Streaming is an intriguing and exciting career for gamers around the world — most see it as the chance to play video games for a living, travel, go to conventions, and leave a mark of the lives of others. And while the act of streaming is a fairly simple concept that is easily accessible to many, turning that dream into a career is a lofty goal that escapes most who yearn for it. As the world of streaming gains in popularity, so do the number of people interested in streaming increase in number. And so, on a near daily basis, one of the most common questions I get is — “How do I get started? What are your tips for success?” So I began writing out my thoughts and quickly realized that I have a great number of opinions on the topic. I hope you find some of the following ideas useful.
Disclaimer: There is no one road to success. These tips are not a guarantee of success or a strict path you “should” follow. They are simply some ideas I have had over the past three years which may guide you whether you choose to heed them or diverge and form your own path. Similarly, many streamers have gained success by completely eschewing these ideas and I have no qualms with that.
Square One
Let’s talk about the most basic building block of streaming — simply streaming. Turning on your computer and going live is the easiest part of streaming. What people don’t see, the people who like to tell us that streaming is easy, is all the thankless work you put in behind the scenes. Here are some of the very first, most basic things to start with:
Choosing a username
This is a difficult task. With millions of usernames registered on Twitch, finding a username that isn’t being used is going to be very challenging and require you to get creative.
Consider your username’s marketability — Do you want to work with companies like Corsair or Intel and get brand deals? Maybe xXSn1per420W33Dk1ll3rXx isn’t the best username. That’s an exaggeration of course but think about how easy your username will be for people to remember, to spell, and to Google. “What was her username… sniper weedwacker… something? Ah whatever I’ll just watch Lirik.”
Consider your username’s individuality — If your username is closely associated with a larger concept which is established in the world already and isn’t uniquely identifiable, it’ll be nearly impossible for people to find easily when you’re just getting started. Similarly, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by making your name similar to another streamer’s. For example, if someone Googles “summit twitch” because you made your username SummitTheGame846, do you think they’re going to find your channel or Summit1g’s?
Defining your brand
Brand is a concept tied to how people see your channel and what your channel’s overall “message” is. Are you a kickass CS:GO player with insane aim? Are you a funny person who is good at cracking jokes and goofy accents? Are you a creative person who is knowledgable in certain art mediums? People new to my channel ask me if I’m a professional gamer and I explain that I consider myself a professional streamer, not a professional gamer. The gamers who go to tournaments like The International — those are the professional gamers. I’m an entertainer. My audience watches my stream because they (hopefully) think I’m funny, honest, and maybe moderately good at video games. I’m not trying to be something I’m not and trying to do that will cause you a lot of stress.
Graphics
I’m in a fortunate position where I spent all of high school and college learning to be a graphic designer and video editor. Many streamers don’t quite have those skills mastered, but there are tons of graphic designers offering commissioned work if you do a quick Google search. Look to your favorite streamers for inspiration — read: whatever you do, don’t copy other people. Good design is inspired by good design, but not a copy of existing ideas. Plus, you will certainly burn bridges by copying others too closely.
What does your brand say about how your graphics should look? If you’re an elite gamer with crazy skills, your graphics could be very clean and sharp, maybe with elements like carbon fiber or metal textures. If you’re a funny person, maybe your graphics are colorful and have balloon letters. Note: these aren’t requirements just considerations.
What kind of channels do you enjoy watching? Do you like to watch channels that have a lot of information on the video, such as top donators or recent subscribers or bit cups? Or do you prefer watching streams with nothing but a camera? While I personally prefer the minimal look (as evidenced by my almost total lack of overlay), this is a decision each streamer has to make. Certain “looks” will appeal to different audiences and viewers. There’s no right or wrong answer. This is about the audience you want to curate.
Equipment
A pitfall I see new streamers falling into often is trying to copy the setups of streamers who have been streaming full-time for multiple years. If you’re just getting started, you do not need two computers and a HD camcorder. I got started with one PC I built myself, a USB camera, and a USB microphone. I know some streamers who got started on a laptop. Over time, I upgraded my setup piece by piece to get where I am today. You should not invest thousands of dollars in streaming equipment when you’re getting started, there’s no reason for that. You can easily have a clean, great-sounding stream without spending too much. Think about it — some of the biggest streamers don’t use cameras at all and some still use headset mics. There’s nothing wrong with that. You should not spend money with no guarantee of return and you shouldn’t buy equipment you may not even use just because you (incorrectly) think it’ll guarantee success.
Choosing Content
Most people have figured out that it can be very difficult to build a channel around games with huge audiences — CS:GO, PUBG, League of Legends… these games are all so oversaturated with content that your channel will struggle to see success. By now, my channel has changed so much that only people who were around over two years ago remember that I started my channel as a Minecraft-only channel. I played nothing else except Minecraft. Slowly, after I had found some success, I started integrating other games like Skyrim. I started getting my community used to the idea of my channel being a variety channel and I’m extremely thankful that I did. While Minecraft is still a fun game to stream in its own right, the freedom that comes from being a variety streamer is priceless.
So what can you do if streaming any of the top 5 games isn’t an option? Well, maybe it is. Imagine a rainforest — sunshine hits the top canopy of the massive trees but young plants on the ground get only small rays of light. However, when one of those trees falls, the sunlight illuminates the forest floor and there is an insane amount of growth in a short amount of time. Now, I’m in no way suggesting that the collapse of a larger streamer is the key — but rather, when a large streamer goes offline, their viewers might disperse to other similar channels and content. Now, while it may not be the case that you’ll gain viewers if the #1 League of Legends stream goes offline and you only have 2 viewers, but this idea tends to show more relevance to streamers with small but still noticeable audiences.
Or, you can stream a game for the nostalgia of it and try to draw in viewers scanning the game directory for something different. Does The Witcher 3 have a few hundred viewers? Maybe that’s a good one to tackle. Do you have a lot of friends in another channel where Rocket League is the primary focus? Maybe invite some of them to play with you on your stream sometime — convert your friends from another channel into viewers. Note: This doesn’t mean you should advertise your channel in someone else’s; in fact, I heavily discourage that. But maybe you and AerialKicker2487 have chatted a lot before and you can ask them in Discord or via whispers.
Variety streaming vs. Single game focus
Variety growth is a slow-burning ember. If you’re bouncing around game categories, it can be hard to build an audience quickly. But, personally, being a variety streamer is so much more enjoyable than only playing one game. Nothing really beats the peace of mind I feel knowing that, whatever I choose to play, my core audience will be happy to watch. I might have slightly lower viewership and a little less new followers/subscribers, but variety streamers are empowered by loyal viewers to try new games without feeling obligated to grind one game for weeks. That being said, if there’s one game you really truly love and it happens to be one of the top games on Twitch, there’s nothing wrong with playing it as long as you enjoy it. I racked up hundreds of hours in Overwatch the year it released. But preparing your audience for the eventuality of game variety is a really good building block upon which to establish your channel’s foundation.
The Fluidity of Success
It’s important to recognize that streaming can be a source of great joy and success but that, much like any other job, you shouldn’t rely on it 100%. Even the top streamers, while enjoying their current success, should be planting seeds for the eventuality that streaming will not be their job one day. And not because I think they’ll fail or that they’ll begin to hate it or anything nefarious, but because life changes unexpectedly and having a backup plan is just a smart move.
Success isn’t a linear path from point A to point B and the nebulous world of livestreaming is particularly susceptible to unpredictable fluctuations. One day you might have 50 viewers, the next 45, and the next 30. This doesn’t always mean that you’re doing something “wrong” per se, but just that viewership is nebulous and influenced by invisible forces entirely out of your control. Some days have less viewership on Twitch as a whole — that doesn’t mean you put on a worse show. Focusing on too fine of a picture can easily lead to really negative emotions — remember to look at the big picture and to know that there are about a billion invisible forces at work determining the numbers you see day by day, so don’t get bogged down in one bad day. Streaming success is rooted in persistence and letting one day ruin your week is a bad move.
On the note of unpredictability — if possible, I don’t recommend quitting school to stream even if you’re becoming very successful. (Read: I know there are a few streamers who *did* quit school to stream because that made sense for them and that’s their decision to make. I don’t think they made the wrong choice and I don’t think it’s my place to judge them.) Even as a successful streamer, one day that chapter of your life will come to a close and having a degree could be very important. For example, if/when I stop streaming, I still have my four-year graphic design degree to fall back on.
This bit of advice comes with a little bit of an asterisk because I’m not fully of the opinion that a four-year degree is a requirement or even a guarantee of success. I know plenty of people who are successful without one and plenty of people who are unsuccessful with one. But if you’re already accepted to a college, enrolled, taking classes, getting scholarships, and you have a scholarship or your parents are helping pay for your tuition (if you’re fortunate enough), quitting too early could end up causing you a lot of grief later on. It might be harder to get re-enrolled, your parents may not want to or be able to help you pay for tuition, etc etc.
Quitting your job is logistically easier, but still not a great move unless you’re absolutely sure you can pay all your bills (and save) off of streaming alone. I didn’t quit my 40+ hours-a-week full-time job till I was making more money streaming off of the 30 or so hours I was spending on my hobby. I didn’t quit my job thinking “Well, I can probably scrape by on this income…” I waited until I knew I’d be safe and wouldn’t have to eat into savings. I reached a tipping point where I recognized that the only way streaming was going to really take off from there was to leave my job and dedicate that time to streaming. But I agonized over that decision for weeks before I finally handed in my two weeks notice.
On closing, I want to note that not everyone’s life is the same and I think there are about a billion factors to consider when making life decisions. I can’t and don’t claim to know everyone’s story and so can’t advise concrete steps one way or the other (which is why I suggest staying in school but don’t judge people who chose to drop out when it made sense for them). My main point was to bring attention to the unpredictability of life, streaming included, and reminding you to look at the big picture. So while I wish you the best in streaming, you should always work on a backup plan while you chase your dreams.
Networking and Professionalism
So many people are afraid of networking because they’re worried about appearing scummy or they’re just not sure how to build relationships without being obviously self-serving. Try not to think of it as pushing your content in someone’s face but rather building friendships with like-minded people. Your intentions should be to honestly build friendships with others, not to take advantage of their viewership. That distinction is important. People, especially streamers who have had it happen to them numerous times, are very good at telling when your intentions are not honest. If you don’t enjoy someone’s content but you’re trying to convince them to collaborate with you, you’re trying to take advantage and not being honest. If you really enjoy someone’s channel and the two of you enjoy the same games, that could be a great opportunity for some cross-channel networking. Consider the two, real situations below:
Situation 1: I was walking the convention floor when I was approached by someone. He said “Hey!” and I stopped walking. “You’re Annie, right? Annie Munition?” (At this point, anyone who regularly watches my streams will tell you “It’s Anne, not Annie” like Hermione chastising someone over the pronunciation of leviosa.) Internally, I cringed. “Yeah, I’m Anne Munition.” “Oh man!” He exclaimed. “I LOVE your channel, I watch every day. We should play some Overwatch sometime! I’m a streamer, too.”
Situation 2: I was invited to jump into some Siege with a friend of mine, Shortyyguy. I’d met and hung out with Shorty at multiple conventions in the past and we have a lot of mutual streamer friends. In his Siege party was a person whose name I recognized as a subscriber of mine, lil_lexi667 (now lil_lexi). We played a few games and had a great time. The next day, I invited her back. Since then, I’ve probably played over a hundred hours of Siege with Lexi and she’s one of my best friends on Twitch. But I might have never played with her if Shorty hadn’t, in a way, vouched for her by inviting her to join. My life would have been worse off, but I tragically wouldn’t have known.
In the first situation, you can see how streamers get approached by complete strangers and propositioned for collaborations dishonestly. I mean, you really expect me to believe that you love my channel and watch every day if you don’t even know that I hate being called Annie (something that happens almost daily)? Come on.
In the second situation, a mutual friendship resulted in the birth of a really awesome collaborative friendship between Lexi and I. Your friendships with other viewers and streamers can lead to some really awesome opportunities if you’re open to them. This is an important life lesson that my mom taught me long ago — you should always try to be nice to everyone you meet because first of all, it’s the right thing to do. But also, you never know when that person could return the kindness.
Conventions are also a great time for hanging out with friends and going to parties. So let’s talk about professionalism. I know a lot of people who love going to conventions to get really drunk and go to four parties in one night — that’s totally cool, that’s your prerogative and I don’t think less of you for choosing to do that. You can build friendships that way too. But, if you’re trying to establish yourself as a new streamer and you want to meet new people, maybe the best way to do that isn’t by getting trashed and going up to streamers in bars to invade their personal space and make them uncomfortable. I distinctly remember a streamer who was trying to collaborate with me and I definitely remember their username, but not for good reasons. Don’t leave a bad impression in your desire to have a good time.
When you go to conventions and you meet people who work at game developers or peripheral companies, you should be treating those introductions like interviews. I don’t mean that you should wear a suit and tie everywhere you go and stay 100% sober the entire time, but you should be professional, engaging, have a good knowledge of their company, and demonstrate your eagerness to work with them. If you’re trying to work with a company that you know next to nothing about, they’re going to be able to tell and likely won’t be impressed. Desperation for sponsorships appears dishonest to both your audience and potential sponsors.
On a more practical note: I have met too many smaller streamers who don’t bring business cards to events. Conventions are filled with thousands of people and developers meet probably a hundred people or more a day. Not to mention, convention floors and after-parties are loud and people like me who have weird hearing might have trouble understanding your username and will struggle to find your content later on. If you don’t give them a card, chances are they will completely forget your username. I can’t speak for other people but personally, when I go to a convention, I end up with a stack of business cards from people each day. I make a pile on my hotel desk. When I get home, I go through each and every one, even small streamers. Bring business cards.
And another life lesson which directly translates to streaming — when someone gives you their card and you’re interested in working with them, follow up. From that pile of cards I get handed, I make a stack of the ones from companies like Nvidia or Corsair (in the past, before I was sponsored by Corsair) and I email them as soon as I get home. And I try to avoid being generic, I remind them of where we met, what we talked about, and what my goal is — “Hey John, it was really great meeting you at the Twitch party during E3. I’d really love to talk with you more about potential streaming opportunities once you settle back in. Hope the rest of your convention went smoothly!” It’s a really easy, personal touch that will cement you in their memory. Don’t wait for them to email you — just get the thread going.
Persistence, Consistency, Diligence
The most misunderstood part of streaming is the mental effort required to broadcast for hours on end on a daily basis. Too often, I see people talking about how easy streaming is, how streamers are lazy, whiny babies, and how none of us could handle a “real job”. I’ve already expressed my belief that having the hardest job isn’t really a healthy thing to aspire to in an older blog post. These people are wholly ignorant of the mental toll that streaming can have on a person over months and months of The Grind. I don’t even necessarily believe it’s their fault for thinking that, either. From the outside, streaming is as simple as talking and playing video games — pretty much anyone with an internet connection can be a “streamer”. But to truly succeed, to turn video games into a full-time, rent-paying, contract-signing job requires a level of persistence and mental fortitude the outside world rarely understands.
The hardest part of streaming (in my opinion) is doing it day in and day out, over and over and over again, with seemingly no progress or noticeable change. The long hours of talking to yourself or to your 5 viewers is incredibly draining and it’s a skill you have to build up over time. Learning to play a game while being entertaining and carrying on a conversation with multiple people isn’t something that comes easily to a lot of people. Watching your numbers barely change over time can be very frustrating and confusing — too much Grind and not enough balance can quickly lead to burnout.
My personality is tailored to this kind of work. Not only do I really love gaming and, admittedly, being in a spotlight (I mean, I wanted to be a rock star when I was in middle school and was performing open mics at 13 years old), but I’m a person who is doggedly addicted to work and has no problem with long hours if I equate that to success. My passion for streaming is matched by my willingness to work hard for what I have. If you’re a lazy person who expects viewers to flock to you without doing any work, then you’re likely to be disappointed. There are a few thousand other streamers out there in the same position as you and you will be beat out by the ones who are willing to work.
“There’s no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top and that’s that. I am not talented, I am obsessed.” — Conor McGregor
Consistency is something I think is really important for smaller streamers. I know it can be hard to build a schedule when you’re not streaming full-time and you can only really stream 10 hours a week because you have a full-time job or are in school. But you should do your very best to have a regular schedule that you can mostly commit to. If you’re asking people to commit to watching your stream on a regular basis, you need to do them the service of giving them a schedule. Your favorite streams become a part of your regular routine and knowing when that stream will be on or offline is crucial.
The Unhealthy Addiction of “Always Online” and Dealing With Burnout
A healthy life requires balance — work and play, exercise and rest, social and alone time. Something that a lot of streamers, big and small (myself included), struggle with is having a good balance between being online and being offline. There is a mentality that infects you when you start streaming that can be very hard for people to understand without experiencing it themselves. It usually shows up on your first really good day of streaming — maybe you had more viewers than you’ve ever had before, or you got a really big tip, or you just had a really fun time and accidentally streamed for 12 hours straight without noticing the time. Like a beautiful virus, that feeling of joy and success roots itself in you and shows you a glimpse of future success. And I’m sorry to say, no, that feeling won’t easily go away.
Instead of leaving you completely, it urges you to work harder, longer hours. You stream another 12 hours expecting the same success and, when it doesn’t happen, you feel confused and duped. But every successful day, every metric that excites you, every glimpse of success feeds that virus again and again. Sometimes it starts to feel like you’re just living for those days, like an addict trying to make the next high the highest high because you’ve tasted success and now your bar for success is even higher. I don’t use that term lightly — streaming can often feel like an addiction. This is why it’s essential to have a healthy offline life. Being an addict of anything isn’t healthy because it indicates a lack of balance somewhere in your life.
Streamers are usually guilty of succumbing to this “always online” mentality. You don’t really gain followers or subscribers or viewers if you aren’t streaming and most of us are painfully aware of that harsh fact. We know that taking a day off feels like a setback and taking a weekend off to go to a convention, even if we’re working at the convention, feels like you might as well shut down your channel, especially when you’re first getting started and every follower matters. Taking time off imbues a fear in streamers that we’ll never recover from those days off. The internet moves a hundred miles an hour and even some of the biggest streamers are at least tangentially aware that their success is not guaranteed to persist through hardships. So, at the risk of our mental health and wellbeing, we are always online so that no one has a chance to forget about us.
Honestly, I don’t have a simple answer other than to recommend that you find the balance which works for you personally. I’ve talked a lot about my streaming schedule with others and feel like I’ve found an amount of hours that works for me at this point in my life so that I feel like I have enough time to myself while also providing regular content. Everyone has their own balance — some people enjoy streaming 10 hours a day and are happy with that. Others (like me) need more off-Twitch time and will stream less hours. In any case, you have to be willing to put yourself first. You have to understand that pushing yourself to stream too many hours and neglecting your mental, emotional, and physical health is only going to hurt your success in the long run. You have to be responsible for yourself and not give in to The Fear of Taking Time Off that haunts all streamers.
I’m subject to all of the fears and concerns I mentioned above. Every day off, every sick day, every trip or convention, I feel The Fear. But, I’m also very aware that my life will last longer than my career in streaming and that “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now.” I see my career in streaming as a stepping stone to whatever the next chapter of my life will be — perhaps I’ll apply to work at Twitch or one of the many game developers or gaming companies I’ve been fortunate to work with. Maybe I’ll go back to graphic design and totally step away from the world of Twitch and livestreaming. Who knows?
Something my mom said to me awhile back stuck with me. I told her that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and that made me feel anxious. She told me, “Honey, I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life either!” She was about 52 at the time. Life has no guarantees, for anyone, regardless of your occupation or stage in life. I love streaming and am fortunate enough to have found success at something I enjoy so much. But this is only a chapter, not the full story. You don’t have to write the whole thing in a day.
Taking time off will feel like an interruption on your path to success but is a necessary part of maintaining your mental health and avoiding burnout. Balance comes from taking time off to establish friendships offline, having hobbies, and diversifying your life. Balance is healthy and, while it is important to work hard and to be consistent, it’s equally important to recognize the signs of burnout or deteriorating enjoyment. If you stop having fun while streaming, your stream quality will suffer and your viewers will notice immediately.
All streamers will eventually encounter burnout. It’s simply a product of the long hours and not enough diversity in your day-to-day. Even if you truly passionately love something, variety is the spice of life and taking breaks or having other hobbies is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Taking a break doesn’t mean you aren’t dedicated, it means you’re investing in a healthy attitude toward your work and life which will enable you to continue streaming long-term. I have been streaming long enough that I’ve learned to recognize my own personal signs of burnout — I can feel myself being snappier for no reason, not enjoying the games I’m playing as much as I used to, and a general feeling of unhappiness that bleeds out from my streaming life into my daily activities. It’s very important to learn to recognize your own signs of burnout so that you can address them before they really take root. For example, a while back I was feeling really burnt out and was struggling to enjoy streaming the way I usually do. So I decided to eschew the feeling of having to play a popular game for the viewership and just played a game completely for the fun of it. I installed Burnout: Paradise and had higher viewership than the days before. More than that, I had an insanely fun time and truly enjoyed what I was doing.
Invest in yourself and you’ll see prosperous returns in all parts of your life. Take time off, find a healthy balance, and if you get tired — learn to rest, not quit.
The Art of Comparison and The Paths We Walk
Theodore Roosevelt famously said that comparison is the thief of joy. I agree and disagree with this idea.
First, agreement. Comparing your success to another’s is a dangerous attitude to adopt when streaming. Some streamers have blowout days with hundreds of subscribers, others gain thousands of followers per day, and some find success quicker than any channel before them. It’s important to remember that everyone is on their own path. Your path may wind through heavy forests or along precarious cliffs while someone else’s is a flat, straight path with seemingly no obstacles. Here are the two things you have to get over: 1) You can’t switch paths and 2) You can’t judge someone for their path because, just like you, they’re walking the path set before them.
You might see someone who is incredibly successful and think “Wow, it doesn’t seem like they had to work for that at all.” Maybe they didn’t. Or maybe they did and you just can’t see the work they put in. Either way, it doesn’t matter. You can’t switch paths and you can’t judge someone for their path. The only thing you can do is put your eyes to the horizon and keep moving forward. The more time you spend watching other people on their paths, the more of your life you waste. How do you know your path won’t straighten out in the future? What if you’re right around the corner from a big breakthrough but you wasted time watching other people on their paths? Never stop moving forward.
And here’s the hard truth of it — you may never catch up to other people ever. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find happiness and success along your path. I don’t expect to have 20,000+ viewers every day like some of the top streamers, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be happy with or grateful for what I do have (which I am). I know that I can’t switch paths and I can’t judge anyone else for theirs. My path belongs to me alone and I intend to keep moving forward. As Regina Spektor said, “Love what you have and you’ll have more love.” Your life will be a brighter place when you practice regular gratitude rather than succumbing to envy or resentment. Not every band is The Beatles; there are thousands of bands with smaller audiences who create music because their audience loves it and they love what they do. My goal isn’t to be the #1 biggest channel on Twitch — it’s to do what I love for the people who enjoy it.
But what about the other side of the coin — disagreement with Theodore Roosevelt’s famous line? While envying another person’s success causes you to stop and waste time, I believe that you can use comparison as a tool for your own success. No matter how much I love streaming, some days I just feel tired or lazy and I don’t want to put in the work. But if I look over at someone else’s path and see them moving forward, I use their persistence as a tool to push myself when I don’t feel motivated. If they’re meandering along, I walk faster. If they’re jogging, I sprint. I remember to take time off when I need it, but in this way, comparison can be a good tool to have in your toolbox as a streamer.
Moving away from that metaphor, I think watching other streamers is a great way to learn what you like and dislike about streaming from a viewer perspective, which is a fantastic way to improve your show. Once you’ve been streaming awhile, it can be hard to remember what it’s like to just be a viewer. Watching other streams with a critical eye, noting things you enjoy or things that make you want to leave their channel, is a form of comparison that can be very useful.
Similarly, you should be using your old streams to influence your future streams. When I used to perform music live, I’d watch the recordings afterward, taking notes on my performance and what I needed to improve. Streaming is the same way — you need to see the show from the outside looking in and use that to improve your future streams. There are always things that can be improved; never stop moving forward.
Have FUN!
In conclusion, streaming is supposed to be fun. It is hard work and the hours are long, but the core of it is playing video games and entertaining an audience. If you try streaming and don’t feel like you’re having fun, don’t force yourself to keep doing it just because you think you should. Or, if you find that you love streaming and are just having a hard week, make adjustments and put your happiness first.
Streaming 101 was originally published in Anne Munition on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.