Making a Success Of Your Twitch Channel in Ten Easy Steps
Twitch is a digital service that’s become extremely popular – it’s used to watch and stream digital content. Although Twitch was used almost entirely for broadcasting live video gaming in its early days, now it’s expanded its repertoire, and there are streams dedicated to artwork creation, talk shows, music, and even the occasional TV series.
The platform is one of the highest sources of internet traffic in the USA, and it’s predicted that Twitch will have accrued over fifty million active users by 2024. One of the reasons that the service is so popular is due to its Partner Program. This offers users the opportunity to make money from their streaming.
If you’ve just set up a Twitch channel or are thinking about doing so, here are the steps you need to take to make it a success and – hopefully – bringing you in some money!
Get the Basics Right
First, it’s vital to ensure the basics are in place to give your viewers a quality experience. To this end, you’ll need a good quality microphone to provide the best audio – remember that most Twitch viewers will be coming to your channel for the commentary as much as for the gameplay, etc. A decent webcam is a must, too, if you’re serious about making your channel a success. You’ll need a good, reliable internet connection, too. Your connection should be fast enough to broadcast at 720p or more and not be prone to dropping out.
Depending on what you’re planning to broadcast and the nature of your videos, it’s a great idea to consider getting affordable video editing software on board, too: this could give your content the professional ‘edge’ it needs to stand out from the competition. It’s useful for putting together promotional trails for your channel, too.
Find Your Niche
Twitch is a flooded market. To give your channel the best chance of success, identify something many people watch but aren’t currently streaming. There’s a quick hack to help you with this.
Go to Twitch’s list of games, and skim past the first twenty that appear. After this point, look for games you like and find the ones with less than thirty people streaming them. Choosing one of these will mean that you’ll appear on the game’s front page – so more people will see your stream and, hopefully, click through to view it.
The Importance of Interaction
Interacting with your audience is one of the most effective ways to gain a strong following and, in time, a subscriber base. Regularly refreshing the viewer list as you stream will allow you to welcome newly joined viewers to the party – a nice touch that could encourage them to stick around and return later.
Ask your viewers questions, respond to any they ask, and keep up a natural chat. Think of other ways to engage with your viewers: invite them to submit content or set up a competition.
When you first start streaming, it may take a little while to attract any viewers; if people dip in and see that no one’s talking on your channel, they may leave immediately. To counter this, ask a few friends to view your stream whom you can chat with as you play to help establish things.
Set up a Schedule
Consistency is key. Once your follower numbers begin to build, having a streaming schedule means that your viewers will get to know when your channel will be live. Viewers are likelier to watch if you stream at a set time or on set days than if you broadcast haphazardly.
Level up with the Partner Program
If, as a result of all your hard work and consistency, your channel builds up a sizeable audience: congratulations! You may now qualify to join the Twitch Partner Program and have access to several potentially lucrative monetization opportunities.
Twitch partners can make money by accepting subscriptions from their viewers. Bits can also be purchased by viewers and used to cheer on the channels they like; the revenue from these Bits is shared by Twitch between participating partners. Finally, Twitch Partners will earn a share of the revenue generated by ads played on their channel.
Becoming a Partner will also allow you to access a range of exclusive features to help grow your channel even further. These include custom chat badges and emoticons, verified user badges, and a free lifetime channel subscription for your chatbot.
Becoming a Twitch Partner is a great way to take your channel to the next level and could set you on the road to becoming a professional gamer or content creator!
The Future
As Twitch continues to gain popularity, the platform will likely introduce additional ways to monetize your channel. Twitch is part of the new creator economy, which offers a nearly infinite range of possibilities for fulfilling full or part-time employment for those working within it.
Use the guide above to get started with the platform, build your audience, and take your first steps to monetize your channel and make your mark on the world of live video streaming!
