I saw this guide credits to owner, basically its a stream guide so here you go - I wanted to put out a bit of advice to streamers struggling with forming a steady stream of viewers.
1. Is your game a popular game?
Fortnite, Black Ops 4 are both really hot games to stream right now. But this means that the game is saturated with streamers. What are you bringing to the table that not many else are? The success stories you read about are those who have crazy skill in the game or they're unique and quirky. I personally dont stream the hottest games because those are the games that will introduce a few dozen viewers who come in and leave in seconds or minutes.
2. Is your game cooperative?
A Coop game is the easy way to get regular viewers. They connect with you better because they feel like you're helping them. Even if the game is competitive, if there is a team aspect to it, focus on that a bit more.
3. Are you known in your community?
Facebook has tons of groups for games created by the community itself. I know a lot of people are saying share your stream to these groups, but I believe what you should be focusing on is to participate in those groups and set an identity for yourself before you share your stream there. You look sincere, the community is willing to interact with you because they know you, and you arent a stranger enough for them to leave after a minute or two of watching you. From personal experience, I'm involved in 3 groups for one game. That one game has gotten me to 300+ followers and they ask me when I'm streaming next.
4. Giveaways aren't the answer.
If you do giveaways too early into your streaming career, you get leeches. People who come into the stream only when you do giveaways. You have a hard time establishing a streamer to viewer relationship this way and you're only really getting numbers that wont help you too much. Quality over quantity. Dont set yourself up to be a loot grab.
5. Audio over video.
You'll notice that a lot of viewers expect good quality on both, but are more lenient with video than they are with audio. Your web cam is a bit too dark? They wont mind it much. But if your audio has your neighborhood sirens going off, echo from you or your teammates, noisy people or animals, you playing music off your phone, etc, they're outta there. Both video and audio should be good. But your audio needs to be as close to pristine as possible.
6. No one is better than anyone else.
Whether you have 5 viewers or 500, you need to make sure you treat your viewers equally. Try your best to make sure you reply to everyone. Not just that one guy who comes back to your stream or the people who give you stars. Everyone is VIP.
7. Dont address the trolls.
It is getting increasingly popular (because Facebook now attaches relevant streams to posts about games) for trolls to just pop in and troll. Don't talk to them. Try your best to ban them asap but don't give them the time of day. Arguing with trolls is the same as when you go to a friend's wedding and the one couple tactlessly has a screaming match. It is awkward and ruins the entire experience and makes you want to leave. Dont do this to your viewers, just ban and focus on stream.
8. Stream in a good mood.
Your positivity rubs off on people. You having fun is contagious. If you feel yourself raging, dont let yourself get to the point of throwing your headset, screaming "oh come on!", and throw a tantrum. You are an entertainer when you are a streamer. Raging on stream can drive a lot of people away. Take time to laugh, share jokes, make stupid puns, smile, and enjoy yourself. Your viewers will smile and laugh with you.
9. Be consistent.
It may seem like a good idea to stream whenever your play but returning viewers will want a bit of consistency in your streams. Set a schedule for yourself. I personally stream on schedule Tuesday and Thursday during the evening and Saturday during the afternoon. You can stream in between your schedules without scheduling, but you'll notice after a few weeks that your scheduled streams will have the most returning viewers. This is because they know to show up then. If you streamed fortnite every Tuesday and then decided all of a sudden to stream red dead on Tuesday next week without warning, you'll throw a lot of returning viewers off. Announce changes ahead of time. Plan a bit ahead of time. Be consistent in what you stream and how you stream.
10. You are the star of your stream and you are also not the star of your stream.
Big camera overlays really arent necessary. Make sure your camera isnt obstructing things in the game gui. The perfect balance is when they can see you clearly without you being in the way of the game. Let them feel like the screen they see is a game they're playing. Your health bars, your maps, things of these nature are best not obscured by your camera. If you have to sacrifice a part of the screen for your camera, choose the one that is least necessary. Play around with it and ask your viewers what they think of it. Though, try not to work on this during stream. I recently moved my camera into portrait mode to the left center of my screen and asked if my viewers preferred this or preferred when my camera was landscape on the upper right in previous streams. If they said they liked the upper right better, I would have streamed with it positioned back there next stream.
These arent set in stone rules to get your stream to be successful. In fact, some of the guidelines may work better for you if you do the exact opposite of what I advised. Get a good feel for the stream you are doing and dont be afraid to play around with it all. And most importantly, dont be discouraged if you're not at 5k followers in your first two months. Not all of us are that lucky and it certainly doesn't necessarily mean we are doing badly.
1. Is your game a popular game?
Fortnite, Black Ops 4 are both really hot games to stream right now. But this means that the game is saturated with streamers. What are you bringing to the table that not many else are? The success stories you read about are those who have crazy skill in the game or they're unique and quirky. I personally dont stream the hottest games because those are the games that will introduce a few dozen viewers who come in and leave in seconds or minutes.
2. Is your game cooperative?
A Coop game is the easy way to get regular viewers. They connect with you better because they feel like you're helping them. Even if the game is competitive, if there is a team aspect to it, focus on that a bit more.
3. Are you known in your community?
Facebook has tons of groups for games created by the community itself. I know a lot of people are saying share your stream to these groups, but I believe what you should be focusing on is to participate in those groups and set an identity for yourself before you share your stream there. You look sincere, the community is willing to interact with you because they know you, and you arent a stranger enough for them to leave after a minute or two of watching you. From personal experience, I'm involved in 3 groups for one game. That one game has gotten me to 300+ followers and they ask me when I'm streaming next.
4. Giveaways aren't the answer.
If you do giveaways too early into your streaming career, you get leeches. People who come into the stream only when you do giveaways. You have a hard time establishing a streamer to viewer relationship this way and you're only really getting numbers that wont help you too much. Quality over quantity. Dont set yourself up to be a loot grab.
5. Audio over video.
You'll notice that a lot of viewers expect good quality on both, but are more lenient with video than they are with audio. Your web cam is a bit too dark? They wont mind it much. But if your audio has your neighborhood sirens going off, echo from you or your teammates, noisy people or animals, you playing music off your phone, etc, they're outta there. Both video and audio should be good. But your audio needs to be as close to pristine as possible.
6. No one is better than anyone else.
Whether you have 5 viewers or 500, you need to make sure you treat your viewers equally. Try your best to make sure you reply to everyone. Not just that one guy who comes back to your stream or the people who give you stars. Everyone is VIP.
7. Dont address the trolls.
It is getting increasingly popular (because Facebook now attaches relevant streams to posts about games) for trolls to just pop in and troll. Don't talk to them. Try your best to ban them asap but don't give them the time of day. Arguing with trolls is the same as when you go to a friend's wedding and the one couple tactlessly has a screaming match. It is awkward and ruins the entire experience and makes you want to leave. Dont do this to your viewers, just ban and focus on stream.
8. Stream in a good mood.
Your positivity rubs off on people. You having fun is contagious. If you feel yourself raging, dont let yourself get to the point of throwing your headset, screaming "oh come on!", and throw a tantrum. You are an entertainer when you are a streamer. Raging on stream can drive a lot of people away. Take time to laugh, share jokes, make stupid puns, smile, and enjoy yourself. Your viewers will smile and laugh with you.
9. Be consistent.
It may seem like a good idea to stream whenever your play but returning viewers will want a bit of consistency in your streams. Set a schedule for yourself. I personally stream on schedule Tuesday and Thursday during the evening and Saturday during the afternoon. You can stream in between your schedules without scheduling, but you'll notice after a few weeks that your scheduled streams will have the most returning viewers. This is because they know to show up then. If you streamed fortnite every Tuesday and then decided all of a sudden to stream red dead on Tuesday next week without warning, you'll throw a lot of returning viewers off. Announce changes ahead of time. Plan a bit ahead of time. Be consistent in what you stream and how you stream.
10. You are the star of your stream and you are also not the star of your stream.
Big camera overlays really arent necessary. Make sure your camera isnt obstructing things in the game gui. The perfect balance is when they can see you clearly without you being in the way of the game. Let them feel like the screen they see is a game they're playing. Your health bars, your maps, things of these nature are best not obscured by your camera. If you have to sacrifice a part of the screen for your camera, choose the one that is least necessary. Play around with it and ask your viewers what they think of it. Though, try not to work on this during stream. I recently moved my camera into portrait mode to the left center of my screen and asked if my viewers preferred this or preferred when my camera was landscape on the upper right in previous streams. If they said they liked the upper right better, I would have streamed with it positioned back there next stream.
These arent set in stone rules to get your stream to be successful. In fact, some of the guidelines may work better for you if you do the exact opposite of what I advised. Get a good feel for the stream you are doing and dont be afraid to play around with it all. And most importantly, dont be discouraged if you're not at 5k followers in your first two months. Not all of us are that lucky and it certainly doesn't necessarily mean we are doing badly.
