Let’s be honest, back in the day, society looked upon gaming as a time waste that led to a path of nowhere. But alas, times have changed mightily. Gaming is a billion dollar industry. Gamers flock to all types of games, including the infamous NSFW games found on Steam’s network.
In today’s world, gamers can rake in at least some of that cash by opening streaming channels on platforms such as Twitch.
In fact, many celebrities make additional incoming leveraging the power of their brand name and their gaming prowess by streaming their play.
Because streaming gaming is so popular, lot’s gamers want to showcase their efforts and hopefully, bring in some extra cash. But what does one need to do in order to build an engaging gaming channel?
Let’s look.
Define Your Niche
Like anything out there, it’s better to be great a one thing than good at many. Gaming is no different. You should decide which gaming genre you are most adept at and run with that one. A clear niche allows you to target specific audiences.
For example, if you’re great at first-person shooter games, you’ll build a following faster by zoning your content in on those games. Because that audience wants to get better at those games, so you’ll lose them when you stream other types of games.
Some streamers certainly thrive playing a diversity of games, so it’s not a hard and fast rule. But selecting a game niche does make it easier to target and build audiences.
Create Branding
Your channel should possess a brand that’s consistent and recognizable. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a logo. There’s a lot of free or low-cost apps that help create brand logos. A brand logo helps infuse an identity with your channel.
Create High-Quality Content
Folks, less is always more in the case of building a gaming channel following. Strive to stream high-quality gaming experiences which showcase your talents and ingeniuity. Make sure the content is shot in HD (at minimum). Leverage the power of a superior microphone to record powerful audio. Edit your videos so your end-product engages and entertains.
Your gaming streams should be visually appealing. The content should have a hook.
Leverage Your Personality
No one enjoys listening to a boring narrator. Well, maybe the National Geographic crowd, but not gamers. Gaming is an exciting, thrilling adventure and the narration and explanations should reflect such.
Be you, be conversational. You don’t need to read from a script. Its OK to make some mistakes, being yourself and adding in some vibrance is the way.
Engage With The Audience
Make sure you respond (live) to comments as they come in. When you get big, you can’t respond to all comments and no one expects that. Cherry pick stand-out comments and elaborate on them.
Try to set time aside to reply to messages.
Be Consistent
Be consistent with your content uploads. You don’t need to be perfect, but some consistency helps build expectations for your followers. If you upload three videos in March, then don’t upload again until 8 months later, people may forget about you. Consistent uploads help keep you in the mix and build your brand.
Optimize For Search
Some call it “SEO,” but whatever you call it, optimize for the search experience. People search platforms such as Twitch for content. Make sure your titles and tags and descriptions all include terms that reflect what your content is about. Make sure you fill out your channel’s bio to reflect what your gaming channel focuses on.
Stay Current
Keep up to date on the latest gaming trends and sometimes, respond to them. Creating content that expresses thoughts regarding a current trend can help build an audience pending it’s not polarizing.
Remember, building an engaging gaming channel takes time, dedication, and perseverance. Stay passionate, continually improve your content, and foster a supportive and interactive community around your channel.