4 Tips You Need to Know To Start Streaming

So you would like to get into streaming, huh?

Well, I can’t blame you in the least! Streaming has become highly popular for the past few years. There are streamers out there that stream in front of 10k to 100k+ viewers from the comfort of their own homes. No camera crews. No editing. No fees. Just their personality shining through and people love it!

It is not an easy journey though.

New streamers often set up their computer and streamlabs/OBS expecting to play their favorite game and the viewers flow in. Sometimes, this is the case, but more often than not, it’s just not feasible. It can be discouraging for a new streamer to see their viewer count at 0 for the entirety of their stream and the occasional 1 blipping before disappearing again. This is the case for 95% of streamers, so if this is you then don’t feel alone! (Tip: Turn off your viewer count to avoid this discouragement!)

Things take time to build, but there are steps that can help you build at the beginning and get you on the right track to affiliate and beyond.

Also since you are getting into streaming you might want to look into setting up a VPN. A streamer VPN can be a huge asset for a streamer to have. 

Keep talking!

You may find yourself thinking, “Why should I talk if no one is watching? I’ll just start up when there’s someone here!” The viewership counter isn’t always correct. There are times you could have 3 people viewing but the counter hasn’t updated yet. Blankly and quietly staring at the screen is no way to keep people’s interest. Learn to vocally process every step of the way. You think that the boss is unfair? Let the audience know! You’re in love with the villain? Well, express that too! (P.S- That is me every game.)

Make friends!

Networking is a huge aspect of streaming. This does not mean going into random streams and advertising yourself. That is a good way to get yourself banned. Networking also does not mean using people to your advantage and then dropping them when you get a little bigger. It means making friends and helping to support them. It could mean chatting with other streamers and sitting in for their streams. You will find in most cases that if you show others support, they will support you back. Friendships make the world go round.

Channel Aesthetic

This one is a little odd but stick with me here. You do not need the fanciest overlay or custom art for everything. I will say from my personal preference that I am less likely to click on a streamer without a profile picture and not having an “About Me” description to read. These things only take a moment of time and help quite a bit. It makes me think back to “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have”. There are also plenty of free resources to use for overlays/panels/banners/etc.

Audio/Visual

Once again, you do not need the most expensive equipment at the beginning. It is important, though, to make sure your mic isn’t crackling or distorted. Beginning streaming is hard. You do not need your audio chasing potential viewers away because of being unbearable to listen to. The same can go for video. Make sure that your computer can handle both streaming and gaming at the same time. If not, the gameplay could become a horrible quality for the viewer and also become unappealing.

These are just a few of tips to get you in the right mindset for the beginning. Things are going to twist and change throughout your time streaming and that’s perfectly fine! Don’t get discouraged and absolutely do not compare your success to others. Building an audience and working out kinks is going to take time. Just remember to have fun or else none of it is truly worth it.

For more tips, join my streams on Twitch by clicking here. We’ll have fun – which, is what it’s all about!

Photo by Jack B on Unsplash

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