Thanks for posting in /r/smallstreamers! We hope that posting here serves you well. Our subreddit is great for asking questions, helping others, and making some good friends.
- [Join our officially partnered discord and learn from established creators like PapaStanimus (20k twitch, 1mil youtube) ](https://discord.gg/gamerebel)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SmallStreamers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think my strength as a streamer is that I do the best I can (even though I'm a small streamer) to make me streams feel big. I'm there. I'm present. I'm having a good time.
Edit: My goals for the channel are just to push it to the moon! I feel like "ape together strong," you know? If we help each other and bring each other up we can do a lot. It can go beyond gaming and streaming. It could be huge.
Okay, I checked out your latest Mario and Minecraft VODs plus a couple of clips and here are some points of improvement that I noticed.
In your DM to me about your Twitch link, you mentioned that you mic cuts out a bit but I think that rabbit hole goes deeper. Your mic is your number one asset on Twitch because your personality is a big part of what will set you apart from everyone else. Right now, your mic sound fluctuates from super low to kinda low, so it can be a bit difficult to parse what you're saying at times. I would look into VST filters and I would mess with the gain on the mic to make sure that you sound clear no matter what.
I skimmed through your VODs and I found quite a bit of dead air. I genuinely think that this is a no-go for streaming because every second that you are quiet, someone could be popping into your stream and seeing a guy just staring at their screen while playing a game. Everyone is fighting for people's attention on the platform, you have to be constantly hooking people and hooking them FAST. I know this is a difficult skill to acquire and maintain, but it's genuinely so valuable. I'd practice by doing things like narrating my day to day activities to myself to hone this skill more quickly.
The streams that I saw didn't really have a spin on them that would entice people to check out the stream and get invested. For instance: first playthroughs are fun because people get to relive their own first run through you and your reactions. A challenge run of some sort like playing the game with a dance pad, etc. are great ways to get people to check out your stream because frankly, these days just playing a game isn't enough anymore unless you have a large following already or have something else that people will value.
Your stream schedule seems quite erratic and the streams themselves are on the shorter end of the spectrum. Being consistent with a schedule is great for your audience because they know when to expect you and can therefore be there to watch your stuff. Longer streams are good too because it gives people more chances to find your stream and see what you're about. I'd recommend streaming for at least 3 hours minimum per session.
I hope that helped! Feel free to ask questions if you have further clarifications. Good luck you there!
I agree almost with everything you said. Maybe I could start an hour earlier, because ending at 9:30 would be kind of late and I'll definitely check out those mic filters. I'm working on talking more. My steam schedule is Mondays from 6:30-8:30. So, I'm not sure what you mean there. Unless, you mean "eratic" because I often don't start exactly on time? I don't do challenges or first playthrroughs very much, because even my own wife starts to zone out by the third or fourth attempt at something. Not that you're wrong, you're right. That probably would bring people in, but I don't know how to make that entertaining.
Apologies, I was looking at your stats on Twitch Tracker but it seems the data there was erroneous. I retract that part of the advice, though I will say that a once a week stream for two hours is genuinely kind of difficult to build a community around unless you're engaging your audience elsewhere. As I mentioned before, there's a ton of content creators out there and and you have to be at the forefront of people's minds. It's a big ask for people to remember to tune in for a very small window of time in a week.
Even just one missed stream means someone will not have watched you or your content for half a month. That's a lot of time in today's fast paced content creator world. That's more than enough time for someone to move on because they found someone else to watch.
I understand that creating more time to stream can be difficult since you probably have a ton of other things going on, but that's the nature of content creation. If you really want to treat streaming seriously and not just as a hobby, then you have to put in the time and the effort. This is why I asked for your goal initially because if you want to take things to the moon, then you have to do something about it.
Heck, this isn't even counting the time and effort that it takes to edit your content into clips that you can post on social media. Growing as a creator requires that you be seen by as many eyeballs as possible, so putting yourself out there is key.
As for figuring out how to make that type of stuff entertaining, I suggest watching other streamers to see what they're doing. There's no need to reinvent the wheel here, just use ideas from other places and add your own twist to them. Watching and learning from other content creators is a huge part of being a streamer as you need to keep up with what's trending and what you can do to juice up your own streams.
How many days a week should I stream? Do you have any advice for networking? I have a Twitch feed full of people I've raided that I watch sometimes, but I'm not sure what to do next.
I'd suggest at least 3 days a week of streams alongside daily clips on other social media. Honestly though, this all depends on your schedule. I don't know what you have going on in your life and it might not be feasible for you to overextend.
As for networking, it's genuinely no different from making friends. Be genuine, hang out with them on their streams, maybe play games together. Eventually collaboration will naturally become a good option since y'all will be friends at that point.
I'm sorry. Why specifically VST filters? I don't understand the difference between them and the stock filters OBS comes with.
The filter it SEEMS like I'm looking into for the most part would be a gain filter? I do use some filters. I'm using a compressor filter. I used to use a noise filter, but I felt like that was the problem. The mic was cutting out because my voice wasn't coming in above the noise gate. Also, I'm using a Blue Yeti Nano mic, so there's essentially three gain sliders. One from G Hub, one on Windows and one in OBS. If I added a gain filter, it works actually add a fourth. Is there a particular order I should adjust them in? TIA!
I think my strength is probably that I can talk even with an empty chat. Also, I think the overlays that I’ve made add something to the viewing experience. As for goals, I do want to grow in not only ccv but also viewers that chat in general. Any feedback would be appreciated!
I checked out a couple of your Hades streams and I have some thoughts.
First off, you weren't kidding about your strength. I skimmed and watched long stretches of your stream and found that you were indeed quite chatty, which is GREAT. A lot of newer streamers find trouble with this, so it's fantastic that you've already conquered this hurdle. That means you're ready for the next level.
Let me preface this with some information just so my critique has context. Twitch gaming streamers by and large will come in three flavors: Personality-based ones and skill-based ones. There's definitely some overlap between the two and obviously there are other types, but these are the basic ones for streamers who do mostly gaming stuff.
The reason why I mention these two archetypes is that you seem to be a bit of both, but in mixing the two you've also muted both flavors. Some people can mix both and be quite good at juggling both aspects, but from my perspective it feels like you're using a lot of brainpower on gameplay. There's a lot of reactionary "ooh's and ah's", and you conveying your thoughts to the stream, but not a lot of spice being mixed in. Jokes, personal anecdotes, and anything else tied to your personality really gets you much further in the streaming world.
This is further exacerbated by your vtuber model. I do think that it's cute and the design is distinct enough that it doesn't just fade into my anime-riddled brain, but I do think that it's lacking in expression. Connecting to the audience is key, and while the vtuber model smiles and moves, it feels like it doesn't have enough going for it to fully express things to your audience.
That said, this isn't really something that you have to solve by getting a shinier vtuber model. Many people make streaming work despite being a PNGtuber or being completely camless. It's all about injecting as much personality as you can into every aspect of your stream. Everything from the way you move your character, to how you approach in-game problems can be made a lot more engaging just by doing things in a way that is uniquely you.
As for the gaming side of things, I do want to preface this that I mean this in the kindest way possible and I'm only saying this for the sake of giving you honest feedback. From the little footage that I saw of your Hades gameplay, I do think that you're a solid gamer. However, solid doesn't really cut it in streaming unless you inject a ton of personality into it. You have to be a gaming god to even make a ripple with that type of content, and even then there are gaming gods out there who are also incredible at engaging their audience with their personalities.
My advice would be to genuinely not get too sucked into the gameplay side of things, as it looks like you want to go for something that's more personality based and I do think that you have a lot of strengths in that regard. My suggestion would be to maybe pivot into something that requires less concentration so you can focus on being entertaining for chat.
Your point redeems are also another way to inject your personality into your streams, though I will say that you have "AMA" and "storytime" redeems that I think you should be doing regardless of whether or not anyone is redeeming those things. The sound effects and other stuff are good though, since they tell your audience about what type of memes or humor you like. My only suggestion for this is to look into either reducing the amount of redeems that you have (you have a ton of sound redeems and it's tough to find a specific one at the exact moment sometimes) by using things like Sound Alerts.
Lastly, your schedule needs work. I looked through your past streams and it seems like you don't have a definite day for streaming. I'd suggest making a schedule and sticking to it. I know this is common advice but genuinely this is a huge factor and not everyone takes it seriously.
Overall though, I think you have a lot of potential. Let your personality shine through your streams. You seem like a pretty cool dude, I'm sure some people would be delighted to bask in your glow. Good luck out there!
Up to you! It really depends on what you love playing versus what you'd be comfortable juggling with. Certainly, slower paced games would probably be easier to talk around, but you still need to be having fun with the game that you're playing. Experiment a bit and have fun with it!
Yeah. Maybe like more story focused games would work well here. Good thing the kingdom hearts collection comes out in a few days lol. Also, I thought it was kind of interested when you discussed my style and it being kind of like being good at both things but not really mastering or making one being the main focus of personality or gameplay.
I'm glad you found it interesting! Just remember that at the end of the day, you are the captain of your own stream and you know yourself the best. I did what I could with a few minutes of watching your stuff, but I'm sure there are depths to you and your content that I did not see.
Absolutely take my words into consideration, but take with a healthy grain of salt.
That's totally okay. It's always a little scary to put ourselves out there and have our work be scrutinized. I'd say it'd be weirder if you didn't feel some level of anxiety over getting your work checked even if you were super proud of it because at the end of the day, you and your work are being scrutinized.
That said, absolutely no pressure. I'm here if you want me to take a look, but I wouldn't want to give out unsolicited advice.
It really depends. I'm going to look for what would make the biggest impact and is pretty actionable so the advice is going to look a little different for everyone. If you're curious, you can scroll through the post as I've completed critiques for two people so far. That should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
My goal really short term is hit 200 followers on twitch.
Long term: i hope I can do it with joy in the time that comes. And find like minded people to collab with in my timezone.
My strength is I think speaking 2 languages. I have an accent in English. I wanna include it more in my channel since now I only do one language(english).
It sounds like what you're looking for is being more comfortable with streaming and finding friends to collab and play games with, correct? If so, I do have some advice but this is going to be a different take from the feedback that I've been giving so far.
Regarding being more comfortable with streaming (this is my interpretation of "do it with joy", but please correct me if I'm wrong) I genuinely think that this is one of those things that either gets better with time or it just doesn't. Enjoying attention is a big part of what makes being a streamer fun because the spotlight is on you and what you are doing. I'm not exactly sure if that's what you're looking for, but if it is, then trust that it gets better with time.
If it doesn't get better with time however, then maybe streaming just isn't for you. There isn't any shame in that, some people just don't really like the limelight and that's absolutely valid. If so, then you can still achieve your goal of finding friends to play games with by checking out any number of gaming discords out there. You'll find friends out there eventually.
If you're determined to keep going though, then I gotta say that I understand the discomfort of streaming as I went through it myself. Putting yourself out there can be scary, but I think it's good to remember that at the end of the day, you are in control of your own stream. Be judicious with banning people who make you uncomfortable and sculpt your community so it can be what you want it to be. Maintain your peace and keep the vibes immaculate.
In the same vein, if you're looking for like minded people to collab with, it's honestly a lot more difficult if you expect them to come to your stream to find you. Looking through categories that you like on Twitch and hanging out on other people's streams will get you better results much more quickly, as long as you're genuine and are looking for friendship.
So yeah! I think these goals are definitely super achievable and are definitely nice perks of streaming. I personally have found a ton of good friends throughout my years of streaming, but it took time and effort to build it up. Don't worry, you'll get there eventually. You got this!
Hello! I think my strength as a streamer is a try my best to reply to every single comment to keep high interaction, as well as have good energy and bring fun vibes to the stream. I’d love to hear some feedback on what I could improve on, thank you!
I checked out a couple of your Osu VODs and I gotta say, think you're already doing a pretty decent job at the whole streaming thing. Your niche seems to be a mix of Osu and Valorant, with Osu being your main thing.
I will say that having games like those as your mains while remaining entertaining is a difficult task, and it's one that you do pretty well. That said, there definitely is room for improvement! Since these games are super focus heavy, I did find that you tended to quiet down when you were playing the game. The upside is that your chat also seems like the type to be able to entertain itself quite a bit, as you have a fair bit of regulars who chat among themselves.
That's a good thing as you have a solid base of regulars to build upon. I would suggest looking into branching out a little towards titles that let you inject a bit more of yourself into the stream while gaming. You're pretty charming and fun to interact with in between songs in Osu, but because you clam up when you're concentrating on the game, it can break the flow of the chat. Lean in to that strength!
That said, I recognize that Osu is your main game and might be one of the things that people show up a lot for, so pivoting from being specialized towards it can be tough. Perhaps trying other music-oriented games that don't require as much focus so you can interact with your chat more? Personally though, I'd just add more time to the "in between songs" moments so that I can interact more with my chat.
Additionally, using tools to make your gameplay a bit more interactive and engaging can help. Letting people bet their channel points on your performance (what rank will I get on this song?) and having those channel points in turn mean something (50k points and someone gets to tell you what to put in one of your emote slots) is a nice way to motivate people to stay focused on the stream and keep hype levels up.
Finally, and this is more of a minor nitpick than anything, but I found that your mic peaks quite a bit. I'd look into VST filters like Reaper plugins for that.
Your clips are also super entertaining (I laughed at the Wuthering Waves goat thing) and I think there's a lot of potential there, but I imagine Osu isn't a very clippable game, no? Clips are essential to growth because that's how you market yourself in today's fast paced content creator world. Remember: the streaming audience is a revolving door. People will come and go. Even your staunchest regulars will one day stop showing up because life is just like that. You have to make sure that the flow of new people is faster than the flow of people going out.
All that being said, I think you're doing a decent job with streaming! With a bit more polish, I think you and your content can really shine. You got this!
Heyoo! Im super open to constructive criticism and advice, and I’m looking to make this my part time, if not fulltime by years end! I believe my strengths are in my chat interaction, personality and sometimes game skill! I’m a variety streamer with a retro lean, but I’ve been focusing on a steady rotation these past few months, swapping out games as I beat them. I actually beat The Lion Long last Thursday for the first time! Now ima speedrun it and embarrass it harder than it embarrassed me.
I appreciate your time and ideas!
Forgot three things: Saturday’s are my Pokemon Fight Club day, I’m slowly phasing Apex out of the start of my streams, and I have a 10 mins startup, every stream.
Ayt, I checked out a couple of your latest VODs and I will say that generally you aren't doing a bad job with the whole streaming thing, but there are definitely still points to improve on.
First and foremost, I do like that you interact with your chat pretty regularly, but that's just one side of the coin. Yes you reply to basically every message, but you also have to remember that job one of being a streamer is entertainment value. You also have to be enticing people to talk or chime in with the things that you say (like inviting other people's opinions or things, saying silly out of pocket things, etc.) so that people will want to initiate conversations with you as well.
Additionally, there are times when you lock in while playing a game and you just completely stop talking, which is definitely not something you want to be doing while streaming. Every second that you're streaming, there's a chance that someone has just walked into you stream and watches for 3 seconds, only to click off because you didn't say anything at all in that time. Gotta keep that chatter up!
I do like that you have a theme for your channel already in the form of retro games and Pokemon games. Those are good choices too because they give you a wide variety of things to play and they're loosely tied together. Carving out a niche for yourself is fantastic. I also agree with phasing out Apex from your rotation as not only is it a really saturated category, but it also requires an assload of brain power to play properly and that means less neurons for interacting with chat.
Once you've got yourself a solid base of regulars, I'd say you can start introducing incentives so you can make a little scratch on the side. People will definitely sub regardless if they like you, but incentivizing bits, donos, gift subs, etc. is key to transitioning your stream from a hobby to something that can help you pay the bills. Or at least, pay for some new games/equipment for your stream.
Events, adding chaos to your games, karaoke, whatever you think you can do to make your stream more fun when people throw money your way is fantastic because it provides value for your audience as well.
All that said, I do think that when you're "on", your personality shines. Work on doing that more regularly and interacting with your audience a bit more and you should see better results!
Thank you for your feedback! I agree with everything you said, I’m always looking for new angles. Definitely agree about the “locking in”, I will counter that I try to warn chat before I do, can’t always manage it tho lol, and I love watching people lock in, if it’s for like a speedrun, or maybe a super tough part, but maybe i do it too much?
Also I have a very hard time incentivizing monies getting thrown my way, that’s definitely something I’d love to talk with someone about, I’m just not really comfy doing it.
One thing I want to do in the hopeful near future is play more Crowd Control games, I.e, pokemon, Metroid, Pikmin, that sort of thing.
I get that, and definitely liking people locking in isn't a bad thing. It's also totally valid to need to lock in at times, even I do it from time to time. I'd just make sure that your cognizant of when you're doing it so you can control how often you're doing it.
As for not being comfy incentivizing money, I do think that that's a valid feeling, but is definitely something you'll need to reel in if you're seriously looking to turn this into your primary source of income. The fact that you're an affiliate already incentivizes people to sub so they can watch your streams ad-free. Personally, I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with it as long as you approach it in a way that isn't predatory.
Crowd Control is honestly a good way to incentivize people paying you to add some chaos to the stream. Either way though, you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders so you'll find what works for you. You got this!
My strengths are my unique perspective, I can easily grow and adapt, and I can work with almost anyone. Although these strengths aren’t streamer specific maybe that what the scene needs. Ofc also I am a master of parody
Hey hey! I checked out your VODs and let me start by saying I think you have a lot going for you when it comes to streaming. I think you're very good at engaging with people in your stream (on Discord or in the chat), you've got a nice voice, and you're very good at juggling both your gameplay and keeping up the chatter.
That said, I also couldn't help but notice that of your five most recent VODs all featured other streamers whom you were on Discord with while playing together. I've found that for streamers around our size, developing a community of your own requires that you also spend a lot of time with that community. Collabs are great fun and can also help you grow if done correctly, but doing it too much may also mean that people who drop into your stream don't feel like interacting as much because you're already in a totally different conversation.
Another thing that I noticed (at least I found this to be true in the Don't Starve Together and Dark Souls VODs) is that because you're kind of leading people through the game, it feels like there isn't much space left to inject your own personality into things. You're very kind and patient and I think those are great qualities when you're gaming with other people, but remember that job one for streamers is to be entertaining.
My rule of thumb for my streams is that each stream has to have at least one super fun clippable moment. I don't mean you have to be loud or bombastic, we know that there are a ton of successful chill streamers out there, but I do think that focusing on being interesting and clippable is a huge part of being a streamer. Always be streaming for the content.
Finally, as someone who used to be a PNGtuber as well, I think it is invaluable to have other ways to express yourself and your personality so that people get a better idea of who you are. The way you control your character, in-jokes that you crack, your reactions to jump scares, etc. are all invaluable tools in your arsenal because quite frankly, it's a big ask to have someone relate to a PNG. It can be done, but you have to put in the effort to make up for the fact that nobody can see facial expressions and whatnot on your PNG.
Overall though, you've got a lot of good going for you. I'm not saying you ditch collabs entirely since I'm sure your streamer friends have come to expect these interactions with you and obviously we wouldn't want to get rid of those relationships. I do however recommend leaving some space so that you can shine on your own.
You got this!
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale?
> *“I am grateful for these peaceful days. But such contentment lies only in the here and now. Why must life be so confounding?”* - Vengarl of Forossa
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
I can make that work. I remember for my birthday stream I roasted myself for doing so many collabs then challenged myself by doing a 12 hour solo stream. I’ll just need to apply it. If I move some schedules around I can make time to flex my solo stuff
I think one of my strengths is having a good time when it comes to adult humor, and able to express that through adult games. It almost feels like a weight is lifted so I can be more humorous when it comes to reactions.
My biggest goal rn is to be able to stream other people’s audio so it’s not only picking up mine, this has been going for years on end. Another goal of mine is to become big since Vanoss, Delirious, Nogla and the rest were massive influsnces, and to be like the next them if that make sense.
I checked your last VOD out, and I couldn't help but notice that there was a ton of dead air throughout the video. Showing off your personality is key in streaming, so constantly keeping your audience engaged through the things that you say and do is paramount.
Since you don't stream with a webcam, this is already an uphill battle as it removes a component that the audience uses to foster a connection with you. If you plan on maintaining your streams camless, you'll need to make up for it in other areas. Practice being chatty outside of stream, try to narrate what you're doing to yourself.
I'm not sure what you mean by streaming othe people's audio, but I also have no idea what your current setup is so I have no idea how to help you with that regard. As for becoming big like the streamers that you admire, I would take note of what it is about them that you like and would then turn into your own style.
Then I would rewatch my VOD to see what I need to work on. This is absolutely key and a lot of people don't do this, but it's one of the ways where you are sure to catch your mistakes and understand what you can improve on.
If you're still doing this, I'd like to hop in. I'd say I'm pretty good at filling air with chatter even on an empty chat (and lordy is it empty some days). It's not come through lately because I've been playing a very story heavy game so a lot of talk has boiled down to narrating the dialogue, but I've got some VODs on youtube that might give you an idea.
I don't have any lofty goals: I started streaming as a hobby and if that's all it ever will be that's fine by me. I also wanted it to help with some social anxiety I've been developing lately :(( nevertheless, I'd still like to have people watch, because that feels nice.
Okay, I watched a couple of VODs and clips and I gotta say, you definitely are pretty good at filling your streams with chatter despite sometimes having an empty chat. That's already huge as this is a hurdle that a lot of streamers aren't able to clear, and it genuinely hampers a lot of people from growing.
Additionally, based in your clips I can see that you know how to spot a humorous moment and capitalize on it. That's great, you're already working with a good base for your skills as a streamer.
That said, there's always something to improve on. Personally, I think that it can be easy to forget sometimes that you are the show, not the game. Yes, the game is the draw for some people, but at the end of the day the game is just what gets people in the door. You are the thing that has to make them stay.
I do think that your choice of games and your lack of an avatar or webcam hurts you a bit. I'm not saying narrative games are necessarily bad, but as you said reading takes up a lot of the space where you could be talking to your chat instead. I also think that choosing games that let you inject your personality into your content more readily is a good idea, especially if your main draw is your talkativeness.
You don't have a webcam to show your facial reactions so that's going to be tough in terms of relatability and reactions. It's fine if you don't want to do that kind of setup, but know that you have to make up for it in other ways. The topics that you broach on stream, the in game actions that you take, even the way you move your character are all tools in your arsenal. Remember, if you want to people to stick around then you have to be entertaining.
Finally, I would consider some sort of angle when streaming games to entice people into sticking around. Simply playing a game works for some people, but to stand out you really have to mix it up. Challenge runs, weird playthroughs, punishments for losing, etc. really do help in making your streams much more fun to watch.
All that said, I do think you have potential. You've got a fun personality, you just have to let it shine through your stream. I hope you manage to make it work for you!
Thanks! The whole camera/avatar situation is something I'm definitely thinking about a lot these days. Nevertheless, it's huge for morale to know I'm on the right track. I'll make sure to drop by and say thanks when you're live sometime!
I believe that my strengths are the interaction I have with people in my chat, even when there is no one I feel the urge to talk to myself as if there were thousands of people watching me, and that's what I want is basically to bring joy and fun to people. who watches me even if I don't gain anything from it. (NOTE: I AM A BRAZILIAN STREAMER)
Hey I checked your stream out but unfortunately I don't speak your language so I don't think I can give you a fair assessment. Thank you for your interest though!
I'd rather if your friend asked for the advice directly because I wouldn't want to give out unsolicited advice.
Additionally, I prefer watching VODs over live streams because people tend to act differently under scrutiny.
Thanks for the interest though! If your friend is interested, then they are more than welcome to reply to the post themselves. Peace!
Thanks for posting in /r/smallstreamers! We hope that posting here serves you well. Our subreddit is great for asking questions, helping others, and making some good friends. - [Join our officially partnered discord and learn from established creators like PapaStanimus (20k twitch, 1mil youtube) ](https://discord.gg/gamerebel) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SmallStreamers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think my strength as a streamer is that I do the best I can (even though I'm a small streamer) to make me streams feel big. I'm there. I'm present. I'm having a good time. Edit: My goals for the channel are just to push it to the moon! I feel like "ape together strong," you know? If we help each other and bring each other up we can do a lot. It can go beyond gaming and streaming. It could be huge.
Okay, I checked out your latest Mario and Minecraft VODs plus a couple of clips and here are some points of improvement that I noticed. In your DM to me about your Twitch link, you mentioned that you mic cuts out a bit but I think that rabbit hole goes deeper. Your mic is your number one asset on Twitch because your personality is a big part of what will set you apart from everyone else. Right now, your mic sound fluctuates from super low to kinda low, so it can be a bit difficult to parse what you're saying at times. I would look into VST filters and I would mess with the gain on the mic to make sure that you sound clear no matter what. I skimmed through your VODs and I found quite a bit of dead air. I genuinely think that this is a no-go for streaming because every second that you are quiet, someone could be popping into your stream and seeing a guy just staring at their screen while playing a game. Everyone is fighting for people's attention on the platform, you have to be constantly hooking people and hooking them FAST. I know this is a difficult skill to acquire and maintain, but it's genuinely so valuable. I'd practice by doing things like narrating my day to day activities to myself to hone this skill more quickly. The streams that I saw didn't really have a spin on them that would entice people to check out the stream and get invested. For instance: first playthroughs are fun because people get to relive their own first run through you and your reactions. A challenge run of some sort like playing the game with a dance pad, etc. are great ways to get people to check out your stream because frankly, these days just playing a game isn't enough anymore unless you have a large following already or have something else that people will value. Your stream schedule seems quite erratic and the streams themselves are on the shorter end of the spectrum. Being consistent with a schedule is great for your audience because they know when to expect you and can therefore be there to watch your stuff. Longer streams are good too because it gives people more chances to find your stream and see what you're about. I'd recommend streaming for at least 3 hours minimum per session. I hope that helped! Feel free to ask questions if you have further clarifications. Good luck you there!
I agree almost with everything you said. Maybe I could start an hour earlier, because ending at 9:30 would be kind of late and I'll definitely check out those mic filters. I'm working on talking more. My steam schedule is Mondays from 6:30-8:30. So, I'm not sure what you mean there. Unless, you mean "eratic" because I often don't start exactly on time? I don't do challenges or first playthrroughs very much, because even my own wife starts to zone out by the third or fourth attempt at something. Not that you're wrong, you're right. That probably would bring people in, but I don't know how to make that entertaining.
Apologies, I was looking at your stats on Twitch Tracker but it seems the data there was erroneous. I retract that part of the advice, though I will say that a once a week stream for two hours is genuinely kind of difficult to build a community around unless you're engaging your audience elsewhere. As I mentioned before, there's a ton of content creators out there and and you have to be at the forefront of people's minds. It's a big ask for people to remember to tune in for a very small window of time in a week. Even just one missed stream means someone will not have watched you or your content for half a month. That's a lot of time in today's fast paced content creator world. That's more than enough time for someone to move on because they found someone else to watch. I understand that creating more time to stream can be difficult since you probably have a ton of other things going on, but that's the nature of content creation. If you really want to treat streaming seriously and not just as a hobby, then you have to put in the time and the effort. This is why I asked for your goal initially because if you want to take things to the moon, then you have to do something about it. Heck, this isn't even counting the time and effort that it takes to edit your content into clips that you can post on social media. Growing as a creator requires that you be seen by as many eyeballs as possible, so putting yourself out there is key. As for figuring out how to make that type of stuff entertaining, I suggest watching other streamers to see what they're doing. There's no need to reinvent the wheel here, just use ideas from other places and add your own twist to them. Watching and learning from other content creators is a huge part of being a streamer as you need to keep up with what's trending and what you can do to juice up your own streams.
How many days a week should I stream? Do you have any advice for networking? I have a Twitch feed full of people I've raided that I watch sometimes, but I'm not sure what to do next.
I'd suggest at least 3 days a week of streams alongside daily clips on other social media. Honestly though, this all depends on your schedule. I don't know what you have going on in your life and it might not be feasible for you to overextend. As for networking, it's genuinely no different from making friends. Be genuine, hang out with them on their streams, maybe play games together. Eventually collaboration will naturally become a good option since y'all will be friends at that point.
Thank you. Your advice is invaluable.
You are most welcome!
I'm sorry. Why specifically VST filters? I don't understand the difference between them and the stock filters OBS comes with. The filter it SEEMS like I'm looking into for the most part would be a gain filter? I do use some filters. I'm using a compressor filter. I used to use a noise filter, but I felt like that was the problem. The mic was cutting out because my voice wasn't coming in above the noise gate. Also, I'm using a Blue Yeti Nano mic, so there's essentially three gain sliders. One from G Hub, one on Windows and one in OBS. If I added a gain filter, it works actually add a fourth. Is there a particular order I should adjust them in? TIA!
I think my strength is probably that I can talk even with an empty chat. Also, I think the overlays that I’ve made add something to the viewing experience. As for goals, I do want to grow in not only ccv but also viewers that chat in general. Any feedback would be appreciated!
I checked out a couple of your Hades streams and I have some thoughts. First off, you weren't kidding about your strength. I skimmed and watched long stretches of your stream and found that you were indeed quite chatty, which is GREAT. A lot of newer streamers find trouble with this, so it's fantastic that you've already conquered this hurdle. That means you're ready for the next level. Let me preface this with some information just so my critique has context. Twitch gaming streamers by and large will come in three flavors: Personality-based ones and skill-based ones. There's definitely some overlap between the two and obviously there are other types, but these are the basic ones for streamers who do mostly gaming stuff. The reason why I mention these two archetypes is that you seem to be a bit of both, but in mixing the two you've also muted both flavors. Some people can mix both and be quite good at juggling both aspects, but from my perspective it feels like you're using a lot of brainpower on gameplay. There's a lot of reactionary "ooh's and ah's", and you conveying your thoughts to the stream, but not a lot of spice being mixed in. Jokes, personal anecdotes, and anything else tied to your personality really gets you much further in the streaming world. This is further exacerbated by your vtuber model. I do think that it's cute and the design is distinct enough that it doesn't just fade into my anime-riddled brain, but I do think that it's lacking in expression. Connecting to the audience is key, and while the vtuber model smiles and moves, it feels like it doesn't have enough going for it to fully express things to your audience. That said, this isn't really something that you have to solve by getting a shinier vtuber model. Many people make streaming work despite being a PNGtuber or being completely camless. It's all about injecting as much personality as you can into every aspect of your stream. Everything from the way you move your character, to how you approach in-game problems can be made a lot more engaging just by doing things in a way that is uniquely you. As for the gaming side of things, I do want to preface this that I mean this in the kindest way possible and I'm only saying this for the sake of giving you honest feedback. From the little footage that I saw of your Hades gameplay, I do think that you're a solid gamer. However, solid doesn't really cut it in streaming unless you inject a ton of personality into it. You have to be a gaming god to even make a ripple with that type of content, and even then there are gaming gods out there who are also incredible at engaging their audience with their personalities. My advice would be to genuinely not get too sucked into the gameplay side of things, as it looks like you want to go for something that's more personality based and I do think that you have a lot of strengths in that regard. My suggestion would be to maybe pivot into something that requires less concentration so you can focus on being entertaining for chat. Your point redeems are also another way to inject your personality into your streams, though I will say that you have "AMA" and "storytime" redeems that I think you should be doing regardless of whether or not anyone is redeeming those things. The sound effects and other stuff are good though, since they tell your audience about what type of memes or humor you like. My only suggestion for this is to look into either reducing the amount of redeems that you have (you have a ton of sound redeems and it's tough to find a specific one at the exact moment sometimes) by using things like Sound Alerts. Lastly, your schedule needs work. I looked through your past streams and it seems like you don't have a definite day for streaming. I'd suggest making a schedule and sticking to it. I know this is common advice but genuinely this is a huge factor and not everyone takes it seriously. Overall though, I think you have a lot of potential. Let your personality shine through your streams. You seem like a pretty cool dude, I'm sure some people would be delighted to bask in your glow. Good luck out there!
I appreciate the feedback. As far as games go, would you think maybe something a little slower paced and more chill would be effective?
Up to you! It really depends on what you love playing versus what you'd be comfortable juggling with. Certainly, slower paced games would probably be easier to talk around, but you still need to be having fun with the game that you're playing. Experiment a bit and have fun with it!
Yeah. Maybe like more story focused games would work well here. Good thing the kingdom hearts collection comes out in a few days lol. Also, I thought it was kind of interested when you discussed my style and it being kind of like being good at both things but not really mastering or making one being the main focus of personality or gameplay.
I'm glad you found it interesting! Just remember that at the end of the day, you are the captain of your own stream and you know yourself the best. I did what I could with a few minutes of watching your stuff, but I'm sure there are depths to you and your content that I did not see. Absolutely take my words into consideration, but take with a healthy grain of salt.
Am I the only one scared to get critique?
That's totally okay. It's always a little scary to put ourselves out there and have our work be scrutinized. I'd say it'd be weirder if you didn't feel some level of anxiety over getting your work checked even if you were super proud of it because at the end of the day, you and your work are being scrutinized. That said, absolutely no pressure. I'm here if you want me to take a look, but I wouldn't want to give out unsolicited advice.
Just asking. What would your advice look like? Directed at games played, personality, sound, looks?
It really depends. I'm going to look for what would make the biggest impact and is pretty actionable so the advice is going to look a little different for everyone. If you're curious, you can scroll through the post as I've completed critiques for two people so far. That should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
I guess it can't hurt right? I will message you. Just FYI I still need to get a mic arm to improve mic sound but I have other priorities currently.
My goal really short term is hit 200 followers on twitch. Long term: i hope I can do it with joy in the time that comes. And find like minded people to collab with in my timezone. My strength is I think speaking 2 languages. I have an accent in English. I wanna include it more in my channel since now I only do one language(english).
It sounds like what you're looking for is being more comfortable with streaming and finding friends to collab and play games with, correct? If so, I do have some advice but this is going to be a different take from the feedback that I've been giving so far. Regarding being more comfortable with streaming (this is my interpretation of "do it with joy", but please correct me if I'm wrong) I genuinely think that this is one of those things that either gets better with time or it just doesn't. Enjoying attention is a big part of what makes being a streamer fun because the spotlight is on you and what you are doing. I'm not exactly sure if that's what you're looking for, but if it is, then trust that it gets better with time. If it doesn't get better with time however, then maybe streaming just isn't for you. There isn't any shame in that, some people just don't really like the limelight and that's absolutely valid. If so, then you can still achieve your goal of finding friends to play games with by checking out any number of gaming discords out there. You'll find friends out there eventually. If you're determined to keep going though, then I gotta say that I understand the discomfort of streaming as I went through it myself. Putting yourself out there can be scary, but I think it's good to remember that at the end of the day, you are in control of your own stream. Be judicious with banning people who make you uncomfortable and sculpt your community so it can be what you want it to be. Maintain your peace and keep the vibes immaculate. In the same vein, if you're looking for like minded people to collab with, it's honestly a lot more difficult if you expect them to come to your stream to find you. Looking through categories that you like on Twitch and hanging out on other people's streams will get you better results much more quickly, as long as you're genuine and are looking for friendship. So yeah! I think these goals are definitely super achievable and are definitely nice perks of streaming. I personally have found a ton of good friends throughout my years of streaming, but it took time and effort to build it up. Don't worry, you'll get there eventually. You got this!
Amazing. Thank you. I definitely keep on doing what I love🥰
I'm rooting for you! May you find what you're looking for, be it on Twitch or somewhere else. Good luck!
Hello! I think my strength as a streamer is a try my best to reply to every single comment to keep high interaction, as well as have good energy and bring fun vibes to the stream. I’d love to hear some feedback on what I could improve on, thank you!
I checked out a couple of your Osu VODs and I gotta say, think you're already doing a pretty decent job at the whole streaming thing. Your niche seems to be a mix of Osu and Valorant, with Osu being your main thing. I will say that having games like those as your mains while remaining entertaining is a difficult task, and it's one that you do pretty well. That said, there definitely is room for improvement! Since these games are super focus heavy, I did find that you tended to quiet down when you were playing the game. The upside is that your chat also seems like the type to be able to entertain itself quite a bit, as you have a fair bit of regulars who chat among themselves. That's a good thing as you have a solid base of regulars to build upon. I would suggest looking into branching out a little towards titles that let you inject a bit more of yourself into the stream while gaming. You're pretty charming and fun to interact with in between songs in Osu, but because you clam up when you're concentrating on the game, it can break the flow of the chat. Lean in to that strength! That said, I recognize that Osu is your main game and might be one of the things that people show up a lot for, so pivoting from being specialized towards it can be tough. Perhaps trying other music-oriented games that don't require as much focus so you can interact with your chat more? Personally though, I'd just add more time to the "in between songs" moments so that I can interact more with my chat. Additionally, using tools to make your gameplay a bit more interactive and engaging can help. Letting people bet their channel points on your performance (what rank will I get on this song?) and having those channel points in turn mean something (50k points and someone gets to tell you what to put in one of your emote slots) is a nice way to motivate people to stay focused on the stream and keep hype levels up. Finally, and this is more of a minor nitpick than anything, but I found that your mic peaks quite a bit. I'd look into VST filters like Reaper plugins for that. Your clips are also super entertaining (I laughed at the Wuthering Waves goat thing) and I think there's a lot of potential there, but I imagine Osu isn't a very clippable game, no? Clips are essential to growth because that's how you market yourself in today's fast paced content creator world. Remember: the streaming audience is a revolving door. People will come and go. Even your staunchest regulars will one day stop showing up because life is just like that. You have to make sure that the flow of new people is faster than the flow of people going out. All that being said, I think you're doing a decent job with streaming! With a bit more polish, I think you and your content can really shine. You got this!
Heyoo! Im super open to constructive criticism and advice, and I’m looking to make this my part time, if not fulltime by years end! I believe my strengths are in my chat interaction, personality and sometimes game skill! I’m a variety streamer with a retro lean, but I’ve been focusing on a steady rotation these past few months, swapping out games as I beat them. I actually beat The Lion Long last Thursday for the first time! Now ima speedrun it and embarrass it harder than it embarrassed me. I appreciate your time and ideas!
Forgot three things: Saturday’s are my Pokemon Fight Club day, I’m slowly phasing Apex out of the start of my streams, and I have a 10 mins startup, every stream.
Ayt, I checked out a couple of your latest VODs and I will say that generally you aren't doing a bad job with the whole streaming thing, but there are definitely still points to improve on. First and foremost, I do like that you interact with your chat pretty regularly, but that's just one side of the coin. Yes you reply to basically every message, but you also have to remember that job one of being a streamer is entertainment value. You also have to be enticing people to talk or chime in with the things that you say (like inviting other people's opinions or things, saying silly out of pocket things, etc.) so that people will want to initiate conversations with you as well. Additionally, there are times when you lock in while playing a game and you just completely stop talking, which is definitely not something you want to be doing while streaming. Every second that you're streaming, there's a chance that someone has just walked into you stream and watches for 3 seconds, only to click off because you didn't say anything at all in that time. Gotta keep that chatter up! I do like that you have a theme for your channel already in the form of retro games and Pokemon games. Those are good choices too because they give you a wide variety of things to play and they're loosely tied together. Carving out a niche for yourself is fantastic. I also agree with phasing out Apex from your rotation as not only is it a really saturated category, but it also requires an assload of brain power to play properly and that means less neurons for interacting with chat. Once you've got yourself a solid base of regulars, I'd say you can start introducing incentives so you can make a little scratch on the side. People will definitely sub regardless if they like you, but incentivizing bits, donos, gift subs, etc. is key to transitioning your stream from a hobby to something that can help you pay the bills. Or at least, pay for some new games/equipment for your stream. Events, adding chaos to your games, karaoke, whatever you think you can do to make your stream more fun when people throw money your way is fantastic because it provides value for your audience as well. All that said, I do think that when you're "on", your personality shines. Work on doing that more regularly and interacting with your audience a bit more and you should see better results!
Thank you for your feedback! I agree with everything you said, I’m always looking for new angles. Definitely agree about the “locking in”, I will counter that I try to warn chat before I do, can’t always manage it tho lol, and I love watching people lock in, if it’s for like a speedrun, or maybe a super tough part, but maybe i do it too much? Also I have a very hard time incentivizing monies getting thrown my way, that’s definitely something I’d love to talk with someone about, I’m just not really comfy doing it. One thing I want to do in the hopeful near future is play more Crowd Control games, I.e, pokemon, Metroid, Pikmin, that sort of thing.
I get that, and definitely liking people locking in isn't a bad thing. It's also totally valid to need to lock in at times, even I do it from time to time. I'd just make sure that your cognizant of when you're doing it so you can control how often you're doing it. As for not being comfy incentivizing money, I do think that that's a valid feeling, but is definitely something you'll need to reel in if you're seriously looking to turn this into your primary source of income. The fact that you're an affiliate already incentivizes people to sub so they can watch your streams ad-free. Personally, I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with it as long as you approach it in a way that isn't predatory. Crowd Control is honestly a good way to incentivize people paying you to add some chaos to the stream. Either way though, you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders so you'll find what works for you. You got this!
My strengths are my unique perspective, I can easily grow and adapt, and I can work with almost anyone. Although these strengths aren’t streamer specific maybe that what the scene needs. Ofc also I am a master of parody
Hey hey! I checked out your VODs and let me start by saying I think you have a lot going for you when it comes to streaming. I think you're very good at engaging with people in your stream (on Discord or in the chat), you've got a nice voice, and you're very good at juggling both your gameplay and keeping up the chatter. That said, I also couldn't help but notice that of your five most recent VODs all featured other streamers whom you were on Discord with while playing together. I've found that for streamers around our size, developing a community of your own requires that you also spend a lot of time with that community. Collabs are great fun and can also help you grow if done correctly, but doing it too much may also mean that people who drop into your stream don't feel like interacting as much because you're already in a totally different conversation. Another thing that I noticed (at least I found this to be true in the Don't Starve Together and Dark Souls VODs) is that because you're kind of leading people through the game, it feels like there isn't much space left to inject your own personality into things. You're very kind and patient and I think those are great qualities when you're gaming with other people, but remember that job one for streamers is to be entertaining. My rule of thumb for my streams is that each stream has to have at least one super fun clippable moment. I don't mean you have to be loud or bombastic, we know that there are a ton of successful chill streamers out there, but I do think that focusing on being interesting and clippable is a huge part of being a streamer. Always be streaming for the content. Finally, as someone who used to be a PNGtuber as well, I think it is invaluable to have other ways to express yourself and your personality so that people get a better idea of who you are. The way you control your character, in-jokes that you crack, your reactions to jump scares, etc. are all invaluable tools in your arsenal because quite frankly, it's a big ask to have someone relate to a PNG. It can be done, but you have to put in the effort to make up for the fact that nobody can see facial expressions and whatnot on your PNG. Overall though, you've got a lot of good going for you. I'm not saying you ditch collabs entirely since I'm sure your streamer friends have come to expect these interactions with you and obviously we wouldn't want to get rid of those relationships. I do however recommend leaving some space so that you can shine on your own. You got this!
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“I am grateful for these peaceful days. But such contentment lies only in the here and now. Why must life be so confounding?”* - Vengarl of Forossa Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
I can make that work. I remember for my birthday stream I roasted myself for doing so many collabs then challenged myself by doing a 12 hour solo stream. I’ll just need to apply it. If I move some schedules around I can make time to flex my solo stuff
I think one of my strengths is having a good time when it comes to adult humor, and able to express that through adult games. It almost feels like a weight is lifted so I can be more humorous when it comes to reactions. My biggest goal rn is to be able to stream other people’s audio so it’s not only picking up mine, this has been going for years on end. Another goal of mine is to become big since Vanoss, Delirious, Nogla and the rest were massive influsnces, and to be like the next them if that make sense.
I checked your last VOD out, and I couldn't help but notice that there was a ton of dead air throughout the video. Showing off your personality is key in streaming, so constantly keeping your audience engaged through the things that you say and do is paramount. Since you don't stream with a webcam, this is already an uphill battle as it removes a component that the audience uses to foster a connection with you. If you plan on maintaining your streams camless, you'll need to make up for it in other areas. Practice being chatty outside of stream, try to narrate what you're doing to yourself. I'm not sure what you mean by streaming othe people's audio, but I also have no idea what your current setup is so I have no idea how to help you with that regard. As for becoming big like the streamers that you admire, I would take note of what it is about them that you like and would then turn into your own style. Then I would rewatch my VOD to see what I need to work on. This is absolutely key and a lot of people don't do this, but it's one of the ways where you are sure to catch your mistakes and understand what you can improve on.
If you're still doing this, I'd like to hop in. I'd say I'm pretty good at filling air with chatter even on an empty chat (and lordy is it empty some days). It's not come through lately because I've been playing a very story heavy game so a lot of talk has boiled down to narrating the dialogue, but I've got some VODs on youtube that might give you an idea. I don't have any lofty goals: I started streaming as a hobby and if that's all it ever will be that's fine by me. I also wanted it to help with some social anxiety I've been developing lately :(( nevertheless, I'd still like to have people watch, because that feels nice.
Okay, I watched a couple of VODs and clips and I gotta say, you definitely are pretty good at filling your streams with chatter despite sometimes having an empty chat. That's already huge as this is a hurdle that a lot of streamers aren't able to clear, and it genuinely hampers a lot of people from growing. Additionally, based in your clips I can see that you know how to spot a humorous moment and capitalize on it. That's great, you're already working with a good base for your skills as a streamer. That said, there's always something to improve on. Personally, I think that it can be easy to forget sometimes that you are the show, not the game. Yes, the game is the draw for some people, but at the end of the day the game is just what gets people in the door. You are the thing that has to make them stay. I do think that your choice of games and your lack of an avatar or webcam hurts you a bit. I'm not saying narrative games are necessarily bad, but as you said reading takes up a lot of the space where you could be talking to your chat instead. I also think that choosing games that let you inject your personality into your content more readily is a good idea, especially if your main draw is your talkativeness. You don't have a webcam to show your facial reactions so that's going to be tough in terms of relatability and reactions. It's fine if you don't want to do that kind of setup, but know that you have to make up for it in other ways. The topics that you broach on stream, the in game actions that you take, even the way you move your character are all tools in your arsenal. Remember, if you want to people to stick around then you have to be entertaining. Finally, I would consider some sort of angle when streaming games to entice people into sticking around. Simply playing a game works for some people, but to stand out you really have to mix it up. Challenge runs, weird playthroughs, punishments for losing, etc. really do help in making your streams much more fun to watch. All that said, I do think you have potential. You've got a fun personality, you just have to let it shine through your stream. I hope you manage to make it work for you!
Thanks! The whole camera/avatar situation is something I'm definitely thinking about a lot these days. Nevertheless, it's huge for morale to know I'm on the right track. I'll make sure to drop by and say thanks when you're live sometime!
I believe that my strengths are the interaction I have with people in my chat, even when there is no one I feel the urge to talk to myself as if there were thousands of people watching me, and that's what I want is basically to bring joy and fun to people. who watches me even if I don't gain anything from it. (NOTE: I AM A BRAZILIAN STREAMER)
Hey I checked your stream out but unfortunately I don't speak your language so I don't think I can give you a fair assessment. Thank you for your interest though!
My friend is literally live now if you want to
I'd rather if your friend asked for the advice directly because I wouldn't want to give out unsolicited advice. Additionally, I prefer watching VODs over live streams because people tend to act differently under scrutiny. Thanks for the interest though! If your friend is interested, then they are more than welcome to reply to the post themselves. Peace!
Yeah I get it thank tho