Have you been watching others stream your favorite games, and wondered “could I do this?” We think you most definitely can, and we want to help you as much as we can. We asked those who are already streaming to answer the question – What’s One Thing You Wish You knew Before Streaming? You’ll be surprised by their answers, and hopefully their insight gives you helps you in your own streaming endeavor! Enjoy these streaming tips from those who are doing it!
Four Ninja Toads (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Mixer)
Diversify Diversify Diversify. Get your content on different platforms! Don’t be afraid of the pennies you might lose by sharing to a platform you don’t make money on. For example, I create a video on YouTube and I share that video LINK to Facebook, well on Facebook that share doesn’t get much reach. That is because Facebook doesn’t want people to go elsewhere for content. Well if I uploaded that video directly to Facebook too, I now get thousands more reach and my content in front of more people and guess what I put a link to my YouTube in the description which is a potential in more viewers on a platform that does pay me. It doesn’t have to be YouTube of course it could be Mixer or Twitch whatever platform you prefer, but the point is get yourself out there.
Asikaa (Mixer, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter)
You don’t need to stream long hours! Setting a schedule is super important. It allows viewers to know when you go live and when you go offline. Burn out is also a thing. A lot of new streamers think they have to stream long hours to grow quickly. You don’t. Being consistent is way more valuable.
Pick your mods wisely. Make sure you talk to people before you mod them and don’t just mod them because you are friends! Their vision may not match your vision and it can be damaging to your stream. Just be really clear what roles you want your mods to do and be very selective. My rule of thumb is don’t mod anyone who publicly asks in channel. It should be a private question. A quick easy google form can be an easy “application process” if you are unsure of who to pick.
If you are in a relationship, make sure you set time aside for your partner and communicate about streaming. Respect them as they want to spend time with you also, not just look at the back of your head while you interact with your viewers.
My last of piece of advice is to not worry about other what other streamers are doing or their success and growth. Look to them for tips and advice but focus on what your community likes about you and things relevant to your stream. Not what others are doing.
Brandon (Twitch, Twitter)
Don’t buy a bunch of equipment when starting out. Streaming is not for everyone and to have spent so much money on a hobby you turn out to dislike is no good. Using what you already have helps.
Clark Hutchings (Twitch, Twitter)
I wish I knew it didn’t take all the gear in the world to pull off. When I was starting out, I had no idea how to set up anything, and I didn’t have much help with it. It wasn’t until I started streaming regularly that I learned how to properly set up a nice overlay, eq’d all the mics, and made it into something people would want to tune into. All of the answers are out there, and if you really want to make it in the streaming community, you gotta put in the time and effort to get it.
Akodo Kusamoto (Twitch, Twitter)
Honestly, the one thing I wish people would have told me before I started is how simultaneously rewarding and taxing streaming is. I’ve been in radio and politics, so I am no stranger to public speaking and performing. But streaming is a whole different animal. Every day I get to have the privilege of being with an outstanding community, play games, and have a great time. I would not trade it for anything. But by the same token, it is a lot of work. Don’t get me wrong, I like the time and effort involved in doing it. But I stream about 30 hours a week give or take, and I probably spend another 10-20 on networking, new graphics, development, videos, and so on. Streaming can very easily take over your life, but if you are prepared for it and embrace it, it can be the most amazing experience of your life. If you are not, you’re gonna’ have a bad time. Just know what you are getting into beforehand. I personally have a passion for speaking, performing, being a ham (I admit it), video games, and making gaming great again, so the intensity I put into each cast, I hope, is obvious. I love it. God help me, I do love it so. But just know what you are jumping into beforehand and be prepared. If you are, your experience, whether through Twitch, YTG, Mixer, or whatever will be amazing and unforgettable.
I wish I knew that you don’t need to spend a ton of money on equipment for your stream. A person’s personality and engagement with their viewers is so much more important. (Lengthy reasoning why) I’ve seen amazing quality streams with streamers with horrible personalities and I’ve also seen low quality streamers with stunning personalities and the quality doesn’t bother me. Quality can always be raised or lowered in time; personality cannot. It’s always going to be a part of who you are. 🙂
Neospell (Mixer, Twitter)
One thing i wish i knew coming into streaming is the stress it can cause you go into it thinking it will be all fun and games but as you want to bring your stream to the next level and things don’t work out it gets overbearing
