In the first quarter of 2020, at any one-time Twitch had an average of 1.4 million viewers. For the three months prior to that, 2.3 billion hours of material was watched on the platform, whereas YouTube Gaming racked up a miserly 0.9 billion in comparison.
Their audience size is undoubtedly record-breaking, and we’re going to tell you how to capture some of that audience and how to get more viewers on Twitch.
Here are 8 ways of how get more viewers on Twitch.
Follow are 8 main principles to increase view on Twitch. Follow them like a mantra and you will see immediate results.
Consistency and Dedication
This first piece of advice is the most important, and you should make it your mantra: keep a schedule and stick to it.
Consistency and reliability are key when it comes to get more viewers on Twitch. People want to know that they can tune in to watch you at specific times, and they don’t want to be let down. If people know they can come back, then they will come back.
Here’s a simple checklist for what to include in your schedule:
- The date, days, and times that you’re going to be streaming.
- The games and content of what you’re streaming.
- News about any upcoming special events or streams.
- Links to your stream, socials, or anything else important.
In addition to this, you should make your schedule as visible as possible by posting it on all your social media accounts and website – see more about socials below.
If you have to change your schedule for any reason, make sure to let your audience know.
Don’t Stream with Zero Viewers
Streaming with zero viewers will make your channel suffer for two reasons.
First, having zero viewers will place you at the bottom of the list when it comes to active streamers. If you’re way down at the bottom, nobody will see you and that zero will never increase to one.
Second, people enjoy what other people are enjoying, people like what is popular. If you’ve got zero viewers, then it gives the impression that nobody wants to watch you. If nobody wants to watch you, then that suggests your stream is no good, and people will avoid it.
To avoid giving a bad impression and lurking at the bottom of the gamer list, simply get your housemates, friends, or family to make an account and join. Alternatively, make a second account and log in to watch on your phone or tablet.
Stream Games with a Large Number of Viewers but few Streamers
Although the audience for Twitch is incredibly large, the number of broadcasters is large too: there are 3.8 million broadcasters in total, and around 3.6 million active broadcasters each month.
If you want to stand out and get more viewers on Twitch, don’t stream the games that everyone else streams.
If there are 500,000 viewers for a game, 20,000 streamers, and most of the viewers are going to the top 20 streamers, then that game is oversaturated. Popular games and popular streamers take up most of the potential audience.
To get more viewers, you need to find a game that has very few streamers so that you can get in the top 20. If you’re in the top 20 streamers for a small game with only 1,000 viewers, you’ll immediately get more than a game that is massively oversaturated. Find a niche and work it.
Stream for Hours
We’ve already mentioned how being consistent with your streaming schedule will help you get more Twitch viewers. But, alongside this, you should make sure you do two more things:
- Stream during prime hours.
- Stream for long periods.
If you stream during the busiest times, then you’re going to be competing with a greater number of broadcasters. Instead, stream during the prime hours for your games, i.e. those hours that have few other broadcasters but also many viewers. For most games, the prime hours are between 12 midnight to 9 am.
In addition to this, you need to stream for periods long enough for people to accidentally come across your channel. If you’re streaming a game for 45 minutes longer than other broadcasters, then once their streams end their audience will be ready to find yours. At a minimum, your stream should last for at least 4 hours.
Use Social Media
Using social media is key to getting more viewers on Twitch. The further you can spread the word about your channel and schedule, the more viewers you’ll likely pick up.
The socials that direct most traffic to Twitch are Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube – feel free to ignore the others.
YouTube will also allow you to repackage your content for a new audience, often known as content syndication. Simply record your streams, select some highlights, and upload them to YouTube.
What content is best for YouTube? Breaking records is always a hit, and if you can pull it off, your chances of going viral are high. If you’re no record-breaker, then funny videos or how-to guides will always get attention.
When it comes to Twitter and Instagram, use them to network and to promote your stream and schedule. Interact within the community but be chill. If you’re supportive of other creators, they’ll be supportive of you.
Invest Money on Your Twitch Layout
How does the layout of your stream get you more views on Twitch? Well, the answer is simple: people don’t like things which aren’t aesthetically pleasing.
Try to design something that looks good, professional, is informative, and reflects your style. Sites like placeit.net give you overlay templates that you can customize:
If customization isn’t something you’re concerned with, then you could try a premium animated overlay from a site like own3d.tv.
Alternatively, there are free sites like behance.net which provide overlays at no cost.
If you want to change the colors or background image, then you can do so easily:
Also, templates like this easily allow you to move your webcam stream by dragging, or change the screen banner:
If customization isn’t something you’re concerned with, then you could try a premium animated overlay from a site like own3d.tv.
Alternatively, there are free sites like behance.net which provide overlays at no cost.
Interact with Viewers that Take Part in Your Stream
Being part of a community is what Twitch is about, so if you can’t interact and be social with your viewers, then your stream will be condemned to have none.
If you keep your viewer list open, then you’ll always be able to see when new people join. If someone stumbles across your stream, then this is your opportunity to make sure they stay. Say ‘hi’ and make sure to engage them by asking a question or introducing them to the stream. Making the stream personal and building a community will guarantee return visits and more views on Twitch.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
In sum, how can you get more views on Twitch?
Ultimately, to get more viewers you need to be professional. If you do this by keeping to a schedule, figuring out the prime time for your games, building a community with your viewers, and staying on top of your social traffic, then your view count will steadily increase.
Gain Changer co-founder Sean Bianco is well-versed in determining market trends. Emphasis is placed on understanding relationships between technical problems and customer impact, resulting in customer-driven products and services.