This is my opinion. You may not like it. It may upset you. I also don’t really care.
So often I hear people asking about how to get that sweet Twitch money. How to achieve the sub button that so many people want to have. The focus is purely on the business side of what Twitch is and it is breaking my heart. Please. Stop doing Twitch wrong.
I started live streaming on Twitch as a way to deal with my terrible health, the times when my daughter was away at her mother’s house, and as a showcase of what I liked to call surgical analysis of MMO’s game systems. From PvP to Social and even the UI. It was the place that I could go and hang out with others all over the world and enjoy a game together. Make a few jokes. Talk about being a #HealthyGamer. Share the struggles of my life and be there for those in my community who reached out over the years. It has been a wild ride. Some of my Twitch family and friends are those type of streamers. They are the ones who know that Twitch has a business side, but they are also real people. They play the games they love and accept the business opportunities that line up with their own morals and beliefs. Rarely will you find them out making drama for the sake of views or to try to drive up sub numbers.
So many people begin streaming on Twitch with the primary focus of making money. I get that I really do. But do you think a baker is thinking about his profit per donut that he can make? Or does he work on making the best product that he can with the best ingredients possible and figures in the profit AFTERWARDS?? He knows that if he makes a delicious food product that people will buy it and return to purchase more in the future. If you start streaming on Twitch I want you to take a few pointers with you. Or if you’ve started streaming but you find yourself depressed or even angry with your own growth.
Focus on your content. Figure out who you are and what you want to be. Do you want to be purely an entertainer? Put on a mask or character every time you start up a stream? Perhaps you want to focus on variety games. Some enjoy doing only speedrunning content. Take the time to get some basic branding and art setup. Even if it is in word until you can afford to hire someone to make you some graphical branding. Stream content that you enjoy. Because your audience will know the difference between content that you are doing because you think it will grow your brand and content that you are really enjoying and love.
These next 2 points are very important. You need to take them to heart.
Every viewer matters. It doesn’t matter if they lurk, they show up when they can, or they watch on mobile while jogging at the gym. Every viewer that you have is another human being who is sharing this amazing experience known as live streaming. Be grateful for every single one of them. Every time I hear someone say something like “Oh I only get 10 viewers” it makes me angry. That is 10 other people in the world who are taking time to hang out with you. To be entertained or to enjoy a new game or just to simply listen to your dialog. Stop minimizing your viewers.
Every follow, share, retweet, lurker, active chatter, is a sign of support. Think of it as a high five, a pat on the back, or words of encouragement. Support comes in many different ways. People don’t have to throw money at you to be considered worthwhile. When I was full time streaming I would say it all the time. I don’t need your sub, I don’t need your money, I just want you to have a good time and find a place here in our community that you enjoy. If people truly enjoy your stream, your content, your personality, your gaming insight, or whatever they find awesome they will support in many different ways.
Twitch is an amazing place. Please find what kind of caster you want to be and what sort of content you love before hitting that live button. Don’t focus on the business part of stuff because it will come eventually if your broadcast/donut content is the best it can be. I promise that if you listen to just a little bit of this post you will find yourself more successful on Twitch just because you’ll be happier.