“What does it take to succeed on Twitch?”
With the rapid growth of Twitch, many streamers and individual viewers alike are pondering this question more and more, simply because everyone wants a piece of the pie.
Some claim to have the keys to success on Twitch, while other’s call it plain luck.
However, what we do know is that there are certain qualities that every successful streamer has that we can all learn from. So in this post, we’re going to detail some of the qualities we’ve observed that have helped other streamers succeed. Keep in mind: some of these things won’t apply to everyone.
(Disclaimer: This post is not a comprehensive guide. It’s simply our take on some of the qualities we’ve observed from the most successful streamers out there.)
Let’s just jump right in.
2. Have the
ability
to create ente
rtainment.
When we ask ourselves the question, “Why do I watchTwitch?”, the
main reason that comes up is because it’s entertaining.
That’s why the most important quality you can have when
livestreaming toTwitch is to be entertaining.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
“I’m just not that entertaining of a person.What can I do?”
The thing that you don’t realize when you watch your favorite
streamer is that they aren’t natively entertaining.
It’s so easy to look at a top streamer and think, “Wow, that person is
so funny and entertaining.” But the reality is that they are
manufacturing that entertainment.
Successful streamers are constantly looking to great opportunities
to make jokes, say something interesting, etc. If you’re sitting still
and being silent, just waiting for the funny moments to come, they
aren’t going to show up.
3. Be self-aware.
Self-awareness is perhaps the most important quality for success in any field or
industry.
We as humans like to give excuses to ourselves and rationalize things that went
wrong for us. It’s just our nature.
But sometimes, when we continuously tell ourselves certain things, they start to
become believable after a while.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you’ve been streaming for a while onTwitch.You have a decent and steady
number of viewers that come to your channel every day, but your growth has halted.
You decide that you’re going to take some time to figure out why your channel has
stopped growing. After 30 minutes of pondering, you conclude that it’s just so hard to
grow when all the top streamers are taking up the viewers.
This is a classic example of a lie that we are extremely susceptible to telling ourselves
(I’ve even done it more than once).
In reality, the reason that your channel has stopped growing is not because of
someone else or some hidden power giving you bad luck. It’s because of you.
Whether it be that you’re not talking enough, not streaming long enough, etc.
If you are going to take streaming seriously, you must exercise the power of
recognizing when you’re giving yourself dumb excuses. Furthermore, when you
come across a problem that you need to fix, you need to dedicate your all into finding
the solution and implementing it.
4. Be flexible.
As any dedicatedTwitch streamer will tell you, streaming toTwitch
is not always fun and games.
Sometimes, things go bad. And sometimes, things go REALLY bad.
Let me ask you this: Have you ever watched a streamer that gets
mad at simple things?The chances are that you have.
Sometimes, viewers like to see someone get mad at a game or mess
around with their friends. But sometimes, when the anger is
genuine, it’s a whole other story.
I’ll be the first to tell you: genuine anger or frustration is a drive
away for most viewers onTwitch.
That why when something goes wrong on your stream, it’s
important to be flexible and have a backup plan for every situation.
5. Have a good
business
sense.
Over time, as your stream grows, you’re going to have to treat it
more and more like a business.
As you start to pick up more viewers and your stream gains a bit of
traction, it’s inevitable that you’re going to be approached with
offers from companies looking to work together.
When these opportunities do arise, you’re going to have to decide
whether it’s a good idea to take them. If you do decide to take them,
you’re going to have to negotiate the specifics of your contracts.
This is where having a good understanding of business comes in.
If you don’t know how to price yourself or what you think your
stream is worth, you’re going to get a bad deal in any sponsorship
offer you come across or any business opportunities you take.
6. Be different.
And finally, to end this very long blog post, we have the most
important factor of all when finding success as a streamer:
Being different.
Nowadays when you go onTwitch, the game sections are flooded
with tons of people who are doing the same thing.
People who have the same setups, people who have the same
stream graphics, people who have the copied other’s personalities,
and more.
In the end, the people who copy are the people who are going to
fail.
In order to find success onTwitch, you’re going to have to find what
makes you different and likable and stick with it. Otherwise, you’ll
just be a part of the noise.