I remember the day I decided to start a Twitch channel.
My best friend and I were avid watchers of Dream (one of the biggest Minecraft Twitch streamers), and we used to hunker down in my apartment to binge-watch his channel.
One day, with one of his streams playing quietly in the background, we just looked at each other and seemed to be thinking the same thing:
“We could totally do that.”
So with absolutely no prior experience or knowledge on how to become a Twitch streamer, we hit the ground running.
It was the summer of 2021 and we were determined to see some amount of success by the start of the fall semester.
Two months, over 30 streams, 2,000 Twitch followers, and 115,000 Tik Tok followers later, we were on top of the world.
Against all odds, we had accomplished something that should have been impossible for two kids with no experience.
And we learned a lot.
Today, I hope to use that knowledge to supply you with something we didn’t have: A plan.
With a course of action in mind, you’ll already be leagues ahead of where I was when I started my Twitch channel.
So without further ado:
10 Twitch Tips to Help You Get Your Stream Off the Ground
1. Pick Your Niche
Your “niche” just means the area of Twitch you’d like to stream in. Is it gaming? D&D? Writing? IRL streams?
This is an easy place to start because you probably have some idea of this already.
What streamers do you already watch that inspire you? Maybe you have a favorite game that you’ve always wanted to play for an audience.
If you aren’t sure, write down a list of games/activities that you’d like to play on stream.
But here’s a piece of cautionary advice you won’t hear often: When you’re just starting on Twitch, pick a niche and stay with it.
Don’t do something different every time you stream for the sake of experimentation/entertainment.
I don’t mean to suggest that experimenting with different tactics isn’t important for a new streamer. But when you don’t already have an audience, you need to build some sort of foundation to help viewers remember you.
Big streamers can be variety streamers because they’ve already made a name for themselves. Their audience will watch them no matter the content of the stream.
But for a newcomer like you, familiarity is important. An audience needs to learn what to expect when they visit your channel.
If you play a new game every time you stream, you’ll lose the few viewers you do have who followed you for something different.
Experimentation with content comes later—for now, pick a niche and stick with it.
And if you need more help finding that niche, you can check out our post on The Best Games to Play on Twitch.
2. Set Up Your Channel
Let’s run through the basics of setting up a Twitch channel:
1. Username
You’ll first want to pick a username. Ideally, it’ll be short and clean without too many extra characters (dashes, underscores, numbers, etc.).
If you have to use extra characters to get the words you want in your username—pick another username.
Your username should be professional and easy to remember.
2. Banner
Your banner will display at the top of your page when users click on your profile.
I would highly recommend getting some outside help with this unless you’re a skilled digital artist (we have a few suggestions for you in this post about Twitch BRB Screens).
Your banner doesn’t have to be artwork (necessarily), but it should reflect the overall theme of your channel/brand.
Keep in mind: you haven’t made it as a Twitch streamer yet, but your channel should look like you have.
You want viewers to come to your page and wonder why you don’t have more followers!
3. Avatar
The same rule applies to your avatar as your banner: you’ll probably want some outside help here. Especially if you don’t plan to show your face on stream.
A digital artist can always draw a custom avatar for you. (Even if your avatar is just a headshot, a designer can work wonders).
The more unique your channel set-up, the better!
4. About Me
The About Me section of your channel should explain who you are, what you stream, and what a viewer can expect from your channel.
This is your hook for your account. When viewers visit your profile from a live stream, you want them to be persuaded to stick around.
Include the most interesting information in your About Me section. What’s unique about what you do and how you do it?
5. Panels
Your panels will display in your About Me section underneath your description.
This is the place to include any and all links:
Want to promote your other social media accounts? Provide a way for viewers to donate to you? Do you have a merch shop? Include all of that here.
Streamlabs OBS has a few custom templates for your links, but you can also check out Fiverr or NerdorDie for professional help.
3. Streaming Software
Your streaming software is the program you’ll use to go live on Twitch.
It’s necessary for Twitch that you have functioning software and that you know how to operate that software.
The program you use to stream will directly impact the quality and overall experience of your streams, so choose wisely!
The easiest (and cheapest) option is Twitch Studios. All you’ll need to access it is a Twitch account, so if you’re on a budget, Studios might be the choice for you.
Next to Twitch Studios, the most popular options are OBS and Streamlabs OBS.
They’re pretty similar in terms of cost and interfaces—the only difference being that Streamlabs OBS uses more CPU (central processing unit) if that’s an important factor for you.
Regardless of what streaming software you decide to use, here are some general tips to ensure your streams have the best quality possible:
- Your resolution should be 1920×1080
- Your bitrate should be between 3000-3500 for a 1920×1080 resolution
- Your Video Codec should be set to H.264
- Your framerate should be around 24 FPS
- Encoding Bitrate should be CBR
4. Internet
It sounds obvious, but make sure you have a decent Internet connection before you go live.
You can check this by heading over to SpeedTest.net and running a quick test.
Ideally, your Internet speed should be at least 2x your bitrate for a quality stream. So if your bitrate is set to 1000, you’d need an Internet speed of at least 2000 MBPS.
You’ll also want to avoid Wi-Fi if you can. I would recommend investing in an Ethernet cable (a cord that runs directly from your router to your computer) to guarantee high-quality gameplay throughout your stream.
5. Audio
You’ve got three options for audio: your computer’s built-in audio, a USB microphone (a mic that plugs into your computer), and an XLR mic.
If you’re just starting out, I would recommend a USB microphone.
Your computer’s built-in audio won’t be sufficient for streaming, and an XLR microphone requires at least an intermediate understanding of sound and an audio mixer to work.
USB microphones are cheaper and easier to use for beginners.
You can check out Amazon for plenty of affordable options, but my personal recommendations are the Elgato Wave 1 and the Blue Yeti X (I used this one for streaming myself).
If you can’t afford any of these options, you can use your AirPods/AirPod Pros for a slightly better sound than your computer’s built-in audio.
But if you’re serious about streaming, I would highly recommend investing in a good microphone.
Finally, a couple of tips for your audio settings:
- Your audio bitrate should be 256 for high-quality audio
- Your audio sample rate should be 48 kHz
- Make sure your desktop audio and gaming audio are balanced
- Add a limiter or a noise suppressor to your mic settings to avoid blowing out your mic/letting in background noise
6. Webcam
To be clear: you don’t have to stream with a webcam. There are plenty of faceless streamers (Dream, Corpse, Ironmouse) that have seen tremendous success without the aid of a camera.
However, that’s not to say there aren’t benefits to running a webcam. It personalizes your streams, allows you to connect with your audience, and certainly makes for more entertaining clips/highlights on your channel.
If you decide to use a webcam, here’s what you need to know:
- You’ll need to create space in your layout for a webcam screen
- Ideally, your webcam should sit in the middle of your screen to the far left or far right to avoid Twitch overlays on the home screen
- You’ll need to add a source for your webcam in OBS (Sources > Add > Video Capture Device)
Personally, I never used a webcam to stream.
I found that building up hype around a “face reveal” is a solid strategy to grow your audience in the beginning.
However, I would check out Amazon for affordable options if you’re interested.
There’s also an easy way to use your phone as a webcam if you’re on a budget:
How To Use Your Phone As A Webcam For Twitch Streaming
7. Schedule
One of the most crucial tips I can offer you as an aspiring streamer is to create a streaming schedule.
You can try to stream during the Twitch “Golden Hours,” you can bend over backward trying to copy what the big streamers are doing, but one of the most effective ways to grow an audience is to let them know when you’re streaming.
If your viewers know when to show up—they will. It’s that simple.
But if you’re exhausting yourself trying to stream at random hours of the night, or desperately stretching your personal schedule around the “peak hours,” you’ll burn out. And you’ll have no energy left to stream long-term.
A good stream should run for at least 2-3 hours. To maintain this kind of stamina, you’ll need to stream during the days/hours that work best for you.
So: Sit down, mark off your free days/hours for streaming, and be consistent.
Consistency will bring you farther than anything else on this list. You must try, try, and try again in order to see any success.
After all, making it as a streamer is the end goal, right? So dedicate yourself. Commit yourself to the process.
And if for whatever reason you just can’t stick to a streaming schedule, stick to a schedule on another platform.
Upload to YouTube on a consistent schedule. Post your Twitch Highlights on Tik Tok like clockwork.
Just find one routine and stick to it.
8. Stream Etiquette
“Stream Etiquette” is just a fancy phrase for the behaviors that are commonplace/acceptable on Twitch.
I’ll explain it to you here, but one of the best ways to learn stream etiquette is to observe. Find bigger streamers in your niche and watch them constantly to learn what they do and why they do it.
First, regarding your individual streams: engage with your audience.
It doesn’t matter if you have 100,000 people watching or 0 people watching—talk! Be interesting. No one wants to watch a stranger play games online in silence.
In fact, if you’re just starting out, I would recommend disabling the stats at the top of your streaming software to avoid looking at your view count. It’s irrelevant to you at this stage.
Pretend like you’re streaming for a large audience. What would you say? What kind of energy would you bring? Practice makes perfect, so practice every chance you get.
(Bonus: Twitch released a study that claims viewers who chat in a stream for the first time are 50% more likely to come back. Use this stat to your advantage and be engaging!)
Next, you’ll want to start building relationships with other streamers. But hear me on this: don’t network with an agenda.
No one will want to work with you if it’s clear you’re only wanting to work with them for the clout.
Build genuine relationships! Seek out other streamers in your niche and hang out in their chats. Encourage your own viewers to show them some love.
Raid them, host them, collaborate with them—have fun! You’re all here for the same reason.
9. Build Your Brand
“Why would I build a brand on Twitch? I just want to play games and stream.”
It may look like the successful streamers just “happened” to make it and become famous, but somewhere along the way they or someone else crafted a strategy.
A brand. A way for you to immediately recognize them by a color, logo, or catchphrase.
And it stuck. And they made it.
You need to decide now what you want to be known for. Is it your hilarious personality? Your amazing gameplay? The wholesome community you’ll build that everyone wants to be a part of?
Put some thought into who you want to be and how you want to be it. Then, once you have an idea of what you’d like your channel to look like, start building towards that image in every possible way.
Promote yourself on social media. Create engaging content on other platforms. Develop (or hire someone to develop) an aesthetic for your channel. Collaborate, network, stream constantly—you get the idea.
The key idea here is: don’t do anything by accident. Have a plan and find a way to execute it.
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
Here’s a sentence no one ever wants to hear: you are going to fail. I can guarantee it.
You’ll probably fail more than once. And in more than one way.
I don’t say this to discourage you, I say it to get you comfortable with the idea. Failure is not entirely negative. Failure is just one step closer to success.
In fact, I would encourage you to fail. Experiment, try things that you think might work, and if they don’t, you’ve learned something! Get back up and try something new based on the knowledge you now have.
Just don’t fail for the sake of failure. Fail with a purpose. Fail because you’re going to try everything you can to succeed until you do.
This is a must-have mentality for Twitch. With over 30 million other channels to compete with, you’re assured a difficult road to success.
You’ll have to become resilient in order to win this fight.
Conclusion
There’s this stigma around Twitch streaming that it’s somehow a “lazy gig.” That gamers are just basement-dwelling nobodys with too much free time.
I’m not sure where this stereotype came from, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Earning the title of a “Twitch Streamer” is earning the titles of several different jobs rolled up into one: entertainer, graphic designer, videographer, editor, marketer, social media manager, and many more.
Starting a twitch channel is no small feat. It’s difficult. But it can be rewarding if you stick with it.
There’s much more to streaming on Twitch than this guide covers. It’s a good place to start, but I’d encourage you to do more research, watch successful streamers, talk to people with experience—whatever you can do to get ahead.
And once you’re ready for the next step, you can check out our guide on How to Get More Views on Twitch.
You’ve got this.
Good luck!
Savannah Sellers is a content creator who started a successful Twitch stream and TikTok channel from scratch as a personal project under the name flarity_.