Influencer marketing is already a thriving industry that helps brands reach their target users in a voice they trust. Currently, it’s concentrated on the most prominent platforms: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, but it’s the up-and-coming platforms like Twitch that might provide the best results for brands.
As a content creator looking to build a thriving online career, getting in early and establishing yourself as a Twitch influencer puts you in a better position to succeed. You will be the person brands approach when they want to reach Twitch users. This will help you monetize your influence by working with the brands you love to promote their products to your passionate followers.
So how do you grow your profile to qualify for the large branding and marketing opportunities? This article shares valuable tips that will help you become a much sought-after streamer influencer on Twitch.
How To Become A Successful Twitch Influencer
This section highlights various ways to grow your audience and increase engagement on the Twitch app.
1. Find your gaming niche
To set yourself apart on Twitch, you need to find a passionate niche and focus all your efforts on creating content on that topic. You don’t want to be the guy that makes content about everything and anything. Instead, you want users to be able to pick you out from the crowd as the best content creator in a specific area.
If you enjoy doing game walkthroughs, make that your specialty. If you are good at game challenges, focus on creating the best challenge videos on the Twitch desktop site. This will help you build a meaningful audience and appeal to brands that target a similar audience.
2. Prepare your gear
You will only be able to attract users to your profile if your Twitch stream is of good quality. We understand that you are just starting on Twitch, and you may not have the funds to invest in top-quality gear, but it doesn’t take much to produce quality content. All you need is:
- A good computer for streaming PC games and for video editing.
- A Twitch account with your custom avatar, description, and banner.
- Streaming software for your gameplay feed.
- A gaming headset.
- A quality camera and microphone to ensure viewers can see and hear you clearly.
3. Channel your streaming persona
Many streamers are creating the same type of content you are. You will not succeed if you are similar to other content creators in your niche. As such, you need to find a way to make content stand out, and that’s where a unique streaming persona comes in. You can choose to be smart and funny when playing games, but make sure your persona is likable, relatable and interesting.
This will make it easy for viewers to fall in love with you and watch your broadcasts to the end. As a result, most viewers will subscribe to your channel to ensure they don’t miss your one-of-a-kind personality.
4. Keep your audience glued
A normal Twitch stream should be two hours long at the least. Yes, you heard that right – two straight hours! You will lose viewers mid-stream if your video is boring, and that’s why you need to find ways to keep your audience interested to the end.
Gameplay and a likable personality are the two things that will help you maintain viewer engagement to the end. Show off your killer moves when progressing through the game, and let your personality shine as you do this. Also, make sure to use professionally designed graphics and overlays to make your streams more appealing.
5. Stay consistent
Consistency is everything on Twitch. You will only attract a dedicated following when viewers know when to tune in for the latest stream. If you pick Monday as the day, you will be broadcasting a stream, stick to it and never change the streaming day without alerting your audience. But remember, you will not make an impact by going live once a week. You should do it at least three times a week to appeal to Twitch’s demanding user base.
So, plan your streaming content well in advance to ensure you have something interesting to share with your audience when the time comes. This will require a lot of effort and commitment from you, but it’s the only way to stand out from the rest of the streaming crowd.
6. Make visually appealing videos
Your videos need to look good if you are to attract and retain the attention of viewers. Twitch users will not put up with a two-hour-long stream if the stream quality is poor. You may have interesting content to share, but you will find yourself losing viewers if you don’t have a professional-looking broadcast.
To upgrade your stream, use the premade overlays and graphics that Twitch provides. You can upgrade to custom designs later on, but the premade graphics are enough to give you a branded look that will help you attract the attention of brands.
7. Develop a robust strategy
One of the effective ways to consistently engage your audience is by developing a robust content strategy. Decide what issues you’ll talk about, which games you will cover, the core messaging you’ll communicate in your stream, and your streaming schedule.
With a mapped-out Twitch content strategy, you will have reliable results and credible audience insights to improve your future streams. On top of this, you will build a considerable influence on your audience and brands that target a similar demographic will approach you to help them promote their products.
8. Be connected and interactive
Your Twitch influencer career will thrive when you are connected and interactive on the platform. Interact with everyone you encounter on the platform and avail yourself of collaborations with other creators. This will help you get discovered by other users, thus helping you grow your subscriber count.
When you broadcast a stream on Twitch, engage your audience and show them some love. Respond to their questions when you get some time during the stream, and give shoutouts to your most loyal viewers. This will improve their loyalty towards you, which will boost your engagement and shares.
9. Partner with non-gaming brands
As an influencer streaming video game content on your channel, it may seem like the only brands you can work with are gaming brands that need help connecting with the gaming audience that follows you. While this may be true, you can also work with non-gaming brands that target the youthful and urban population that makes up most gamers.
Major non-gaming brands like BMW, Red Bull, Gillette, and UberEats have enjoyed great success with live stream gaming, proving that non-endemic brands are open to working with streamers to promote their products to a gaming audience. If you have a strong connection with your audience and can convince them to buy the products you recommend, find a brand that targets a similar audience and work out an arrangement to promote their products for a commission on the sales.
10. Ink Cross-Channel Deals
When you land a deal to promote a brand, don’t just mention it on your Twitch stream. Twitch content doesn’t have a long lifespan, and once the live stream ends, the content is lost unless it’s archived. In contrast, a YouTube video could be viewed for years after being published.
To maximize exposure for the brand you are working with, cross-promote your sponsorship on your other social media channels. You can tweet a link to the live stream or create a highlight reel of the stream on YouTube. Brands that work with you will gain maximum value from your partnership, setting you apart as an excellent Twitch influencer to work with.
11. Don’t stress and be patient
It takes time to grow a sizable following on Twitch. So, don’t be stressed when you still haven’t accumulated a substantial number of followers after a few days of using the channel. Like YouTube, getting your Twitch channel out there requires patience. Have fun when creating content. Soon enough, you will attract many viewers to your streams and make more money as a Twitch influencer.
There’s no time like the present to be on Twitch. With users across all social platforms beginning to favor video over static images, Twitch Stream will become an important player in the influencer ecosystem. Influencers who get in early will reap the greatest benefits and grab all the large opportunities for branding and marketing.
As you work on becoming a noted Twitch influencer, you will appreciate a trusted partner who helps you manage your online presence and pairs you with the right brands. Sign up with atisfyre, our AI-based platform, to connect with leading brands that could benefit from your thriving audience.
