The number of eSports streamers is growing as gamer lovers realize the perks involved with doing the same. And with this number burgeoning the way it is, the competition for eyeballs of those watching eSports streamers has also grown in recent times. How does one attract more subscribers to one’s eSports streams? We look at the methods you could look to employ to ensure you reach stupendous levels of traffic and subscribers on Twitch and other such platforms.
If you want to get an in-depth understanding of who is an eSports streamer, and the roles and responsibilities associated with one, you might want to read our exhaustive guide here. What’s also important to note is why eSports streaming is so sought after and this can be seen from our piece here on how much eSports streamers earn.
Table of Contents
Which Platforms do eSports Streamers Use?
There are multiple platforms on which eSports streamers stream their games including Twitch, YouTube and a few others. These are some of the best streaming platforms preferred by eSports gamers:
- Twitch
- YouTube Gaming
- Facebook Gaming
- Beam
- InstaGib TV
- Mixer
- Hitbox
- Azubu
- Bigo Live
- Gosu gamers
- Dlive
- Disco Melee
- Afreeca TV
The principle to increase the number of gaming subscribers or viewers on most of these channels is more or less on similar lines. Having said that, we will be looking to offer our viewership increasing tips on Twitch in the hope the same rationale can be extended to other platforms too.
How Can eSports Streamers Increase Their Following?
We are assuming you are a beginner streamer who hasn’t found the kind of success that’s often spoken about. Or you have hit some kind of a ceiling in terms of subscribers and viewers on your channel and want to understand how to shrug off that rut.
Below are some usable tips you could look to increase your subscribers.
Find Your Streaming Purpose
I am not being philosophical here, although finding one’s purpose in life is something we have all wanted at some stage of our lives now, isn’t it? Not referring to that here.
Instead, ask yourself, why are you streaming? Sure, you like to commentate while you are gaming, others are doing it and you think you can do better. That’s typically why many of us start off with these live gaming streams.
However, and more importantly, try and consider two things; what are some of the best attributes about you related to being a streamer and what is it that the audience typically wants. A simple Venn diagram of the common area between what you are adept at and what the audience is looking for is what you need to specialize in.
Some of the decisions you might want to take depending on your own strengths are:
- Do you want to stream new, relatively less famous games or try to break into the more famous, but more cluttered old ones?
- Are you good at entertaining your audience, can you add a dash of humor to your streams or would you prefer to educate them?
- Are you on the top of everything that’s happening in the eSports industry or do you prefer diving in-depth in one or two games?
And a few others.
Based on this, try to carve out your own niche, your own voice and over time, those following you will know what to expect out of your channel.
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Invest in the Right Equipment
Not too many start off their streaming or even video production journeys with hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in the software and hardware. However it behooves to ensure you have a good audio and video recording instruments, along with the right equipment for actually playing the games.
Some of the software and hardware you will need to invest in for sure even as a beginner includes:
- Latest Version of Games
- Gaming Platform You Are Most Comfortable With
- Video Recording Camera
- Microphone and Audio Recording Gadgets
- Software for Screen Share
- Video Editing Software
- Right Lighting
The best brands of this equipment even as a beginner deserves another piece, and we will definitely come up with that but for the sake of this piece always remember, some sort of professionalism is must.
And with the right tools, you could go a long way in achieving that.
Be Consistent in Your Streaming. And Frequent.
Be it eSports streaming or any business, one of the most effective ways to grow is to show consistency. A business brand doesn’t become big enough till it has delivered quality on a regular basis.
The recall of some brands is higher than others because of the consistency with which they deliver.
Similarly if you are a streamer, look to improve your quality, sure but even more important is to find yourself a schedule which you can stick to in order to post your streaming.
Some streamers prefer a five-days-a-week schedule, others are more or less frequent, but the key remains the same – be consistent at whatever you can do.
Reveal to your viewers your schedule beforehand. Stick to your timings. And keep delivering on your promise.
One of the reasons why streamers fail early in their careers is their inability to maintain consistency in streaming or sticking to their plan.
The reason to be consistent in your streaming is it creates a sense of loyalty among fans. Having followed some of my favourite gamers across channels and having also followed gaming (and non-gaming) entities over social media has led me to conclude those who post regular, quality content have a much better chance of scoring a hit with fans.
The other aspect about streaming is that consistency without frequency might not count for a lot.
You might stream once a week and be consistent doing that but that wouldn’t work. Try and up the frequency to thrice a week at least and slowly move towards even five times or more every week if you are serious about making this an occupation.
Ensure Your Social Profile is Fully Set Up
Yes you are looking to stream your gaming content and to begin with, it makes sense to just try and get into a routine. However, try and complete your profile, whether it’s your logo, or social media buttons or cover photos, or anything else that’s necessary on your Twitch – or any other – platform.
Your logo is going to remain a very vital part of your identity. Subscribers and fans will recognize you by it. While I wouldn’t say it’s mandatory to launch your logo before you even start streaming, you need to look to get to it once you achieve some sort of consistency.
Twitch and YouTube also allow a cover photo. While a logo traditionally remains with you for a long period (and is only changed if there’re very important reasons), there’s more flexibility in how often you can replace your cover photo.
Add your social media buttons to your channel to allow subscribers a chance to follow you across multiple channels. Similarly add the donate button which will form a small but an important part of your earnings at a later stage.
Pro Tip
If you are looking to make your own design for your cover page or your logo, or any other kind of design, you could look to start with the free version of Canva. It’s an excellent option for beginner designers for those who do not want to spend any money.
The other option is to hire someone from Fiverr to do this for you. Fiverr is a website which allows freelancers to list down their skills and you can register as an employer and hire the most cost-effective option available for you.
Improve Your Gaming Itself
Not everyone belongs to the creme de la creme of gaming and the vast majority are casual gamers who are looking to try their hand out at streaming their gaming. That said, there’s no stopping you from trying to improve your game by a notch on a regular basis.
At the core of this is the reason why fans throng to these streaming platforms to watch the eSports streamers. There are multiple reasons behind this but one of the chief ones is to look at other streamers and try and improve their own gaming.
If someone watching your stream reckons he/she is a better gamer than you are, why would he/she subscribe to your channel? Again, not everyone can reach the quality of content which is dished out by some of the top eSports streamers but the endeavour should always be to observe others, and improve your own gaming.
Much like most other tips mentioned in this piece, this wouldn’t increase your followers or subscribers overnight but over a longer period you would see a steady growth.
Develop Your Personality
There are obviously different ways to be different enough to get people to follow you on social media, whether gaming or otherwise but the most effective, long-term strategy is to deliver something unique.
We understand that imitation is the best form of flattery but it’s best not to lose your originality either. Your own personality and your own voice will be the key in attracting more subscribers and followers to your channel.
Develop your own style which will, with time, resonate with your followers. Feel free to give your opinion but at the same time avoid pulling others down. Negativity and hate might help in the short-term but over longer periods, it will take away from your good work.
Use Social Media Smartly for Promotion
Not every social media platform is the same, not every social media platform should be used in a similar way to promote one’s own gaming.
Which is saying the obvious for starters; using social media outside of your main streaming platform to try and get more traffic to your streaming channel is a necessity.
Do not look at just growing your subscribers on one platform, try to build your own brand as a gamer. This includes being a regular across various social media channels; post clips of your streaming on Facebook and Twitter, be a part of active discussions with fellow streamers and fans on Reddit (they have a sub Reddit for new Twitch streamers here!), quickly pick up how to use Discord and interact with like-minded streamers in multiple ways and even consider joining new and dedicated social media companies like eFuse, founded by gamers, for gamers.
The better you are at building your own brand online (and may be offline too), the easier it would get for you to increase your followers.
Interact & Communicate with Your Followers
In the beginning, it would be the proverbial ‘man and his dog’ following your channel. Interact with them as often as you can. They are, after all, those few early subscribers who have shown an inclination to like your work.
Even as you begin to grow your subscriber-base, do not miss out on chances to interact with your followers. Call out and thank your subscribers whenever you get opportunities.
There might be times when you do not have much to say while streaming your content; this might be a good time to ask questions off your followers and opine about those topics. This allows for a healthy balance between talking about your own stuff and getting those watching involved, making for a very interactive chat.
Your followers will love it.
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Share Personal Glimpses
People want to know about the person behind the microphone at times. In the beginning they might come to your channel to get tips or advice on gameplay and other such things, but a personal touch to your streaming could lead to more stickiness among those still on the fence on whether or not to follow you.
Make no mistake, once you have decided what’s the purpose of your channel, try sticking to it majority of the time. Don’t go overboard with it becoming too much about you but every now and then slip in something different you might have done the previous day.
Share personal stories, whether they are gaming or not.
Speak of any travel plans you might have (and ask for tips!)
Produce behind-the-scenes videos.
It’s Important to Network
You might be streaming alone but you aren’t operating in a bubble or an island, alone. There’re other streamers, probably streaming the same set of games, but who might be at a different stage of the journey than you.
Link to them if you find something interesting. Talk about them during your stream as well.
Some do this but only refer to the highly successful streamers with 100s of thousands of followers. That’s not too bad but also call out your peers, fellow streamers who are at a similar phase as you.
Forge these partnerships by ‘giving’ and you would be surprised to see others doing the same to you as well. It would lead to a mutually beneficial relationship between you and the other streamers of this microcosm.
The other way to do is to attend some of the gaming events which take part in your city. Not only such do these events allow you to showcase your own skills, they are also a perfect opportunity to connect with fellow gamers and streamers.
You can also get in touch with fellow gamers on other social media. Even better would be to visit other streamers while they are streaming on Twitch or the other platforms and leave your thoughts or comments on a regular basis so that they are picked up by them and hopefully reciprocated while you are streaming.
Learn a Bit of SEO
Okay this is a tad left-field and if you think there’s already too much to do as a beginner, you can skip this bit. However, if you want a sea-change in the way your channel grows, we would advise you to pick up on a few SEO skills for video.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it involves a set of technical tactics that helps ranking your blog or video channel higher up in the search rankings.
All other things kept the same, what is it that decides which YouTube channel, for instance, comes up higher on search and which doesn’t? It’s SEO.
There are different ways in which SEO can be carried out on different platforms but the basics remain the same throughout. Ensure to use an eye-catching title that fits within the character-space allowed while uploading videos, use good keywords and hashtags in your descriptions and have click-worthy thumbnails among other things.
Here’s an excellent guide on Twitch SEO you might want to read through if you are interested.
Be Patient!
If you have reached this far in this article, you have passed our certification of patience!
Jokes aside, we would have mentioned elsewhere in this piece too, it’s important to stay patient. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day (it took 1000s of years incidentally), your streaming channel might not reap rewards overnight either.
It’s going to take weeks and months of sustained effort to move the proverbial needle at time but the art is to remain patient. Sure, there’s always that need to reassess every few weeks and tweak your strategy (you don’t have 1000s of years like Rome, after all!), but it’s easy to and advisable not to lose your patience in the early days of not seeing a growth on your channel.
Make no mistake, those early days will be like a ghost-town, the viewers will be conspicuous by their absence but perseverance will remain the key.
And the bigger key would be to keep streaming with consistency and the will to keep improving despite the lack of viewers.
Final Words
While streamers can go on to earn a lot, or at least enough to make this their full-time profession, it’s imperative to remember things don’t always start off with a bang. It’s a slow and steady process to grow to those levels and if you follow the aforementioned steps, show patience and hang in there, you will give yourself a very good chance of becoming a full-time streamer.