How to Grow on Twitch – Get More Viewers in 2023

Last Updated on 01/02/2023 by Dean

This is a comprehensive guide on how to grow on Twitch and increase your viewercount.

Are you sick and tired of streaming to 0 viewers? Struggling to get 3 average viewers to hit Twitch affiliate? Or you’re on your way to Twitch Partner but you can’t seem to get 75 consecutive viewers on your stream?

Are you sick and tired of streaming to 0 viewers? Struggling to get 3 average viewers to hit Twitch affiliate? Or you’re on your way to Twitch Partner but you can’t seem to get 75 consecutive viewers on your stream?

This article will help you grow on Twitch. In fact, I promise that when you’re done with this article, and you apply some of the techniques written here, you will see an increase in your viewer count.

How to Get More Viewers and Grow on Twitch

  1. Create a Stream Schedule
  2. Work on your Streamer Personality
  3. Plan out your Stream
  4. Mix up your Content
  5. Watch Other Streamers
  6. Avoid Moments of Silence
  7. Play with friends
  8. Network with other streamers
  9. Join Twitch Communities
  10. Play social games
  11. Play less popular games
  12. Create content for lesser-known games
  13. Upload highlights to YouTube
  14. Do Something BIG
  15. Create a Brand on Social Media
  16. Use Decent Equipment
  17. Invite Friends to Watch your Stream
  18. Don’t expect overnight results

1. Create a Stream Schedule

Viewers require consistency. If one day a viewer finds your channel and decides to follow you, they will likely forget about you if you don’t stream in the next couple of days.

But that’s not the main reason a schedule is absolutely necessary for Twitch streaming… You should have a stream schedule to keep yourself accountable.

If you simply start streaming whenever you please, you will procrastinate, a lot. It might even lead to you quitting or forgetting about Twitch altogether.

Another reason to have a stream schedule is that it will give you time to prepare. Unprepared streams are dull and lack content.

And last but not least, scheduled streams have more viewers, because your audience knows when you go live.

Set a stream schedule, grow on Twitch, simple as that.

2. Work on your Streamer Personality

The reason we watch Twitch streamers is not just because of the content they produce, it is because of the personality they posess.

Think about your favorite streamers for a moment, what kind of personality do they have?

sykkuno personality on Twitch is a shy anime boy,

Sykkuno is Twitch’s shy anime boy and it has resulted in him becoming one of the biggest streamers out there

xQc is known for his controversial behavior, which has led to his explosive growth on Twitch

xqc's personality on twitch is loud and controversial
Lilypichu is soft-spoken artsy girl

LilyPichu is a soft-spoken, artsy girl who creates a wholesome and relaxing environment on stream

Every big streamer has a unique streamer personality. If you want to get more viewers on Twitch, you’ll need to develop a streamer personality.

This means you might have to exaggerate a little bit. Show your emotions.

via Gfycat

One thing that can really help you out, is to learn how to enunciate your words. No one wants to hear you stream in a monotonous voice, they want to hear you project yourself.

Below is an example of how Ludwig addresses his viewers. Notice how he enunciates and projects himself.

This is something you should practise yourself, by properly enunciating you will instantly appear more entertaining.

👉 Continue Reading: How to develop your Streamer Persona

3. Plan out your Stream

Do you ever turn your stream on, without any plan of action? You’ll just play League of Legends or some other game you enjoy and the viewers will roll in…?

Sadly, this is how most streamers go about streaming… And that’s fine if you want to stream to 0 viewers.

ludwig net worth

One of this moment’s biggest streamers, Ludwig, has said numerous times that he often spends more time planning out his stream than actually streaming.

And if you’ve ever sat in on a Ludwig stream, you’ll know that his stream is carefully planned out.

Every time Ludwig goes live, his streams are chock-full of creativity and content. There is never a dull moment, and that’s why Ludwig has seen some of the most explosive growth Twitch has ever seen in just 2 years’ time.

Now I hear what you’re thinking. “LolTyler1 doesn’t plan his stream”. He just hops online and solo queues League of Legends for 7 hours. Or Shroud and TenZ who do the same with Valorant…

But you’re forgetting one thing there. These are big streamers with a dedicated audience that watch them because they are GODS at their respective games.

Likely, you are no such god, and you should rely on entertainment instead.

By planning out your stream, you can think of fun things you can do while you’re live before you actually go live. This will make your Twitch stream far more enjoyable for viewers and result in far more growth.

4. Mix up your Content

Closely tied to planning out your stream is keeping your content fresh. If you feel like you can’t plan out your stream, it is likely because you lack things to do.

Streaming on Twitch is far more than just playing video games! Especially in 2021 and beyond.

On a Twitch stream, Mang0 was heard talking about the difference between ‘old school Twitch’ and ‘new school Twitch’.

The stream was in a reference to Ludwig beating Ninja’s sub-record. Mang0 claims Ninja did it simply by streaming video games, which is how Twitch used to work.

And Ludwig did it the new way, through a wide variety of content.

5. Watch Other Streamers

The best musicians in the world are obsessed with music and draw inspiration from others to create their own. The same goes for the most renowned writers. Every writer has other writers that they look up to, writers that inspire them.

This is true for Twitch streaming as well.

Unless you have a history in the entertainment sector, you likely aren’t a master at keeping a live audience entertained. (YET!)

But this is something you can learn, and you can do so by watching other streamers and drawing inspiration from them.

In a video where Ludwig teaches his audience how to grow on Twitch, he talks about a term he calls the Yoink and Twist.

Ludwig explains how streamers copy each other and improve their content in order to get fresh content for viewers to enjoy
Courtesy: Ludwig’s YouTube Channel

The Yoink and Twist is basically just the idea of copying other streamers and adding your own personal twist to it. This is something EVERY streamer does, and something you should be doing as well.

But you wouldn’t get inspiration like this, if you weren’t actively watching other streamers now would you?

Oh and if you don’t believe that the Yoink and Twist is real, here’s what popular streamers have been posting to their YouTube channels lately…

Twitch streamer Ludwig uploading a video named 'what can 30 million buy you around the world' a perfect example of the yoink and twist
Twitch streamer Pokimane uploading a house tour reaction
pewdiepie reacting to house tours

Good artists copy, great artists steal

Pablo Picasso

6. Avoid moments of silence

Many beginner streamers find it difficult to continuously talk on stream. But this is something you must learn and force upon yourself if you want to see an increase in viewers.

After all, you can’t expect more viewers to come if you don’t talk and entertain!

👉 What, How, Why

If you’re having trouble finding things to talk about, you can use the What, How, and Why technique. Here’s how that works…

Imagine you’re playing a round of Valorant on stream.

  • What: “Okay guys, I’m gonna go defend C side.”
  • How: “I’m going to stand upon this box and keep an off-angle.”
  • Why: “If the enemy team rushes into C, they won’t expect me to be here and I can likely pick up a kill or two, securing us the round.”

This may sound a bit silly, but by using this technique, you are forcing yourself to keep talking.

👉 Talk about the game

Another good way to keep your viewers entertained is to do your research beforehand (this is another reason to plan out your stream!)

For example, you can talk about the upcoming updates in a game. You can talk about your favorite characters, what you like and don’t like, the list goes on. Talking about the game also gives you a good excuse to ask your viewers questions.

👉 Talk to your viewers

One thing that entices viewers to watch live streamers instead of other entertainment sources such as YouTube is viewer engagement.

Tell them about your days, things that are happening in your life, they are there to learn more about you. Beyond that, you can ask them questions about the game:

  • Which characters do they like
  • What do they think about the upcoming update?

7. Play with friends

social games such as gartic phone are a really good way to get more viewers on Twitch and increase your growth through collaboration with other streamers

Playing with friends is an easy way to make your streams appear less dull than they actually are. If you’re struggling to keep your viewers entertained, inviting friends to play with you is a quick and easy fix.

The moments that otherwise might be filled with silence, will now be filled with conversations between you and your friends!

Of course, you’ll have to still put in an effort. And don’t forget about your chat while you’re playing with your friends.

If you’re having trouble finding friends to play with, you can take a look at the many Twitch communities and find other streamers to play with.

8. Network with Other Streamers

Networking and collaborating with other streamers is one of the fastest ways you can grow on Twitch.

Streamers such as Valkyrae, Disguised Toast, Sykkuno, and others enjoyed explosive growth on Twitch in the last year thanks to the social deduction game Among Us which consists out of 10-player lobbies.

5uppp enjoyed explosive growth on Twitch through Among Us

(credit)

A streamer that goes by 5UPPP even started his whole streaming career through Among Us, in just a couple of months’ time, he was able to become one of the most viewed streamers in the category, starting completely from scratch.

This proves networking on Twitch is incredibly powerful. You should always be looking for other streamers to team up and play games with. This is one of the best ways to get exposure on Twitch and it is mutually beneficial!

You can find other streamers through Twitch communities on Discord, Reddit, and Facebook Groups or you can simply hop into a Twitch chat and ask them (politely) to play with you. (Keep it to streamers within your ballpark!)

9. Join Twitch Communties

By far one of the best places to find other streamers to network are Twitch communities.

👉 Where you can find Twitch communities

  • SubReddits
  • Discord Servers
  • Facebook Groups
quick tip

Check out our article on the top communities for Twitch!

10. Play Social Games

Among Us was mentioned earlier, a social deduction game that boosted the careers of many streamers in just a couple of months’ time.

This was no coincidence of course, Social Games give streamers LOTS of exposure.

They force streamers to collaborate.

And this works at all levels of streaming!

Not to mention it creates fun content on stream and fun highlights to post on YouTube.

👉 Examples of Social Games

  • Among Us
  • Gartic Phone
  • Minecraft
  • GTA (roleplay servers)

11. Play Less Popular Games

Playing Valorant, League of Legends and Fortnite isn’t the best way to grow on Twitch. In fact, it’s one of the worst ways to increase your viewers.

This is because unlike YouTube and other platforms, Twitch has a chronological directory meaning that you will be ranked by your viewer count.

By streaming a popular game, you are competing with thousands of other streamers, and the odds of viewers even finding your channel become non-existent.

If you play lesser-known games instead, you’ll become far more discoverable to viewers.

twitch strike is a great website that you can use to find less saturated games to stream on Twitch and influence growth

TwitchStrike is a great website that helps you find less saturated games.

quick tip

Check out our article on how to pick a niche for your Twitch stream.

12. Create content for lesser-known games

One of the beauties of these smaller, lesser-known games, is that they have small, dedicated communities.

You can use these tiny communities to your advantage by creating content for them. For example, you can create a YouTube video guide on how to beat a certain level and share it with the Reddit community.

By posting genuine content and sharing it with a dedicated community you can quickly build a reputation for yourself and increase your viewership.

By offering value, you will see growth.

This is exactly how Ludwig started out on Twitch. He created content (and hosted events) for Smash Brothers Melee and quickly became a prominent figure in this close-knit community.

After growing in this community, he later expanded into other games as well.

13. Upload Highlights to YouTube

As I mentioned earlier, Twitch’s feed is chronological and makes it near impossible to get discovered on this platform.

YouTube on the other hand, can make your videos very discoverable through their algorithm.

How many times have you got a video recommended by someone you do not know? YouTube is an amazing place to increase your viewers on Twitch and has made some of the most popular streamers of this day.

👉 How to create YouTube content

YouTube only works if you do it properly.

Each of your videos should abide by the big three:

  • Have a great thumbnail
  • Have a (near clickbait) title
  • Edited to include only the best parts
Tommyinnit uses YouTube thumbnails with an outline of his face to get more attention

Face expressions perform exceptionally well on YouTube and are consistently used by Twitch streamers in the thumbnail of their videos

Ludwig’s irresistible video titles allow him to consistently pop up in the recommend section of YouTube and have massively affected his Growth on Twitch.

Ludwig uses clickbait video titles on YouTube to get more attention to his videos

You should only include funny highlights in a YouTube video with every slow/dead or boring moment cut out completely.

Don’t worry about the video being short, your video will perform a lot better through the YouTube algorithm if viewers watch it completely than if they opt-out after 20% view time.

If you don’t know how to edit videos, or create thumbnails, you can hire affordable freelancers on Fiverr to do this for you.

14. Do something BIG

We live in a world where one viral video can skyrocket you to absolute fame. The majority of big streamers we know today didn’t grow on Twitch, they grew through viral content that was created on Twitch and uploaded to YouTube.

If you want to go viral, you need to do big and exciting things.

👉 Think of something unique

When competing with thousands of other streamers, it’s very hard to stand out. That’s why you should constantly be looking for new and unique things to pull of on stream.

mrbeast counted to 100,000 to blow up on youtube

MrBeast used to be a very small YouTuber until he started creating unique content. One of his first videos to blow up was him counting to 100,000 in one sitting.

Remember the Yoink and Twist from earlier? Streamers constantly pull off this technique to create new, potentially viral content. MrBeast didn’t invent doing ridiculous things for 24 hours straight, but he did Yoink and Twist it to his advantage.

👉 Host fun challenges on stream

Challenges are simply fun to watch.

They make for entertaining content while you’re on stream and turn into great highlights on your YouTube channel afterward.

👉 Host a Giveaway

Giveaways are great ways to increase your exposure on Twitch and beyond.

The beauty of giveaways is that it is a ‘give and receive‘ kind of deal between you and your fans.

You host the giveaway, and your fans share it for you and increase your online exposure!

In return for their sharing, one or more fans will receive your gift.

Giveaways are therefore a great way to get more followers on social media and in turn, get more viewers to come to your stream.

15. Create a Brand on Social Media

Beyond YouTube, you should have a presence on other social media channels as well for a variety of reasons:

  • They will increase your exposure
  • Help you network with other streamers
  • You can shout your channel out whenever you go live on Twitch
  • Help turn your regular fans into loyal fans

👉 Best Social media platforms for Twitch streamers:

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • TikTok
  • Discord

👉 Post highlights on Instagram

The beauty of Instagram is that it is a highly discoverable platform with an algorithm that can benefit you deeply.

Just like you would on YouTube, you should post short highlight clips to your Instagram page. Moments that happen on stream that were HILARIOUS, should go here!

CourageJD posts stream highlights to his Instagram account to increase growth and exposure for his Twitch channel

Post your stream highlights and let the Instagram algorithm push your content to new viewers with the same interests as you.

👉 Network on Twitter

Twitch streamers LOVE Twitter. This is not only the best platform to tell your audience when you go live, it’s also one of the best platforms to network with other streamers.

If you haven’t already signed up to Twitter, you should.

quick tip

Go on the Twitch category of your favorite games and find streamers with a similar viewer count as yourself, follow them on Twitter. If they find out you’re also a Twitch streamer, there is a big chance they will follow you back which could lead to a collab!

👉 Grow a community on Discord

Twitch and Discord go hand in hand. Every streamer has a Discord server these days because Discord is hands down the BEST platform to turn your audience into a community.

Reasons to have a discord:

  • You get to know your viewers
  • Viewers come together while you aren’t live
  • Organize events with your community

Your fun little Discord community will also help your growth on Twitch.

Community members will be much more likely to join you whenever you go live and your existing members could invite their own friends to your Discord server which could in turn become new viewers for you.

16. Use Decent Equipment

No, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to grow on Twitch, but you should have at least a basic setup going.

With basic setup I really mean two things:

  • A webcam
  • A decent microphone

You don’t need to have an amazing webcam either, you can just use your phone if you’re on a budget. But having a facecam is very important as viewers want to look at you while you stream.

Additionally, you need a good microphone which you can pick up for less than $50. Or if you must, you can use your headset microphone.

For a minimal budget, you can already have a decent setup going which is the bare minimum for streaming on Twitch. Viewers are used to good streamer setups in 2021 and you will not help your case if you don’t sound clear or your webcam is off.

…Oh and make sure your background is clean (ideally put some personality into it!) and avoid background noise.

quick tip

You can read our Twitch Equipment Guide to find the best Twitch gear for every budget.

17. Invite Friends to Watch your Stream

A great way to bump your viewer count and become more discoverable on Twitch is to invite friends to watch your stream.

Having just a couple of friends watching you will not only increase your viewer count but will also entice you to be more entertaining.

Don’t force your friends to actively watch you, they can simply lurk and have you on in the background.

18. Don’t expect overnight results

Some streamers stream to 100 viewers for multiple years before blowing up.

Others stream to 0 viewers for a whole year before they start even seeing traction.

And others see instant results and blow up overnight. But these are exceptions.

Many factors will decide how quickly you grow on Twitch.

But only one factor will decide whether you will make it on Twitch: your dedication.

Fight for your dreams. Keep at it, day after day. Mix things up if you feel like you’re plateauing in your growth but never give up.

If you can maintain a positive attitude, and continue to learn and improve your streams, you will succeed.

Things to Avoid Doing

Don’t stream while you’re in a bad mood

You might feel like you’re breaking your schedule but you are much better off skipping a day than starting the stream while you’re not feeling well.

Your viewers will notice! New viewers will be left with a bad first impression.

Don’t buy live views

It may seem like a good idea to ‘boost’ your viewer count with fake viewers but you would be mistaken.

We even went out of our way to check out view botting services for Twitch so we could educate our viewers. You can read the article here.

Through our research we concluded the following reasons to avoid viewerbots:

  • Reputation ruined: viewers will know you are view botting
  • You could get banned
  • You could harm future partnerships with Twitch
  • It won’t increase your growth on Twitch
  • Most viewbot services are a scam

Don’t buy Twitch followers

Buying followers on Twitch is SUPER obvious. Not just to viewers but to Twitch as well. Do you think Twitch will just look away when you suddenly receive 1000 followers in an hour? Think again.

Let’s bust some myths

Here are some of the most common excuses made on Twitch:

  • Being a girl streamer is easy
  • Good graphics make you a better streamer
  • You need thousands of dollars worth of equipment

👉 Being a girl on Twitch is easier

This is simply not true. Sure, women have an advantage in the search engine because they stand out as a minority, but their gender doesn’t make them popular overnight.

There are plenty of girl streamers stuck in the bottom barrel of Twitch where no one ever goes.

At the time this guide was written, not a single girl made up the top 50 of Twitch.

If women really have it that much easier, why haven’t they been able to breach the top of Twitch? Women have a slight edge at best, by no means is this going to make them popular overnight.

Stop making excuses for yourself.

👉 Good graphics make you a better streamer

Graphics are attractive, and they can help your stream stand out and look more professional. But by no means are they going to impact your growth by much.

👉 You need thousands of dollars worth of equipment

You don’t need to drop $700 on a Shure SM7B. Any affordable microphone will already make you sound a lot better. Just make sure you have a face cam, and a decent microphone without background noise and you’re golden.

You can start streaming with under $50 worth of equipment. Improving equipment will improve the quality of your stream, but it won’t make your tream blow up.

Now it’s your turn to grow on Twitch

These 18 tips will help you increase your growth on Twitch.

Using these tips, you should be able to get more viewers and increase your exposure.

Of course, nothing happens overnight. There is a learning curve to Twitch.

Incorporate the following tips and you will see a change in growth.

  • Fix your equipment: get a microphone and face cam
  • Develop a personality
  • Mix things up, don’t just stream video games, be entertaining
  • Use our tips to prevent dead moments
  • Upload highlights to YouTube
  • Network and collaborate with other streamers
  • Build a community: play lesser-known games

Remember to keep a consistent schedule and stick to it.

Don’t slack off! Don’t get discouraged. The road to success is long and full of discouraging moments but if you keep at it you will succeed.

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