How to Start a Twitch Channel

Twitch is the most popular streaming platform on the internet, with millions of people watching their favourite games and streamers every month.

19:20 20 July 2020

If you’re looking to kickstart your own Twitch career, you’ll learn everything you need to get started in our streaming guide.

 

Streaming equipment and software

 

The first thing you need is obviously an account on Twitch. If you don’t already have one, you can sign up for free in two minutes. Now, Twitch is known for being very strict on their broadcasters, so it’s recommended to read through the community guidelines before firing up your first stream. Basically, these guidelines tell you what you can and can’t stream on the platform.

 

Once your account is up and running, your next step is to download a program that lets you stream from your computer. There are several alternatives to choose from, but many new streamers go with Streamlabs, OBS Studio or XSplit. We recommend OBS Studio as it’s free, open-source and easy to use. Step two is to locate your Twitch stream key and set up things like overlays and alerts, for which there are many online resources and guides.

 

When you are ready to take your stream to the next level, you might want to look into investing in some better equipment. The hard fact is that if your stream has low-quality audio and video, the audience won’t stick around for long. Some popular choices for microphones are Zalman ZM-Mic1, Blue Yeti Nano and Samson G-Track Pro. If you plan on streaming with a face cam, you’ll also want to buy a decent camera. We recommend the Logitech StreamCam or the Logitech BRIO. There are cameras and microphones for every budget, and you don’t have to break the bank to considerably increase your stream’s quality.

 

Now that your audio and video is up to par, you can think about enhancing your stream with additional streaming gear. Since you have a camera, you can improve the lighting with a few LED lights. A green screen allows you to remove the background, and you can buy a stream deck to trigger commands and change settings on the fly. And if you want to want to stream from a console instead of your PC, you’ll want to purchase a game capture card.

 

Building an audience on Twitch

 

Once you’re all set up, it’s time to start streaming. Building an audience on Twitch requires patience, consistency and a good dose of luck. The fact is that even if you have the best-quality video, excellent gameplay and a fun personality, you are not guaranteed to have any viewers in the beginning. Especially if you start out by competing in the most popular streaming categories, such as Fortnite, GTA V or League of Legends.

 

You might have better luck streaming a less popular game in order to build an early audience. These days, you can stream pretty much anything on Twitch - some people host their podcasts or have a cooking show in the Just Chatting category. In recent years, the Slots category has gained a lot of followers. In this category, casino players stream slots and other casino games from sites like Voodoo Dreams casino, often with thousands of viewers per stream. It is up to you to decide what you want to stream, but remember that you need to put a lot of time and energy into your channel if you want to fulfill the dream of becoming a full-time Twitch streamer.