Twitch streaming has always been a dream job for many gamers. OG streamers like Shroud, Jerma, and MOONMOON and “new age” streamers like Sykkuno, Disguised Toast, and xQc inspire fans to climb the Twitch rankings themselves.

While being good at your desired game is always a plus, you won’t get very far if you don’t know how to stream effectively.

So download OBS and get situated in your gamer chair. Here are some of the best tips for jumpstarting your Twitch career.

Personalize Your Channel

The very first thing you should set up is your channel. While this fact may be obvious, what it entails may not be at the front of your mind.

Regardless of what type of channel you want to make, you still need your channel to look professional. The aspects of your channel that you should focus on are any personalization options, such as your “About” page and Twitch overlay.

When watching your favorite gamers, you may have noticed that you can see their “About” page below their streams. These blurbs usually consist of links to their various social media pages or other important links with personalized buttons. Investing time and money into designing these buttons can help your channel have a professional touch even when you are just starting.

Twitch overlays achieve the same thing but during the stream itself. Overlays will allow for custom animations, chatboxes, and even transition screens such as the “stream starting soon” screen. By having this personalized aspect, your stream will feel more at home for viewers.

Create Your Brand

Twitch has become a platform for anyone to stream anything they wish. Artists will stream them drawing or creating commissions, while others play games for hours at a time. This versatility can be advantageous as long as you know how to “game the system” and create your brand for your channel.

If you plan on streaming games, you can build your brand in a few different ways. You could play popular games that people are actively searching for, as many gamers did during the Among Us craze in the summer of 2020. Some gamers, such as moistcrt1kal, are popular for their “variety streams” in which they don’t limit themselves to just one game or style of content. So, don’t be afraid to branch out and try new things.

Stream Consistently

Creating a schedule is one of the best things you can do as a beginner streamer because you do not have a loyal fanbase that will join regardless of the time. Take advantage of the best streaming hours when figuring out your schedule, as you are more likely to attract viewers who are already online. Some people will say to go live every single day, but that kind of schedule can actually hurt you in the long run due to overexposure.

Your audience will grow tired of seeing you every day and may start searching for other, fresher gamers. You could also fall into the trap of running out of content, which would force you to go into a prolonged break. The golden number is anywhere between 3 to 5 streams a week, so try incorporating that into your schedule.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a popular gamer on Twitch requires a lot of dedication and a little bit of luck, so don’t stress if you’re not taking off immediately. Our advice will help you jumpstart your channel, but the core of a great Twitch streamer lies within you. So be yourself, have fun, and keep doing what you love — success will follow before you realize it.