How to Become a Variety Streamer on Twitch: The Beginner’s Guide

Achieve your game streaming goals by becoming a successful variety streamer on Twitch with the help of our comprehensive guide.

13:04 26 July 2021

A Comprehensive Guide to Becoming a Successful Variety Streamer on Twitch

 

The lure of becoming a Twitch streamer is very real, with more and more content creators becoming popular, famous and wealthy through the streaming platform.

 

When a potential streamer has a specific game or niche they find interesting, knowing how to proceed is a little easier. You focus on the game (or games) that you enjoy playing the most, build an audience through that game (or games), and then progress even further over time.

 

How can a person succeed on Twitch if they have many interests? The kinds of content creators are called variety streamers, as they stream a range of games during the week.

 

Below is a comprehensive guide that should help you become a successful variety streamer on Twitch.

 

Entertain Your Followers

 

The first and most important tip for any aspiring Twitch streamer is that you must entertain your audience. Whether you are doing a crossword puzzle, playing Fortnite, or going through The Last of Us, you must have a personality that is worth following.

 

Keep in mind that most people do not go on Twitch because they want to watch quality gameplay. If a person only wants to watch gameplay, they can find plenty of YouTube videos. They could even play the game themselves.

 

Viewers are on Twitch because they want to connect with streamers. So long as they have some interest in the game you are broadcasting, you can chat with them and build a rapport.

 

Understand Your Audience

 

Even if you are planning to spend time on Twitch as a variety streamer, you must have some idea about who your target audience is. Streaming variety games can be a lot of fun, provided you can build up a large group of followers over time.

 

Think about who will make up your audience. Are you targeting people who are in high school or college? Or do you want to focus on the older demographic of gamers, who are now on Twitch watching younger content creators?

 

When you begin to understand the audience you are targeting, you can better cater your streams to their preferences. Even though your stream should be enjoyable to you, the audience is king on Twitch. They must enjoy what you are offering, or your channel is unlikely to succeed.

 

Create a Set Schedule

 

One of the easiest ways to lose your audience on Twitch is by streaming irregularly. Unless you are a huge content creator with more than 100,000 followers, you cannot take the risk of streaming at random times.

 

Assess your schedule and find the best times to stream each day, if you plan on streaming daily. You can choose to go live on Twitch one or two times a week, but even those sessions should be planned ahead of time.

 

Audiences want to establish a routine. If they know that you are online between 10am to 2pm on a Monday, they will be ready at that time to watch your latest stream.

 

Play Unique Games

 

The variety streaming niche on Twitch encompasses many content creators that have different styles. One of the ways that you can stand out among the crowd is by playing fun and engaging variety games.

 

Depending on your age and interests, you may even want to try playing one or two casino variety games on stream. Your followers would have a lot of fun watching you gamble real money, whether you win or lose.

 

Latch On To Trendy Games

 

A big advantage of being a variety streamer is that you are not locked into a single game. While other streamers have to spend most of their time on specific games, you can choose the games that you find the most interesting on a given week.

 

Say there is a new game that everyone is discussing. Since you are a variety streamer, you could download that game and play it for a few hours, especially if it is free to play.

 

Taking such a step can help you bring in a new audience to your channel. People who recently started following that game will discover your stream and check out your content.

 

Latching onto trends can catapult your account to success. Even if you are not the modest ardent enthusiast of the game in question, playing newly popular games is a must for any variety streamer that wants to build an audience.

 

Create a Marketing Strategy

 

Being a streamer is about so much more than playing video games and talking with your chat. If you are planning to make a living off Twitch and other streaming platforms, you must be ready to pursue a marketing campaign to elevate your channel.

 

Boost your channel by connecting with other streamers in your niche. You can talk with other variety streamers or people who stream a game you recently started playing. Connecting with such streamers can help you learn the ins and outs of Twitch, while growing your view and follower counts.

 

Collaborating with other content creators is so helpful. Perhaps you can plan a joint session with another Twitch streamer. If they have more followers, your account could get a huge boost.

Other marketing strategies include having the same handle on all your social media accounts, promoting your live Twitch sessions on other platforms, and leveraging your follower counts to gain sponsorships from reputable brands.

 

Offer to Host Channels

 

One of the customs in Twitch when you are about to end your session is to host someone else. You may have a few thousand people watching your stream. They can start watching another stream if you host that streamer on your channel.

 

Hosting other channels is not only a positive way to assist the Twitch community, but it also builds mutually beneficial relationships. Other streamers can host your channel, and they might even give you a shout-out on their social media platforms.