WAIT! You shouldn’t stream the hottest game on Twitch. Here’s why… – Twitch Strategy

In the past year (2017), there was 1,799 channels broadcasting League of Legends with an average of 114,263 viewers spread across those channels.
It may be tempting to jump into a match of League of Legends and flip on the stream with hopes to pull in some of those viewers but there’s a few things to take into account before doing so. We have some tips you can add to your Twitch strategy.
First thing’s first!

The Fold

What’s “The Fold”? It’s a term used by web developers that defines the bottom of the browser window before scrolling. So, above the fold is everything you see without scrolling down. Below the fold is… Nvm, you get it.

Most viewers select a channel that appears above the fold. Just like Google search results produces more traffic for the first page of results, above the fold on twitch provides more viewers to channels within the first 3 rows.

Streaming a game that is going to put you into a higher row on the game page is a legitimate strategy. I have seen many fast growing channels use this approach.

Not only do you reach the sweet spot on the game page but you also put yourself in a prime location for raids. Let’s not forget the crowds you receive when a bigger channel goes offline either.

Your energy on stream is broadcasted to your viewers

If you’re only streaming the games sitting at the top of the game directory for the sake of pulling in viewers and you’re not actually enjoying the game you’re playing, it’s going to show on stream.

This is a problem. If you’ve spent any time listening to advice from popular streamers, you’ve probably heard how easily viewers pick up on your energy.

When you play a game that you sincerely enjoy, your viewers are going to enjoy it with you. You’ll have more to talk about, you’ll be more excited by game progression and you’ll have a better stream overall.

Build a community not just a good showing

Another good reason to look for a game that isn’t in the top row is how easy building a community becomes when you’re not sitting on the bottom of the page, 50 scrolls down.

Let’s take Subnautica for instance.

At the time of this writing, there are 2169 viewers, it’s about 5 rows down and you need a minimum of 10 viewers to get into the fold. 10 viewers is not hard to achieve especially with a game like Subnautica.

This game has a good sized following because it has so much depth to it (no pun intended). Therefore, people are interested in watching streamers new to the game. As a matter of fact, the top row has 2 streams indicating that they’re new to the game.

Given those key factors, anyone new to the game will likely receive a few fresh views from people that follow the game.

While the initial views are great, the biggest factor at play here is how many of those viewers will want to see you play through to the end. Whether that’s in 1 stream or multiple, it begins to build a community that roots you on and if they like your style, they’ll come back for more.

That’s exactly what you’re looking for. More active followers leads to more viewers from the beginning of the stream and more momentum to reach the top.

In conclusion…

Just like websites sitting at the top of the search results when you’re looking for “best VR strip club game” — you’re not going to click page 32 and select something from there. You’re going to go with something off of the first page and very rarely anything beyond that.

This strategy is useful for the average streamer with a small following and an open mind to the games that aren’t leading the bandwagon. If that’s you, I recommend giving this a shot.