This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
How can you grow a streaming audience? In this episode, we're gonna explore how a college gamer can grow their audience and increase their chances of monetization. We're talking about streaming on Twitch here, but it could be just as relevant for YouTube or TikTok or some other platform. How do you build a loyal audience for a creative venture? And then how do you monetize it, in fact?
So we've got all these platforms, again, Twitch, YouTube, TikTok in particular, offering new ways to reach viewers. So this guy's wondering, is it time to diversify or should he stick to his original plan of streaming? What might be best in this situation and how do you navigate different situations that come up in your side hustle or small business? That's what it's all about. Welcome to Side Hustle School.
Chris Guillebeau, your host here. Detailed question coming up from another Chris and my answer after this quick shout out to our sponsor. [Music]
Hey there, Chris, college student in Texas who loves gaming and has been streaming on Twitch for about a year. I've built a small following, but my viewership has plateaued at around like 30 or 40 regulars. I'm feeling stuck because I'm not sure if I should invest more time in streaming or pivot to another platform like YouTube for better exposure.
I honestly don't know. I've also seen some others grow by using TikTok, but I'm not confident in making short form content. It looks like it takes a lot of time. Quick edits, it's not my style. What's the best way to grow my audience and turn this into a sustainable side hustle?
[Music]
Hey Chris, great name. Congratulations as well on building the Twitch following. Totally understand about the plateau situation. That's very, very common with lots of different side hustles, especially anything that's built on social media or algorithmic platforms in which you don't have complete control over what happens. But growing on Twitch or really any similar platform requires both a consistent strategy and a willingness to adapt.
I think both are critical. I think sometimes people are like, "I'm posting consistently. Isn't that the most important thing?" And I'm like, "Yes, that is essential, but also you need to be willing to change because these platforms change as well." And then also for someone who's not doing the first thing, if they're not posting or streaming consistently, well, that's gonna be very difficult to succeed. So you want to be consistent and be willing to adapt. Number one, diversify your content across platforms.
Twitch is great for building community, but discoverability is limited compared to platforms like YouTube and TikTok. So why not stream in more than one place? Or we've seen people a couple of times over the years, stream live on Twitch or another platform and then take those videos, those recorded videos from the broadcast and post them, repost them on YouTube or elsewhere. YouTube is really great for highlight reels, tutorials, gameplay videos. They tend to have longer lifespans and can attract viewers who aren't online during those live streams.
Next, you want to engage deeply with your existing audience. So Chris says he's got 30 to 40 regular viewers. I mean, that's great. Turn them into super fans. Respond to their comments, create inside jokes or language that is unique to your community.
Maybe consider a Discord server. That can be popular for some streamers. Keeps the community engaged even when you're not streaming, gives them a sense of belonging. As for monetization, introduce ways for viewers to support you beyond Twitch subscriptions, like introduce a Patreon or sell merch. Again, diversifying to other platforms will help you with that as well.
If you build enough of a following, you can partner with small brands or affiliate programs. You really don't need a huge following to get started with affiliate marketing. We've heard from lots of people over the years, they're doing quite well with that. As long as they have a dedicated following, doesn't need to be big. In fact, in some ways, it's much better to have that dedicated small following.
So in short, I think a multi-platform strategy is good these days. I think being consistent, of course, is vital, but also being willing to adapt, as noted, and just doing anything you can to drive deeper engagement with your core viewers. That will also lead you to attracting new viewers as well. Hopefully, Chris, you can turn this passion for gaming into more of a sustainable side hustle. That's my wish for you.
Of course, let us know how it goes. Anybody else out there, let us know how it goes. Thank you for listening. New episodes every day, always completely free. Subscribe wherever you prefer.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
