Tips for Streamers (#69): CONSIDERING STREAMING BUT NOT SURE IF YOU SHOULD? Before you buy a bunch of equipment or hit that Go Live button, here are a few things worth thinking about... ⏰ TIME & COMMITMENT Streaming takes time beyond just being LIVE. Consider how often you can realistically stream, and create a schedule you can maintain without burning yourself out. Consistency helps, but your schedule needs to work for YOUR life. 🤝 COMMUNITY Trust me when I say that starting a stream knowing even a FEW people will regularly show up is HUGE. Make friends, connect with other creators, and find communities around the games or interests you love. You don't have to start completely alone. 🚨 (be careful how you publicize in other communities that you are "becoming a streamer too"... self-promotion is still looked down upon in most communities) 🚨 🎯 YOUR GOALS Why do you want to stream? Making money and becoming popular are possible, but they're incredibly difficult goals to achieve. If you mainly want to play games, meet people, and build friendships with others who share your interests, streaming can be an awesome experience even if you never become a full-time creator. ✨ YOUR ANGLE What do you want your stream to be like? Maybe you're loud and entertaining, incredibly good at a game, cozy and laid-back, creative with fun alerts and camera angles, or just someone who makes people feel welcome. You don't need a gimmick... just think about what makes your stream YOURS. 📱 CONTENT OUTSIDE OF STREAMING If you REALLY want to grow, think about creating content outside your livestreams, too. Twitch discoverability isn't great, so clips, Shorts, TikToks, and Reels can help new people find you when you're offline. 💻 YOUR BUDGET You don't need an expensive setup to start. Use what you already have, make sure people can hear you clearly, and upgrade as you go. Don't spend on things you can't afford in the hope that streaming will eventually pay you back. (Remember, Twitch doesn't pay you until you hit $50, pre-tax) 🔒 PRIVACY & BOUNDARIES Think about what you're comfortable sharing online, how much of your personal life you want viewers to know, and what boundaries you want to establish. You can be friendly and authentic without sharing everything about yourself. ❤️ YOUR EXPECTATIONS Are you prepared to stream to very few people sometimes? To spend hours creating something that doesn't get many views? Growth can be slow (and it isn't always linear). Make sure there's something you enjoy about streaming BEYOND the numbers. MY BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE... You don't have to have everything figured out before you start. Try it. Start small. Learn as you go. Give yourself permission to be freaking NEW at something. Fail. Get back up again. And... HAVE FUN! You might discover that streaming is exactly what you wanted. Or you might discover it's not for you, and that's okay, too. ... but you won't know unless you try. ❤️