How to start streaming on Twitch in 10 easy steps

2. Set up your Twitch channel

Take the time (or pay someone) to create basic icons for each point you want to cover beneath your Twitch stream.

You have space beneath your stream to link to your social accounts, write a short "about me", link to where people can donate, and eventually hopefully link to sponsors! When I come to your stream and decide that I think you're entertaining and want to learn more about you or follow you, it should be very easy and visually beautiful to do so! As a rule of thumb, look at bunch of other Twitch streamers (large and small) to get a feel for what looks good and what doesn't.

Drake likes pretty Twitch channels3. Set up your social media

Take the time to set up a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook account. Don't just create them, set them up! Have a nice logo and header made, write a well thought-out bio, link to your Twitch stream, etc. Do your best to make each platform's username the same as your Twitch account. Eventually people will begin discovering you through social media and some will assume that your Twitter/Insta/FB username is your Twitch username and become confused when they try to find you if it isn't.

On top of having the same username across platforms, you should make sure that each account has a similar visual feel. Use the same logo, have the same name, make sure your Twitter and Facebook headers are the same (and resized properly for each platform). We will cover promoting your stream on social (and more) in a future article.

4. Purchase the necessary equipment!

To maximize your chance of becoming popular on Twitch, you'll need to meet at least the minimum average quality of Twitch streams. If at all possible, purchase an internet plan that allows you to stream in 1080p.

Get a good webcam! This is pretty self explanatory, people want to see who is streaming in high quality. Check out this Tom's Guide review to make an informed decision on the best webcams for Twitch streaming!

Get a good microphone! If there's anything that's more important than your viewers seeing you stream, it's them hearing you stream! Make sure to invest in a good microphone, your viewers will not enjoy or put up with low audio quality. For a list of the best mics for Twitch streaming, head on over to this IGN article.

5. Sign up for Streamlabs

Streamlabs is arguably one of the best tools you can utilize to enhance your Twitch streaming experience. With one Streamlabs account you can handle donations, chat moderation, streaming software, merchandise store and more!

On top of its various tools, Streamlabs also offers a large library of free themes to plug into your favorite streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs OBS, XSplit, etc). These can be a life saver if you're not a designer or can't pay a designer to create graphics and animations for your stream!

One of the many free Streamlabs themes available

So go ahead, sign up and at least set up your Streamlabs donation portal and get a free starter theme!

6. Configure your streaming software

We're going to assume that you want to stream from your computer. If this isn't the case and you're planning on streaming from a console, check out this Twitch Help article!

There are several decent options of Twitch streaming software, but overall the industry standard is OBS. OBS can still be a little overwhelming to a first time streamer, so if you want something simpler and super integrated with Streamlabs tools, try Streamlabs' custom OBS build which is much cleaner and easier to set up.

Streamlabs OBS

XSplit is another viable streaming alternative to OBS. I personally do not have as much experience with this platform, but from what I hear it is generally considered to be second best after OBS.

7. Set up auto chat moderation

Decide on a platform for chat moderation. There are several viable options out there for this one. If you decide to go with Streamlabs for your donation platform and streaming platform, it may also make sense for you to use their chatbot.

Nightbot and Moobot are both also great options for chat moderation. One additional note: While you should always have a chatbot moderator in your stream, as you grow it is also a good idea to build out a mod team. Give this help article by Twitch a read for more information.

8. Create a streaming schedule, and stick to it!

As with many things, consistency is key when it comes to streaming. You may not feel like streaming some days, but you really should create and stick to a regular streaming schedule. This will help your fans get used to when they can see you on Twitch and your biggest fans may even move around certain parts of their schedule to watch you.

Pro tip: create a graphic highlighting your schedule for beneath your Twitch stream and a command that your viewers can use in chat to see the schedule there as well.

9. Always act like people are watching you

The reality of streaming on Twitch is that it will take a lot of time, dedication and a little bit of luck to make it big. There will be days or maybe even weeks where you won't have a single viewer. Don't let that get you down, it's completely natural, and it also tends to be one of the biggest pitfalls for new streamers.

If I come to your stream, see you playing a game and you're not talking or don't seem excited about what's going on, I'm going to exit the stream. Your personality and commentary is a huge part of how entertaining you are and if you're just sitting there playing silently because you don't think anyone is watching you, you'll lose the viewers that swing by to give you a chance! Talk about what you're doing, crack jokes, be educational. Always act like there's an audience watching you and when someone does stop by to watch, there's a much larger chance that they'll stick around.

10. Just do it!

Some of this may seem a little overwhelming, but you can do it, I believe in you 👊! Break it down into little steps, get it done, and start streaming. Good luck with your journey and FOLLOW the Esports One Publication on Medium for more articles on how to make a living on Twitch!