Why you should start streaming on Twitch

Last Updated on 05/31/2022 by Dean

Ever wondered if streaming on Twitch is for you? Do you fancy a potential career broadcasting video games from your bedroom? Or maybe you are just looking for a new pass-time after work?

In this article, we’ll take a look at the many reasons why streaming on Twitch could benefit you. Aside from that, we’ll also look at some reasons why Twitch streaming might not be for you and we’ll briefly cover why Twitch is the best platform to start streaming on.

Let’s get started!

Reasons to start streaming on Twitch

Here are some reasons why you should start streaming on Twitch.

• Streaming is easy to set up
• You build your own community
• You will make new friends
• Streaming is a great long-term career path
• You learn marketable skills
• You can make money playing video games

Streaming is easy to set up

Setting up a livestream is a lot easier than it sounds. Doing so on Twitch is completely free and the software to capture your stream (e.g. OBS Studio or Streamlabs) is free as well. Twitch has made streaming so easy and straightforward that any one can set up a livestream in minutes.

That’s the beauty of streaming. It allows people to broadcast from their bedrooms. If you love watching streamers, why not try out your own stream? You likely won’t have any viewers join in on your first session but what’s the harm?

Starting your first stream is the best way to figure out if streaming is something you want to pursue in the future. Many beginners take going live for the first time very seriously. They buy fancy equipment, they spend tons of time on creating a bio, adding a fancy banner, waste time setting up stream alerts etc.

None of this matters when you first get started. You just have to hit the live button and see where it takes you. Going live on Twitch is easy.

You build your own community

One of the most fun elements of being a Twitch streamer, no matter how small, is that you build your own community. While growing on Twitch isn’t easy, most smaller streamers run into a couple of viewers who just show up no matter what. These are the first members of your community and they will help you pull this thing through.

Before you know it, you will have a lively community on Discord that is eager for your next stream. Sure, your community might not be big right off the bat, but these are the viewers that will show up and support you. They might be your first subscribers once you hit affiliate, they could become your first mods, and they are likely the ones to introduce their friends to your stream.

Twitch community is very tight-knit and having your own little branch of that community is one of the best feelings you can have as a Twitch streamer.

You will make new friends

By becoming a streamer, you are joining the broader Twitch community. Through this community, you will meet lots of other streamers and potentially make some awesome new online friends!

These fellow streamers have the same passion for streaming and video games like yourself. The best part? You can stream with them and grow together! Streaming with other streamers is one of the best ways to grow on Twitch.

Streaming is a great long-term career path

While streamers mainly start off streaming for fun, it is possible to turn it into a career. And if you ever fancied a career in content creation, streaming on Twitch is one of the best choices you can make.

Not only is it great to have your own live stream with your own community, but it also translates well into other content creation fields. (e.g. YouTube)

Of course, streaming isn’t an easy career path to take. It can take years before your Twitch channel ever takes off. You’ll need to stick to it, find a proper schedule, work hard on improving your stream, and never give up.

That last bit is what necks most aspiring Twitch streamers. In any streamer’s life, there comes a day when they realize their dream might never come true. It’s what they decide on that day (and the other ones to come), that determines everything.

If you are someone who doesn’t give up easy, then streaming is a great long-term career path to take on.

You learn marketable skills

Whether you become the next Ludwig or not, Twitch streaming is never a waste of time. Becoming a Twitch streamer teaches you so many new valuable lessons that you can take with you in life.

As a Twitch streamer you have to talk to your viewers. This helps you with public speaking, helps you become more comfortable in front of strangers (I’m looking at you fellow introverts), and those are just the social benefits. Aside from that, you also learn marketing skills by promoting your stream on other social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.

You might learn how to edit videos while working on your highlights and planning your stream will help you become more organized. Streaming on Twitch WILL make you a more marketable person.

You can make money playing video games

If you love playing video games, you definitely dream of having a career based around it. Who doesn’t want to play video games for a living? That’s exactly what Twitch streamers do every day!

Even small streamers make make money on Twitch. Once you hit affiliate, you will slowly start to see your viewers invest back into your stream. Viewers love to support smaller streamers through donations, subscriptions, and more.

These small donations can help you upgrade your streaming equipment and improve the quality of your stream. And if you really stick to streaming, you could even hit Twitch partner which will bring you that much closer to streaming on Twitch full-time.

Remember to have fun first though. If you don’t have fun on Twitch, you will never have the perseverance to make it and eventually become a full-time streamer.

Reasons streaming on Twitch might not be for you

Below are a couple of reasons why a career on Twitch might not be the best fit for you.

Keep in mind these reasons are to prevent you from wasting your time in pursuing a career on Twitch. It doesn’t mean you can’t stream for fun!

• You don’t have enough time
• You tend to give up on things
• You view streaming as a money-making methods
• You don’t watch any streamers yourself

You don’t have the time / you are exhausted

If you come home tired from work, or you have multiple hobbies that cause you to become exhausted by the time you turn on your PC, then streaming might not be for you.

Many gamers end their day by playing video games. It’s the last thing they do before they go to bed. It’s chill and makes them feel relaxed. That’s great. I know many of these types of gamers and while some would want to pursue a career in streaming, I don’t see it as a possibility for them.

Streaming requires a lot of effort. You are the host of a liveshow. When you are exhausted, you cannot possibly entertain your viewers. Sure, you can turn on a private stream for your friends to watch. But you’ll never have enough stamina required to make a stream entertaining to the masses.

Not to mention everything that comes beyond the actual live stream. Planning your stream, uploading highlights to YouTube, and sticking to a stream schedule, takes hard work.

If you don’t have the time, or you find yourself coming home exhausted from work, then streaming might not be for you.

You tend to give up on things

If you have a history of giving up on things rather quickly (e.g. past goals) then streaming might not be the right choice for you. As I’ve pointed out throughout this article, becoming a streamer takes a lot of patience and perseverance.

Nobody becomes an overnight success on Twitch (even if it looks like that).

Tommyinnit (a streamer with 50k+ viewers) had 19 average viewers in his first year of streaming. What some believe to be an overnight success, actually took him almost three years on Twitch to accomplish.

In reality, he’s spend more than 200 days streaming to less than 20 people. And then another year streaming to less than 200 people. Imagine if in those three years he decided to give up on his dream?

And Twitch is full of stories like that. Bottom line is, if you tend to give up easy, you will definitely give up on streaming before you see any type of success.

You see streaming as a money-making method

We live in an age of hustle culture where teens are making money online and promoting their ways on YouTube and TikTok. Everyone wants to make money online. And as someone who has tried out his fair share of these money-making methods, I can tell you right now that Twitch is by far the worst one to go into.

You have to put in a lot of effort to make money from streaming. It is NOT easy.

There are a million better ways to make money online.

Twitch isn’t going to buy your next pair of sneakers and it’s definitely not going to solve your money problems.

True, small streamers have many ways to make money on Twitch. But it takes effort to become a small streamer. To build a community, no matter how small takes perseverance. If you see Twitch as a money-making method, you are starting for the wrong reasons.

You don’t watch any streamers

If you don’t ever watch a live stream, but you still think streaming might be for you, I would reconsider.

Live streams are commitments and if you don’t find the pleasure in being a viewer, I find it hard to believe you will find pleasure in being a streamer.

Furthermore, if you don’t ever watch a livestream, you will never understand what it’s like to host one. The greatest hack to being a good live streamer, is being an attentive viewer.

There is SO MUCH to learn from live streamers. How do they keep their viewers engaged? How often do they stream? Which parts of their live stream wind up on YouTube/TikTok? How do they start and end their stream? What topics of discussion do they bring up?

The list goes on. If you want to be a streamer, you have to be a viewer first.

Is Twitch the best platform to start streaming on?

Twitch isn’t the only platform people can start streaming on. There are other options such as YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming.

For beginners, we recommend that you start streaming on Twitch.

Streaming on Twitch is easier to set up, faster to monetize, is designed for streaming, and offers a nicer live streaming experience than YouTube or Facebook.

There are some benefits that YouTube has over Twitch but they don’t matter as much to beginners who are just looking to start out.

In the future, you can always make the switch to YouTube. But Twitch is the platform most streamers start on and that’s what we recommend to beginner streamers.

👉 Check out our full comparison of Twitch vs YouTube.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has giving you a better insight into whether or not you want to start streaming on Twitch. Streaming is an amazing pass-time with lots of advantages such as making friends, acquiring new skills and potentially a long-term career!

While there are other platforms out there, we recommend that beginners start streaming on Twitch over platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.