I think that today's video might seem more theoretical but I think it's important to talk about, what do you think? If you want to join our growing community check out our other content: bit.ly/JoinTheStreamScheme 🕘Timestamps: 0:00 What Is The Generic Streaming Advice? 1:27 Brand New Plugin By Own3d.tv - OWN3D Pro 2:30 The One Rule Of Streaming You Need To Accept 5:10 What Parts Of Streaming Should You Focus On To Grow 6:38 The Most Powerful Way To Stand Out As A Streamer 7:48 How I Failed As A Content Creator And Streamer 10:41 Why You Need To Stop Trying To Appeal To Everyone 12:06 FREE Animated Twitch Overlays - With Download 12:32 What Will Make You Grow FASTER Than Anyone Else 14:02 A Realisation You Need To Have 14:16 The Best Advice For A New Creator Trying To Grow
I'm incredibly unsure about this and would appreciate some insight as it's a tad confusing for me. I understand the basics of Mature content but I'm not so sure how far it extends, for instance does Doom and Gears of War and games alike require that I change it to Mature content? It's been a hectic week of learning and planning, I'm not gonna self promo as I'm not interested in earning a fake audience I'm just worried about the consequences of TOS as I don't fully grasp the extent of Mature Content. Maybe your team could make a short in depth video about this subject. Thanks for all the help and tips so far as I've probably binged close to 9+ hours of these videos in the last week.
Hey man glad to see someone giving solid advice As a small streamer myself (just for fun) I can see that the growth methods you are proposing are spot on Watching other streams and UA-camrs I myself click on streams based on my own interests and entertainment value And also people just being human Nobody wants to see a robot and nobody wants to watch fake emotions or obvious fake happiness Just be the version of yourself on your best days That’s the real you that’s the you everyone wants to see Yea it’s hard but you know how to be that person and you are happy when you are that person people want to see happy that’s my personal opinion and I hope others will see the value in that Your feedback on this comment would be amazing Really feel like I have gained so much value from watching your videos and after 5 videos decided to sub Thank you for being you 👍
My advice is to make a pre-stream checklist of all the stuff you need to do before you go live! Do a volume check, make sure you updated your stream info, get your scenes in order, make sure your game and widgets work, grab a big glass of water, etc etc.... you'll forget at least one of these once and be kicking yourself. And while scuff is universal and nothing to be ashamed of.... yeah, Google up a stream start checklist or make your own, and maybe even print it out and stick it to the edge of your monitor or something. A smoother start makes for a smoother stream!
One I've made is the mistake of trying to make my stream appeal to EVERYONE instead of just going for a particular audience. I've heard a lot of people say they were afraid of developing a niche but for me personally its made things so much less stressful
I felt this but the opposite! I played one game people were into and it's now most of my audience. I want to branch out but it's dropped my numbers because I've dug myself into a little hole 😅
@@IAmMightyMike Honestly, I usually see this as a good thing! If it's a game you don't enjoy ALWAYS playing then you'll get bored of it eventually either way. But if your able to get even a few viewers that come to your next stream that originated from that category than thats a major win. For example I played The Stanley Parable and had a few new followers that were specifically from browsing that category, the next stream I played a different game and one of those followers joined back in and watched for a bit which was super cool
@@IAmMightyMike yeah, this is a thing. I stream Fortnite every now and then ppl ask me about FN all the time. so I am thinking of upping up my FN streams while staying variety in general. If they care about u in the long term u create 1v1 relationships, some viewers will carry over. Established streamers can stream anything and still get views, ppl come for the streamer first. PS Having a niche audience first and then going variety is better. U have legs to stand on. good luck!
Not watching VODs back at all is a huge mistake I made for a while. I have improved a lot since then, and its definitely helped! Thanks for another grear video dude!
A big mistake of mine was having toooo much variety. Starting out I literally just played whatever, and a lot of it was retro games emulated. And this was before I had the UA-cam or TikTok accounts. There was 0 discoverability, and I didn't get ANY viewers until I started consistently playing some more searched games like DBD or Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links. Post-video: I really liked the first and second tips, I think I mentioned it in a comment on last week's pod but idr. It reminds of the song "Nine People's Favorite Thing" Some lines from the song: "When we set out to write this musical/We said we’d write a show that we wanna see/We knew we’d never please everyone/Remember that day at Gristedes/You said to me/I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing/Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing" I feel like it's a good mentality to take when going into content creation. The show has a lot of songs like that, as it's about writing a musical. Highly recommend
As a streamer I've learnt its important to implement a schedule, a time.. and not to just disappear for weeks at a time as no one will know when you will be streaming. Connecting and networking is important to.. consistency is so important.
Yeah I realized streaming is very much like a sport, it takes a lot of practice and it's very active in nature. That schedule means your favorite crowd knows when to tune in too.
My piece of advice is to make longer countdowns at the beginning of the stream: it helps the connection stabilize, people have time to click on the notification and overall you got more time to collect your thoughts. I used to have a 4 minutes countdown intro and switched to 6 because the beginning was often coming too soon and would get lost before anyone arrived. Thanks for the advices, I’ve seen a slight improvement in the past weeks and you encourage me to keep going! (both here on yt and twitch)
Love this video! I absolutely get the feeling of "maybe im just not cut out for streaming?". However at the end of the day if we have fun and can make people smile, thats what I wanted out of it and that's what I get out of it! big respect to you Eljay!
Trying to fix everything all at once based on every best practice you find in videos is overwhelming. I found it best to try 1% improvement. Find one small thing I can make better right now. That little bit gives me a small step up. Then, I'm in a better position to apply another small bit of what I learned from other more successful streamers.
What I learned: Always talk like someone is there even when you’re by yourself & don’t be afraid to add little quirks to your stream that make it more unique. I also save my favorite streams as highlights since I can’t upload videos + clip my own content. I keep them on my channel as a display of what viewers can expect - so when I’m not active, I might still get new followers based on my older content. Main thing: Don’t be lazy. Probably the main reason I haven’t made more progress is because my streaming schedule is nonexistent and I don’t do it much. That will hopefully change soon. But idk. Good luck everyone! 🤗
For me it's easy to talk to myself when I am playing a game since lots of stuff can happen in it that I can comment on. But most of my content is art and it's hard to find lots of times to talk about some things. I try saying what I'm thinking about or what I am doing or planning to do, but it's still so limited. Lots of times there's nothing to say and just need to go focus mode on some parts.
It’s good to hear someone as prolific as you (at least to me) still struggles with the doubts. Real talk on a weekly basis I question myself and my ability to stream. Thank you for the reassurance!
I really love the emphasis on being genuine in this video, and I'm so glad you've found a community of streamers you can connect with and share experiences, I've been blessed to have that from about a month into streaming and it helps so much That being said, my advice is that friendships are made outside of streams. I have made true friends from spending time in their discord communities, whether its joining a movie night or just chatting about memes. Though that being said, don't be that person who just says "good morning" everyday and ignores any attempt to reply and actually talk to you :P
One thing I started doing recently (while not a streaming tip) is to make a second thumbnail if a video is under performing, you got to have faith in the video and understand why your first package didn’t work and use that knowledge to try and make a better thumbnail and title to breathe new life into a video over waiting until next time
Ive actually been doing the 3rd tip since i started. After commenting in chats the streamers started asking me specific questions. I then started interacting with them in their discord. We encourage each other and share tips and tools. My growth has been slow, but i dont worry about that. I know that my community base is solid and it will help me deal with burnout and streamer anxiety.
I have been struggling to gain viewers, having recently started streaming a few months ago. It was becoming discouraging, as I assumed it was just people didn’t enjoy me personally. However, I just made a small (and obvious) change, which was simply to alter my in game character name to my twitch name with TTV, and yesterday I had literally 10 times the viewers I have ever had at one time, and many active chatters that stuck around the whole stream. It felt fantastic to finally have that chat interaction, and half of them followed by the end. Going to keep going today, but I want you to know I have been watching all of your tips videos and thinking how they would work best for me as my own content creator. Seeing you be honest not only about your gains but also your losses, and showing there is a path to overcome those setbacks, has been inspiring and encouraging to myself, and I’m sure many others like me. Appreciate all the things you do, keep up the fantastic work!
I literally cannot help but watch your videos cause you give the absolute best advice. I struggle so much with just trying to being entertaining for my viewers. I feel like for me it's kinda because I'm super shy and feel like a boring person that no one would even wanna watch me or even find any near entertaining. I also struggle with the feeling of loneliness of gaming world, but watching your videos, your streams, and listening to your advice, I feel like I can become a better streamer. So thank you so much for your amazing advice and content.
One mistake I made was relying to heavily on chat interaction, realizing I'm the entertainer, chat isn't there to entertain me - it's the other way around.
14:10 “if i have to realize that you have to realize that” amazing way of not only building a deeper connection with chat but also can give you stuff to talk about and less dead time on your stream! love your advice man
Schedule schedule schedule. It isnt the easiest sometimes while working full time, but if you can get a schedule going and put it on twitch for viewers to know when to expect you, it makes the world of difference! (There is also a panel that does countdowns for you in extensions)
Talk to yourself like a madman. Just never shut up. Say anything, no matter how crazy just keep saying things. Actually, in my experience, the crazier the better. If it makes you laugh or want to talk, it'll make someone else laugh or want to listen. And it's way better than silence .
The self-confidence thing is huge. Every week I’m convinced I’m not good enough to be a streamer: I’m too old, I’m too well-spoken, I’m not good enough at the games I play, I’m not funny enough, etc, etc. But then I look back at the viewing figures (which are very small, but slowly growing) and remind myself that *these people all wanted to watch me*. So there was something they liked, and there still is something they like - because they keep coming back. I have to hang onto that feeling.
probably been said a million times by you and others, but the mistake I made early on, trying to be something im not. I quickly got burnt out trying to be this energetic funny person. Just wasnt me, and after abit I sounded and felt so run down, and it just wasnt working. Im a low energy comfy casual conversations and vibing type personality, once I accepted that went from 0 to 3 ppl to averages 12 to 30. not the biggest jump, but its working slowly for me and im happy with it, and its something I like doing. So my biggest mistake i learned from was being authentic.
I'm not super big yet but something that I've learned is that it doesn't matter what the view count is, if you want to be a streamer, like- really want to be a streamer, you should act like you have hundreds of thousands of viewers or more. Acting one way when someone isn't there and acting like something else when they are makes or breaks your channel. Eljay and these videos have helped me a lot in the past few weeks of consistent streaming, he knows what he's doing.
one important thing i learned that took me forever to get that i learned recently that i idk how it took me so long to learn and thats watching your vod back why is looking back at your vod good one its good for knowing if theirs any video or audio issues and you can figure out how to fix them two its good for clips after stream for content on places like tiktok youtubershorts instagram reels hover etc to help you grow cuz unless your live nobody can find you and 3 you can see what you can improve on this videos help me learn that the vods after the broadcast are one of the most useful tools you can have for many reasons if you don't have save past broadcast on why not
Seriously appreciate the effort you put into these videos dude. You always remind your audience that your advice doesn’t always work for everyone or you mention personal stories which I find really helps. Thanks for what you do!
My biggest mistake so far is thinking I needed to know or have everything completely set up before getting started. Rather than just getting out there and practicing.
Having a pre stream checklist has been big help for me. Networking is so important, but it has to be genuine, just make friends organically. In order to be a good streamer that people want to watch, you have to watch your VODs and judge yourself from an outside perspective. Most importantly, if you aren't having fun, people will know.
The best thing I’ve done as a small streamer on Twitch is playing with viewers FOR FREE and being really nice whether they play good or not…. Also buying an Own3d overlay using Eljay’s link is SUPER IMPORTANT😉😉
Good one Eljay, really enjoying the videos lately. Having peers who you can share with, and can relate to your experiences, are so valuable in so many situations. Family and friends support is great but people on the same journey as you can be priceless.
I know that networking is a great thing, but I always fell awkward trying to do it. It's already kinda hard making friends irl for me and reaching out to other content creators is on whole another level. I enjoy lurking a lot more than chatting on stream, so I don't usually become an "active member" of their community and I don't know how to start building friendship. So yeah, I really struggle with networking, even tho I'd really love to make new friends. If we could get a whole video dedicated to networking it would be great
What I learned as a very small streamer was to make friends. Sounds silly but wait... Before you even start streaming, be involved with others, chat, hang out and all that with them, a strong community of streamer friends will help one another out and it will be way more fun to stream to your friends at first as you lean everything. I am not talking about kissing butt to the big streamer ether, I watched and hanged out with smaller streamers and didn't even think about streaming till asked why i wasn't.
I’ve been watching your videos for the past two months, all I can say is Thank you for all the great advice you’ve given, I just started out streaming and the first week I didn’t know what I was doing until I came upon your videos and instead of just streaming flat out without a plan I’ve spent the past month trying to perfect my set up, my content, my voice, and just learning what really made me want to start this in the first place.
My advice comes from not how to be better at streaming, but on how to start streaming. I wanted for a long time to start streaming, but I never managed to make the final step, that is, actually press the start stream button, it me a long while to actually start, but when I did it felt incredibly rewarding, because I had won against myself. The actual part I want to talk about is because after I started streaming I had to take a long break due to personal reasons and when I actually had to return to streaming, I couldn't, all that I was feeling before came back, but stronger. At the time I didn't know what to do because I had already streamed before, but I was feeling so nervous I couldn't just press the start button and that's when I remembered something that I heard while watching a video on this channel, the commentary test, the one you record yourself talking for 10 minutes and then listen the next day, and after a few days doing it I was able to stream. What I'm trying to say is, sometimes if streaming gets too difficult, changing your approach can make it extremely easier, in my case it was doing something that made me feel like I was doing a step forward, but it can be something different for you reading this. And to those that read this, if you're thinking you may like streaming, give it a shot, because even if it's not what you had in mind and you decide to stop, then hey, you tried and that is already awesome in itself
Something I learned the hard way back in 2018 when I first started streaming is not joining an esports org just for the sake of being in an org. Everyone would love to join a team and represent something they believe in but do your research and ask other people about their experience and make a decision but try to see If it will be worth it for you in the long run... YOU know your self worth so don't let others tell you otherwise!
So, I'm a very small creator and I started with UA-cam first last November and I've been doing it ever since. During this journey, my biggest form of advice is to ignore the hate comments on your videos or your streams. People will always try to fish for an argument, so it's not worth caving to them. No matter how good of a clip you have and post, you will always have people call it trash, or say you are an awful gamer, they will say anything they can to discourage you from posting. Be yourself and post the clips/videos that YOU are proud of. Do what makes you happy so you don't end up hating doing what you are striving to do/enjoy for yourself. Also take frequent clips from your gameplay, what you think might be a really bad clip could be what makes you go viral. Keep pushing and keep posting your content. The nice uplifting comments you get will outweigh all of the negative hateful comments. Good luck out there everyone and just remember, be yourself because there is only one YOU! That's what you want your audience to see. 😊❤
I once hyped another streamer that was live at the same time as me (because I like their content) so much, that everyone left to go check them out and now that happens everytime we stream at the same time. Taught me that I should keep my praise brief and move on from it quickly. It also made me think in how i can improve my own content in order for this not to happen again. (I could go into an essay about all the mistakes I know I make but it would be too long). The feeling I'm "not cut out for this" is one I have everyday Great video as always, thank you for all the content and insight/perspective you provide to all of us.
Yes, I have that issue as well. I focus my content around helping the viewers rather than just being a streamer. but sometimes I can be quite critical of myself. I'm working on it and loving my community. your content has been very helpful.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had 1 person tell me that just chatting streamers are cringey and if I became full time, I would lost them as a member. But the vast majority loved my just chatting stuff. They loved the unexpectedness of what I would find and talk about. That negative had echoed the loudest and I think has stopped me from doing more in a just chatting category.
I learned that sitting down for one hour before starting a stream and just doing/learning whatever i can about twitch, stream, tools, game, improved my stream quality with great speed.
That last point hit quite hard, i've not started streaming just yet due to personal issues, but it made me realise that i need to reach out and make more friends that like the same things i do. thanks for the amazing content as always
One of the first thing's you addressed, turning off that view count can save your mood. Also I set up a "payoff" for viewers in opening a pokemon card pack every stream. Let's just say, it didn't boost my numbers a lot but it did become expensive quickly.
Right now my biggest struggle as a content creator is figuring out how to revamp my video production process (the content itself, editing, thumbnails, focusing in CTR and retention), and making friends to collab with and bounce ideas off of. There are plenty of nice people out here, don't get me wrong. But it's difficult for me to find someone who doesn't already have their "crew" or is at least looking to expand their circle. This seems true in many walks of life, from my perspective.
I constantly overthink and try to brainstorm ideas that I think will make every enjoy my content. I try to do that by finding something I'm good at and I like that will resonate with viewers. When I can't think of the best exact thing I feel like I'm not meant to stream or be a stream in any capacity. My advice to people who want to stream or are starting to stream: start with a small schedule and try out different days and times that feel good for you. 1-2 days at first. Then when that's comfortable or easy add 1 more day so you don't jump into the deep end too soon.
1. If you are dealing with Mic Clipping when you talk loud or scream and has a limited, compressor, etc set up and already tried multiple solutions. It might be your sound suppressor being on RNNoise (highest setting iirc) 2. If you wanna test your stream without letting your community see it, Start a UA-cam live as unlisted so only those with the link to it can see~
I totally get the "questioning your streaming abilities" weekly basis. I yo-yo between being very comfortable with where I am and what I'm making and the complete opposite at the drop of a hat. What really helps me is just trying to stream things I enjoy. Like Eljay said, if you're not enjoying it, why would anyone else.
Dude this is one of your best videos yet. It felt so damn real and personal i almost cried. At this moment you feel like the most genuine creator out there. ❤️
I really appreciate that! I'll be honest I was worried it was fluffy or not actionable but it felt like a good conversation that I hadn't seen much before, so I really hope it helps mate! #earlygang
I've been streaming for 3 and a half years, despite the great amount of growth I finally got in December 2022 it still dropped off from over 8-9 months and I'm doing terribly once again, I'm doing all the right things such as responding to others, welcoming people, talking about what I am doing in the game, talking about general life stuff when it comes to mind, being consistent with schedules and kinds of games playing, still doing terrible regardless of this, people rarely return, I feel like giving up, I think people don't generally like my voice and facial expressions.
One thing I've learned is you just have to do it. I'm trying to work up to it but that's what I see with a lot of channels, they just give up after like a couple videos or streams. I really appreciate your advice and this channel. But sadly not everyone can make it as a youtuber or streamer but I believe that if you can put in some effort and passion, you can achieve anything.
Just got my 15th follower today, I've had videos that hit 50-60 views, yet my stream last night only has 8. Some times it's just hit or miss, that's sorta what I've learned as well.
My initial problem was trying to do too many games at the same time. Rather than just playing them a game at a time. Thanks for the great tips, all of them have gone straight into the notebook to remind me.
Your video have been the staple to get me up and running on Twitch. I've been working on getting everything set up for the past year, slowly and steadily. I go live this weekend and am super excited, but also nervous. i know that I'm not jumping to affiliate status and going to have hundreds of viewers, but I can say that I did the thing, Thanks to all of your tutorial videos.
I have learned that I still have a lot to learn. Having full time work (& life) while doing content P/T calls a challenge to time-management to not only just make the content but to also learn the tools that not only add to that content but to make it easier to produce said content.
Really appreciate this video. I've been struggling creatively and this has helped me get more of a mental focus on making my stream about me, and not what I think the rat race for viewers needs. If I make content I like, that's all I need to do. If growth comes, then it comes, and if it doesn't, at least I'm making content I would love as an audience.
10:04 is the best part of the video cause i was in chat 💅🏻 But no tbh this video helped me open up my eyes to so many stuff i was scared of THANK U ELJAY !!
Definitely letting my viewers override what I want to on stream to keep them on for longer periods of time. It got to a point where I didn't want to stream anymore and lost all motivation for it. Had to take a step back and recuperate
The biggest mistake i made was not watching my VODs back, watching them is helping me improve with each stream, and i often feel like i am an imposter, but i realised that i am me and confidence began to grow.
Things I've learned. Networking Growth > Stream Growth. Need to make connections and this will help you grow way more than streaming 8 hours a day. Second thing is I've started to stream more retro / unpopular games because I simply enjoy them and am able to keep a conversation going on the entire time. Whether it is just simply talking about what I'm doing in a game or just a random topic that comes up that I wrote down ahead of time. Definitely still have ups and downs but just gotta keep working and getting better!
My advice as a new streamer myself is find a niche you enjoy and stick to it and build your audience up later down the line you can branch out but building that core audience who watch your streams for you is a massive help
I learned, the quality of stream is important for people to stay and interact with you, that doesn't means high end equipment but anything which makes your stream watchable, also very important part which I failed a lot of times was the audio management, that is insane important, I still see people with high viewers having songs volume much more than their voice, hope I shared some valuable point for someone who is reading this, thanks :)
My tips: Get a good workflow for before AND after the stream. I've lost several videos that were really important to me (only two but still) because I forgot to highlight/download/publish to youtube whatever. That two week VOD limit comes on you fast. And having a good workflow/checklist is essential. So many times I've gone live and forgotten to update the category and title! My other tips are be thoughtful about the community you want to build and focus on that. Don't tolerate certain things simply because it gets chat going if you don't want that to become your whole community in a few months. When I teach people about community organizing I always tell them "your values now are what your community will look like in 5 years" the same is true for twitch but it's months not years and once things go toxic it will be harder to undo. And think about what you actually want to offer. My channel is for the non-profit I co-direct called Consent Academy. So on my streams I talk about social issues like autonomy, consent, social power etc through the lens of different games and also during interview/chats with other people trying to create positive change in the world. This is something fairly unique on twitch. It's not for everyone to be sure but it means my channel has something other channels don't which is the only way to really get noticed but also will be more satisfying overall. something you really enjoy and connect with will feel better than antics to chase better numbers.
One of the things that I am still working out is developing my niche! I do think that it's subject to change in the future, but I have been contemplating what I like right now and how I stream that content so it may attract members of that community. Still have a long way to go, but it's about the journey!
Thank you 🙏 we definitely all need to be reminded to not try and be someone on stream that you aren’t. That makes the whole process so much more stressful.
I started off wanting to be a youtuber, and started streaming as part of recording content for youtube and ended up becoming a streamer. Now that I'm doing content creation full-time, I'm focusing a lot more on UA-cam and making content specifically for it. My stream is pretty streamlined in what I offer and cutting out parts of that for youtube hasn't been good because the stream's moments are all out of context. But by recording specifically for UA-cam, I can record knowing that it's going on UA-cam and will be edited and far more controlled. However, it's been difficult finding anyone my size who is also trying to go full-time at this. For so many, it's just a hobby and not something they're interested in pursuing to any extent. It's an uphill battle and, for better or worse, I'm approaching it like a science experiment with a LOT of variables. I figure success is just failing until you're happy with the results.
I can so relate to this. While my community is tiny they are so supportive and amazing, but I haven’t really been able to connect with anyone who are trying to eventually go full time with this. (At least not openly.) So I’m kind of stuck with people (I mean in my personal life) who all have opinions but have not been spending as much time educating themselves about streaming and content creation as I did and it can really just bring me down and enhance my struggles😅 and now I feel like I’ve lost that sense of direction I’ve had when I started and I’m definitely stagnating and struggling to find myself, stay motivated and inspired and create engaging content.
It was helpful that before I started streaming I'd made around 100 UA-cam videos, so had gotten used to having a topic and talking about it to the potential audience behind the camera. So while I enjoy having people in chat to interact with, I am actually talking to the people who will be watching the VOD as well...just entertaining myself and potentially others.
Personally my mistake was not taking the steps towards becoming a content creator earlier, due to always hearing that the only way for UA-cam or Twitch to "work" was to get "lucky" or hearing it's a pipe dream, take the safe route etc. I have since been educated by stream scheme and am excited to begin creating content!
Every night after I hit that end stream button I lay in my bed wondering am I wasting my time as a streamer? I average 2 to 5 viewers a stream, most or all are friends or family. Other than posting videos to UA-cam I'm not sure what else to do to get noticed. But I'm not quiting! Thank you for all your tips and positive vibes Eljay! 💙
Your channel has genuinely helped me so much. Thank you for your videos! The biggest thing I struggle with is my anxiety when it comes to streaming. The more viewers I get, the more anxious I feel. How do you stay calm or at least fake it?
What I’m currently starting to implement. Is a PURPOSE for my videos & streams. Having a subject or topic or achievement that is the main focus of the video. Not just editing a publishing random gameplay
Not entirely something I’ve done wrong, but from my time student teaching, my cooperating teacher told me that I tend to start off a lot of my sentences with either “so” or “umm” and that makes me look unprepared, so I’ve been trying really to not say those kinds of phrases. Especially when I have to pause and think about what I’m saying, which coming from a guy with REALLY bad ADHD, happens quite frequently!
My biggest mistake was I stopped 7 years ago when I got a job and all that because I was too tired. But I wish I didnt. I recently started again and it was so much fun. My heart jumped. I felt fullfilled by just streaming but the people I talked to were gone. I hope I can get back to the place where I was before but it will take some time. So yeah dont give up. Also enjoy the process. I know people like to see big numbers but try to ignore those and just have fun. You can improve on stuff and be realistic but dont give up.
as someone who has been streaming for 2 months and has 250 subs and 70-100 average viewers, with about 3.5k-4k messages per stream, i found making friends with your first few viewers is VITAL. they will be the foundation that your ENTIRE community is built off. make them feel special, address their chat messages on stream, make inside jokes with them. let them laugh at you and tease you and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. those are the most important things for me, i know i’m not super successful but i feel very proud of where i am now
When I had a bit of an identity crisis (so to speak), the main thing I've learned is to embrace the niche I enjoy and to try to become an authority at it. Now, I'm far from that, and the niche isn't easy to grow in or market, but at least I have the energy and determination to make it work. At least, more so than ending up playing some game that would be better viewership-wise, but wouldn't be me. Again, I'm pretty much puny still, but to me it feels like it's far better to create content in something you're passionate about over creating content solely for the views, because that'll reflect in the quality of the content. I'm still in the learning process and I haven't figured out the way to broaden my following yet, at least, not completely. But I'll get there :)
I would have to say obsessing about numbers was a mistake I made about 4-5 months ago. I was focusing on my viewership, revenue, etc instead of thinking more broadly about my content and learning how to engage.
I learned that effort is rewarded. I've been investing time in fun animations for viewers to activate and they've been enjoying it. This channel and Nutty have been very helpful
I learned that content creation is a process...you can watch a million videos before starting to stream or make UA-cam videos and while it likely will up the general quality of stuff early on, I think everyone discovers after a while, that there is no formula when it comes to creating content itself. That has to be discovered bit by bit individually. That's why our earlier advice may have been there with the best intentions to help others, only for us (and later them) to discover the next layer on our own. The things that we can and can't control and even a bit about ourselves and who we are, so the content we create, fits us as a person and we attract people that vibe with that. 🙂
so my biggest mistake that i've done as a small streamer is not being chatty on my first 3 streams even though there was a lot of people watching me play little nightmares 1&2, that caused the viewers to leave and never come back some of them stayed and some left but i have learned now!
Also have to be careful who you play with. My one friend only ever has 1 viewer, so when he’s playing in the game with me he acts like there isn’t more than 1 person and says things and gives attitude that turns people away. Last week I played a game that I actually enjoy without him being there and had 100+ extra views than other vods lately
The 3rd point is powerful, I've made some great friends with some fellow streamers who started out around the same time. But this video has raised some very valid points about those friendships. So thank you
Biggest mistake I made was going from Horror streaming to variety streaming. Completely stopped my momentum for a bit and I’m just now getting things back on track. Instead of doing it this way I instead created a secondary channel for the other genre of games I wanted to play so that both channels are niched to a specific type of game and vibe.
Learned this through UA-cam, but definitely applicable to streaming(actually starting to look into streaming myself). You're going to suck at first, or at least you'll feel like you suck. The best thing for you to do, is start. Just start posting/streaming. Also, don't be afraid to let some friends know about your content.
I’ve learned that games that allow chat to be more involved either integration mods or just games where you can add chat members into the game, they will stay round to see what happens to their character’s
I learned not streaming on a regular schedule and going days/weeks/months without streaming consistently WILL BREAK your viewer count. Consistently keeping in contact with viewers by sticking to a set stream schedule AND interacting regularly in discord is essential!
As far as asking myself if I am good enough or right fit. Yep, and like you at least once a week if not more. I average around 50 on twitch right now, but have been plateauing the past few months, and been asking myself this question almost daily, on what I am doing wrong, what can I do better and such.
one of my mistakes ive made is not watching back my vods to see how I can make it better each time. still pretty new and cant change a few things because of money reasons but it does help me also love your content
9:19 Yeah, that basically sums me up. I'm still committed to playing the games I enjoy playing, and the few people who show up regularly do enjoy it. However, because I'm a low-energy guy, I don't really stand out and draw people in.
I'm terrible at finding the right time to stream, personally, I feel like I've got most things down (production value, finding my "thing", etc) but finding the right time to stream has always been a challenge for me. That, and I'm a music streamer which is a *massively* popular category in Twitch these days.
Honestly best tip is to be yourself and have fun never try to be someone else!!! Starting to be more comfortable on camera and have fun during my streams has taken me a long time to do !! Justttttt have funnnnn
A mistake I made (and still make but I'm getting better) is caring too much about the actual words I'm saying. Sometimes I get too hung up on saying the perfect thing or the right thing and I end up saying nothing instead. Things go way smoother when I just ride my energy level and remove my filter, and just say whatever my mouth wants to say. Turns out I still end up saying some valuable stuff!
When i was starting out, i was always quiet and would only talk when i needed to.. but... i learned that u should always be chatting no matter what.. i no some games it hard to do.. ie ATS(american truck sim).. its an open world simulation delivering all kinds of cargo.. i use mods so i have more availability delivering.. but once on the road.. its hard to even look at chat.. for me.. if i look away from the road i wreck, or i go off the road.... but learned to find a balance in keeping up with chat and not wrecking.. also learned that playing multiplayer games and having a friend with u helps with conversation.. so try that if ur feling stuck
Great video! I'm a very small streamer who is still trying to figure out how to befriend other streamers. Usually when I stream on Twitch I have a pretty consistent viewer count of 0, so I'm trying to just focus more on UA-cam and not on Twitch too much
Lots of streaming tools like obs have tools built in to help but not all of them have the tools the twitch dashboard does. Take advantage of the Stream markers so you can easily make additional content. Because a day will pop up that you don't know what to upload or video to make. Having these highlights can buy you time and give more time for you to figure out what you want to make.
I mistake I made when I first started streaming was to not bad trolls RIGHT AWAY. I was so worried about the view count and having those 3 viewers or so not go down to 2 that I just let them troll in my chat and be rude to the other chatters while occasionally deleting a msg. Get those suckers out of there right away. If someone is not acting in the way you want to present your community it could be detrimental to have them in your chat, and you will lose the people that really matter.
I for sure need to find other small creators to share experiences with and make friends. It has been a struggle finding the right kind of people to vibe with.
think about your channel redeems before you hit affiliate - plan them out with cooldowns, prices, emote, and whatever else. It made my hitting affiliate so much easier for me, and I see too many of my friends just have generic channel redeems because they hadn't planned it or anticipated it beforehand.
Biggest mistake I’ve made is not having a solid foundation of main content, I do variety in action/adventure and since the start I’ve told myself I need to have a game I play every week and now almost a year later I’m finally getting that going.
I think that today's video might seem more theoretical but I think it's important to talk about, what do you think? If you want to join our growing community check out our other content: bit.ly/JoinTheStreamScheme
🕘Timestamps:
0:00 What Is The Generic Streaming Advice?
1:27 Brand New Plugin By Own3d.tv - OWN3D Pro
2:30 The One Rule Of Streaming You Need To Accept
5:10 What Parts Of Streaming Should You Focus On To Grow
6:38 The Most Powerful Way To Stand Out As A Streamer
7:48 How I Failed As A Content Creator And Streamer
10:41 Why You Need To Stop Trying To Appeal To Everyone
12:06 FREE Animated Twitch Overlays - With Download
12:32 What Will Make You Grow FASTER Than Anyone Else
14:02 A Realisation You Need To Have
14:16 The Best Advice For A New Creator Trying To Grow
I'm incredibly unsure about this and would appreciate some insight as it's a tad confusing for me.
I understand the basics of Mature content but I'm not so sure how far it extends, for instance does Doom and Gears of War and games alike require that I change it to Mature content?
It's been a hectic week of learning and planning, I'm not gonna self promo as I'm not interested in earning a fake audience I'm just worried about the consequences of TOS as I don't fully grasp the extent of Mature Content.
Maybe your team could make a short in depth video about this subject. Thanks for all the help and tips so far as I've probably binged close to 9+ hours of these videos in the last week.
Hey! I'm writing a paper and I'm citing this video. If its appropriate to ask, what's your first and last name? I can't find it any where.
Hey man glad to see someone giving solid advice
As a small streamer myself (just for fun) I can see that the growth methods you are proposing are spot on
Watching other streams and UA-camrs I myself click on streams based on my own interests and entertainment value
And also people just being human
Nobody wants to see a robot and nobody wants to watch fake emotions or obvious fake happiness
Just be the version of yourself on your best days
That’s the real you that’s the you everyone wants to see
Yea it’s hard but you know how to be that person and you are happy when you are that person people want to see happy that’s my personal opinion and I hope others will see the value in that
Your feedback on this comment would be amazing
Really feel like I have gained so much value from watching your videos and after 5 videos decided to sub
Thank you for being you 👍
My advice is to make a pre-stream checklist of all the stuff you need to do before you go live! Do a volume check, make sure you updated your stream info, get your scenes in order, make sure your game and widgets work, grab a big glass of water, etc etc.... you'll forget at least one of these once and be kicking yourself. And while scuff is universal and nothing to be ashamed of.... yeah, Google up a stream start checklist or make your own, and maybe even print it out and stick it to the edge of your monitor or something. A smoother start makes for a smoother stream!
Agreed.......sigh so many things can go wrong at the start and you can't change things later lol.
Good advice
There were 123 likes on this comment before i liked it. i ruined it. it was me.
I stream regularly and this is what I do before clicking live. It really helps to avoid having any issues on stream.
One I've made is the mistake of trying to make my stream appeal to EVERYONE instead of just going for a particular audience. I've heard a lot of people say they were afraid of developing a niche but for me personally its made things so much less stressful
I feel that so hard mate! #earlygang
I felt this but the opposite! I played one game people were into and it's now most of my audience. I want to branch out but it's dropped my numbers because I've dug myself into a little hole 😅
@@IAmMightyMike Honestly, I usually see this as a good thing! If it's a game you don't enjoy ALWAYS playing then you'll get bored of it eventually either way. But if your able to get even a few viewers that come to your next stream that originated from that category than thats a major win. For example I played The Stanley Parable and had a few new followers that were specifically from browsing that category, the next stream I played a different game and one of those followers joined back in and watched for a bit which was super cool
@@IAmMightyMike yeah, this is a thing. I stream Fortnite every now and then ppl ask me about FN all the time. so I am thinking of upping up my FN streams while staying variety in general. If they care about u in the long term u create 1v1 relationships, some viewers will carry over. Established streamers can stream anything and still get views, ppl come for the streamer first.
PS Having a niche audience first and then going variety is better. U have legs to stand on. good luck!
Not watching VODs back at all is a huge mistake I made for a while. I have improved a lot since then, and its definitely helped!
Thanks for another grear video dude!
Such a simple but powerful thing to do, hey? I still do it weekly and find places I can change or improve. #earlygang
Oof I need to do this more 😅😅😅
@@GigiMurakami same here
What is VOD
@@davescave7267 Video On Demand, it's what a stream becomes after you go offline. So it can still be watched even when you're not live.
A big mistake of mine was having toooo much variety. Starting out I literally just played whatever, and a lot of it was retro games emulated. And this was before I had the UA-cam or TikTok accounts. There was 0 discoverability, and I didn't get ANY viewers until I started consistently playing some more searched games like DBD or Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links.
Post-video: I really liked the first and second tips, I think I mentioned it in a comment on last week's pod but idr. It reminds of the song "Nine People's Favorite Thing" Some lines from the song: "When we set out to write this musical/We said we’d write a show that we wanna see/We knew we’d never please everyone/Remember that day at Gristedes/You said to me/I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing/Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing" I feel like it's a good mentality to take when going into content creation. The show has a lot of songs like that, as it's about writing a musical. Highly recommend
As a streamer I've learnt its important to implement a schedule, a time.. and not to just disappear for weeks at a time as no one will know when you will be streaming. Connecting and networking is important to.. consistency is so important.
Yeah I realized streaming is very much like a sport, it takes a lot of practice and it's very active in nature. That schedule means your favorite crowd knows when to tune in too.
My piece of advice is to make longer countdowns at the beginning of the stream: it helps the connection stabilize, people have time to click on the notification and overall you got more time to collect your thoughts. I used to have a 4 minutes countdown intro and switched to 6 because the beginning was often coming too soon and would get lost before anyone arrived.
Thanks for the advices, I’ve seen a slight improvement in the past weeks and you encourage me to keep going! (both here on yt and twitch)
I know of a few who do 10-minute count downs.
Good advice!
Love this video! I absolutely get the feeling of "maybe im just not cut out for streaming?". However at the end of the day if we have fun and can make people smile, thats what I wanted out of it and that's what I get out of it! big respect to you Eljay!
Trying to fix everything all at once based on every best practice you find in videos is overwhelming. I found it best to try 1% improvement. Find one small thing I can make better right now. That little bit gives me a small step up. Then, I'm in a better position to apply another small bit of what I learned from other more successful streamers.
Yes. I take it one episode at a time. Then pick one thing I can do better for the next. A lot less stress and more fun.
taking it one step at a time allows you to also figure out what went wrong when it stops working XD.
I agree, one step at a time!
What I learned: Always talk like someone is there even when you’re by yourself & don’t be afraid to add little quirks to your stream that make it more unique.
I also save my favorite streams as highlights since I can’t upload videos + clip my own content. I keep them on my channel as a display of what viewers can expect - so when I’m not active, I might still get new followers based on my older content.
Main thing: Don’t be lazy.
Probably the main reason I haven’t made more progress is because my streaming schedule is nonexistent and I don’t do it much. That will hopefully change soon. But idk.
Good luck everyone! 🤗
Get into the habit of taking to yourself out loud all the time
I’ll subscribe your giving me advice
For me it's easy to talk to myself when I am playing a game since lots of stuff can happen in it that I can comment on. But most of my content is art and it's hard to find lots of times to talk about some things. I try saying what I'm thinking about or what I am doing or planning to do, but it's still so limited. Lots of times there's nothing to say and just need to go focus mode on some parts.
It’s good to hear someone as prolific as you (at least to me) still struggles with the doubts. Real talk on a weekly basis I question myself and my ability to stream. Thank you for the reassurance!
I really love the emphasis on being genuine in this video, and I'm so glad you've found a community of streamers you can connect with and share experiences, I've been blessed to have that from about a month into streaming and it helps so much
That being said, my advice is that friendships are made outside of streams. I have made true friends from spending time in their discord communities, whether its joining a movie night or just chatting about memes. Though that being said, don't be that person who just says "good morning" everyday and ignores any attempt to reply and actually talk to you :P
One thing I started doing recently (while not a streaming tip) is to make a second thumbnail if a video is under performing, you got to have faith in the video and understand why your first package didn’t work and use that knowledge to try and make a better thumbnail and title to breathe new life into a video over waiting until next time
Ive actually been doing the 3rd tip since i started. After commenting in chats the streamers started asking me specific questions. I then started interacting with them in their discord. We encourage each other and share tips and tools. My growth has been slow, but i dont worry about that. I know that my community base is solid and it will help me deal with burnout and streamer anxiety.
I have been struggling to gain viewers, having recently started streaming a few months ago. It was becoming discouraging, as I assumed it was just people didn’t enjoy me personally. However, I just made a small (and obvious) change, which was simply to alter my in game character name to my twitch name with TTV, and yesterday I had literally 10 times the viewers I have ever had at one time, and many active chatters that stuck around the whole stream. It felt fantastic to finally have that chat interaction, and half of them followed by the end.
Going to keep going today, but I want you to know I have been watching all of your tips videos and thinking how they would work best for me as my own content creator. Seeing you be honest not only about your gains but also your losses, and showing there is a path to overcome those setbacks, has been inspiring and encouraging to myself, and I’m sure many others like me. Appreciate all the things you do, keep up the fantastic work!
I literally cannot help but watch your videos cause you give the absolute best advice. I struggle so much with just trying to being entertaining for my viewers. I feel like for me it's kinda because I'm super shy and feel like a boring person that no one would even wanna watch me or even find any near entertaining. I also struggle with the feeling of loneliness of gaming world, but watching your videos, your streams, and listening to your advice, I feel like I can become a better streamer. So thank you so much for your amazing advice and content.
One mistake I made was relying to heavily on chat interaction, realizing I'm the entertainer, chat isn't there to entertain me - it's the other way around.
14:10 “if i have to realize that you have to realize that” amazing way of not only building a deeper connection with chat but also can give you stuff to talk about and less dead time on your stream! love your advice man
Schedule schedule schedule. It isnt the easiest sometimes while working full time, but if you can get a schedule going and put it on twitch for viewers to know when to expect you, it makes the world of difference! (There is also a panel that does countdowns for you in extensions)
Talk to yourself like a madman. Just never shut up. Say anything, no matter how crazy just keep saying things. Actually, in my experience, the crazier the better. If it makes you laugh or want to talk, it'll make someone else laugh or want to listen. And it's way better than silence .
The self-confidence thing is huge. Every week I’m convinced I’m not good enough to be a streamer: I’m too old, I’m too well-spoken, I’m not good enough at the games I play, I’m not funny enough, etc, etc.
But then I look back at the viewing figures (which are very small, but slowly growing) and remind myself that *these people all wanted to watch me*. So there was something they liked, and there still is something they like - because they keep coming back. I have to hang onto that feeling.
probably been said a million times by you and others, but the mistake I made early on, trying to be something im not. I quickly got burnt out trying to be this energetic funny person. Just wasnt me, and after abit I sounded and felt so run down, and it just wasnt working. Im a low energy comfy casual conversations and vibing type personality, once I accepted that went from 0 to 3 ppl to averages 12 to 30. not the biggest jump, but its working slowly for me and im happy with it, and its something I like doing. So my biggest mistake i learned from was being authentic.
I'm not super big yet but something that I've learned is that it doesn't matter what the view count is, if you want to be a streamer, like- really want to be a streamer, you should act like you have hundreds of thousands of viewers or more. Acting one way when someone isn't there and acting like something else when they are makes or breaks your channel. Eljay and these videos have helped me a lot in the past few weeks of consistent streaming, he knows what he's doing.
one important thing i learned that took me forever to get that i learned recently that i idk how it took me so long to learn and thats watching your vod back why is looking back at your vod good one its good for knowing if theirs any video or audio issues and you can figure out how to fix them two its good for clips after stream for content on places like tiktok youtubershorts instagram reels hover etc to help you grow cuz unless your live nobody can find you and 3 you can see what you can improve on this videos help me learn that the vods after the broadcast are one of the most useful tools you can have for many reasons if you don't have save past broadcast on why not
Seriously appreciate the effort you put into these videos dude. You always remind your audience that your advice doesn’t always work for everyone or you mention personal stories which I find really helps. Thanks for what you do!
My biggest mistake so far is thinking I needed to know or have everything completely set up before getting started. Rather than just getting out there and practicing.
Having a pre stream checklist has been big help for me. Networking is so important, but it has to be genuine, just make friends organically. In order to be a good streamer that people want to watch, you have to watch your VODs and judge yourself from an outside perspective. Most importantly, if you aren't having fun, people will know.
The best thing I’ve done as a small streamer on Twitch is playing with viewers FOR FREE and being really nice whether they play good or not…. Also buying an Own3d overlay using Eljay’s link is SUPER IMPORTANT😉😉
Good one Eljay, really enjoying the videos lately. Having peers who you can share with, and can relate to your experiences, are so valuable in so many situations. Family and friends support is great but people on the same journey as you can be priceless.
I know that networking is a great thing, but I always fell awkward trying to do it. It's already kinda hard making friends irl for me and reaching out to other content creators is on whole another level. I enjoy lurking a lot more than chatting on stream, so I don't usually become an "active member" of their community and I don't know how to start building friendship. So yeah, I really struggle with networking, even tho I'd really love to make new friends. If we could get a whole video dedicated to networking it would be great
What I learned as a very small streamer was to make friends. Sounds silly but wait... Before you even start streaming, be involved with others, chat, hang out and all that with them, a strong community of streamer friends will help one another out and it will be way more fun to stream to your friends at first as you lean everything.
I am not talking about kissing butt to the big streamer ether, I watched and hanged out with smaller streamers and didn't even think about streaming till asked why i wasn't.
oh his last point was just this.
I’ve been watching your videos for the past two months, all I can say is Thank you for all the great advice you’ve given, I just started out streaming and the first week I didn’t know what I was doing until I came upon your videos and instead of just streaming flat out without a plan I’ve spent the past month trying to perfect my set up, my content, my voice, and just learning what really made me want to start this in the first place.
My advice comes from not how to be better at streaming, but on how to start streaming.
I wanted for a long time to start streaming, but I never managed to make the final step, that is, actually press the start stream button, it me a long while to actually start, but when I did it felt incredibly rewarding, because I had won against myself.
The actual part I want to talk about is because after I started streaming I had to take a long break due to personal reasons and when I actually had to return to streaming, I couldn't, all that I was feeling before came back, but stronger.
At the time I didn't know what to do because I had already streamed before, but I was feeling so nervous I couldn't just press the start button and that's when I remembered something that I heard while watching a video on this channel, the commentary test, the one you record yourself talking for 10 minutes and then listen the next day, and after a few days doing it I was able to stream.
What I'm trying to say is, sometimes if streaming gets too difficult, changing your approach can make it extremely easier, in my case it was doing something that made me feel like I was doing a step forward, but it can be something different for you reading this.
And to those that read this, if you're thinking you may like streaming, give it a shot, because even if it's not what you had in mind and you decide to stop, then hey, you tried and that is already awesome in itself
Something I learned the hard way back in 2018 when I first started streaming is not joining an esports org just for the sake of being in an org. Everyone would love to join a team and represent something they believe in but do your research and ask other people about their experience and make a decision but try to see If it will be worth it for you in the long run... YOU know your self worth so don't let others tell you otherwise!
So, I'm a very small creator and I started with UA-cam first last November and I've been doing it ever since. During this journey, my biggest form of advice is to ignore the hate comments on your videos or your streams. People will always try to fish for an argument, so it's not worth caving to them. No matter how good of a clip you have and post, you will always have people call it trash, or say you are an awful gamer, they will say anything they can to discourage you from posting. Be yourself and post the clips/videos that YOU are proud of. Do what makes you happy so you don't end up hating doing what you are striving to do/enjoy for yourself. Also take frequent clips from your gameplay, what you think might be a really bad clip could be what makes you go viral. Keep pushing and keep posting your content. The nice uplifting comments you get will outweigh all of the negative hateful comments. Good luck out there everyone and just remember, be yourself because there is only one YOU! That's what you want your audience to see. 😊❤
I once hyped another streamer that was live at the same time as me (because I like their content) so much, that everyone left to go check them out and now that happens everytime we stream at the same time. Taught me that I should keep my praise brief and move on from it quickly. It also made me think in how i can improve my own content in order for this not to happen again. (I could go into an essay about all the mistakes I know I make but it would be too long).
The feeling I'm "not cut out for this" is one I have everyday
Great video as always, thank you for all the content and insight/perspective you provide to all of us.
Yes, I have that issue as well. I focus my content around helping the viewers rather than just being a streamer. but sometimes I can be quite critical of myself. I'm working on it and loving my community. your content has been very helpful.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had 1 person tell me that just chatting streamers are cringey and if I became full time, I would lost them as a member. But the vast majority loved my just chatting stuff. They loved the unexpectedness of what I would find and talk about. That negative had echoed the loudest and I think has stopped me from doing more in a just chatting category.
I learned that sitting down for one hour before starting a stream and just doing/learning whatever i can about twitch, stream, tools, game, improved my stream quality with great speed.
That last point hit quite hard, i've not started streaming just yet due to personal issues, but it made me realise that i need to reach out and make more friends that like the same things i do. thanks for the amazing content as always
One of the first thing's you addressed, turning off that view count can save your mood. Also I set up a "payoff" for viewers in opening a pokemon card pack every stream. Let's just say, it didn't boost my numbers a lot but it did become expensive quickly.
Right now my biggest struggle as a content creator is figuring out how to revamp my video production process (the content itself, editing, thumbnails, focusing in CTR and retention), and making friends to collab with and bounce ideas off of. There are plenty of nice people out here, don't get me wrong. But it's difficult for me to find someone who doesn't already have their "crew" or is at least looking to expand their circle. This seems true in many walks of life, from my perspective.
I constantly overthink and try to brainstorm ideas that I think will make every enjoy my content. I try to do that by finding something I'm good at and I like that will resonate with viewers. When I can't think of the best exact thing I feel like I'm not meant to stream or be a stream in any capacity.
My advice to people who want to stream or are starting to stream: start with a small schedule and try out different days and times that feel good for you. 1-2 days at first. Then when that's comfortable or easy add 1 more day so you don't jump into the deep end too soon.
1. If you are dealing with Mic Clipping when you talk loud or scream and has a limited, compressor, etc set up and already tried multiple solutions. It might be your sound suppressor being on RNNoise (highest setting iirc)
2. If you wanna test your stream without letting your community see it, Start a UA-cam live as unlisted so only those with the link to it can see~
I totally get the "questioning your streaming abilities" weekly basis. I yo-yo between being very comfortable with where I am and what I'm making and the complete opposite at the drop of a hat. What really helps me is just trying to stream things I enjoy. Like Eljay said, if you're not enjoying it, why would anyone else.
You can't please everyone. You gotta find your audience.
100% I think a lot of creators would make amazing content if they came to that realisation earlier, I'm included in that! #earlygang
Dude this is one of your best videos yet. It felt so damn real and personal i almost cried. At this moment you feel like the most genuine creator out there. ❤️
I really appreciate that! I'll be honest I was worried it was fluffy or not actionable but it felt like a good conversation that I hadn't seen much before, so I really hope it helps mate! #earlygang
I've been streaming for 3 and a half years, despite the great amount of growth I finally got in December 2022 it still dropped off from over 8-9 months and I'm doing terribly once again, I'm doing all the right things such as responding to others, welcoming people, talking about what I am doing in the game, talking about general life stuff when it comes to mind, being consistent with schedules and kinds of games playing, still doing terrible regardless of this, people rarely return, I feel like giving up, I think people don't generally like my voice and facial expressions.
One thing I've learned is you just have to do it. I'm trying to work up to it but that's what I see with a lot of channels, they just give up after like a couple videos or streams. I really appreciate your advice and this channel. But sadly not everyone can make it as a youtuber or streamer but I believe that if you can put in some effort and passion, you can achieve anything.
Just got my 15th follower today, I've had videos that hit 50-60 views, yet my stream last night only has 8. Some times it's just hit or miss, that's sorta what I've learned as well.
My initial problem was trying to do too many games at the same time. Rather than just playing them a game at a time.
Thanks for the great tips, all of them have gone straight into the notebook to remind me.
I just fell into this trap so i ended up cutting back to 2 games
I have this problem. I start a game and might not finish a game because I feel like people will get bored....
Your video have been the staple to get me up and running on Twitch. I've been working on getting everything set up for the past year, slowly and steadily. I go live this weekend and am super excited, but also nervous. i know that I'm not jumping to affiliate status and going to have hundreds of viewers, but I can say that I did the thing, Thanks to all of your tutorial videos.
I have learned that I still have a lot to learn. Having full time work (& life) while doing content P/T calls a challenge to time-management to not only just make the content but to also learn the tools that not only add to that content but to make it easier to produce said content.
Really appreciate this video. I've been struggling creatively and this has helped me get more of a mental focus on making my stream about me, and not what I think the rat race for viewers needs. If I make content I like, that's all I need to do. If growth comes, then it comes, and if it doesn't, at least I'm making content I would love as an audience.
10:04 is the best part of the video cause i was in chat 💅🏻
But no tbh this video helped me open up my eyes to so many stuff i was scared of THANK U ELJAY !!
Definitely letting my viewers override what I want to on stream to keep them on for longer periods of time. It got to a point where I didn't want to stream anymore and lost all motivation for it. Had to take a step back and recuperate
The biggest mistake i made was not watching my VODs back, watching them is helping me improve with each stream, and i often feel like i am an imposter, but i realised that i am me and confidence began to grow.
Things I've learned. Networking Growth > Stream Growth. Need to make connections and this will help you grow way more than streaming 8 hours a day. Second thing is I've started to stream more retro / unpopular games because I simply enjoy them and am able to keep a conversation going on the entire time. Whether it is just simply talking about what I'm doing in a game or just a random topic that comes up that I wrote down ahead of time. Definitely still have ups and downs but just gotta keep working and getting better!
My advice as a new streamer myself is find a niche you enjoy and stick to it and build your audience up later down the line you can branch out but building that core audience who watch your streams for you is a massive help
I learned, the quality of stream is important for people to stay and interact with you, that doesn't means high end equipment but anything which makes your stream watchable, also very important part which I failed a lot of times was the audio management, that is insane important, I still see people with high viewers having songs volume much more than their voice, hope I shared some valuable point for someone who is reading this, thanks :)
I love knowing that you give out so many good tips that has helped me so much, I appreciate you so much.
Happy to help! I hope I can keep helping! #earlygang
My tips:
Get a good workflow for before AND after the stream. I've lost several videos that were really important to me (only two but still) because I forgot to highlight/download/publish to youtube whatever. That two week VOD limit comes on you fast. And having a good workflow/checklist is essential. So many times I've gone live and forgotten to update the category and title!
My other tips are be thoughtful about the community you want to build and focus on that. Don't tolerate certain things simply because it gets chat going if you don't want that to become your whole community in a few months. When I teach people about community organizing I always tell them "your values now are what your community will look like in 5 years" the same is true for twitch but it's months not years and once things go toxic it will be harder to undo.
And think about what you actually want to offer. My channel is for the non-profit I co-direct called Consent Academy. So on my streams I talk about social issues like autonomy, consent, social power etc through the lens of different games and also during interview/chats with other people trying to create positive change in the world.
This is something fairly unique on twitch. It's not for everyone to be sure but it means my channel has something other channels don't which is the only way to really get noticed but also will be more satisfying overall. something you really enjoy and connect with will feel better than antics to chase better numbers.
One of the things that I am still working out is developing my niche! I do think that it's subject to change in the future, but I have been contemplating what I like right now and how I stream that content so it may attract members of that community. Still have a long way to go, but it's about the journey!
Thank you 🙏 we definitely all need to be reminded to not try and be someone on stream that you aren’t. That makes the whole process so much more stressful.
I started off wanting to be a youtuber, and started streaming as part of recording content for youtube and ended up becoming a streamer. Now that I'm doing content creation full-time, I'm focusing a lot more on UA-cam and making content specifically for it. My stream is pretty streamlined in what I offer and cutting out parts of that for youtube hasn't been good because the stream's moments are all out of context. But by recording specifically for UA-cam, I can record knowing that it's going on UA-cam and will be edited and far more controlled.
However, it's been difficult finding anyone my size who is also trying to go full-time at this. For so many, it's just a hobby and not something they're interested in pursuing to any extent. It's an uphill battle and, for better or worse, I'm approaching it like a science experiment with a LOT of variables.
I figure success is just failing until you're happy with the results.
I can so relate to this. While my community is tiny they are so supportive and amazing, but I haven’t really been able to connect with anyone who are trying to eventually go full time with this. (At least not openly.) So I’m kind of stuck with people (I mean in my personal life) who all have opinions but have not been spending as much time educating themselves about streaming and content creation as I did and it can really just bring me down and enhance my struggles😅 and now I feel like I’ve lost that sense of direction I’ve had when I started and I’m definitely stagnating and struggling to find myself, stay motivated and inspired and create engaging content.
It was helpful that before I started streaming I'd made around 100 UA-cam videos, so had gotten used to having a topic and talking about it to the potential audience behind the camera. So while I enjoy having people in chat to interact with, I am actually talking to the people who will be watching the VOD as well...just entertaining myself and potentially others.
Personally my mistake was not taking the steps towards becoming a content creator earlier, due to always hearing that the only way for UA-cam or Twitch to "work" was to get "lucky" or hearing it's a pipe dream, take the safe route etc.
I have since been educated by stream scheme and am excited to begin creating content!
Every night after I hit that end stream button I lay in my bed wondering am I wasting my time as a streamer? I average 2 to 5 viewers a stream, most or all are friends or family. Other than posting videos to UA-cam I'm not sure what else to do to get noticed. But I'm not quiting! Thank you for all your tips and positive vibes Eljay! 💙
Your channel has genuinely helped me so much. Thank you for your videos! The biggest thing I struggle with is my anxiety when it comes to streaming. The more viewers I get, the more anxious I feel. How do you stay calm or at least fake it?
What I’m currently starting to implement. Is a PURPOSE for my videos & streams. Having a subject or topic or achievement that is the main focus of the video. Not just editing a publishing random gameplay
Not entirely something I’ve done wrong, but from my time student teaching, my cooperating teacher told me that I tend to start off a lot of my sentences with either “so” or “umm” and that makes me look unprepared, so I’ve been trying really to not say those kinds of phrases. Especially when I have to pause and think about what I’m saying, which coming from a guy with REALLY bad ADHD, happens quite frequently!
My biggest mistake was I stopped 7 years ago when I got a job and all that because I was too tired. But I wish I didnt. I recently started again and it was so much fun. My heart jumped. I felt fullfilled by just streaming but the people I talked to were gone. I hope I can get back to the place where I was before but it will take some time. So yeah dont give up. Also enjoy the process. I know people like to see big numbers but try to ignore those and just have fun. You can improve on stuff and be realistic but dont give up.
as someone who has been streaming for 2 months and has 250 subs and 70-100 average viewers, with about 3.5k-4k messages per stream, i found making friends with your first few viewers is VITAL. they will be the foundation that your ENTIRE community is built off. make them feel special, address their chat messages on stream, make inside jokes with them. let them laugh at you and tease you and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. those are the most important things for me, i know i’m not super successful but i feel very proud of where i am now
When I had a bit of an identity crisis (so to speak), the main thing I've learned is to embrace the niche I enjoy and to try to become an authority at it. Now, I'm far from that, and the niche isn't easy to grow in or market, but at least I have the energy and determination to make it work. At least, more so than ending up playing some game that would be better viewership-wise, but wouldn't be me.
Again, I'm pretty much puny still, but to me it feels like it's far better to create content in something you're passionate about over creating content solely for the views, because that'll reflect in the quality of the content.
I'm still in the learning process and I haven't figured out the way to broaden my following yet, at least, not completely. But I'll get there :)
I would have to say obsessing about numbers was a mistake I made about 4-5 months ago. I was focusing on my viewership, revenue, etc instead of thinking more broadly about my content and learning how to engage.
I learned that effort is rewarded. I've been investing time in fun animations for viewers to activate and they've been enjoying it. This channel and Nutty have been very helpful
one thing. pls... NEVER change your content i love your content the way it is it is helping me out a HELL OF A LOT
I learned that content creation is a process...you can watch a million videos before starting to stream or make UA-cam videos and while it likely will up the general quality of stuff early on, I think everyone discovers after a while, that there is no formula when it comes to creating content itself.
That has to be discovered bit by bit individually.
That's why our earlier advice may have been there with the best intentions to help others, only for us (and later them) to discover the next layer on our own.
The things that we can and can't control and even a bit about ourselves and who we are, so the content we create, fits us as a person and we attract people that vibe with that. 🙂
so my biggest mistake that i've done as a small streamer is not being chatty on my first 3 streams even though there was a lot of people watching me play little nightmares 1&2,
that caused the viewers to leave and never come back some of them stayed and some left but i have learned now!
Also have to be careful who you play with. My one friend only ever has 1 viewer, so when he’s playing in the game with me he acts like there isn’t more than 1 person and says things and gives attitude that turns people away. Last week I played a game that I actually enjoy without him being there and had 100+ extra views than other vods lately
The 3rd point is powerful, I've made some great friends with some fellow streamers who started out around the same time. But this video has raised some very valid points about those friendships. So thank you
Biggest mistake I made was going from Horror streaming to variety streaming. Completely stopped my momentum for a bit and I’m just now getting things back on track.
Instead of doing it this way I instead created a secondary channel for the other genre of games I wanted to play so that both channels are niched to a specific type of game and vibe.
Learned this through UA-cam, but definitely applicable to streaming(actually starting to look into streaming myself). You're going to suck at first, or at least you'll feel like you suck. The best thing for you to do, is start. Just start posting/streaming. Also, don't be afraid to let some friends know about your content.
I’ve learned that games that allow chat to be more involved either integration mods or just games where you can add chat members into the game, they will stay round to see what happens to their character’s
I learned not streaming on a regular schedule and going days/weeks/months without streaming consistently WILL BREAK your viewer count. Consistently keeping in contact with viewers by sticking to a set stream schedule AND interacting regularly in discord is essential!
As far as asking myself if I am good enough or right fit. Yep, and like you at least once a week if not more. I average around 50 on twitch right now, but have been plateauing the past few months, and been asking myself this question almost daily, on what I am doing wrong, what can I do better and such.
one of my mistakes ive made is not watching back my vods to see how I can make it better each time. still pretty new and cant change a few things because of money reasons but it does help me
also love your content
One way i started to grow is acting like, even though im a small streamer, stream like i have 100k viewers! It really gives a boost of motivation.
networking: going into other smaller streamers chats being a positive member and actually staying for their whole streams/continuing to come back.
9:19 Yeah, that basically sums me up. I'm still committed to playing the games I enjoy playing, and the few people who show up regularly do enjoy it. However, because I'm a low-energy guy, I don't really stand out and draw people in.
I'm terrible at finding the right time to stream, personally, I feel like I've got most things down (production value, finding my "thing", etc) but finding the right time to stream has always been a challenge for me. That, and I'm a music streamer which is a *massively* popular category in Twitch these days.
Honestly best tip is to be yourself and have fun never try to be someone else!!! Starting to be more comfortable on camera and have fun during my streams has taken me a long time to do !! Justttttt have funnnnn
Just wanted to say THANK YOU! In Austria we would say ´´Ehrenmann´´
Neat! In Australia we say, "Thanks Mate!" hahaha #earlygang
A mistake I made (and still make but I'm getting better) is caring too much about the actual words I'm saying. Sometimes I get too hung up on saying the perfect thing or the right thing and I end up saying nothing instead. Things go way smoother when I just ride my energy level and remove my filter, and just say whatever my mouth wants to say. Turns out I still end up saying some valuable stuff!
When i was starting out, i was always quiet and would only talk when i needed to.. but... i learned that u should always be chatting no matter what.. i no some games it hard to do.. ie ATS(american truck sim).. its an open world simulation delivering all kinds of cargo.. i use mods so i have more availability delivering.. but once on the road.. its hard to even look at chat.. for me.. if i look away from the road i wreck, or i go off the road.... but learned to find a balance in keeping up with chat and not wrecking.. also learned that playing multiplayer games and having a friend with u helps with conversation.. so try that if ur feling stuck
Great video! I'm a very small streamer who is still trying to figure out how to befriend other streamers. Usually when I stream on Twitch I have a pretty consistent viewer count of 0, so I'm trying to just focus more on UA-cam and not on Twitch too much
Lots of streaming tools like obs have tools built in to help but not all of them have the tools the twitch dashboard does. Take advantage of the Stream markers so you can easily make additional content. Because a day will pop up that you don't know what to upload or video to make. Having these highlights can buy you time and give more time for you to figure out what you want to make.
I mistake I made when I first started streaming was to not bad trolls RIGHT AWAY. I was so worried about the view count and having those 3 viewers or so not go down to 2 that I just let them troll in my chat and be rude to the other chatters while occasionally deleting a msg. Get those suckers out of there right away. If someone is not acting in the way you want to present your community it could be detrimental to have them in your chat, and you will lose the people that really matter.
I for sure need to find other small creators to share experiences with and make friends. It has been a struggle finding the right kind of people to vibe with.
think about your channel redeems before you hit affiliate - plan them out with cooldowns, prices, emote, and whatever else. It made my hitting affiliate so much easier for me, and I see too many of my friends just have generic channel redeems because they hadn't planned it or anticipated it beforehand.
Biggest mistake I’ve made is not having a solid foundation of main content, I do variety in action/adventure and since the start I’ve told myself I need to have a game I play every week and now almost a year later I’m finally getting that going.