Top 7 ways you can make it on Twitch as a new streamer

Twitch is an excellent platform for live streaming video games. So, if that’s something you’ve been looking into, you should work towards setting your Twitch channel up. Then, you can move on to growing your channel and figuring out ways to make it as a streamer. 

Who knows? You may be able to make it so good that you earn a place among the top Twitch gaming streamers, and can make it your primary income source. This is quite possible, especially if you don’t go into things blindly, and actually plan out your channel and work on your content accordingly. 

1. Create a channel identity

You need to create an identity for your channel, with an easily identifiable visual language. Use Twitch banner templates and other such templates to create imagery that is unique to you. Think about the sort of color scheme you want to go for, and display your channel name prominently on this banner as well. 

When you focus on visuals and create some collateral in advance, things will be easier down the line, and you’ll just have to edit a few standard templates for new banners, overlays, and posters. 

2. Find your niche

You need to find your niche to really make a name as a Twitch streamer. If you go too general at first, then you’ll just get lost among the crowd. So, figure out what sort of games you’re most interested in and will be good at with streaming. 

For example, you can focus on horror games, and create your Twitch imagery and tone around the genre. This will help you get set up more conveniently at first, before you get some followers and can start diversifying a little. 

3. Start off small before going for the big ones

There are already some major Twitch names for top games like Fortnite, DOTA, Call of Duty, and others. So, if you try to stream these right away, you won’t make much headway. Depending on the genre you want to cover, start off with smaller games with similar gameplay. You can even highlight unique indie games none of the big streamers are covering. 

When you do this, make sure you give the games you stream their due respect and play them in the proper spirit, instead of looking at them as stepping stones. Create gaming posters and banners for these games, and then display them on your Twitch stream so that everyone who joins can see exactly what you’re playing. 

4. Do extensive competitor research

As Twitch streaming is now a major industry, you need to treat it as such. This includes extensive competitor research. When you know your niche, see what other people are doing with their Twitch streams. Put in a few hours to look up a number of competitors and also explore the top players in that niche. 

This will help you get an idea of what works, and what your audience would like for your Twitch stream. Of course, do not outright copy other people, but put your own twist to the genre. 

5. Highlight your unique personality

If you just do what everyone else is doing, your stream is not really going to take off. Put your personality into it, so that your Twitch stream stands out. If you have any quirks or other hobbies, do talk about these. You can also share anecdotes while gaming, without really infringing on your safety and privacy. 

Play up the fun and interesting parts of your personality while streaming your gaming sessions on Twitch. 

6. Set up a Discord server

Just starting a Twitch stream in thin air won’t do much for you. You should also generate hype around it in the relevant circles. As a gamer, you probably are part of numerous Discord servers already. Set up another server for your Twitch stream, and then utilize your existing network. Talk about your stream on Discord, and also let your network know about it. 

This server should be active, and you should post regularly on it. If you leave it alone for too long, you might lose out on viewers who know about you through Discord. 

7. Engage with your audience

Talk to your audience in your stream, and involve them with question/answer sessions and competitions as well. You can also ask them for suggestions for things you’re changing up, like Twitch overlay templates, any segment of your stream, and more. 

Audience feedback will be quite valuable in these initial stages, so talk to the followers you have, and find out what you can do to keep them interested and get more followers as well. Furthermore, you can run surveys and polls to get this feedback as well, and make your audience feel involved. 

In conclusion, you can make it as a new Twitch streamer if you plan it out properly. You just need to make an effort, and once your channel takes off, you can focus on updating your equipment, covering AAA games, and taking things to the next level.