How to Get Followers on Twitch - Find The Right Audience

If you want a career as a streamer, you want to be on Twitch. The world’s largest live streaming platform has successfully warded off attacks from competitors like Mixer and YouTube to establish itself as the definitive space for live streamers on the internet. The platform offers various ways to get rich off streaming, from sponsorships and commercial partnerships to follower donations and even merch sales. Before that can happen, however, you first need to learn how to get followers on Twitch. Let’s get right into it.

Set Goals for Yourself

Before setting out on your streaming journey, it’s crucial to set up some Twitch goals for yourself. Getting your initial batch of followers on Twitch is by far the most challenging part of establishing a strong channel, so setting measurable, realistic, and achievable goals is crucial for success. Here are some tips on how to do that:

• Be Specific 

Don’t think in vague terms like “increasing your presence on Twitch.” Set clear goals such as “I want 50 Twitch followers within a month” so that you know exactly what you’re working towards. 

• Set Realistic Goals

Competition on Twitch is fiercer than ever, and it’s not easy getting even a small following on Twitch. Some channels unexpectedly explode, but getting followers on Twitch is a long and arduous process for the most part. With that in mind, consider your target audience, calculate the time you can allocate to streaming and interactions with your Twitch subscribers, and don’t expect to have 500 regulars on your channel within the first week.

• Give Yourself Deadlines and Pay Attention to Metrics

If you’ve followed our first two tips, you already have specific and realistic goals in mind. The final step is to make sure you don’t waste time: create sub-goals and give yourself timelines so that you have a clear idea of what needs to happen to see some real Twitch growth. For example: “I’ll gain five Twitch followers by the end of the week by interacting with other streamers.”

Pick One Game to Start - Carefully

Many new Twitch streamers fall into the trap of trying to entice new followers by streaming many different games. While you can certainly grow your audience to new heights by branching out later, it’s been proven time and time again that you should first make yourself a name with one game. This is especially true if your goal is to become known as an “elite” player within a particular game niche. 

Think about the world’s biggest names, such as Ninja and Shroud: while they’ve both branched out to several games, most people still associate them with Fortnite and CS:GO respectively.

To get Twitch followers, you want to be strategic about which game you’ll stream. Avoid the temptation to go with popular titles or new games that generate a lot of hype: sure, lots of people want to watch those, but every streamer out there knows it, and you’ll be competing with a vast number of channels, most of which are far bigger than yours. 

First off, choose a game that you enjoy playing. You’ll be playing a hell of a lot of it, and if you aren’t having at least a bit of fun, your audience won’t be having any either (unless you go for the AngryJoe angle of ranting at horrible games). 

If you’re wondering how to get more followers on Twitch by simply selecting the right game, start by choosing a game that gives you a chance to make a name for yourself, but avoid those with dead communities that will never grow. Games with anywhere between 10 and 20 streamers are typically a sweet spot for being noticeable without having to deal with fierce competition.

Offer Unique Value to Your Viewers

With more than 3 million concurrent viewers across over 100,000 channels in May alone, Twitch offers a staggering variety of content for viewers to sink their teeth into. Wondering how to get Twitch followers within such a hotly contested battlefield? By providing exceptional value to your Twitch follower base. Think about why people watch streams. Sure, at a basic level, we could say that they’re simply bored or they like watching people playing video games, but in reality there’s more to it than that.

Some people like to see a game in action to help them make a purchase decision. Think of it as a more honest and in-depth review that helps people decide if the new Call of Duty game is really worth another $60. Other viewers may be in it to watch professionals play so they can learn some new things or get tips and gaming advice. Some Twitch viewers may simply want to be entertained by a streamer’s quirky personality.

To get followers on Twitch, you want to decide early on what sort of streamer you want to be and what unique value you can offer to your viewers. Your Twitch success will largely hinge on your ability to keep an audience engaged, whether through being a gaming pro with legendary skills or simply being an engaging host who can keep their audience entertained. Think about how you can make your stream unique and entertaining, starting with original names for your streams or even a whole underlying theme that will instantly become recognizable by the community.

Be Active. Constantly.

Of all the tips for Twitch that we can give you on how to become a popular streamer, this one may just be the most obvious and the most important one at the same time. It’s pretty obvious; you shouldn’t ask how to get followers on Twitch if you’re not prepared to put in the hours. It’s not as simple as you may think, though. While the idea that you should stream as much content as possible as often as possible seems like a no-brainer, many people don’t realize the importance of actively engaging with the Twitch community when trying to promote your Twitch channel.

From engaging with your own stream viewers to hosting other streamers on your channel and actively supporting their channels, there are many ways to improve your reputation on Twitch organically. It may seem counterintuitive to help boost competing channels when trying to make it big yourself, but the best way to get Twitch followers consistently is to make a name for yourself within the community. Attending community events such as TwitchCon is an excellent idea for networking, too.

To summarize: 

1. Make sure you stream regularly.
2. Engage with your Twitch viewers as much as you can.
3. Be active even when not streaming by visiting other streamers and interacting with the Twitch community.
4. Grow your network: invite other streamers to co-host events with you or become a guest in their streams.
5. Attend meet-ups and community events such as TwitchCon.

Remember, promoting your Twitch stream and building community connections is just as important as streaming quality content. The road to becoming successful enough to be a Twitch affiliate (or even a Twitch partner) is paved with a lot of hard work both online and offline.

Invest in Quality Gear and Make your Stream Visually Appealing

Let’s talk about another obvious yet often overlooked tip on how to grow on Twitch: your streaming setup. While we’re not saying you need the best webcam or the fastest internet around to become a good streamer, it’s a given that you want your stream to look and run as smoothly as it possibly can.

From making sure you have a quality sound card and a good microphone to taking the time to set up quality lighting, getting the hardware basics down can make a huge difference to the popularity of your stream when you’re first starting out. It’s not just about hardware, either: think about the layout of your stream: the ideal place for a webcam is in the upper-left or upper-right corner of the screen, and you need a chatbox for full-screen viewers too. 

Now you’re probably wondering how to get followers on Twitch by optimizing your stream’s layout. Well, make sure to include your social media handle in a slideshow or as part of a rotating list so people have more ways of interacting with you outside of your stream. Think about what streaming software you want to use as well. Beginners will appreciate excellent free software such as OBS, but once you’ve grown a little, consider paid alternatives such as Wirecast.

If you’re just starting but want some creative ideas for laying out your stream, consider software like TipeeeStream, too. In addition to offering plenty of useful tools to customize your streams, the tool is also fantastic for helping you keep track of your donations and streamlining the entire donation process.

Don’t Forget About Social Media

If you’ve made it this far, you probably have a pretty good idea of how to get more viewers on Twitch. We’ve talked about the importance of setting clear goals and picking a suitable game to stream. We’ve mentioned how crucial it is to offer unique value to your Twitch subscribers and how much difference having the proper hardware can make.

The main takeaway from our write-up should be that becoming a successful Twitch streamer is a full-time job, one that you truly need to commit to if you want to achieve success. Part of that commitment is being an active member of the community, attending streaming events, and expanding your circle of friends. Another is working to promote your Twitch stream and learning how to grow a Twitch channel using social networks. 

You can approach this the same way you would for any other product or service that you want to sell to people.  After all, your channel is the product, and your viewers are potential customers. With that said, it’s a mistake to treat Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram as mere platforms where you can spam people with notifications and advertise a Twitch stream. While it can certainly be a helpful way of reminding people not to miss your stream, it’s much better to use social media as a tool for organic outreach.

As a general rule, you’ll always get more Twitch followers if you build a rapport with people instead of expecting them to flock to your channel purely due to the quality of your stream. Talk to people. Write tweets about what’s going on in your life. Put up Instagram stories about streams your followers might have missed. Write Facebook statuses about your everyday life or gaming-related topics that you’re passionate about. Share pics of your gaming setup. The options are practically limitless; you just need to put in the effort.

Final Words

We hope that our tips have shown you how to be successful on Twitch and that by using them, your fledgling channel will grow into something you can be proud of. Remember, though, it’s a long road from starting your streaming career to becoming a successful Twitch streamer with thousands of subscribers. While patience is key, learning how to be entertaining on Twitch and how to promote your Twitch account will go a long way towards ensuring the success of your channel. Don’t forget about your streaming setup, and always make sure to play games that you enjoy if you want streaming to be a pleasant experience and not a chore. Good luck!