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Guides

Ultimate Twitch Channel Promotion Guide

October 13, 2023
by Liam Doherty

If you’re tired of streaming to 0 viewers we’ve put together these top tips for promoting your channel effectively without coming across as desperate. Twitch is crowded and promoting your stream to a new audience can feel like a mammoth task. While fundamentals for growing your stream are often discussed– engaging content, consistency, and building a loyal audience – there’s a crucial aspect that often goes overlooked: effective promotion.

In this article, we’re diving deep into the art of promoting your Twitch stream, but not just any promotion. We’re exploring strategies that go beyond the conventional and discussing the pitfalls of ill-advised tactics. Learn how to get your content in front of a larger audience, potentially sparking more interest and engagement. But, just as importantly, discover why certain promotion methods can harm your reputation in the long run, and why it’s essential to strike a balance between visibility and authenticity. Join us as we explore the dos and don’ts of Twitch stream promotion, helping you navigate the path to streaming success.

How To Promote Your Twitch Channel Effectively

Let’s take a look at some of the best tactics you can use for promoting your Twitch channel to a wider audience.

1. Stream Consistently

Yes, we know, you’ve heard this a million times before, but it’s worth reiterating the importance of consistency. Although the level of discoverability on Twitch is poor, it’s not zero, and you will get some foot traffic that pops in every now and then. More importantly, as your channel begins to gain traction and you rise up the category ranks, you’ll find that the benefits of being consistent increase exponentially.

2. Learn Video Editing

As you’ll see throughout this list, a lot of tactics used for promoting your content involves reworking content from your streams into other platforms. In order for this to be effective you need to learn how to edit both short form and long form content. Jump cuts, closeups, pacing, sound effects and memes are all part of creating entertaining content. Take some time to study what makes content entertaining, or take some free courses available on YouTube. The go-to software for editing is Premiere Pro or Davinci Resolve.

3. Create YouTube Content

YouTube has algorithms, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and google often returns YouTube videos for certain queries. Don’t just dump your VODs on YouTube, this won’t work. Instead, focus on condensing the most entertaining content from your streams into well structured & edited videos. If you’re finding it difficult to make interesting videos from your stream’s content, that’s a pretty strong indication that your content might be bland, or lacks structure. Don’t let this get you down, take it in your stride and focus on the ways to inject some more fun into your stream.

4. YouTube Shorts

If you’re already using YouTube to create long form content then you should also be creating short form content and uploading to shorts. Use shorts to show off the best highlights from your stream. Whether it’s a jump scare, funny gaming moment or a team wipe, shorts need to grab the viewer’s attention instantly.

5. TikTok

TikTok is a powerful tool that every streamer needs to be using to promote their channel. As with any short form content, it should hook the viewer’s attention within the first few seconds. Take time to study trends and other streaming related content. You should have a solid understanding of what performs well for TikTok to have the best chance of creating entertaining and viral content.

6. Twitter

One huge mistake small streamers make is only ever logging into Twitter to tweet that they’re going live. Instead, start using Twitter to engage with other streamers. The whole point should be to build genuine connections and expand your network. Don’t force connections, you should already like the streamers content and personality. This way your interactions come off as natural without an ulterior motive.

7. Instagram

Whilst nowhere near as popular as the new kid on the block – TikTok – instagram reels still provide a great way to promote clips from your livestream. There’s a growing trend now of TikTok videos simply being repurposed for instagram reels because of the similarities they share. However, it’s always worth doing some extra research into trends on each platform to make sure you’re creating content that each specific audience will enjoy.

8. Network with other streamers

Spend time building, engaging and getting involved in other streamers communities on Twitch. You should be doing this because you actually like the streamer and their community, not simply to get something out of it. You’re a homie first and streamer second. After time it will naturally become apparent that you’re also a streamer, so don’t force it. At that point, other streamers might start watching your content and even raiding you if they like the content you create.

9. Go To Gaming Events

Don’t limit yourself to just networking online. Get yourself out there and meet like minded people at gaming or streamer events. TwitchCon is the biggest and most popular streamer specific convention out there. Just remember to maintain the same etiquette in person as you do online. You can find a list of upcoming streamer related meetup events here.

8. Reddit

The r/Twitch sub is a great place to start if you’re a small streamer. As with many other tips on this list, the goal is to help out and engage with other streamers, not just spam your channel’s link. This subreddit is a great place to share experiences from your stream and tips that could help out other streamers. In addition to this, you can configure your Reddit flair to show your channel URL next to your username.

10. Use Twitch Tags

You can add up to 10 tags on your stream for describing your personality and content. Using tags on Twitch is a great way to get some extra visibility, and show your content to a relevant audience. With relevance in mind, don’t spam irrelevant tags just because you think it will bring more viewers to your stream. Instead find the best tags for the content that you create.

11. Don’t Stream in Saturated Categories

One of the best ways to relegate your stream to the shadow realm is by streaming to no viewers in the depths of the most popular categories on Twitch. Instead, try to find smaller categories with an average of 2-5k viewers. It’s important that whatever category is centered on a topic or game you genuinely enjoy. Streaming games you don’t enjoy is the quickest way to get burnt out as a streamer.

12. Create Engaging Stream Titles

Oftentimes you’ll see streamers with bland and low effort titles. It should be said that stream titles aren’t some magic hack to promote your channel and get more viewers. However, if you’ve got something particularly interesting planned for the stream, it makes sense to advertise this to potential viewers by adding a descriptive stream title.

13. Niche Community Groups

If you stream content related to a specific niche with a strong community and following behind it, you should definitely be getting involved with the broader community outside of Twitch. Whether it’s a discord server, forum or IRL meetups, create relevant and useful content for the community. Niche communities could be anything from speed running, finding in game glitches or figurine painting.

14. Discord Servers

There are a huge number of discord servers out there created for small streamers to meet each other and help each other grow. As always, don’t join these servers solely to self-advertise. The most effective strategy is to be a real genuine person within these communities, and you will absolutely see results and gain viewers.

15. Jump On Trends

Getting in at the right time just before a trend is taking off can be your ticket to gaining a massive following. Keep an eye out for growing trends in the streaming world. Whether it’s new game releases or a new type of content that’s beginning to gain traction, jumping on trends at the right time could perfectly position your stream for a huge influx of viewers. Use analytics tools like Twitch tracker for staying up to date with popular content and games.

16. Boost This Stream

Boost this stream is a new kind of community challenge that allows your community to band together and use their channel points to unlock a boost reward. If successful, your channel will be displayed in high visibility areas of the Twitch site, thus boosting your channel exposure and getting in front of a whole new audience. You’ll need a coordinated effort to pull this off, so make sure to let your viewers know about this feature, and explain to them how they can get involved.

17. Giveaways

There are mixed opinions on whether or not you should use giveaways as a method of promoting your channel. On one hand, there’s no doubt that giveaways will grab the attention of new viewers who will click into your stream. On the other hand, some of these viewers are only looking to gain something and might not stick around after the giveaway is done. However, giveaways are best looked at as a foot in the door. It’s your job as a streamer to find ways to hook new viewers and give them a reason to stick around.

18. Raiding

Raiding other channels is a great way to reinforce connections with other streamers, especially if you’ve interacted with them before. You should only raid another channel if you believe your own community would also enjoy their content or personality. As you build up a network of friends in the streaming space, you’ll get your own fair share of raids, gaining exposure to a whole new audience.

19. Create Irresistible Emotes

By creating emotes which are fun or cute, your community will find it hard to resist not using them in other channels. Many small streamers have reported some people continuing to sub to their channel just to keep their access to emotes. When your emotes are shared in other channels you increase the chance of people checking out your channel, especially if they want to get access to them for themselves.

20. Twitch Drops

Similar to giveaways, Twitch drops are another way to create some hype around your channel and increase the amount of viewers wanting to click into your stream. Drops are a way for viewers to get in-game items by watching and participating in a streamers channel that have drops enabled. Again, this tactic is a great way to get viewers in your stream. It’s your job to hook them and get them to stick around.

21. Get Your Friends & Family to Tune In

If you’ve got gamer friends or family, ask them to tune in when you go live. With family and friends participating and being part of your stream, your channel will already have a strong sense of community. One of the main reasons viewers decide to stick around, follow and ultimately support a channel is the presence of a strong, close-knit community. In addition to the community aspect, anything that helps you get out of the dreaded 1 viewers crowd will give you a significant advantage and boost in visibility.

22. Branding

Branding is a very important aspect of streaming that many streamers don’t take seriously enough. Many streamers treat their branding as an afterthought, just a box that needs to be ticked. Whether it’s overlays for your stream, channel art or emotes, your branding should be cohesive and recognisable. Adding graphics to your stream just because they’re cool or convenient is not taking your brand seriously. Instead, take time to write down how you want to represent your personality as a streamer and what sort of vibe you want your channel to communicate with potential viewers.

23. Become The Best At Something

Becoming the best at something as a Twitch streamer is an incredibly effective way to promote your channel. When you excel in a specific game or niche, you naturally stand out from the crowd, attracting viewers who are looking for top-tier gameplay or expertise. As viewers recognize your mastery in a particular area, they’re more likely to stick around, subscribe, and engage with your content. Additionally, your reputation as the best can draw attention from other streamers and gaming communities, creating collaboration opportunities that can introduce your channel to new audiences. Ultimately, being the best not only showcases your skills but also acts as a powerful marketing tool that will significantly boost your Twitch channel’s reach and success.

24. Create a Website

Surprisingly, many Twitch streamers may not realize the untapped potential of creating their own website. Beyond the live streaming platform itself, having a personal website can be a game-changer. It acts as an anchor for your online presence, consolidating all your content, announcements, and community engagement in one place. With the freedom to design it to your liking, your website becomes an extension of your brand, setting you apart from the crowd. What’s more interesting about running a website is the income diversification it offers. Through ads, merchandise sales, and affiliate partnerships, you can secure additional revenue streams, reducing dependence on Twitch alone. Moreover, it boosts your discoverability through improved search engine rankings, drawing in new viewers and potential sponsors.

25. Squad / Collab Stream

As you build up a stronger network of streamers whom you’ve become friends with, there will be more opportunity for collaborative style streams. Whether you’re using built in features or placing additional webcam feeds on stream, going live with other streamers you’ll get access to a whole new audience. One existing way to do this is with a feature called squad streaming on Twitch. This is perfect for partnered streamers looking to team up and play with other streamers.

How NOT To Promote Your Channel

So far we’ve looked at effective promotion tactics that are used to boost a channel and connect with a wider audience. However, it’s equally crucial to recognize that not all promotional strategies are beneficial. Let’s now explore the ways in which you absolutely should not promote your Twitch streams. These misguided approaches will certainly have a detrimental impact on your reputation, irritate potential viewers, and, perhaps most importantly, yield minimal to no meaningful growth.

1. Unsolicited Self Promotion

Yep, we’ve probably all seen this at least once. Whether it’s a donation, spamming a community chat or discord, this is a surefire way to annoy a fellow streamer along with their whole community. This low effort attempt will always backfire and even if it doesn’t, you won’t see any real benefit from it. There are some discords with channels dedicated for self promotion, which is fine, but mostly you’ll get no real traction from it.

2. Follow for Follow

This is a tactic prevalent on just about any platform with a follow button. This tactic certainly works for increasing your follower count, but offers no real value for your channel’s organic growth. After all, those people following are most likely never going to visit your channel and vice versa. You might be tempted to use this tactic under the belief that viewers are more likely to stick around if they see a channel has a strong following. In reality, by having a low view to follower ratio, you show yourself to be desperate and will put off new potential viewers.

3. View Bots

There are services out there for buying fake live viewers for your channel. Aha! You might be thinking, now you can boost your channel’s visibility from the bottom of the category pages. Right ? Well, true as this may be, once new viewers join they’ll instantly see a dead chat, probably guess your numbers are fake and leave. Community is a major factor in what keeps viewers hanging around, and having an inactive chat is a strong indication that there isn’t much of a community behind the channel.

4. Networking With An Agenda

This article has discussed extensively the advantages of networking with other streamers. Networking is only effective when your motivations are genuine. When you’re making new connections, it should be because you like the person or enjoy their content, not because you want to gain something from them. There’s a lot of fakeness when it comes to networking and people who have an agenda are ousted pretty quickly.

5. Buying Followers

Similar to the follow for follow tactic, the only thing buying followers will do is bloat your channel with fake statistics and make it painfully obvious that you’re desperate. If you’ve bought followers and now want to make some positive changes, consider removing the fake followers.

6. Any Press Is Good Press

If your goal is building a sustainable and long term community willing to support you, then doing whatever it takes to become relevant is an ill advised tactic. Streamers that gain attention by doing outrageous or controversial things end up in a cycle of trying to stay relevant. As tempting as it can be, a slow methodical approach to building your channel is always the best option.

7. Stream Sniping

Stream sniping to bring attention to your channel became a real problem during the Fortnite boom alongside the rise of “TTV Kids”. These were small streamers that intentionally got into the same games as famous streamers, hunted them down to kill them so that their in-game username (containing their twitch account) would be displayed on stream. This annoyed both streamers and their community. You might get a few angry viewers coming to comment in your chat, but they won’t stick around or ever care about your content. Needless to say this will bring you more enemies than friends.

Conclusion

In the quest to promote your Twitch channel effectively, we’ve explored an extensive list of strategies, ranging from utilizing social media, creating engaging content, to harnessing the power of networking. However, it’s equally important to be mindful of the ways that can do more harm than good to your reputation and growth potential. The key takeaways lie in creating both short form and long form content on other platforms and actively engaging in networking within the streaming community.

By producing content that resonates with your target audience and forging genuine connections with fellow streamers, you not only enhance your visibility but also build a strong, supportive community around your channel. In the competitive world of Twitch, remember that quality promotion is a marathon, not a sprint, and fostering meaningful relationships can be your most potent promotional tool. So, keep your content engaging, keep networking, and watch your Twitch channel thrive.

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Liam Doherty

Liam Doherty comes from game development background, initially exposing him to the world of content creators. In 2017 he decided to dive headfirst into the creators realm, offering solutions for branding and creating better content.