February 27, 2024

How to Get More Viewers on Twitch: No, You Don’t Have to Buy Them

Twitch can be a ruthless place for smaller streamers trying to grow their audience. If you feel like you're “stuck” on the same number of viewers give this blog post a read.

Photo of two people looking at a phone and overlaid text saying "How to get more viewers on Twitch" with Twitch's logo on top
Photo by Alex Suprun on Unsplash

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Written by
Filipe Pessoa

Marketing & Sociology. Gamer and music producer.
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Table of contents

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Every streamer wants to grow their audience but not everyone knows how to get viewers on Twitch. We all know how finicky the platform is when it comes to making it easier for smaller streamers to be found. Streaming for hours and hours only to have the number of viewers stay in the single digits can be pretty demoralizing. Growing a channel takes time but sometimes it feels like, despite consistently grinding streaming hours, nothing changes. Today I am going to teach you how to start building up a viewer base on Twitch and how tools like Framedrop can help you do just that, something that will be key considering Twitch’s recent pay cuts for streamers that rely on Twitch Prime subs.

So, How Do You Get More Viewers on Twitch?

Here are the five most important tips on how to get more viewers on Twitch:

  1. Play the Right Games: Choose popular games that you enjoy playing. This taps into a large audience and keeps you entertained.
  2. Make Interesting Content: Interact with your audience, be entertaining, and provide value. Keep your content fresh and engaging.
  3. Take Advantage of Trends: Stay updated with what's trending in the gaming world and incorporate these trends into your content.
  4. Engage With Your Chat: Connect with your viewers, answer their questions, and make them feel heard. Encourage participation.
  5. Promote Your Twitch on Social Media: Use platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and Twitter to share your content and engage with potential viewers.

What to Improve?

There are plenty of areas where one can improve their channel to promote channel growth. From having a content strategy to promotion and even community building. Here I have listed some of the most important ones:

Content Strategy

The quintessential part of content creation - content. Viewers first come for the content and only then they might stay for the streamer. This is why it is important to be on the top of your game when it comes to your stream:

Play the Right Games (Choose Popular Games)

Playing the right games is super important to attracting viewers. Choose games that are popular on Twitch, but also ones you enjoy playing. This ensures you're not only tapping into a large audience but also having fun while doing it. Popular games often have a built-in audience, making it easier for you to get noticed.

Make Interesting Content

Keep your content fresh and engaging. This means interacting with your audience (more on that later), being entertaining, and providing value. Whether it's through humor, skill, or knowledge, make sure your content is something viewers want to watch. This will keep them coming back for more and help you stand out from the crowd.

Take Advantage of Trends

Stay up-to-date with what's trending on and off Twitch and especially in the gaming world. This could be new game releases, popular challenges, or current events. Incorporating these trends into your content can help you reach a wider audience and keep your stream relevant.

Create Themed Streams

Themed streams can be a fun way to engage your audience and keep them coming back for more. Specific game genres (for example, the roguelike marathons), holiday themes, gastronomic themes, themed streams add variety and excitement to your content.

Share Expertise

If you're a pro in a particular game or topic and have valuable knowledge to share, don't be afraid to showcase it. Viewers appreciate learning from skilled players and experts in their field (this is one of the reasons a ton of pro esports players do well on Twitch). This can help you build a loyal following of viewers who come to your stream for your expertise.

Have a Gimmick

Having a gimmick can help you stand out from the crowd and make your stream memorable. This could be anything from a unique streaming setup, a funny catchphrase, or a special challenge you undertake during your streams. Whatever it is, make sure it's authentic to you and adds value to your content.

Write Eye-Catching Titles

Your stream title is the first thing viewers see when they come across your stream. Make sure it's catchy, descriptive, and gives viewers a reason to click on your stream. A good title can make all the difference in getting viewers to check out your content.

By implementing these tips, you'll be well on your way to creating content that attracts more viewers to your Twitch stream. Remember, consistency is key, so keep experimenting and refining your content strategy to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.

Community Building and Engagement

By focusing on building a strong community and engaging with your viewers, you'll create a loyal following that keeps coming back for more. Here's how to do it:

Engage With Your Chat

Your chat is your main way of engaging with your audience. It's where you'll connect with your viewers, answer their questions, and make them feel heard. Make sure to keep an eye on your chat throughout your stream and respond to messages as they come in. Ask your viewers questions, encourage them to participate, and make them feel like they're a part of the action. Adding some cool emotes (especially if they are “community jokes”) can be a very nice way of making it more dynamic as well. Also, remember that Twitch offers cool tools and features to interact with your viewers such as polls (learn how to make a poll on Twitch here) and predictions.

Photo of two people looking and pointing at a phone smiling with overlaid text saying "Viewers want to be part of the stream"
Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash

Build a Community

Building a community is all about creating a space where your viewers feel like they belong. Encourage your viewers to join your Discord server or follow you on social media. Create a community hashtag and encourage your viewers to use it when they're talking about your stream. By creating a sense of community, you'll make your viewers feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves.

Make Friends

Not the parasocial kind. Take the time to get to know your viewers, ask them about their day, and remember their names. By making your viewers feel like they're your friends, you'll create a strong bond that keeps them coming back for more.

Collaborate With Other Streamers

Collaborating with other streamers is a great way to grow your audience and build your community. Reach out to other streamers in your niche (or not) and ask if they'd be interested in collaborating. Working together with other creators means you'll be able to reach a wider audience and introduce your viewers to new content.

Raid Other Channels

Raiding other channels is awesome for showing other streamers support while introducing your viewers to new content. At the end of your stream, pick a streamer to raid and encourage your viewers to join in.

Host Q&A Sessions

Host Q&A sessions with your viewers and answer their questions. Q&A sessions are a great way to build a strong bond with your viewers and make them feel like they get to know you better.

Run Social Media Contests

Running social media contests will encourage your viewers to engage and share your content. Create a contest on your social media platforms and tell your viewers to participate. Then show the results or announce winners on your stream. Who doesn’t like contests?

Implement Viewer Feedback

Implementing viewer feedback shows your viewers that you value their opinions. Take the time to read through your viewers' chat and comment suggestions and implement them into your stream. Doing this will let you create a stream that your viewers love and return to.

Offer Viewer Incentives

Offering viewer incentives and rewards will make your viewers stay for longer and feel invested. These incentives can be anything from exclusive emotes or badges for your subscribers or even viewer giveaways.

Interaction, interaction, interaction. Viewers love feeling part of the show and an engaged audience will consistently return to your channel.

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Promotion and Marketing

Being a Twitch streamer doesn’t start and end within the stream. Outside of it you have to share it with people you know, on social media and oftentimes be creative and use new ways to let people know about your stream. Here are some tips on that:

Post Your VODs to YouTube

By posting your VODs to YouTube, you're not only ghving your existing viewers a chance to catch up on what they missed, but you're also opening up your content to a whole new audience. Plus, YouTube is a search engine in itself, so optimizing your video titles and descriptions with relevant keywords can help you get discovered by new viewers.

Create and Share Clips on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Reels

Short-form videos are all the rage these days, and for good reason. Short, engaging content is perfect for sharing clips from your Twitch streams. Create bite-sized clips that showcase the best moments from your streams and share them on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms. This can be tedious but with Framedrop you can automate this process and transform your streams into short-form videos in minutes. This not only helps you reach a wider audience but also gives potential viewers a taste of what they can expect from your streams.

Promote Your Twitch on Reddit

Reddit is a goldmine for niche communities, and there's likely a subreddit dedicated to your favorite games or topics. There are also subreddits made specifically to help small channels grow by allowing these channels to promote themselves. Join these subreddits and engage with the community by sharing your Twitch channel and participating in discussions. Just be sure to follow the subreddit's rules and guidelines, as some communities have strict self-promotion policies.

Promote Your Twitch on Twitter

Twitter is a great platform for engaging with your audience and promoting your Twitch channel. Use hashtags related to your stream's content and engage with other users by retweeting, liking, and replying to their tweets. You can also use Twitter for announcements, to inform viewers of upcoming streams or even to share behind-the-scenes content.

Work on Your Branding

Your branding is what sets you apart from other streamers and helps viewers recognize and remember your channel. Take some time to think about your channel's branding, including your logo, colors, and overall aesthetic. Make sure your branding is consistent across all your social media platforms and your Twitch channel. This will help you stand out and make a lasting impression on your viewers.

Build a Website

Having a website for your Twitch channel can be a great way to showcase your content, engage with your audience, and provide additional value to your viewers. You can use your website to host your VODs, share blog posts, and even sell merchandise. Plus, having a website can help you rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential viewers to find you.

Use SEO Strategies (Keywords in Twitch Stream Name Etc)

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an important step in getting your Twitch channel discovered by new viewers. Make sure to include relevant keywords in your Twitch stream name, title, and description. Also, make sure to make the most of Twitch’s channel tags (check how to add tags on Twitch). This will help with discoverability which we know Twitch does not facilitate.

Utilize Multi-Streaming

Sounds counter-productive but it can work. Multi-streaming is awesome to reach multiple audiences and attract more viewers to your Twitch stream (Twitch has recently started allowing streaming simultaneously on multiple services).

There’s a lot of streamers out there. Make yourself stand out and don’t put all your cards on getting lucky with the algorithm. Repurpose your content and find new ways to bring people from other platforms to your Twitch stream.

Consistency and Quality Improvement

Last but not least, we’ve reached the operationals. Here are some good practices on streaming and its routine:

Stick to a Schedule

Setting a consistent streaming schedule is one of the most important steps for building a loyal audience. When viewers know when to expect your streams, they're more likely to tune in regularly. Choose a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Whether it's daily, weekly, or bi-weekly, make sure you communicate your schedule clearly to your audience. Consistency creates reliability, and reliability builds trust.

Stream More Often

Streaming more frequently will definitely increase your chances of being discovered since you will give potential viewers more opportunities to find you while live and to be recommended by Twitch. However, it's essential to find a balance between quantity and quality. Don't sacrifice the quality of your streams for the sake of streaming more often.

Improve Your Production Quality

Investing in better equipment can significantly improve the quality of your streams. Consider upgrading your microphone, camera, and lighting setup to enhance the overall viewing experience. Additionally, familiarize yourself with OBS’ more advanced features that can help you create professional-looking streams. A little investment in quality can go a long way in attracting and retaining viewers.

Don’t Buy Twitch Followers (It Doesn’t Work Anyway)

Buying followers on Twitch might seem like a quick fix but besides it being understandably frowned upon, Twitch can ban you for it. Fake followers don't engage. They don't chat or donate. They don't help your stream grow.

Twitch success comes from real viewers. They watch, chat, and support. They’re the ones doing the word of mouth. They're the ones who help you grow. They're the ones who make your stream profitable. Buying followers won't get you there. It's a shortcut that leads nowhere.

Conclusions

In conclusion, growing your Twitch audience requires a multi-faceted approach. From playing the right games to engaging with your chat and promoting your content on social media, there are many strategies you can employ. Remember, consistency and quality are key, and don't fall for the temptation of buying followers. By implementing these tips, you'll be well on your way to attracting more viewers to your Twitch stream. To speed up this growth Framedrop is your best friend - turn your VODs to TikToks, Shorts and expand your reach in minutes.

AI highlights for your streams

Get AI highlights and convert your Twitch clips to TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in seconds.

Get your clips now!

FAQ

How do I increase my viewers on Twitch?
+

To increase viewers on Twitch, engage with your audience, maintain a consistent streaming schedule, and network with other streamers. Utilize social media platforms to promote your streams and consider hosting special events or giveaways to attract new viewers.

How do you get 100 viewers on Twitch?
+

To get 100 viewers on Twitch, focus on creating high-quality content, use social media to promote your streams, and consider hosting events or giveaways. Collaborating with other streamers can also help expand your audience.

How to get 50 viewers on Twitch?
+

To get 50 viewers on Twitch, interact with your viewers, play popular games, and consider collaborating with other streamers. Utilize social media platforms to promote your streams and consider hosting special events or giveaways to attract new viewers.

How do I attract more people to my Twitch stream?
+

To attract more people to your Twitch stream, use eye-catching thumbnails, create a compelling stream title, and consider streaming at peak times. Engage with your audience through chat and consider hosting special events or giveaways to attract new viewers.

Published at
February 27, 2024
Filipe Pessoa

Having a bachelor's degree in Sociology and currently getting his Masters' in Marketing, Filipe has always followed a customer-centric ethos. In 2021, Filipe was part of one of the 3 European Innovation Academy winning projects - CultureKit - as its CMO. Since joining Framedrop in August 2022, Filipe has worked on a wide array of tasks such as Copywriting, Lead Generation, Influencer Marketing and even dipped his toes in SEO.

When not working, Filipe channels his creativity into music production in his home studio.

Favorite sport: Football ⚽️

Favorite hobby: Gaming 🎮

Favorite musical artist: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 🎸

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