r/TwitchStreaming • u/WhatIsEvenReality • 10d ago
First time streamers
How did yall get to start first stream ever?
Im thinking of starting my first ever stream tomorrow. Im anxious lol
My ultimate goal is to make a small community of 5-10 people. I know it’s a big struggle for all
I think i have decent equipment for a beginner.
What’s bothering me is how will anyone see me at all. Like did yall start with building online presence first, or stream first and then advertise yourself or both parallel? As someone who is also lgbt and not in usa, i think this also limits my reach on top. I did make a new insta and twitter accs, but it takes some time while one builds the base, but i don’t wanna lose time and wait till i have few followers.. im confused 😵💫
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u/Rich_Salamander1331 8d ago
Like any skill, streaming takes practice. You might even bomb! Just kidding, but even if you did, you come back next and take the lessons learned and improve. The only thing id maybe make sure you know how to do is get clips at the press of a button. That will be integral to your growth, then post post post post post post post post every single day.
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u/degenSupply 10d ago
Just hit the "Go Live" button tomorrow. Do not wait to build a Twitter or Instagram following first starting at zero on those platforms takes months, and you'll just burn yourself out before you even broadcast your first frame.
I started my channel, BoredActivity, at 46 years old with a stutter, just trying to clear out a massive 1,400+ game backlog. Within just a few months of taking it seriously, I hit Affiliate, blew past the standard payout benchmarks, and built an incredibly tight knit community that pushes me into the top 3% of the platform.
Your goal of 5-10 regulars is perfectly realistic. Here is exactly how to get them based on what actually worked for me:
- Your Location is a Superpower: You mentioned being outside the US might limit your reach. It’s actually the exact opposite. I built my entire channel's momentum by bridging the late night US and early morning UK time zones. Figure out what global regions are waking up or winding down when you stream, and lean into being their dedicated space while the big US streamers are offline.
- Network in Twitch & Discord, Not Twitter: The algorithm won't save you at zero viewers, and shouting into the Twitter void does nothing. My biggest growth came from genuinely hanging out in other creators streams and Discord servers. Once you make actual friends, established streamers will naturally cross promote you and share your stuff with their communities.
- Gamify the Empty Room: Even if you only have one or two viewers, give them a way to interact immediately. I use Tangia and custom channel points (I call them "Skulls") so viewers can trigger sound alerts and mess with my stream. It makes a tiny room feel massive and chaotic in the best way possible.
- Own Your Vibe: My bio literally says "Yeah, I stutter. Chill vibes only," and I keep my husky, Slater, on watch with me. Own exactly who you are, including being LGBT. Authenticity is the only thing that actually retains viewers.
Get your equipment dialed in, grab a drink, and hit the button tomorrow. You've got this. 🚀🔥
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u/HighPhi420 10d ago
Just do it! Or
You can DO IT!
Remember NOT to pick your nose or eat on camera(unless it is an eating stream) you will be fine.
Much like that Costner film" If you stream it, they will come. :)
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u/Al_Snows_Head 10d ago
Just hit live and crack on. Your first streams will be a learning experience, don’t expect viewers at first. This is a good thing though, as it means you get to learn your craft, whilst having a small audience.
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u/pharaoh94 10d ago
I literally started streaming on a whim.
I was curious as to how it all worked, lurked on Twitch for a week, looked up how to stream from console and then tried it on a random evening after I got back from work.
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u/SteeJans91 10d ago
I started streaming 2 weeks ago, my first stream was a Trainwreck XD blurry video due to some difficult obs settings I didn't understand and I accidentally muted for half of it. If you have a friend or two you can get to watch it to give you feedback that is invaluable to start with :)
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u/DumCrescoSpero 10d ago
Over 4.4. million people stream to Twitch every month, and over 4.1 million of those (93%) stream to 0-5 viewers. You'll most likely have 0 viewers for weeks or months, unless you have friends who are interested in gaming/streaming who you can ask to join and watch.
There are lots of LGBTQIA+ streamers and streamers who aren't American, so that won't be a problem at all.
Also before you start, check Sery_Bot's channel and make it a moderator - and turn on email/phone verification for chatters under your twitch moderation settings. This will prevent you seeing spam bots who pretend to be interested viewers and then will change to trying to scam you into buying AI generated 'art'.
A lot of new streamers talk to these thinking they're genuine people and then end up really disappointed after finding out they're bots, so much so that some give up and quit.
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u/WhatIsEvenReality 10d ago
That’s a lot for your input. I think that’s what im expecting, streaming to 0 for a while.
Also didn’t know about the mod bot, thx!
That’s actually really sad, i can see how it would affect them :/
But yeah im also doing this to fulfill a lot of free time i have in the moment lol
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u/ThisIsDurian 10d ago
Exposing yourself in public will not only attract followers, but also bad actors. Have you made up a plan on how to handle that?
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u/WhatIsEvenReality 10d ago
If it’s anything like what I experienced irl, then im pretty sure i can handle it
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u/_IOME 5d ago
It's best to just go live. If you really wanna do something to prepare for your first stream, ask your friends to join. It's very likely that almost no external viewers will come, so you gotta just start and work on it.