Original: Tips for creating engaging content on Twitch.
So, you’ve got your gear, decided on what type of streamer you are, went live for the first time, and now you’re feeling super positive and competent. Well, we don’t mean to bring you down but you’ve barely scratched the surface. We dive into creating engaging content for your live stream!
Streaming on Twitch without laying down some plans is no longer something that leads to success. If you’re looking to truly run a stream that’ll keep your viewers around, there are a few steps you need to take to create engaging content.
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Creating Engaging Content on Twitch
Step 1 – Keep your “why” simple
The foundation of every engaging live stream lies in a single question; why should your viewers come to your stream?
It’s the most significant query you can ask yourself. However, that doesn’t mean it’s complicated to answer. In fact, if you spin your gears for too long, you might end up with a concept that’s so confusing, your viewers will check out and bounce.
You see, your audience are like diners at a restaurant. One glance at a menu that’s 20 pages long filled with a smorgasbord of dishes and they’ll sputter out, never to return. Watch any episode of Kitchen Nightmares and you’ll notice Gordon Ramsay does one thing consistently: he advises the owners to pare down the menu.
The same goes for your stream and this is where we circle back to your “why”. It has to be super easy for viewers to deduce what your show is all about. Educators should focus on one game or genre to help their audience get better. Personalities should stick to one type of vibe. Then dig deeper. Make the core concept of your stream something so niche, your competition by default becomes a lot smaller.
Step 2 – Diversify your talking points
We’ve talked about how essential it is to always be talking while you’re live on Twitch. This is what makes keeping a list of talking points so important. However, it has to be somewhat diverse. If you’re always yammering about the same thing then people will tune out.
Consider all of the subjects and topics you’re passionate about, starting with yourself. Always include snippets and stories from your life, both from the present and the past. Interacting with real people is what engaging content on Twitch, after all. Then, start zeroing in on your hobbies, interests, and worldview.
The next sub-step from there is to decide when to touch on each of these subject areas. It doesn’t make sense to bust out a story about a turning point in your life during the start of your stream as it’ll have more impact during an emotional or high-intensity moment in your stream. In other words, consider the journey you’re taking your audience on and plan your talking points accordingly.
Step 3 – Invite the audience to join
Viewer interaction is at the heart of making your Twitch stream an engaging experience. This aspect is also one that you need to plan ahead of time. You can’t just throw questions out willy-nilly cause there’s a high chance you’ll toss them out at the wrong moment. Your moments of bringing your viewers into the conversation have to be timed well.
Consider what game you’re playing or activity you’re engaging with in your stream. Would a Darks Souls boss fight be an appropriate time to get your viewers to tell you what they thought of the latest Marvel movie? Probably not. They’re too invested in watching you die repeatedly. A better time would be when you’re clearing more mundane parts of the game.
And your questions can’t be too general either. Remember what we said at the start? You have to make it simple for your Twitch viewers to respond in chat. Instead of asking “what did you think of the latest Thor movie?” a better question is “which was your favorite scene?” or “which character stole the show for you?”
Getting all of these questions and timings right requires a fair bit of forethought so don’t laze out on the preparations if you want to create engaging content on Twitch.
Step 4 – Fill in the void
All games and activities have boring parts that make for poor viewership. In multiplayer games, it’s the wait times between matches. In single-player games, it’s the walking around and getting lost because the map sucks instances. No matter what you’re streaming on Twitch, you need to hunker down and consider what parts are going to make your viewers snooze.
This is where your personality or ability to educate, as well as talking points, can come into play in full force. And it all has to be somewhat relevant. It makes no sense trying to teach your viewers how to parry in Dark Souls when you’re not using the mechanic in your playthrough at all.
You don’t have to know what will happen in a game to make these plans, either. It’s easy to predict when the boring parts present themselves. And even if you’re not aware of them, then it might be time to jump into someone else’s stream to experience the viewer side of the equation.
Don’t keep checking in for tips and tricks for creating engaging content on Twitch!