When I first started streaming, I did not fully commit to it for myself. I started streaming because I wanted to help out a friend and they did not know where or how to start. Not to mention it was something my own brother had been saying for years he wanted to do. So I looked into it, got the necessary software, and started with just the most basic setup because I had no intention of actually making something out of it. I picked up little tricks here and there, learned which software was better than others, learned what things I should or should not say online; all that important stuff. Eventually, it got to the point that I enjoyed doing it and I was streaming more often than the person I was trying to help get started. The biggest things I learned from how I started and how I have seen others get started form my top three tips for anybody trying to start streaming.
1. No excuses, Start now
When you are thinking of starting to stream, a lot of people think you need to have the whole setup before hitting the button. The reality of the matter is, even when you do finally have that full setup, you are going to have outdated equipment or you are going to realize that you forgot something or didn't need another thing. So just stop thinking you need to have certain things and use what you have. You may end up finding out that you do not even like putting yourself out there and do not want to do it. What happens when you come to that realization after dumping hundreds if not thousands into your setup? Are you going to try and resell it? You will never get the full value back. So just start with what you have and you will learn as you go.
2. Network (Don't be rude and pushy, make friends)
You can NOT just hit that go-live button and assume that you are going to become a sensation overnight. You are not going to gain hundreds of followers from your first stream, you aren't going to be rolling in views just because you won three matches in a row. You need to take the time to put yourself out there. You need to network with other streamers and other communities, you need to advertise yourself and what you do. But there is a right and a wrong way to do this. Do not go into somebody else's stream and start talking about how you stream yourself, do not tell them that you are going to go play the same game and stream it yourself because you can do it better and show them the correct way to play the game. You need to make friends. You need to show them that you are not just trying to steal their community away from them. You need to let people like you and then maybe they have a self-promotion discord that you can put your link into or maybe they have a community night where they ask if anybody else streams and has tips or needs help, you can certainly put yourself out then. Often, building those close connections will get you more views because you are loyal to their community and their own friends and fans see you supporting so they want to support you as well.
3. Hide View Count
Your numbers are not everything. Sure you need to meet certain numbers if you are trying to make affiliate or partner or you really want to get the YouTube button; but, you can not just go into it expecting certain numbers and then get frustrated and shut down just because you aren't meeting those expectations. You need to be able to have the same energy with 150 viewers that you have with just 1 or even no viewers. If you sit there and you notice that nobody is watching so you do not bother talking and you just play the game in silence, anybody who pops into your stream is going to likely leave because there is no entertainment value there. Not to mention, how many times is the viewer count actually accurate on the streaming sites? There is a lot that goes into those numbers and they are often wrong. So turn it off. Play your game. Talk to yourself. Have fun. The viewers will come and you will have more people to talk to eventually.
There are tons of other tips I could give to new streamers like how OBS is ultimately going to be better because it doesn't use up as much GPU and CPU as Streamlabs does. Or how setting up a discord might help you connect with your community more when you are not online gaming. Or how lighting is everything, especially if you are going to be a cam streamer. But I personally think all of that stuff comes second to these three. They have been the things I have seen keep people struggling to get anywhere. The three that take the fun out of what you are trying to do.
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