Once upon a time, kids used to say they wanted to be like their favourite footballer or actress. Nowadays, they want to be like their favourite streamer. The likes of Youtube and other video platforms have provided unfettered access to popular streamers playing the best games. Some have even enjoyed astronomical success and profits, launching careers from just playing games.
And so it’s no surprise why everyone wants to get a slice of that sweet streaming pie. But, you can’t just set up a webcam, boot up your favourite game and enjoy success. If you want to level up your career and become a gaming streamer, here are seven steps to make it happen.
Get Good (Or At Least Good Enough)
There might be a market for people who suck at games. There’s surely something funny about someone who lacks the dexterity to aim, shoot, jump, and solve puzzles, but it’s also unlikely that you’ll get too much attention. Instead, you need to get good, or at least good enough.
Learning how to develop your gaming skills will allow you to showcase your skills and give people a reason to watch your stream. As many followers love to live vicariously through professional gamers, you can show them the sick and unique skills that you have mastered, but this is only possible if you perfect your technique with any game.
Get Access to The Best Games
You will also need access to the best and latest games. But, before you become a world-famous streamer, you may not be able to justify dropping hundreds on as many games as you can get your hands on.
Luckily, there is a solution to this. Using voucher codes for popular high street stores can save you money while shopping online. You can also seek out early-access opportunities, borrow games from your friends, or know the best time to buy during the sales so you can increase your library.
Invest In a Powerful Setup
Your gaming setup is almost as important as your skills and the games you play. Without a good streaming setup, your content will come off as amateurish and filled with a wide range of problems that will drive viewers away.
Before you set up your first stream, you need to invest in a good quality monitor, powerful PC or console, and even a comfortable chair, especially as you’ll be sitting down for hours each day. This isn’t all, though. Headsets, lighting, and streaming audio mixers will enhance the quality of your streams by balancing sound effects and creating a professional atmosphere.
Define Your Brand
Every streamer needs a brand as this defines who you want to market your content to. Usually, streamers determine this brand based on the games they play. If your games are hard-hitting and action-packed, you need to cultivate a brand and energy that matches this. If you prefer something more wholesome, make sure you match the vibe of your games.
There’s always room to buck the trend, and a foul-mouthed Animal Crossing player certainly sounds intriguing. However, there could also be streamers who have already found this niche. You probably follow and view a lot of streamers already, so you can take inspiration from them but also identify what they’re doing differently and consider how you can promote yourself as a unique character in the streaming world.
Choose Your Platform
There is a range of platforms you can choose for your streaming career. The most popular is Twitch, which is where many popular streamers got their big break. But this isn’t all you have to consider. You can also start on Youtube to become more comfortable in front of the camera, as nervousness will be easy to recognise if you’re not used to filming yourself.
If you want to dive straight in, Periscope, StreamYard or even Facebook Live all provide an option but as the audience is not as large, it’s unlikely you’ll build a strong following. Still, you can use your experiences on these platforms to improve your streaming skills, so you’re ready for a larger audience.
Reach Out to Other Streamers
Collaboration is a great way to improve your follower count and reach as many people as possible. So, you can improve your audience by reaching out to other streamers. While there is always some drama in any hobby, you can expect that most streamers will be happy to lend a hand, whether they give you a shout-out or offer advice on how to improve your channel.
If you know any streamers personally, they might invite you to join them on their channel for a special event. This gives their followers a useful introduction and you may get a few genuine followers out of it if they enjoy your personality and style. It might also be worth interacting with more established streamers and getting more involved in their community so you can build rapport with other followers that may view your stream when it is up and running.
Improve Your Profile
Your profile is essential if you want to showcase how serious you are about streaming. A bare profile looks amateurish and does not grab anyone’s attention, so at the very least, you’ll need a profile picture and a banner with the name of your channel.
You can work with a digital designer for this as it’s more likely they will be able to make something cool. This banner and profile picture should match your brand, so don’t be afraid to offer some input to realise your vision. You can also include social media links, especially to your Discord, while some information about you and a few pre-made videos give potential followers the chance to see what you’re all about.
Level Up
Streaming is a great way to do what you love and make money at the same time. Still, like any popular career, it’s full of competition and some would say the market has become oversaturated with an array of pretenders. If you want to become a successful gaming streamer, these tips will help you get the leg up you need and improve your chances of getting 100% completion in life.
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