Live streaming has become a popular trend among content creators today. In the third quarter of last year, concurrent viewers on the streaming platform Twitch increased by 2.3 percent, reaching 2.64 million.
The numbers highlight the growing popularity of live streaming. People who believe they can create a solid online community by publishing entertaining content can try live streaming. This short guide outlines what new streamers need to know to succeed in the industry.
Live Streaming Today
As existing entertainment platforms try their hardest to gain a competitive edge, one area has seen significant growth: live streaming.
While live streaming has been around for years, it has seen exponential growth recently. It is positioned to explode on a global scale, and the entire entertainment landscape will undoubtedly feel the ripple effect of this growth.
One crucial contributor to the recent rise of live streaming is the unexpected events of 2020. The pandemic resulted in the implementation of social distancing requirements. To cope, consumers turned to live streams, allowing audiences to engage and connect with other like-minded individuals in a virtual space.
Live streaming is deeply influenced by the gaming space, where popular content creators have long turned to Twitch and YouTube to broadcast their playthroughs to live audiences.
For some modern brands, gaming influencers serve as an effective avenue to drive awareness and sales.
For example, fitness apparel and accessories provider Gymshark partnered with YouTube streamer Valkyrae to promote the company’s products. She has served as a global ambassador for the brand since September 2022.
Another example is the Stay Home, Play Together campaign from the video game developer Electronic Arts, commonly known as EA. The brand launched the campaign to encourage a sense of community among sports fans.
Under the campaign, the company worked with famous athletes and gamers to stream playthroughs of EA’s sports titles. The project ignited excitement and encouraged viewers to stay home and connect with their friends through online gaming.
However, the gaming space is not the only industry that live streaming has changed over the years. Because of the pandemic, in-person events became live-streamed experiences, expanding audience reach and opening doors for various opportunities for modern businesses.
Live concerts on social media platforms and sports streaming are now parts of the new entertainment landscape. Musicians perform live on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to play virtual concerts. These streams tap into the social media site’s existing audience while introducing new users to the platform.
More people believe that live streaming has become a crucial element of the entertainment landscape. Brands will have more growth opportunities as existing platforms expand their live-stream offerings.
Tips and Tricks To Succeed as a Streamer
Becoming a successful streamer can be easier said than done, especially now that countless content creators are online vying for viewer attention. It would help if you learned the tricks below to encourage more people to stop by your streams and grow your audience.
Get the right tools
To succeed as a streamer, you will need the right tools to help you produce high-quality content. The following tools below will help new streamers achieve their goals at the start of their careers:
PC
If you plan to stream graphically demanding games, you will need a high-performance gaming setup. A powerful PC ensures you can play games smoothly and stream them live without buffering.
Invest in a powerful gaming PC with impressive memory, video card, and storage space. You might need a better video card if the game keeps crashing while you stream. If your computer keeps dying while you are in-game, you might need to upgrade your computer’s random access memory (RAM).
Gaming headset
The most popular streamers gain followers not only because of the games they play but because of their commentary. If you want to follow in their footsteps, you want to be equipped with a high-quality gaming headset to ensure smooth interaction with your viewers.
Check your microphone to ensure your audience can hear your comments about what you are streaming.
Gaming mouse and keyboard
If you play first-person shooter games on a PC, like Counter-Strike or Valorant, you need the right gaming keyboard and mouse. The devices are more durable and can handle the stress of long hours of intense gaming.
Moreover, having a gaming keyboard and mouse shows your audience that you are not a casual gamer. You can also discuss your equipment with your viewers, who may be interested in your opinion about new models.
Game capture
You will need game capture software to record your game so you can stream it to your audience. This tool records the game on your screen, regardless of the platform you are using. Several streaming apps, like OBS and Streamlabs OBS, also have a game capture feature.
Strong internet connection
You will need a strong internet connection to stream high-quality video to your audience without dropping frames. Without a reliable internet connection, your stream might experience issues, such as delay and poor video quality. If you are playing a game online, a poor connection can negatively impact your in-game experience.
Poor internet connection translates to poor viewing experience, which can be detrimental to your goal of growing your audience.
Think about your content
Today, there are more options for streaming than you can imagine. You can always create Just Chatting-based content if you do not want to stream video games.
You have crucial choices to make about your content before you choose between streaming on YouTube or Twitch.
Consider three crucial factors: what you want to do, the competition around the content you want to create, and the followers you want to attract.
For example, if you want to stream the game Warzone, you must be ready for a lot of competition. If you want to be a “Just Chatting” streamer, consider what you will discuss with your audience. You can talk about books, music, movies, or anything else that spark engagement and encourage your followers to interact.
Be original
If you choose to stream on Twitch, you must compete against 7.59 million streamers. While not all of them will stream the same content as you, you’ll need something unique to encourage people to choose your channel and watch your content.
Originality is crucial, especially for something as creative as live streaming. Many streamers rely on the same strategies as the bulk of the pool, and some even copy other successful content creators.
You want to offer your viewers something new that will encourage them not only to watch your stream once but to go back when you go live again.
For example, while countless people stream Minecraft daily, the late Technoblade stood out as one of the best. Although he did not stream consistently, tens of thousands of viewers watched him play on the competitive server Hypixel.
His player vs. player (PVP) skills made him a terrifying contender in various Minecraft competitions, where he often dominated mini-games. He also had an excellent sense of humor that made his YouTube videos popular and encouraged his followers to rewatch his content repeatedly.
He published the iconic “The Potato War” series, which remains a crucial contributor to his popularity. For the three-video series, he farmed potatoes for months (in-game) to be the Number 1 Potato Farmer in the multiplayer survival world, Skyblock.
Technoblade relied on various warfare strategies, citing Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, to take the throne from the unsuspecting top potato farmer at the time, Im_a_squid_kid. As of writing, the first video of the series has 44 million views.
Technoblade’s sense of humor, PVP skill, and originality fueled his success as a YouTuber. Streamers who want to achieve the same will need to find their own strategy to reach the top.
Create a Fun Online Community Through Live Streaming
Not getting the viewer count you want can be discouraging, especially for new streamers. However, you must stay motivated and try to show your followers enthusiasm. Show them that you are passionate about what you do and grow your online community by producing innovative content.