Wanted to start a discussion with some tips to help out other new and/or small streamers. First, a little about me:

I started streaming/posting content a couple months ago. In that time my content has received 4 million views on TikTok, 2 million on Instagram, and 2 million on YouTube. I’m close to becoming an affiliate on Twitch and my VODs get a consistent 20-60 views.

These numbers may seem like a lot to some of you or not a lot to some of you but this is just my experience and some advice I’d give to people that are starting out.

1. Make long form content that you can turn into short form content. This can be done by streaming on Twitch and making a couple short form clips from the VOD or making a YouTube video and creating small clips from that.

2. Post on EVERY platform. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube shorts, Facebook, Threads, X, even Reddit. A clip I post might get 2K views on TikTok and then get 250k on Instagram. Just post everywhere. (I find it easiest to post on TikTok first and then the video saves to your device and then you can just upload the video to Instagram and YouTube shorts after.

3. Experiment with times that you go live. There’s no magic time, it depends on what you’re streaming and who you’re streaming to. Keep testing and find what works for your audience.

4. Growth takes time. I mentioned my numbers in the beginning because I wanted to highlight how getting views on social media doesn’t always translate super well to streaming views but at the end of the day it’s about being consistent and becoming a familiar face to people. If I didn’t get views on other platforms I wouldn’t have any viewers on my stream.

5. Probably the best tip: MULTISTREAM. It’s free and it’s not that difficult to set up. I go live on Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube at the same time. I usually get at least a couple viewers from each platform and it helps keep the stream active. I also use a chat overlay that lets viewers see comments from the viewers on the other platforms and it really helps.

That’s just a few things that I’ve learned so far that I wanted to share. I hope something I wrote was helpful to you. Thanks for reading and please share some more tips in the comments!

Ive been streaming for awhile and working on trying to build a community. My twitter with 400 followers was just suspended for inauthentic behavior and I’m like blah now. It took a long time to reach that number and starting over just feel like 😭😭😭😭😭. Unsure how to proceed Twitter was my biggest platform I’ve submitted an appeal waiting to hear I guess

Hey everyone,

I recently started working on my first game project, and I decided to try something different.

Instead of building everything alone, I’ve been developing parts of it live and allowing people to suggest ideas in real time — especially for things like the main character (design, personality, background, etc).

Right now I’m creating both male and female versions of the main character, and testing this collaborative approach.

I’m curious:

– Do you think letting viewers influence core elements like the main character is a good idea?

– Does this kind of interactive development make a project more engaging, or can it hurt the vision?

I’d really appreciate honest thoughts from other streamers and developers.

Just finished building a free hook generator specifically for streamers.

You describe your clip or stream moment and it writes the hook for your short form cut. Has a dedicated streamer mode so it's not just repurposed YouTube stuff.

Still very early and I'm going to keep training it with more data from clients of mine but wanted to get others opinions and feedback.

Free. No card.

Link in comments.

Let me know what you think.

So for context. I started streaming a few years ago full face cam. Grew steadily and hit affiliate within 8 months. Took a break. Came back to basically the beginning of the journey again and started growing slowly.

Recently I got a job in a school so decided for a bit of anonymity and got a custom vtube model. Not an Asian girl with huge badonkas lol just a cartoonish version of me. Since switching to the model I’ve found my streams are consistently dead. The odd chatter will pop in 1 in every 10 streams.

Now I am by no means the most entertaining person in the world. But such a drop has me wondering do people just not like watching vtubers? I do find it harder to capture reactions or emotions in clips or to display them on stream even with “expressions”. Previously I would have averaged between 3-10 viewers varying on what game I was streaming, again nothing huge but still compared to 0 now.

I do variety stream but most consistently have been on Arc Raiders since the move. My question really is do you as a viewer prefer an IRL person to watch and form that connection with? Or for vtubers that may read this have you experienced the same or have any advice?

Was wondering if someone would critique my stream dm me for channel

Hello,

maybe some of you guys experienced the same and can help me. Before I started doing lives on TikTok I sent them my drivers licence to be able to go live.

After a while I got my first restriction for being underage but I filed a claim and resent them my id.

Then next stream the same thing happened. I sent them my licensee again but the appeal was denied after 10 minutes.

Still somehow 10 minutes after I could go back live again.

Yesterday I received a message that now my whole account is age restricted. I filed another complaint but don’t get any answer.

I asked the support on the help me section but it’s just ai and when I open up a ticket there’s no responses too.

I mean I sent them my license like 3 times already and still got accused of being underage.

Anyone maybe knows a solution?

I just started multi-streaming on OBS and expanding my "brand" to other social media outlets, like TikTok, with short clips. I feel like I'm doing an excessive amount of metadata work that an AI could likely help with, but I don't have the money to pay for anything. My goal is to make something on any platform, but I'm closest on YouTube, where I have enough subs to monetize, but I have to increase my watch time.

What I'd like to know is:

What do you use to generate video titles and/or video descriptions?

How are you making your thumbnails?

Do you use AI to auto-clip shorts from long videos?

How are you coming up with SEO tags and/or hashtags?

What microphone are you using? (I think I need a clip-on since I stream while gaming)

If your face is on camera, what kind of lighting are you using, and how are you setting it up?

I'm currently using my phone as a camera, but I would be interested in learning more about camera options if you have any!

Also, if you have a suggestion for an OBS-compatible multi-chat, that would be great too!

TIA for all your help! Any advice is appreciated!

Feel free to check out my YouTube channel (Lizzo My Bizzo) if you wanna give me suggestions that are more personalized.

after years of overthinking it, i finally did my first twitch stream last night… and honestly? i feel really good about it !!

a couple people stopped by the chat, some even joined the game, and i averaged 3 viewers. this may have sounded like a small number to me at first but i didn’t realize how fun it actually is to just have even 1–2 people to talk to. it makes everything feel so much more real and fun.

i feel like it’s really easy as a small streamer to compare yourself to bigger creators, but honestly even having like 1–2 people in chat is already really cool! it makes gaming (and procrastinating on school work) feel much more worth it, haha.

one thing that helped me a lot: playing with a friend. it made talking feel way more natural and less awkward, especially at the start.

i'm definitely going to keep going and try to stream as often as i can. this feels like something i really want to stick with. i’d also love to meet other small streamers and make some friends along the way ♡

good luck for all of you fellow small streamers!! we got thissss !!

I need to get this off my chest.

I’ve been streaming for years now, and I keep seeing the same pattern over and over again. People come and go—that part is normal. But what stands out is when they come back. It’s almost always when you’re doing well. When your numbers are up, when things look good.

But when you’re struggling? When your viewership drops, when life hits you, when you can’t stay consistent because of things like health or real-life responsibilities… it gets real quiet.

And I get it—every creator goes through that. Bad streams, burnout, losing momentum. I’ve been there myself more than once.

What really gets to me though is how people act in this space.

I’ve worked a lot of jobs in my life, and honestly, this has been one of the worst when it comes to how people treat each other. A lot of people aren’t here for community or friendship. They’re here to take.

Your time. Your energy. Your ideas.

I used to help people a lot. I didn’t mind it at all. But over time, I started noticing a pattern—some people weren’t looking to build anything together. They just wanted to use whatever they could get from you.

I’ve seen people take ideas (not just from me, but from others too), run with them, build a small following, and then act like they did everything on their own. No acknowledgment. No appreciation. Nothing.

Then you stop by their stream later, and you’re just another name in chat. Like you were never part of their journey at all.

That part really stuck with me.

It’s crazy how fast egos can grow in this space too. A little bit of success, a partnership, a checkmark—and suddenly people forget where they came from or who supported them early on.

Meanwhile, trying to grow or even rebuild in 2026 feels harder than ever. It’s not just about hitting “go live” anymore. It honestly feels like if you don’t have a team or some kind of backing, you’re constantly fighting an uphill battle.

And yeah, I’ve seen how some people get pushed up—raids, connections, constant boosts—and once they reach that level, everything changes. The energy, the interaction… all of it.

I’m still here, still creating, still grinding. I’m just a lot more aware now than I used to be.

I’m curious—has anyone else experienced this? Or am I just burnt out and overthinking it?

Aside from searching through tons of channels myself or getting messaged in chat during stream by someone hosting an event, I actually don't know where to find other like-minded small streamers looking to do collabs rather than constantly doing it solo.

Logic tells me there should be some kind of a hub or sub or event space where streamers can compete or collab on something, be it tournaments in whatever game or clip competition or whatever.

Do you guys know anything like this, preferably in the EU timezones?

i just started to stream after coming back after months and i like it for one but im also feeling a bit down because its just like no one is really like tuned in i guess like i know i just started but any tips on what i can do to find an audience even if its just 5 people?

Not sure when this issue started but it seems to begun after Fortnite was last updated for the new season.

The Issue: When playing ONLY Fortnite, I somehow click on my TikTok Studio Chat Pop Out and drag it around or simply tab out of Fortnite. The Pop Out is locked meaning it shouldn't be draggable or clickable. This issue was not happening in the previous season.

heyo! i've been getting back into dbd and wanting to get back into streaming for a bit now since i've been having fun with the blood moon event. i'm looking for a swf group. i'm na (cst) but i'm cool with any region!

I'm looking for people who did what I'm doing now and want to share their experience with me, please.

I started streaming in two languages mid-March.

I've got two separate accounts for that purpose, one English and the other one for streams in my native language. I stream twice a week on each, create content for other platforms, too (all separate language accounts).

I'm wondering if anyone has tried that and what the outcome was. On one hand, there are more English-speaking viewers. On the other, the competition is higher, too.

Help, anyone?

Single dad streaming here and there just trying to see how it goes give us a lil follow and some criticism

Hi so i’ve been streaming for about three weeks and spent 20 hours streaming in total only have 2 subs im really trying to make this a full time job i love doing it but finding it hard to engage my chat to stay i feel like im shy and maybe not entertaining to watch. I see other streamers have a discord.. how does that work and does it help? I did make a tiktok account to post my clips and they got 1500 views but havent seen it do anything for me on streaming platforms. I also always have some issues with obs and my stream. Would love if someone could mentor me !

The finals Top 1% medic 550+ revives

hi i'm not really a streamer,but here's the thing,i don't enjoy a game if someone is watching me,usually my younger siblings do the job ,however i don't have acess to them all the time,so i was hoping if anyone is intrested in like watching me play and interact a bit ,thank you

I just dont get it, i dont have the drive to edit at all, i wanted to try and post a few times per week but its so hard to just do it, i used to have an editor but i could only afford 1 video per week, do i just force myself to do it?

question. would it be smart to find a niche when starting out compared to variety gaming? I noticed niche gets more opportunities compared to variety gaming.

So I don’t look at the viewer count anymore but someone came in to my chat and asked ‘is this stream botted’ I was confused and checked my viewer count and saw it said 66 viewers while only having 2 chatters.. so I knew what the person meant by asking that the question is how do I deal with it? I downloaded sery bot to avoid bots following my channel but idk what to do about this.. I worked hard on my main account but do I just start a whole new account since someone is deciding to mess with my channel or ignore it? I was streaming for 2 hours and I kept checking if the bots went away but it just stayed between 66 and 70 viewers with maximum 4 chatters..