How to Get More Viewers on Twitch
Gaining viewers is one of the biggest challenges facing new Twitch streamers. When you first start streaming, it's common to broadcast to 0 viewers. But gradually building your audience is essential for growing your influence and earning as a streamer.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explain 21 proven tips and strategies to get more viewers on Twitch, even if you're just starting out.
Why Gaining Viewers Matters
Building your viewer count is important for several reasons:
- More viewers make your channel seem popular and credible.
- Higher viewership expands your potential reach and discoverability.
- Active chatters create engagement that attracts and retains viewers.
- Monetization options open up once you meet the threshold.
- You can turn streaming into a full-time career.
In short, gaining viewers is essential for growing your influence and earning as a streamer. Even small increases make a big difference starting out.
Get More Twitch Exposure
In addition to organic growth, you can leverage services like Views4Twitch to get more exposure:
- Get real Twitch viewers watching your streams live.
- Gain Twitch followers from their network of users.
- Boost average concurrent viewership.
- Get featured on their browse page for added discoverability.
More exposure means more chances for viewers to discover and follow you.
Optimize Your Channel
Make sure your channel puts its best foot forward for potential new viewers:
- Clean layout - Avoid clutter. Leave space for sponsor branding.
- Branding - Unique profile pic, banner, logo, etc. Shows professionalism.
- Profile - Complete "About" section detailing your niche.
- Video quality - Have good lighting, camera, encoding settings, etc.
- Audio quality - Use a quality microphone and reduce background noise.
- Overlays - Include overlays, alerts, etc. to polish your stream appearance.
- Emotes - Custom emotes let subs engage and represent your brand.
First impressions matter, so make your channel aesthetically appealing and optimized for growth.
Stream Less Saturated Games
When starting out, avoid hugely saturated games like Fortnite or League of Legends. Competing with thousands of top streamers makes gaining viewers difficult.
Instead, try streaming less saturated games that still have an audience. Use TwitchStrike to find games with a healthy viewer-to-channel ratio. This improves your chances of getting discovered.
The goal is standing out, not just chasing maximum viewers.
Leverage Other Platforms
In addition to your Twitch channel, leverage other platforms to expand your reach:
- YouTube - Upload stream highlights and direct viewers to your Twitch.
- TikTok - Post short funny or engaging clips from your streams.
- Instagram - Share graphics, clips, and behind the scenes.
- Twitter - Engage with streamers, brands, and viewers. Promote when live.
- Facebook - Create a Page to build a following and go Live.
- Discord - Join servers related to your game or niche.
Cross-promoting your Twitch across multiple platforms exposes you to new audiences. Convert viewers into Twitch followers for more growth.
Engage With Your Viewers
When new viewers arrive in your stream, engage with them:
- Greet new chatters - Make them feel welcomed.
- Give loyal fans shoutouts - Recognize their support.
- Answer questions - Get viewers involved.
- Poll viewers - Ask for their opinions.
- Play games with followers - Strengthen connections.
Building personal connections makes viewers more likely to return. An engaging host and community keeps them coming back.
Keep Up Constant Commentary
Even when you have zero viewers, maintain a steady stream of commentary:
- Describe your thought process and strategy out loud.
- React naturally to gameplay events.
- Share stories and talk about your day.
- Explain the game to newcomers.
- Fill any silence to avoid awkward dead air.
This makes new viewers feel like they're joining an active chat rather than interrupting you. It also gives them context so they aren't lost.
Set a Schedule and Stick to It
Consistency is key for building viewership. Set a regular streaming schedule and stick to it.
Broadcast at least 3 days per week, preferably daily at consistent times. This trains viewers to tune in at certain times as your content becomes part of their routine.
Post your schedule on your profile so followers know when to watch. Hitting “Go Live” consistently builds trust and retention.
Use Twitch Tools to Engage
Leverage Twitch's built-in tools to boost engagement:
- Chat - Interact with viewers in real time.
- Raids - Send viewers to other streamers.
- Clips - Let viewers create and share highlight clips.
- Rewards - Incentivize viewers with loyalty perks and prizes.
- Polls - Survey viewers and make them feel heard.
- Emotes - Channel-specific emotes viewers can use.
More participation equals more viewers and follower conversions.
Promote Your Stream Creatively
Think outside the box for creative ways to get more Twitch viewers:
- Marathons - Hype up special long streams.
- Challenges - Set big goals for you and your viewers.
- Giveaways - Reward viewers with free games, merch, etc.
- Guests - Invite fellow streamers to appear on your channel.
- Cosplay - Dress up as game characters on special occasions.
- IRL streams - Broadcast yourself outside of gaming.
Try new themes, events, and ideas to break up your usual gameplay and create buzz.
Collaborate With Other Streamers
Collaborations expose you to the audiences of other streamers. Ways to team up:
- Co-stream together and engage each other's viewers.
- Raid each other's channels after your streams.
- Appear as a guest on popular streamers in your niche.
- Play multiplayer games with streamers in front of both your viewers.
- Shout out fellow streamers and have them shout you out.
Collaborating merges your communities and provides networking opportunities.
Analyze Your Competition
Research popular Twitch streamers in your niche. Take notes on:
- What games do they play?
- When do they stream?
- How do they engage their audience?
- What makes their brand unique?
Emulate what top streamers do well without completely copying them. Use your learnings to stand out.
Track Your Progress
Consistently analyze your viewership metrics in Twitch Analytics:
- Viewers over time - Steady growth? Spikes?
- Concurrent viewers - What's your live average?
- Follower growth - How fast are you gaining followers?
- Chat activity - Are viewers actively engaging?
- Game performance - Which games attract most viewers?
Reviewing your analytics helps optimize your content to grow faster over time.
FAQs
How many viewers do you need to make money on Twitch?
To start making money on Twitch through their monetization programs, you need at least 50 average concurrent viewers over a 30 day period to qualify for the Affiliate program.
However, the amount of money you can make depends on factors like viewership, subscribers, bits, and ads. Having at least 100+ concurrent viewers makes revenue more viable.
Many top Twitch streamers make $3-5 per subscriber. But as a smaller streamer, you may only make $2-3 per sub. Affiliates also get 50% of Bits revenue from viewers.
So focus on growing your viewership first, then aim for at least 100+ concurrent viewers to earn a decent streaming income.
How do you keep viewers watching your stream?
Here are some proven ways to keep viewers watching your Twitch stream for longer:
- Engage personally - Greet viewers, answer questions, poll opinions, play games together. Making personal connections encourages viewers to stick around.
- Entertain don't just play - Provide an engaging, high-energy stream. React to gameplay, share stories, crack jokes, etc. Avoid just silently playing.
- Run events - Special streams like marathons, challenges, and giveaways pique interest and get viewers invested.
- Play less saturated games - Avoid oversaturated games where you disappear in the crowd. Play games with healthier viewer-to-streamer ratios.
- Collaborate - Playing with or appearing on other streamers' channels exposes you to new viewers.
- Analyze stats - Use Twitch analytics to see what content performs best. Give viewers more of that.
Keeping viewers hooked on your stream personality and content is key to retention and growth.
How do Twitch streamers get their first viewers?
As a new Twitch streamer, here are some effective ways to get your first viewers:
- Tell friends and family to watch your stream.
- Leverage other social platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Twitter to promote your stream.
- Join gaming forums and Discord servers to connect with potential viewers.
- Research stream teams you can join to get promoted to new viewers.
- Play games with streamers with similar sizes channels to collaborate.
- Use services like Views4Twitch to get initial exposure.
- Create clips from your streams and share to spark interest.
- Run giveaways and events to incentivize viewers.
- Stick to a schedule and stream consistently to build a base.
Gaining those first few loyal viewers is crucial. Then word-of-mouth and your efforts will steadily grow your audience.