Growing Your Stream for Newbies!
Steaming continues to grow as a popular form of entertainment and career choices for many video game enthusiasts. While almost anyone can start a stream, growing a community and forming a successful channel can often be difficult. However, there are several core tricks that can be used to help new streamers grow and become a rising star on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and any other streaming platform.
Individuality is Key
With the number of streamers online constantly rising, individuality is quickly becoming a necessity for the streaming community. Copycat streams, default setups, and “streaming standards” are quickly dulling the personality of the streaming profession. While each streamer does attempt to add their own personal flair, the amount of individuality shown in a stream has a direct impact on viewer retention. Streamers should stand out, do more, and be themselves when presenting an online personality to their community. Embrace individuality, throw out the norms, and innovate upon the foundations set by the streaming giants.
Proper Promotions
Posting onto social media is a good start, but there are many other ways to promote a stream and gain attention. Social media promotions only work if you are increasing your follower count or getting shared by other larger accounts, otherwise there is a reduced chance of your announcement being seen. Discord, Reddit, and promoting through other streaming channels is a great way to get started, and it is not against the rules to put a little money behind your stream promotion. To properly promote a new stream, you have to start with a value-based statement that showcases why your stream should be the preferred entertainment option for new viewers to pursue.
Become an Entertainer
Streaming is about more than just sharing video games, having conversations, and leading a community. At its core, streaming is entertainment and many viewers are coming to a stream with the goal of being entertained. Sometimes this means entertaining with skill, stories, comedy, or other gimmicks but no matter what it revolves around entertainment. Become more than a streamer, embrace the role of an entertainer and host your stream like you would a show. Don’t fall into cringe, don’t sacrifice your values, and grow your community through dedicated efforts as the best entertainer that you can possibly be.