How to Livestream Successfully on Twitch
Twitch is a platform that’s been around for about ten years. It remained niche for many years, as it was solely dedicated to gaming. Only gamers who wanted to share their video games used it. Over the years, the social network specialized in live streaming has gradually broadened its scope.
That expansion began with Amazon’s 2014 buyout for a cool $970 million. Then, the adventure continued the following year with the creation of a new feature called “Just Chatting”. This category was a complement to the existing ones, mainly focused on games like League of Legends or Fortnite. With this new option, users are invited to take the time to chat with their subscribers without necessarily filming themselves playing.
Year after year, Twitch has been able to gain an increasingly large audience thanks to content creators already well established on other social networks.
Worldwide, TheGregf holds the record for the highest recorded number of concurrent viewers. The Spanish streamer smashed the record with over 2.5 million watching at the same time. The event? A planned reveal of his own Fortnite skin. Brands, take note!
15 million daily active users
According to the latest figures published by the platform, Twitch sees an average of 15 million daily active users (DAUs) . Twitch has become the largest livestreaming service in a few years. Even though this live format exists on many other platforms, it is worthwhile to find a new audience on this site.
But unlike the others, there are certain rules to be aware of.
What are they? How does Twitch work? How can you create successful content? Find out all the answers in this complete guide.
The complete guide to livestreaming on Twitch
A 100% Twitch lexicon
Streamers, emotes, raids, bits… In four words, we’ve already lost half our readers… Twitch has developed its own community and features. While livestreaming may seem simple, you should nevertheless bear in mind the specificities of the platform.
To help you, we suggest that you first learn about the terms used that make up the language of the social network. Without them, it may be difficult to come up with an editorial strategy based on your knowledge of other platforms.
Streamers
So let’s start with a key player at Twitch: streamers. This person is the user who will host a live chat on any topic. This one is fairly self-explanatory.
Viewers
The same principle applies to those who will come to watch the live. These are called “viewers”. Among these users, there are either followers or subscribers.
The former are those who click on the follow button without paying a cent. The latter have certain advantages, as they have signed up to a subscription that ranges from $4.99 to $24.99. Depending on the amount, these users are entitled to special offers such as access to live replays or livestreams that are unavailable to non-subscribers.
Emotes
Other gifts for subscribers are called emotes. These are emojis specially designed by content creators to thank their community. A name is given to each icon. They can use them in chat to stand out. Other emotes congratulate the most loyal subscribers. Ninja and Tfue have set up this type of gift, as you can see below.
Chat and mods
The chat is an important place on Twitch. It allows streamers to easily chat with their community. As it is a central place on the platform, new features have been introduced. Mods are present for each livestream on the channels. These are people who delete hateful or inappropriate messages at lightning speed. Streamers don’t have time to sort through this stream of comments. To avoid any problems, they surround themselves with a team dedicated to this task.
That way, streamers can focus on the quality of their streams and encourage their community to get involved.
Hype train
There is another feature called the hype train. This feature launched in early 2020 and encourages subscribers to make as many donations as possible and to subscribe in great numbers. A way for them to thank the streamer.
Raid
Another feature in the chat is called a raid. The streamer asks their subscribers to go to another livestream on Twitch organized by another creator. The objective is to increase the visibility of small channels.
Bits and cheers, virtual currencies
Meanwhile, subscribers can support their favorite streamers in different ways. The first way is through subscriptions as we have seen above.
The second way is to offer donations during live performances. This is done by sending bits, a virtual currency created by Twitch, or cheers, messages personalized by viewers when they donate in the chat.
Sound alerts
Finally, to enliven these livestreams and give more visibility to the community, sound alerts can be set up. With each subscription, the user’s name is displayed and the creator can easily thank them.
Now that you know all the vocabulary, it’s time to move on to the next section.
5 tips to livestream successfully on Twitch
While Twitch is a platform with its own rules, there is also the whole technical aspect to consider. To make their live shows enjoyable, streamers think about their entire set-ups. To attract as many people as possible, everything has to be top notch.
Don’t panic, we’ll now share with you the keys you need to optimally launch a live broadcast on the social network.
1. Tech
The first thing to consider before you begin is the technical aspect. Twitch is a live platform. To prevent the image and sound from being cut off, you need an optimal internet connection. This quality will determine the whole live performance, but it’s not the only element to take into account.
To make the content entertaining and engaging, the Twitch team recommends you choose a good microphone and camera. Streamers communicate both visually and aurally with their community. If your device is not up to scratch, it will not be pleasant for anyone.
2. Streaming software
Once you’ve handled the tech side of things … you need to continue along the same lines! After the internet connection, sound and video, it’s time to think about the streaming software. It’s not just a case of logging in to Twitch to get started. The user must also have a good platform to carry out their livestreams. There are several such as Twitch Studio, directly integrated into the application, OBS Project and Streamlabs. These tools offer streamers the ability to design a customized live setting.
3. The theme of your Twitch channel
This links well with the next point. Each Twitch channel has its own identity. In order to ensure the live streamer’s world is cohesive, it’s not enough to change your profile picture and fill in your bio. You also need to think about several other elements:
- a banner to embellish the channel,
- a waiting screen before beginning your livestream. Streamers use these to notify their communities of the imminent launch of a livestream. It is displayed before the videographer begins their broadcast,
- an end screen to end the livestream in a non-abrupt way,
- emotes. As we have seen above, these emojis are a big part of the channel. They must be unique and fit the streamer’s style. They usually refer to a gimmick or a joke made during a live performance,
- a live schedule. On the “bio” page on Twitch channels, streamers can share the time and day of their livestreams to help inform their communities.
4. Type of content
Once all that is out of the way, it’s time to focus on the substance of the content you share. What’ll you talk about? Twitch recommends that you start by focusing on games that everyone knows about, but that aren’t often covered by streamers. This way, streamers can boost their visibility among some audiences.
5. Choice of time and day
Finally, the choice of time and day is also important. The goal is to go online at the same time as your Twitch audience. It should be noted that the number of users on the platform continues to grow.
In the first quarter of 2020, there were 3.1 billion hours viewed, compared to 6.3 billion hours in the first quarter of 2021.
The “Just Chatting” category is the most followed. 12% of the content viewed comes from this category alongside games such as GTA V or League of Legends, according to a study conducted by Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet.
How to get known on Twitch?
Even with all these things handled and your own unique style, streamers can expect to livestream for months with only ten viewers a time. The goal of the platform is to grow a loyal audience, however small it may be (after all, you’ve got to start somewhere!).
The idea is to have a few regulars that come back to chat with you at each of your live shows to enliven things and get other people to stay.
For a while now, in order to give visibility to smaller channels, Twitch has had a category called “browse“. In the latter, viewers can search for new streamers to follow by choosing a specific game or by browsing through all the channels. That’s why it’s worthwhile to focus on the editorial and creative line of your profile at launch to show that you are invested in your shows.
The Twitch team also recommends that you have a social network like Twitter or Instagram with the same username everywhere. It’s another great way to get yourself discovered and to build a loyal audience.
The platform allows you to edit your livestreams into clips to showcase the best moments. These videos are then accessible on the streamer’s profile. You can also share this content on other social networks.
Examples of Twitch livestreams
Nowadays, there isn’t necessarily a perfect way to do livestreams on Twitch.
We’ll show you that almost anything is possible with a well thought-out concept.
RoryPlays with EA
With 23.3K followers, Rory is up-and-coming in the livestreaming world among giants like Ninja. But that hasn’t stopped her from nabbing impressive partnerships. Take her partnership with games publisher EA for example. To advertise their new Cats and Dogs expansion pack for the Sims 4, they partnered with Rory for a one-off sponsored livestream. With the EA logo at the start of the stream and a link to buy the game, the brand made the most of her excellent engagement rates.
Wendy’s
The American fast-food chain Wendy’s is perhaps not the brand you’d expect to end up on Twitch. But in fact it is only a natural consequence of their innovative marketing approach. With the bio “We like our streams the same way we like to make our hamburgers: better than anyone expects from a fast food joint.” you know you’re in for a ride. They offer weekly streams of the most popular games such as Animal Crossing, interacting with viewers and just generally being all-around entertaining. It’s clearly worked as they’ve accumulated 114k followers to date. Last year, they partnered with Uber Eats for their Never Stop Gaming menu, a five-day limited menu with signature meal combos from the biggest Twitch streamers with prizes up for grabs.
Lately, some streamers have dreamt up innovative concepts on Twitch.
For more examples, check out our ranking of the Top 12 Twitch Influencers.
Conclusion on Twitch livestreaming
If you want to get into live streaming, Twitch may be the best platform. Users are used to this format and enjoy watching innovative and entertaining live streams.
Since the lockdown, topics have widened. It’s not just about gaming anymore. Some streamers talk about general culture, others about science or cooking. There is room for everyone.
Unlike other social networks, Twitch has its own rules. In order to make a place for yourself, it is important to integrate and understand them.
Tech is also an essential element. Good connection + good microphone + good webcam = a quality livestream!
Don’t forget to invest in your community and to put the chat at the center of your exchanges, which is displayed throughout the entire live broadcast on the platform.
Finally, if you want to learn more on the subject, check out our articles on How to Make Money on Twitch , Twitch, the Record-breaking Streaming Platform and Twitch Live Shopping features for Brands and Influencers.
So, when is your next livestream?
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Are you a brand? Get in touch to set up your next Twitch campaign.
