In a nutshell

  • You must interact with chat.
  • Don’t be lazy about the amount of time and frequency of streaming you commit to.
  • Engagement and entertainment are critical to the viewing experience.

When it comes to streaming on Twitch, there are a few things you need to avoid to become successful. These mistakes can not only kill your stream, but they can also make it harder for you to find and keep viewers after the fact.

If you’re serious about streaming on Twitch, then you need to make sure you’re avoiding these five mistakes. Trust us; your future self will thank you.

Not having a Twitch stream schedule

If you’re new to streaming, you may not think it’s necessary to have a stream schedule. After all, you can just go live whenever you want, right? Most of the biggest streamers do it. Wrong. Not having a stream schedule is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a Twitch streamer.

Your viewers want to know when they can expect to see you live on Twitch. They may not be able to tune in every day, and when you’re starting out, every viewer’s absence is felt dearly. If your audience knows your schedule, they can try to catch your stream if you’re live. They may even schedule their plans around it if they really enjoy your company.

A streaming schedule also helps to build up hype for your channel. If people know when your next stream is, they’re more likely to tell their friends about it.

Not having a stream schedule makes it harder for people to find and follow your channel. It also makes you look unprofessional and communicate you don’t take your community’s time seriously. So, if you’re serious about streaming on Twitch, set up a stream schedule and stick to it.

Not streaming long enough

When it comes to Twitch streaming, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is not streaming for long enough. This goes hand in hand with not having a consistent schedule. It’s easy not to stream enough hours when you don’t have a plan.

While there’s no set amount of time you need to stream to be able to stream on Twitch, you do have to meet a minimum quota if you want to be considered for Twitch’s Affiliate Program. To become an Affiliate, you need to stream at least eight hours in a 30-day period.

Additionally, if you want people to interact with you during your streams, you need to be on long enough for them to feel it’s worthwhile to invest their time into your community.

Not interacting with your chat on Twitch

If you’re not interacting with chat, you might as well not be streaming. Twitch is all about community and interaction. Even the badges you can earn are designed for engagement.

Think of it this way: When you’re at a party, you want to talk to people who are engaging and interesting. The same goes for Twitch chat. If you’re not engaging with your viewers, they’re going to get bored and move on to someone who is.

Plus, if you’re not interacting with chat, you’re missing out on half of the fun of Twitch. So, make sure to take some time to chat with your viewers; it’ll make your stream much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Streaming a game or category that’s already over-saturated

If you’re streaming on Twitch, it’s important to find some way to stand out from the rest of the crowd. This can be especially difficult if you’re in a game or category that’s already saturated with streamers. If you want to attract viewers, there are a few things you can do.

One way to stand out is by being the best in that category. If you’re a top-level player in your game, make sure your stream reflects that. Showcase your skills and let viewers know that they’re watching one of the best players in the world.

Another way to stand out is by offering something unique that other streams don’t have. This could be anything from a different perspective on the game to funny commentary or even just a great personality. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something that will appeal to your target audience and make them want to keep coming back for more.

Alternately, find a new niche. It’s important to grow your audience, but you first need an audience to grow. You can start growing your viewership by starting out in a small, niche category on Twitch, like a new game that just released or a game that’s been out for a while. You will be the go-to creator in that category and will grow your stream in that community. Eventually, you may grow big enough to branch out into other games or categories.

Not cross-posting your content on other platforms

When you’re first starting out on Twitch, it can be tempting to focus only on your Twitch audience and forget about other platforms. However, this mistake can kill your stream because Twitch isn’t great for getting discovered.

Although Twitch offers tags to help bring in new viewers, its discoverability doesn’t compare to YouTube. YouTube’s algorithm is constantly searching for viewers who may like your content and automatically promoting your content to them. The best way to grow on Twitch is to leverage YouTube’s benefits. You can grow your community on YouTube by posting videos from your stream and dropping plugs that draw viewers over to your Twitch stream.

Stream often, stream well

There are a lot of things you can do to help your Twitch stream become successful. Whatever you do, avoiding those five channel-killers will put you a step ahead of the competition.