The Holy Grail for every streamer is to become a Twitch Partner. Not only is this the pinnacle of content creation, but also a major source of income that can be quite transformative. The road to Partnerhood, however, isn’t easy but the rewards are quite sweet.
Twitch Partner perks
Becoming a Partner on Twitch means you get a fair few perks and benefits over being an Affiliate or regular streamer:
- Custom cheermotes
- Up to 60 unlockable subscription emotes
- Full access to Transcode options
- Access to Squad Stream
- 60 days of stream archive storage
- Option to add up to 15 minutes of stream delay
Partners also earn a higher revenue percentage out of most sources, including ads and Bits.
Give value to your audience
Your Twitch streamer has to provide value to your viewers. There are no two ways about it. You’re expecting them to spend their time on your stream so it’s only fair that you make it worth their while. But, what is value?
In a nutshell, people go to a Twitch stream for one of three reasons:
- They want to feel something
- They want to be a part of something
- They want to learn something
If you’re meeting at least one of these desires, you’re already ahead of the curve. If not, then you likely need to go back to basics and figure out who you are as a streamer.
Use Channel Analytics and Stream Summary to grow
Twitch as a platform has many flaws but in the analytics department, it’s quite robust. Both the Channel Analytics and Stream Summary pages from your Dashboard contain solid pieces of information about your stream. If you’re not checking these regularly, then you’re missing out on little nuggets that could help you grow.
One cool trick you can get from the summary graphs is direct links to each individual moment of your stream. By selecting a bar in the chart during a moment you lost viewers, you can see what you were doing while live. Picking out patterns in your behavior or energy levels can tell you a lot about what you need to improve.
Keep your stream fresh and engaging
Consistency is king in the world of content creation. At the same time, though, variety is the spice of life. It’s an odd paradox because you need to give your viewers something to anchor to while also varying your stream.
Make it a point to evaluate what your viewers like about you and combine that with your analytics reviews. Maintain the things that you feel are what define you as a streamer while also finding new ideas that fit your vibe.
Also, don’t be afraid to try something completely radical to your normal style. Surprises often catch our viewers off-guard, more often than not in a positive way. Even if you end up landing on your face, at least you tried.
Use extensions that fit your style
Extensions are a gift from the Twitch gods. They’re one of the few things the platform has over other video sites. These little online apps add interactivity and life to your stream. However, they can also be a double-edged sword. Use too many extensions and your viewers will feel they’re losing you in the noise.
It’s important to focus on using extensions that enhance the experience of your stream and not overpower it. Extensions don’t turn viewers into followers. Smart use of them does. When looking at the various options, think about where they fit in your streams. And when you do find some that fit, consider how you set them up. Remember, your viewers are there to experience your stream so don’t nickel and dime them for every sticker or sound effect they want to activate.
Find ways to share your content outside of Twitch
Twitch has terrible discoverability and everyone knows that. From the front page all the way to how you browse streams, it’s nigh impossible for viewers to find someone truly new and different that fits their tastes. This is why a lot of streamers repurpose their content for other platforms.
Apart from giving them another source of revenue, it also expands their reach. If you’re an educator streamer, then you’ll have an advantage in this arena as your content will be more evergreen (meaning timeless and always in demand). Pick out good moments from your broadcasts and turn them into short videos or full-length ones. Better yet, plan your stream so that you have moments tailor-made to be reused on other platforms.
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