This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hey there, thanks for tuning in today. Hope you're doing well wherever you are in the world, whatever you're up to. Hope you're doing something today to work on a project that is meaningful to you. And speaking of meaningful projects, I've got a listener question for you here. Our listener today has an idea to build her project, which is a mobile game in public.
So she wants to build this project in public where everybody could watch and kind of follow along on a platform like Twitch. And this is pretty cool because there are two clear goals with this sort of endeavor. First is, you know, the actual deliverable or the outcome to build the game. And second, to attract a following in doing so. So I've got a lot of thoughts on this.
There's a bunch of segmented communities on Twitch and YouTube Live, probably some other platforms, TikTok. So I think there's totally a market for this kind of thing, but it can be hard to attract your initial following. So let's see if we can help her out. This video game developer who wants to build in public, that's the question, the question and my answer is coming right up. [Music]
Hey Chris, this is Shelly from the Bay Area.
And I have enjoyed listening to the show for the past couple of years. I've been learning about the world of mobile gaming and I'm ready to make my first app. My game will feature a monkey who swings along through the trees with a key plot twist. It's set in cities like Tokyo and Bangkok instead of the jungle. It'll be a huge hit.
But now my question, I'd like to not only make the app, but do so in public on a platform like Twitch or YouTube Live. Anyone who wants can watch me code for hours a day, potentially offering tips or even criticism. The goal is to build up my profile while making a product so that in the end, the product gets a boost and maybe I can go on to making something else. How can I connect with the initial audience? I know that Twitch and YouTube are both very competitive and compared to watching someone play games, watching someone code one could be boring.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. [Music]
Shelly, it sounds like an awesome game. I love the plot twist about the monkey swinging through the trees but set in cities like Tokyo and Bangkok. Can't wait to play it. So let us know when you have your channel up.
I would love to see it and pass it on. And just on this last point first, on the last point first, watching someone code could be boring, as you say, but watching people play games is boring to lots of other people. So what is boring to one person is exciting to another person. There are definitely a lot of people who are interested in your topic. I mean, there is kitchen YouTube, there's study web, which is a whole online community with subreddits, YouTube channels, TikTok, et cetera, study talk, it's called, where students are live streaming marathon study sessions, where all they do is film themselves with like a webcam, you know, studying.
So there's like very little engagement or direct to camera interaction. It's just studying for hours and thousands of viewers join in. So I actually think your topic idea is good. It's just a matter of how do you attract and retain those viewers. So for that, you just kind of want to look at best practices for Twitch or YouTube Live.
And I'll give you a couple of them here. Having a clear mission statement, making it really obvious to someone who stumbles upon the channel or the live stream, what it's about, you know, so that can be in the description, could be some other ways to do it, but you just want people to know, you know, I'm making a game, watch me make this game in public, you know, or something like that. And then explain how people can help. I'll come back to that last point. Second, have a schedule, you know, make sure you're going live at the same times every day or every, you know, however many days a week it is and publish that schedule.
Some people over time will, you know, begin to set their calendars to join you for that. And speaking of help, to go back to that, how can viewers help you? Like as people follow and subscribe, give them some clear CTAs, calls to action, encourage them to subscribe or to follow, encourage them to share the channel. If there's anything else they can do, if you're going to develop a Patreon or something else, just, you know, it's okay to be really clear about how you would like people to help. So clear mission statement, make it obvious what it's about, have a schedule and tell people how they can help with those clear calls to action.
That's what I've got for you, Shelly. Good luck. Let us know how it goes. Listeners, if you've got a question of your own, if you want to tell us about your project, sidehustleschool.com/questions. Always love to know what you're working on.
I hope you're taking care of yourself during this holiday season. That's it for today. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
