the creation of a new logo for a client. You're going to get questions over the course of the stream that will pertain to the logo and why you're designing it the way you are. Viewers are likely asking these questions with the hope that you will teach them something along the way. They may be a seasoned graphic designer who is wanting a look into your process, or even someone who is just looking to get into the field of design.

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Another scenario would be if you're amazing at a game like Valorant, Warzone, or really any video game for that matter. People will come to your stream because they like watching awesome gameplay, but you'll likely also get viewers who also play the game and are looking to improve. In this case, try your best to give them tips that can help them to do better in-game. Even if you aren't able to answer their specific questions, tell them what works for you. How did you improve whenever you first started playing? What do you wish someone told you as a player just starting out?

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Build a community. This one will obviously happen overtime, but that doesn't mean you can't help to lay the foundation for it whenever it happens. When someone keeps coming back to your stream, they will likely chat with other recurring viewers, reference past streams, or other types of long-term associations that are specific for your stream. Name your followers, give a title to your community, and even deputize your trusted followers by making them moderators. All of these tips will help viewers to feel at home once they're a part of your streaming community!

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The more you grow your following, the more opportunities you unlock to further engage your audience. Find ways to reward long-time viewers for supporting you. Utilize Twitch's Bits system to allow viewers to use special sound bites and other goodies that will play during stream. You can even host special viewer play sessions in your favorite game to give viewers the chance to play a game with you!

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Open to all. It is worth noting that, while you should want to grow your community, and using your follower count is a great way to measure that, you should still make your stream open for all. This is especially important when you host a giveaway or utilize any form of monetization during your stream. These concepts typically build a false sense of growth for content creators because many of your new "followers" will likely un-follow and disappear entirely after the giveaway or event you're hosting is over. It may sound harsh, but those viewers were there for the prize, not your content.

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Think of it like this: you're a teacher and you want to test your student's knowledge on a subject. You have the option of holding a scheduled test that would give your students time to have a cram session the night before, only to forget it later. Or you can hold a pop quiz that will easily separate the students that truly know the material from those who just show up each day to get a grade. The same concept can apply in streaming in order to involve your true supporters vs. those who just come in for the giveaway.

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Whether a viewer is following your stream or not, there should be no outright favoritism. While you should show your appreciation for those who decide to hit your "Follow" button, your newer viewers who are just testing the waters shouldn't feel as if they're any less!

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Grow your community while also growing as a creator.

For most people, putting yourself out their on the internet for random people to watch is a big step. The 21st century has unlocked a whole new range of opportunities for people to have a voice in their own little corner of the internet; embrace it! It is so important to build a community as a creator to really get the most out of Twitch (not to get 'community' confused with 'followers'). But don't forget to also grow yourself as a creator. The more time you spend streaming, the more you will develop your streamer's voice and your overall personality that people know you for. Trust me when I say that streamers such as Dr. Disrepect didn't just pull their on-stream personality out of thin air. It takes many streams to truly perfect the way that viewers see you.

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Whenever you click "Start Streaming" for the first time, chances are you'll be at least a little bit nervous. But the longer you do it, the better you will get at handling yourself in front of the "spotlight," and the easier it will be to just get on stream and start having a great time with your community. Streaming long-term will get to the point where it feels like you're playing games with friends every time you go live! Obviously that close-nit feeling will change (but should never go away completely) once you have a larger following, but the basic principles of "community-centric" streaming should remain the same.

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Need inspiration? Look no further than other streamers!

Most people who decide to start live-streaming have been a part of another user's Twitch community before deciding to go live themselves. With this in mind, if you ever are feeling discouraged or if you're just a little overwhelmed on what you should be doing with your live stream, take a look at the streamers that you have watched before! What do they do on stream that drew you into their community? How do they act? How do their viewers interact with the stream? Take notes, and find ways to implement similar strategies within your own stream. You can also reach out to the streamer in chat or via Twitter with specific questions. Many streamers love to answer questions that will help new broadcasters get into the field of live streaming!

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As with any endeavor, the longer you stick with it, the better you get at it. The same goes for streaming! Don't expect to become an overnight sensation after your first stream. To be completely honest, you may only garner one or two viewers, if any, during your first broadcast. But if you stick with it, if you treat your viewers with respect and give them a feeling that they are truly something special when they are in your stream, you might just get somewhere in the world of Twitch live streaming!

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If you're someone who is just starting to get into streaming: what made YOU decide to take the leap of faith and start broadcasting on Twitch? I'd love to hear your stories, so feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @TylerCourts, or you can email me at tyler@spection.co!

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