Streaming on Twitch may be a great way to share your gaming experience to others, but it’s even more rewarding if you know that you have a lot of people watching you. Aside from the potential to earn money (while you’re playing!), you also get to garner a community of like-minded people who you can also consider your own fans! Which is why so many people wonder what to do, to get more viewers on twitch? However, streaming videos is one thing; actually getting more viewers to watch them is a completely different story.
We’re gonna get into the details of how to get more viewers on Twitch, but here’s a brief rundown to help you get started fast:
These three major goals may seem straightforward, but they still require some effort on your part in order to see your channel’s analytics going upwards. Without further ado, let’s get into the details of getting more viewers.
Get more viewers on Twitch – Finding the Right Game
If you’re new to streaming games on Twitch, the first thing you need to figure out is what kind of game you want to stream in the first place. There are tons of games out there, but you can group them into two types: popular games and niche games. Picking one or the other has its share of pros and cons when it comes to finding a good audience when streaming.
Popular Games
These games will be one of the first things you see when you go to the Twitch homepage. In fact, these games are probably the main reason why you considered streaming in the first place. Games like Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch, and other AAA titles have become so popular that they have already become household names. Does that mean that they should be your go-to games? Not necessarily.
The thing about popular games is that they tend to have a lot of people looking for streams of them. However, that also means that there are also plenty of other gamers willing to stream the same content. You and other people streaming the same game will be competing for the same audience. Unless you already have a strong following, standing out on a sea of other streamers will be very difficult.
Niche Games
Niche games are those outside of the top 20 popular games on Twitch. Most of these game titles are indie games or AAA titles that are already well past their prime. There’s a good chance that you may not have heard of some of these niche games. However, that doesn’t mean that streaming these games does not have its merits.
The biggest advantage of streaming niche games is that you’re not competing with too many other streamers for the attention of people interested in that particular title. New game titles that have yet to explode in popularity can also be a great stepping stone for a new streamer. The main drawback of streaming niche game content is that the maximum viewer count will be greatly limited. Focusing on multiple niche games for getting a higher overall audience size is highly recommended.
This is especially recommended if you’re just starting out and wonder how to get more viewers on twitch. Build your base on smaller niches and once you’ve got a following move onto the bigger games.
Switching Games
Many streamers also attempt to start with multiple game titles. Streaming a mix of popular and niche games could help you reach out to different audiences, but you need to balance out the time between each title. Otherwise, you end up streaming less content per game title, which could fail to capture the interest of recurring viewers.
Another approach to taking on multiple titles is by “transitioning” from one game to another. Popular streamers tend to switch to niche games to improve the variety of content. On the other hand, newer streamers who start with niche games can have a good initial viewer count once they switch to a more popular game.
Looking at Successful Streamers and Learn
This one is a really important one, why? Because these people have already been through the journey that you are about to do if you become successful with your stream.
Look at the biggest streamers, ask them for advice and how they did it and hope for an answer, search the web, some might have great advice out there already, takes courses.
Courses
Yes, there are courses, just like there are courses on how to do programming there are courses on how to become a streamer. If you were to become the best basketball player I’m sure you wouldn’t mind being taught by Michael Jordan, right? Streaming nowadays is not just a hobby, It’s a profession and you should treat it that way from day one. The Michael Jordan of streaming today is in many people’s opinion Ninja, pretty sure you’ve heard of him. He has an exclusive course where he teaches you to how to get more viewers on twitch and become a successful streamer from stage one and you can check it out right here.
How to get more viewers on Twitch –Setting a Schedule
Having consistency in your streaming schedule will go a long way in getting more views on Twitch. The more you stream, the more likely that people will find your Twitch channel. A streamer that streams randomly about a few times per month won’t get as many views as someone who frequently uploads content on a regular basis.
More Is Better
Getting as much content out there over a span of a week is a great way to get visibility. Whenever someone clicks the game title on twitch, the page prioritizes channels that are currently streaming live over pre-uploaded content. The more often you end up on the top results of a game, the more likely those potential viewers will tune in to check out your stream.
Learn Your “Peak Times”
It’s possible to get viewers on Twitch regardless of when you stream content. However, you have a better chance of getting more viewers if you stream at certain times of the day. If you’re after a local audience, streaming after office or school hours is better since more people have time to watch you play. If you’re in the US streaming for a more international community, consider timing your streams when it’s daytime or early evening in Europe or America.
Sticking to the Schedule
Establishing a schedule is easy, but sticking to it can be an entirely different matter. Some things can get in the way of your streaming schedule, so missing out on a planned stream session is no big deal. However, miss out too many times and your followers (and other potential viewers) will probably ditch you for a more consistent streamer for their next streaming fix.
Most important aspect to get more Viewers on Twitch – Being More Engaging
Getting more viewers on stream requires both quantity AND quality. Even with enough streams, viewers will get tired of generic gameplay videos if you don’t make it any different compared to what’s already out there. You need to spice things up to make your content more engaging. Engaging with your audience is one of the most important aspects of how to get more viewers on twitch.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t always have to be good at a particular game to be interesting. Many streamers get hundreds of views even if they are just a bit above average in terms of skill. While good gameplay is preferable, being more entertaining is even more important. Here are a few things that can help you liven up your stream.
Avoid “Dead Air”
Dead air refers to when you’re not saying anything on the mic. If you barely talk, viewers would rather just look for actual gameplay videos instead of checking out your stream. You don’t always have to keep running your mouth but lulls of more than a few minutes should be avoided. A great way to fill in those silent moments is to make comments about what’s currently happening.
If you don’t have much to say about the game itself, it also helps if you have a few discussion topics prepared ahead of time. Talk about an upcoming change to the game if there are any. Say something about what you’d want to be added to it. You can even talk about topics not related to the game, but do keep it to a minimum.
Establishing a Persona
Perhaps one of the trickiest parts of keeping a stream engaging, establishing a persona is a great way to stand out. There are many popular streamers on Twitch that are defined for their quirks or speaking manners, they have truly understood this is a great way of how to get more viewers on twitch. Do you want to be known as an upbeat person or someone chill? As long as you are comfortable with what you are emulating, your persona won’t sound “forced” or awkward.
Having problems finding the right character? Don’t be frustrated; establishing your character can take some time. It’s normal for new streamers to feel uncomfortable during their first few streams, but it shouldn’t take long for you to be able to play and speak normally when you’re live.
Interacting with Viewers
Being able to interact with your viewers is a great way to keep them interested. The more you pay attention to the viewers, the more they are likely to keep watching your stream. Engaging them in conversations will require you to shift your attention between the game and Twitch chat, so you’ll have to learn to multitask to a certain extent.
Don’t know how to interact with your viewers? Start by welcoming them! When you see your stream’s viewer count rise, acknowledge the newcomers and ask them how they’ve been. You should get used to be doing “shoutouts” to new subscribers. Interacting with viewers is a lot easier when you’re starting out because there’s only a few of them at the beginning. However, getting used to interacting with them as you get a steady following should help you handle even a larger audience.
Visual Quality
As much as how well you are performing in your game and with your viewers’ count, your graphics count as well. Nobody wants to watch a stream in 360p. They want to enjoy entertainment in HD, so make sure your computer got what it takes to stream in good quality. There’s a bunch of gaming products and computers out there but here’s a guide that we made for you to make sure you’ll be running a quality stream, but still think about the money you’re putting into it.
That sums up our guide on how to get more viewers on Twitch. We hope this will help you establish your channel as you continue to stream content. If you’re still just planning to stream, you should also check out our guide to game streaming essentials.
