Minecraft is among the world’s most popular games, popular among gamers of all ages. Players create buildings and items using the various resources available in pixelated blocks throughout the game. Despite the game being over a decade old, it retains an active audience numbering in millions.
It is a favored game for streamers as people can watch them and enjoy a wholesome time. This also means that there is already strong competition for you to get yourself out on the scene and promote yourself and your stream. Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do that can give you the edge and ensure a high viewership.
Selecting The Right Platform
Twitch is the leading platform when it comes to streams and streamers. There are millions of streamers from all around the globe streaming a variety of content at any given moment. However, in recent times alternatives, such as YouTube Gaming and Facebook gaming, have popped up on the scene.
Each option offers something unique and incentivizes streamers differently, so you have to see which platform appeals to you the most. One platform may be better known but the other may offer better monetization rates. So keep these factors in mind before you start.
Active Presence On Social Media
An active social media presence is crucial for content creators on the internet, especially streamers. This is where your audience will know about your upcoming streams and will engage with you regarding off-streams to discuss various topics.
As such, you should create accounts and profiles on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. Facebook and Twitter can be used to offer updates to your fans while Instagram and YouTube can be utilized to share short clips from your streams and Videos on Demand. Montages from your game, highlights, and such can be shared which will make you go viral and bring more people to your streams.
Famous Minecraft streamer TommyInnit held an event and invited some other famous streamers for collaboration. He then recorded the whole ordeal, edited it, and posted the video as a VOD on his YouTube account. People who watch the video will be impressed by his antics and will be likely to subscribe to his Twitch and watch his streams.
Twitch Banners
Custom-made banners create a unique identity for you and instantly inform the audience regarding your streams. A banner catches the eye of the viewer and compels them to check your streams out.
Many streamers have these banners displayed on their accounts which makes them instantly recognizable from a pool of millions of streamers. Viewers can then make a choice to watch a streamer based on the content displayed on the banner.
To create a banner for yourself, you can take advantage of the many online editing and designing services available such as PosterMyWall. You can select from some of the twitch banner templates and reduce the amount of time it takes to design a banner. As most of the designing would have already been done, all you’d need to do is edit and tweak according to your needs.
In the example given below, the designer chose a minimalistic design that highlights the streamer’s name front and center. They also gave social media and other links at the bottom of the banner so people can follow the streamer over there as well and get updates. You don’t have to follow the exact same design layout but something similar can work for you.
Interact With Your Audience
As a streamer, you must always engage with your audience and interact with them to make them feel wanted and appreciated. They will be more likely to return and become long-term viewers of your streams.
You can reply to comments in the chat in your streams and give people shout-outs, especially those who give you subs and donate. This will make your streams feel more lively instead of just you talking to your camera as you play your game.
Collaborate With Established Streamers
A great way to increase your viewership numbers is to collaborate with streamers who are established with bigger audiences. Doing so will bring the streamer’s viewers over to your stream which you will then have a chance to retain. Your collab partner can also benefit as well because they get access to your viewer base in return.
Initially, you probably won’t be able to collab with some of the bigger names in the industry and will only stream alongside others who are only slightly bigger than you. But with time and effort, you will grow and soon will be able to reach out to the big wigs and collaborate with them as well.
Popular streamer and VTuber Gawr Gura collaborated with another streamer Takanashi Kiara for a Minecraft stream where they planned on building a particular statue. By collaborating, the viewers for both streamers would overlap. If the viewer for one streamer would also likes the other streamer as well, and vice versa, then both of them would gain new viewers and increase the size of their audience.
The key to being a good streamer is to be entertaining for your audience. Ask yourself, why should they watch you? If you create a good time for your viewers, then they are likely to stay for a long time and even bring their friends the next time they swing by.
Don’t forget, that at the heart of any online gamer or influencer, is a good internet connection. Without high-speed performance and quality internet connections, it’s going to diminish your experience of gaming online.
With that being said, take a look at new and upcoming internet providers and compare these to your current provider. You may find a company like Optimum internet to be a more appropriate choice for your online gaming.
By following the advice given in this article, you can give yourself a superior edge toward growing as a streamer. You should also put some hours into the game off-stream, and get good at the game. In case of Minecraft, it isn’t exactly a skill-heavy game. But it’ll pay well if you get some practice building impressive structures and the like. People like to watch Minecraft for its comfortable feel so just focus on having a good time, enjoy the game yourself, and your viewers will follow suit in no time.
