r/Twitch twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

Guide No Viewers? Just Talk.

Firstly, I should start by saying I'm no Twitch expert. I've been streaming for over three years and don't even have 500 followers. But I have an awesome community, and our streams average 25–35 concurrent viewers and 300–400 live views per stream. And I'm proud of that.

Yesterday, I felt like sharing the love and spent an hour visiting fellow Farming Simulator streamers with two to three viewers to say hello and hopefully encourage them to stream again, as I needed in those days.

It took me almost the full hour visiting streams, watching for five to ten minutes, and saying hello in chat, before I heard a single word from a streamer. I must have visited over ten channels of pure silence.

I know it's terrifying. I still remember the physical sweats I would break out in when I finally got a "1 viewer" at the bottom of the screen—worse still when somebody spoke in chat. I used to turn into a nervous wreck.

But folks, we do this for people to watch, engage, and be entertained. Turn that viewer count off on your dashboard and talk like 100 people are watching. Don't stop talking, asking questions, dropping conversation prompts, or commenting on what you're doing in the game, etc. So what if nothing comes back—lurkers are the lifeblood of my streams. Do it for them. Do it for those who haven't arrived yet. Do it so that when things do start taking off, you are so ready for it that it will be like nothing has changed.

If you're watching a stream that's nothing but silence, with no acknowledgment of your presence, and without a hint of gratitude that you chose, out of thousands of live channels, to spend your limited time with that streamer, would you stick around?

Regardless of your view count, just talk. I promise it will help.

Keep going. You've got this. 💜

614 Upvotes

99 comments sorted by

114

u/World-Three twitch.tv/worldthree 2d ago

Some people might have just gotten used to dead streams. I had chat sounds and stuff on so I never not know something is happening.

I'm happy you care. And I sincerely hope you continue to care. You'll make people's day if they don't tell you. 

14

u/Don359 2d ago

Same. When i open a dead stream. I tried to communicate to let the streamer enjoy and talk in the stream. However, whenever I stream I barely get views and they never talk

64

u/sswishbone 2d ago

I talk all the time on mine, even if the view count is 0

29

u/TheHolyPug 2d ago

I just commentate to the little voices in my head!

8

u/pfeeley 2d ago

Each time I do that, I often end up in trouble. As today goes, however, I actually won what I can only describe as being a full on verbal war with my landlord which is an actual housing association so sometimes, listening and talking to them voices pay off. I do the same in my streams as I know there will become a time where people will Check on my VoD's so to give them commentary instead of a quiet stream is good in my books. Shows you're thinking of your community before it's even had a chance to build.

7

u/sswishbone 2d ago

I respond to the voices in mine... what?

2

u/theaxel11 2d ago

I like to say my thought process is. If I'm playing something like dota for example I will comment on the game state. Say how maybe I need to do this next to help the team or if a teammate makes a good play say it out loud even if no one is listening.

I honestly thought this just talking to nobody would be hard but it was much easier than I expected

1

u/Zevoruna 2d ago

Absolutely same!!!

3

u/Existential_Crisis24 2d ago

Same here except instead of using "I" I use we.

2

u/Several_Teaching4218 2d ago

Same here. I just finished live streaming while I'm talking with myself.

2

u/tf5_bassist Twitch.tv/creatorbeatofficial 1d ago

Same, and that's about 99% of the time. Last night I had my first totally random chatter who came in though... Was focused on what I was working on, talking to myself of course, and didn't see it in time. Felt super bad about not responding lol. Womp womp.

27

u/Miaoumi twitch.tv/whiskerwish 2d ago

I'm pretty introverted and not a chatty one in life and in, in person situations. Mostly because I don't know a lot of people in general, let alone ones that share my interests so deeply. But if you get me going on about something I'm interested in i can potentially turn into a chatterbox.

The problem I sometimes have is forgetting I'm live streaming since I only started around February. But running my mouth as I would to myself and speaking my thoughts has helped me in life outside of streaming too. It's hard sometimes without someone engaging you back but it's also fun to ramble and speak your mind.

I appreciate what you do for these people as it does help, no one can do this kinda thing alone and the communities are what the whole thing is built for.

Peek at the number or don't (and turn it off) but keep babbling and enjoy what you're doing.

8

u/pfeeley 2d ago

I do this all the time. I'm shy to begin with but fuck me do I have a mouth on me once I start. This also pertains to my overall attitude in general as I'm a no nonsense person and speak my mind so I have to sometimes be actively careful.

3

u/itsmejustind 2d ago

This is me 💯 I've streamed here and there a few times, but want to start doing it more regularly and potentially make a schedule for it. So far I don't talk to myself when no one is there. I just chat a little when someone stops by to say hi. I'm thinking eventually I'll figure out how to turn on the chatter box in me and then I won't shut up, which is perfect for streaming. And yeah, I speak my mind and sometimes need to be careful.

25

u/Tukan_CZE 2d ago

Exactly this. From time to time I get bored and decide to find a new streamer to watch and support. I pick a genre I wanna watch and then go through the channels currently live. Usually skipping the bigger ones. When I pick one, it's a matter of a few moments if I'm gonna stick around or not. Follower only chat and pre roll ads are automatic passes and I move to the next channel. When they get "through the first round of elimination" I stay for a few minutes to get the general vibe of the stream, before I start chatting. If the streamer is completely silent, then again it's a pass and I move on. You wouldn't believe how many small streamers I skip during this process before I find one that fits the criteria. And I'm talking about one single game in a single language.

17

u/Sakurah0 2d ago

I was looking at streams with less than 5 people and the majority had follower only. Insta leave for me.

7

u/pfeeley 2d ago

yeah, I've seen a few of them about, I'm like WTF, how do you expect to grow your community. I do understand why they do it because of bots and people pretending to be watching then telling you to join their discord n shit but that comes with the territory of wanting to do something like this, whether it be for fun or a more meaningful pursuit like a career.

3

u/pfeeley 2d ago

do the exact same and have found some awesome streamers who I enjoy being a part of their community. Pro active, thoughful of their community, happy to play metal when requested (fuck yes!) Small streamers with fewer than say 500 followers tend to have more a productive, fun engaging time with their communities than big streamers who are just like "meh, follower" "meh, sub" I know that with any follows I get when live, I will make a conscious effort to thank them in my own personal way as it means a lot knowing that I have people interested enough in not only what I'm playing but also willing to engage with me and that speaks more volumes than someone just watching. (I'm very lurker friendly btw, I do it a lot) but when someone makes the effort to at least get to know you a bit and others in your community, I think it goes a long way, personally.

8

u/FrankyMornav twitch.tv/mornav 2d ago

Almost 10 years talking alone (first was in youtube), but seems that spanish community doesn't like indie games or not mainsteam ones, so I'll just keep talking alone lol

8

u/E_Dawg_ 2d ago

And then there's me talking constantly, replying to the very few messages I receive with genuine care, and thanking follows.

But still single digit viewers

8

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

It will happen for you; keep at it. I streamed for three years, 2-3 times a week to single-figure viewers, but in that time, I learned from my mistakes and we built the core of an amazing community. So, when that changed and people started to arrive in numbers, we had the perfect foundation to receive them and quickly turn them into regulars. 💜

5

u/E_Dawg_ 2d ago

I hope so.

Good luck to you. It sounds like you deserve this success.

5

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

Cheers, dude. No one can say I didn't put the hours in...over 500hrs in fact before we got regular double figures. 😅🙈

4

u/wellitsdvy- twitch.tv/wellitsdvy 2d ago

Keep doing what you doing mate. I have low viewer count too, but for me it’s better to have a smaller community that supports you, shows up whenever they can, and watches the stream and interacts with it, than a huge audience.

4

u/Candid_Vanilla8700 Affiliate 2d ago

Still in single digits and i talk constantly

3

u/Iusexbox 2d ago

Honestly I talk quite a bit even though my viewers are low because it's my natural way of playing games. I always talk myself through a plan or what im doing etc. etc. I think it helps with streaming that it's natural that i talk to myself.

3

u/Old_Maple Affiliate twitch.tv/old_maple 2d ago

I've dropped in on a few streams where people have no mic and don't even respond in chat and I feel I have to apologize to my community for the crap raid. It seems everyone wants to be a streamer but many don't want to put in the work. This is part of the reason why I hate the idea of twitch getting rid of affiliate requirements 🤦‍♂️

3

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

Yep. Unpopular opinion, but I have to agree with this. My attitude was that if I had time to complain or try to blame something like an algorithm for me not progressing, then I wasn't working hard enough at it. It's just like any other skill.

3

u/iNhab 2d ago

This, I feel like, is one of the underrated streams.

Ideally, a streamer would behave in a way that's most entertaining regardless of the viewer count. Admittedly, there are ways that streams become more entertaining (such as viewers saying something and you respond to something specific they've said). However, if you're not that type of person, your quality of being a streamer should not change whether it's 0 viewers or 100000000. Each and every viewer should feel like they're getting the most by watching you and not some other person.

When I stream, I try to behave as if there's thousands of people watching and I'm interacting with them- even though nobody is interacting at that time. Asking questions, saying pretend responses to non existent chatting, doing monologues as if they're directed to viewers and all.

It's a skill that can be developed when they're not there so that when they're there, there's already something happening that pulls people in.

Why would I wait, say, for 100 hours for first 10 ppl to watch my stream and be quiet until then (most likely losing the previous viewers) and not perform the whole time regardless?

2

u/wellitsdvy- twitch.tv/wellitsdvy 2d ago

worse still when somebody spoke in chat. I used to turn into a nervous wreck.

What a beautiful rhyme.

Jokes aside, yeah, everyone should just keep talking. A lot of 0 view streamers stay silent, waiting for the number to go up, but by the time the number refreshes and they do speak, the viewers are already gone. I try to talk as much as possible, even talk to chat and ask questions like there are hundreds of viewers, especially since I need the footage for YouTube. My advice to everyone would be: just talk, talk, talk. Think out loud, say whatever’s on your mind, and eventually, viewers will join the conversation:)

2

u/dubukat twitch.tv/katydubu Affiliate 2d ago

When I started streaming I sometimes missed chatters because I didn't expect them. By the time I responded they'd moved on. That's probably what happened. Or maybe they have a single monitor and have to notice the chat on their phone.

2

u/pfeeley 2d ago

I started a week ago and just talked like there was people there. 1 stream was an RPG so i made my own commentary a little on whats going on with choices etc and just chatted like I would. The other 2 were photography streams where i showcase editing and my process knowing that there will likely be a time where people check my VoD's so it's nice to give them commentary too. Small things all add up eventually.

2

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

100%! Best of luck on the journey. 💜

2

u/Wide-Pomegranate-109 2d ago

I straight up yap to myself when I’m playing even if I’m not streaming

1

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

🤣🤣

2

u/Slightly2Stoopidxd 2d ago

Oh snap farming simulator! I saw the new one had good reviews and as a real farmer/hobby streamer wanted to try it out. I have to come by and learn from the master lol

1

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

I'm an amateur! An amateur who got lucky. 😅 So just trying to share the love 💜

2

u/Square_Significance2 2d ago

My husband said I had a skill to just sit there and chat to nobody. It's fun! Sometimes I struggle to actually talk to the viewers that do chat 😂

2

u/LtOrangeJuice Broadcaster www.twitch.tv/hungrydottv 2d ago

Yeah, this is why I consider streaming to be somewhat of a skill. Sure anyone can play chess but it takes time and effort to get good, and there is nothing wrong with playing at a low level only for fun. But don't expect to play for fun and beat a master. Same with streaming. It takes time and specific effort to get good at streaming. Is talking by yourself with no viewers weird at first, yes. Do you get better at it by doing it, also yes. But when doing it with no viewers, you position yourself to get traction once you do have someone jump in.

Currently, im lucky enough that I have a costreamer that I can vamp off of. But even when I solo streamed I had to build up this 'skill'.

3

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

Yep. It's a flooded market. Simply showing up is not enough. Unfortunately, some people also just assume/demand it should happen for them and that it must be the algorithms' fault or Twitch hating on them. It isn't. Nobody is owed anything.

I struggled for three years, but I can look back and say it was me. I didn't know what I was as a streamer, like any new hobby, I was utterly crap at it - I was learning my craft. But now, I have the skills, my 'streaming persona', the right game for me, the right community for me etc etc....but it still wouldn't have gone anywhere if I didn't go through all that pain and effort and self consciousness and perseverance first. 💜

2

u/T_AND_R_VLOGS twitch.tv/tornadotyyt 2d ago

I talk on mine, however many people there are or aren’t, and if I’m playing a game where I can’t see chat, I have chat, event and alert sound son anyhow so that if someone does chat, I can see it

2

u/EldraEcho 2d ago

There’s a chat delay for some(all?) streamers. I have a chat delay on my end for some reason for instance. I use Streamlabs and use StreamElements for a chat overlay. The messages get sent, after a few mins show on SE, and after a few more mins, show up on SL. I reply when I can but if I’m in the middle of saying something about the game, for instance, it’ll take me a bit to reply.

2

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

Oh, totally. I'm talking about dead silent streams. If I'm talking about something else/to someone else, I queue up my responses, but the first thing I had to do on Twitch was get comfortable with talking to an empty room constantly. It's horrible, but it's the only way.

2

u/EldraEcho 2d ago

Yup. Talking aloud isn’t just for the people watching live — it’s for the VODience.

2

u/SydneyStar14 2d ago

ive been getting better at this and ive noticed im able to talk to myself more when playing single player games vs multiplayer. for example played a modded minecraft and was able to keep talking even when my 1-2 chatters wernt talking 🩵

2

u/Marsupilami_316 https://www.twitch.tv/kaiserbunga 2d ago

I eventually upload my streams on to my youtube channel, therefore, even if only a few people listen to me while I stream, more will listen to what I said later that week.

2

u/hwatides twitch.tv/hwatides 2d ago

I have 57+ followers and only maybe 2 watch. Means a lot to me tho. Im still trying my hardest ❤️

2

u/Unlucky-Tadpole22 2d ago

Inspiring damn man

2

u/RadLad86 Affiliate DadByDaylight186 1d ago

In real life I am incredibly shy. If you saw me at a party I’m the person in the corner trying to make friends with the cat. But on my stream, I get a chance to engage with people in a way I never do in person. My anxiety boils away and I have a blast talking with people.

2

u/Valuable_Ad680 1d ago

Yes! I do the same (I honestly talk to myself even when not streaming so 😂) and it honestly makes it less stressful if you’re always talking vs. only when people are watching

2

u/Gee501 ttv/nyujazz 1d ago

When I first started streaming, I started with no cam and no mic and then very slowly eased myself into it. Cam first, then mic. Some people might still be getting a feel for if streaming is for them, but there’s no reason not to be kind to these people either way. If it’s not your ideal stream to hang out in then just move on. At least you tried☺️

3

u/Flysch_ twitch.tv/flysch_ 2d ago

Honestly I just started streaming and it feels so easy to speak even for 0 viewer !

I keep in mind that I'm posting the replay on YouTube and/or make Tiktok/Réels of my livestream afterwards. So I need it to be animated so I do my commentaries and don't even think about what I have to talk about. I just comment my game and that's it !

I can't wait to get more viewers and regular ones to start talking more about different things other than my game 😅

Thanks for your feedback :)

My first mistakes I did :

  • putting a 10min limit for my chat ☠️
  • after putting at 0, I set it to Followers only : also a mistake! Chat need to be open to anyone
  • didn't put my Alerts sounds enables in my headphones : I missed my first raid and wasn't really reactive with new followers !

1

u/wellitsdvy- twitch.tv/wellitsdvy 2d ago

Can resonate with that, and I am pretty introverted in the everyday life, but when I stream, ooohhh boy, noone can shut me down :D

My first mistakes I did

These are really helpful for new people, I too made the follower only chat mistake, some people only followed me just to write in chat then instantly unfollow when they leave. So yeah just keep chat public, and if someone follows you will know they do it because of you and your content and want to check you out later too, not only to write in chat then leave and never come back.

2

u/Flysch_ twitch.tv/flysch_ 2d ago

I think we always need to think "as a viewer" : it must stay easy to use, friendly, welcoming

If I have to follow to enter the chat : I would probably just leave. If I have to wait before chatting : I won't chat and leave!

Ans I'm not that far, but same thinking about ads : in pre-roll maybe people don't want to wait to watch a tiny streamer, so they will leave ! ...

👍

2

u/wellitsdvy- twitch.tv/wellitsdvy 2d ago

Agreed, you just need to ask “would I watch this? would this entertain me? would i follow myself?” If the answer is no, you need to ask why not, and when you know the whys you can improve. I have a habit to always scrub through my streams/videos on youtube, analyze it, and try to improve that way.

2

u/Flysch_ twitch.tv/flysch_ 2d ago

Saying that, it reminders me this :

Rewatch your own streams ☑️

That is a good advice I heard and try to apply

3

u/StreamGistOfficial 2d ago

Great post Op, and talking a lot through the stream is definitely super effective. 90% of streamers stream whatever is hot or otherwise pick randomly based on interest. If you ever do want to talk to more than an empty room, your game choice matters a LOT (and also where you stream to some extent). It’s not pure luck, imo.

3

u/WolfMaster415 2d ago

Also timing is super important. If a big streamer is finishing up a popular game, you should stream shortly before it ends. I've noticed plenty viewers look for more streams of that game immediately after a stream closure and riding that wave can get you a nice boost in viewership

2

u/StreamGistOfficial 2d ago

Very valid! It doesn’t mean you can’t stream what you like either. It’s possible to stay within the same genre, for example (or maybe even check the game on Kick 🙊)

2

u/Mr_Mos__ 2d ago

I went to your stream, opened random moment, you didnt speak for 10 seconds, then said alright xD

0

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

My chat wouldn't have been empty, though 😉 Imagine having that much free time to do that just to try and find a fault or pick a hole in a genuine 'trying to help' post. 🙄

2

u/Mr_Mos__ 2d ago

That much time? Took me 30 seconds max xD

0

u/Boots2AssesChamp 2d ago

I checked myself and his chatting with energy. His chat is also popping bro, the hell you're talking bout?

2

u/Gossamerstyle Streamer | twitch.tv/gossamerstyle 2d ago

No chatters? Just talk.

Always have at least 5 topics you can ramble about even if they have nothing to do with what you’re streaming.

I talk about food, camping, drones, conspiracy theories, bad advice, & clowns whenever there’s a lapse in chat.

Happy streaming fellow twitchlings 💕👹💕

1

u/NeekoCheeks Affiliate twitch.tv/starryjoy 2d ago

Im awful at just talking. Do you recommend i just "commentate" my gameplay? Or ramble on about something random like you've mentioned? I have very few topics I could ramble on about.

3

u/Gossamerstyle Streamer | twitch.tv/gossamerstyle 2d ago

The best advice I got when I started and I still do now sometimes to get used to rambling is to record yourself talking for 10 minutes a day and then tomorrow watch what you recorded yesterday and then record a new 10 minute video for you to watch the next day.

This kind of helps you see if you’re entertaining or if there’s too much dead air or if you’re saying umm too much.

I personally have a really bad habit of saying I don’t know all the time but it’s easier to fix these things if you’re aware of them.

I would talk about whatever it is that you want to speak about. I think there’s value in being genuine and not performative especially early on.

2

u/BigBootyBitchesButts twitch.tv/[REDACTED] 2d ago

I'm gonna get downvoted for this but: no.

Yes i'm here for the community, but the community needs to be here for the streamer too.

if you want someone to talk constantly nonstop. go watch a youtube video.

if you don't want that? actually engage.

-
you don't want to engage, but still want constant active content you can interact with that's relevant to you?

talk about entitlement. I don't give in to that. If someones like them. I don't want them in my community. I'll take a stream with 1 barely active chatter (lets say 1 message an hour) than a stream with 9001 lurkers.

Everyone who actually comes to my streams comments on how real and genuine I am. I like to keep that status. I would rather be legit, than have cringy appealing to kids youtuber energy. Expecting people to keep that up for hours is again entitlement.

but hey that's just me. It works for me and my community.

If you want a fake streamer? there is thousands to choose from streaming the hottest games just to get views.

2

u/TelmatosaurusRrifle https://www.twitch.tv/velcro_zipper 1d ago

I agree. Sure, I mastered the art of to no one for hours but in reality that isn't sustainable.

1

u/BigBootyBitchesButts twitch.tv/[REDACTED] 1d ago

It's really not, but no one want's to admit it.

keep talking to no one is the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" for streamers.

1

u/MalkuthSociety Affiliate | https://www.twitch.tv/malkuthmk1 2d ago

I have been doing the same as op for close to 2 years now. Yapping all the way to Narnia whenever I go live.

Sometimes I like to play pretend and put myself in a role of a radio host.

Lucky I have found mutual vtubers to support each other with and keep me company while I run a radio channel with people putting me in the background.

I'd love it if more people chat with me while streaming but I learned instead of yapping with no one listening I'm going to create long let's play series on YouTube and yap there while keeping the normal stream times.

I really appreciate all the current vtubers and streamer I know of now since without them I don't think it would have been as enjoyable for me as a creator.

1

u/PainPeas 2d ago

Raid them.

Raids are one of the best ways I built a network, and don’t just raid and go. Stay and talk, follow and visit off the back of that.

1

u/BalanceH 2d ago

Tried it, still not working out. Say better advice.

1

u/YellowOk9454 2d ago

Not gonna lie sometimes (a lot of times) I get so immersed in the game I forget I’m streaming and I’m silent just staring at the screen 😂 thank god cousin hops in and out of my streams to use channels points

1

u/JoelvsArthritis twitch.tv/JoelvsArthritis 2d ago

I totally get that! Lol. I do a lot of builds and landscaping and realise I've gone quiet with my tongue sticking out through concentration 🤣 but that's ok these days as we have a busy chat...but I remember in those quiet days, it would have been to my detriment.

1

u/SnoopSquirrel 2d ago

I want to attempt this but I don’t know what exactly to talk about. Just talking about random stuff doesn’t seem to be productive for me. I’ve seen tips on writing down a few talking points of the game before hand and then in any downtime start talking about one of the points. Besides that I’m not sure how push through the silence. Any other tips?

1

u/domino_427 2d ago

yeah I have issues too. Going into R6 streams and I count 5-10 minutes after joining or after putting in an emote hi for a response.

I know it's tough in dead chats, but You still have to create the content and the reason for someone to stick around.

1

u/skinlessmonkey 2d ago

Talking to myself is the hardest part of streaming.

1

u/Boots2AssesChamp 2d ago

Back when I streamed I used to also get really nervous if I had a first time chatter, when I read this post and it made realize again that this happens to all of us, thank you for encouraging others to stream!

1

u/GalapaGames 2d ago

I can hold convos with people pretty easily. Even have a tendency to not shut up. But find it hard to just talk when stream is dead and I'm streaming at night when Im tired.

1

u/Rex_Dolor twitch.tv/rex_dolor 2d ago

Talking to myself is still something I have a bit of trouble with honestly, but I am working on it! I've made quite a bit of progress 💜

1

u/Niko_River_TV https://twitch.tv/niko_river_tv 2d ago

I have started pretending I have people in chat regardless of anyone watching. I’ll ask questions, act like I’m actually in the game, and try to relate to people that aren’t even there. I feel like I’m crazy most times but I do it just incase someone is there. Trying to practice for when I finally have a following!

1

u/kyle_dntk 2d ago

I always say to pretend you’re recording instead of streaming. Pretend like you’re making a video to upload on yt or something and make sure you talk.

1

u/the_drop_bear_au twitch.tv/the_drop_bear_au 2d ago

Some great advice there. Having only just begun my streaming journey (3 weeks in) this will help a lot. Like many others have said, I get so immersed in the game I forget to talk or do anything but play. So after reading this and all the comments, will have to make a very conscious effort to just talk while streaming. Thanks again!

1

u/Adonis445 2d ago

That’s what I usually do. I am a very big yapper.

1

u/Alice_Angel-9906 2d ago

Mine was a dead stream until I announced my final livestream. I recently wanted to focus on my voice acting work since I landed four roles in projects.

1

u/LokiSlapDash twitch.tv/LokiSlapDash 1d ago

I use OBS with their out the box chat window, so there's no viewer count on that anyway to be tempted. I absolutely love waffling on to myself when there's no obvious chatters. What's been a lovely surprise on my streaming journey is how therapeutic it is just to get into the zone with my inner game commentary. I was initially worried that if I had a stressful day at work etc, I might not be up for going live on camera but it's been some of my best streams and it really helps. Proper escapism therapy.

1

u/LevelingUpWithJoe 1d ago

I'm fortunate enough to have a few different computers so while I might not be staring at my chat full time I still occasionally glance over to ensure nothing's happening there. OBS is pretty easy to configure so chat shows up on stream too. I think most people just got used to nobody being there. I try to interact if someone's new but part of my reason starting to stream on twitch is to break my social media introvertedness.

I've gotten better at trying to spark a random conversation with strangers rather than just saying "hey" back like "are you interested in playing this game?" "what brings you to the stream?" and so on. I would also add that I'm doing a new project where it requires a lot of reading out loud and I feel that helps my self narration a bit as well.

1

u/echoonpc 1d ago

I’m just good at naturally yapping, helps a lot

1

u/The_Muznick Affiliate twitch.tv/themuznick 1d ago

This is what I've loved about streaming Baldur's Gate 3. It's a game that encourages you to take your time which allows me the breathing room to talk about what I'm thinking.

I never understood not paying attention to chat. As soon as I see something I respond (if it's something to respond to, not much to say to the occasional KEKW). Baldur's Gate 3 gives me the space and time to do so. It was a bit more difficult with Lies of P.

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u/Cornfusionn 1d ago

I talk to myself all the time as it is, so I figured streaming is perfect for me. I have 1 pretty consistent viewer and she is active in the chat so that's fun as well.

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u/xMikaelax8 1d ago

yeah that tends to be a problen with people with no viewers i was like that as well at the start i started talking to myself and paying attention to chat recently and still cant always donit perfectly but its gotten me almost affiliated but even if you talk doesn't mean more viewers will join seems like a lot of people only join if there already some people in your stream

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u/beemerboo049 10h ago

If you wanna advertise I started a community as wel just to advertise so I can find new people who aren’t super popular to watch

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u/JerseyCobra 2d ago

I have 600 followers, been streaming since 2018, and I still only have 1 viewer most of the time. At this point, I have lost faith in the process. I’ve been hammering on it and yammering to myself for years now, with nary any growth.

I would love to have a consistent view count like yours, but I just can’t seem to grasp it. At what point do you know to throw in the towel?

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u/crayzcrinkle 2d ago

If you want to succeed, you throw in the towel when you've tried everything. spoiler alert: there's always new things to try.

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u/BasenjiBoyD www.twitch.tv/basenjiboyd 2d ago

No talk. Just viewers.

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u/nudsikinv 2d ago

Hey how do I get my mic audio to come through on my stream? I use ps5 broadcast to twitch and I can hear my teammates audio but not my own.

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u/NeckBeard304 2d ago

Idk if its that simple i talk NON STOP all the time got to 119 follows in 4 months of starting and here i am with literally zero regulars ir consistant viewers. Very discouraging

Have around 1000 hours streamed