How to Get More Viewers on Twitch in 2023 (21 PRO Tips from a Streaming Expert)

As a tech guru and experienced Twitch streamer, I often get asked: "What are the best ways to get more viewers on Twitch in 2023?"

It‘s a great question. Growing your viewership on Twitch and building a thriving community take time and effort. The streaming landscape is more competitive than ever, with over 8 million unique streamers in 2022 alone!

But don‘t get discouraged. With the right strategies and persistence, any streamer can gain more traction on Twitch.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share 21 pro tips to increase your viewers and take your Twitch channel to the next level in 2023. I‘ll draw from extensive research, my own experience of building a partnered channel with over 50k followers, and insights from many successful streamers in a variety of niches.

Let‘s dive in!

Optimize Your Stream Quality from Top to Bottom

High stream quality is an absolute necessity for any streamer looking to be taken seriously on Twitch these days. With so many options, new streamers often neglect optimizing more minor details that can still turn viewers off.

I recommend a top-to-bottom quality check of:

• Video -Minimum 720p, 60fps. Bitrate 6000kbps+
• Audio – Noise-cancelling mic or headset, add audio compression
• Webcam – 1080p/30fps minimum. Well-lit!
• Overlay – Clean, unobtrusive, and brand-consistent
• Panels – Relevant info, schedule, social links
• Emotes – Unique, on-brand emotes viewers can use
• Extensions – Activity feed, polls, trivia, etc. Add interactivity

Also ensure your internet connection can handle high video quality streaming. I recommend at least 10 Mbps upload speed as a Twitch streaming minimum.

Optimizing all these elements takes your stream quality to the next level and makes viewers more likely to stick around.

Be Strategic About Your Game Selection

Choosing the right games to stream is key. Here are some smart strategies:

• Avoid oversaturated games like Fortnite or League of Legends. With millions streaming them, you won‘t stand out.
• Play both popular games and more niche titles that are gaining interest. This expands your potential audience.
• Rotate games occasionally to keep providing fresh content. But have 2-3 "core" games you‘re known for.
• Play new releases ASAP when interest is high but competition is low.
• Revisit classics and offer retrospective commentary for built-in fanbases.

I recommend researching games using TwitchTracker to understand popularity, saturation, and growth trends. This ensures you strategically pick games with the best opportunity to attract viewers.

Leverage Your Personality and Uniqueness

There are over 8 million streamers on Twitch, so what makes you stand out?

Lean into your unique personality, skills, and passions to differentiate yourself. Are you:

• An elite gamer who can showcase amazing skills?
• An expert on game lore who provides insightful commentary?
• A hilarious rage-monster who‘s wildly entertaining?
• A positive, family-friendly streamer?

Think about what makes you YOU, and amplify those elements in your stream. It‘s totally fine to exaggerate parts of your personality too. Viewers crave authenticity, so don‘t be afraid to be yourself.

Interact with Viewers in Meaningful Ways

Streaming is a two-way conversation between you and your viewers. Fostering a engaged community keeps viewers coming back.

Here are some tips for next-level viewer interaction:

• Greet new followers immediately by name when they arrive
• Actively moderate and participate in chat
• Ask for opinions on games, events, topics, etc
• Host Q&As and AMAs so viewers can ask you anything
• Do on-stream challenges or activities based on viewer suggestions
• Send personal thank you messages to frequent chatters & tippers

Making viewers feel seen, heard, and involved will strengthen their connection to you and your channel. They‘ll come back far more often.

Grow Your Audience on Other Platforms

While YouTube and TikTok have boomed, Twitch remains the #1 livestreaming platform. But you can utilize other platforms to drive viewers to your Twitch channel.

Some effective cross-promotion strategies include:

• Export Twitch clips to share as YouTube Shorts
• Post stream highlights reels on Instagram
• Upload audio from streams as a podcast on Spotify
• Offer exclusive content only for your Discord server members
• Link to your Twitch on every social media profile

Cross-promoting expands your reach exponentially. I‘ve gotten many new followers who found me from a clip shared to TikTok or YouTube Short. Leverage every platform possible!

Collaborate with Other Streamers

Collaborations allow you to tap into the audience of other creators. I‘ve gained thousands of new followers from effective collabs.

Here are some collaboration best practices:

• Team up with streamers who have similar sizes and shared interests
• Collab on co-streams, joint YouTube videos, podcasts, etc
• Promote your collab partner and do raids after collaborating
• Don‘t collab with sketchy or controversial streamers
• Limit collabs to avoid piggybacking off others‘ audiences

Partner with honest, supportive streamers who genuinely mesh with your content. Avoid self-serving collaborations that don‘t value your audience.

Give Viewers Exciting Incentives

Everyone loves free stuff and exclusives! Offering fun incentives gets more viewers engaged:

• Give away prizes on stream through giveaways and contests
• Reward top donors with personalized gifts or experiences
• Provide channel point redemptions like personalized voice messages
• Share subscriber-only emotes and badges
• Unlock special Discord benefits for subscribers & followers
• Send giveaway entries and exclusives for checking out sponsors

Just don‘t go overboard. Viewers can tell when you care more about giveaways than your actual content. Use redemptions and promotions to delight viewers, not buy viewership.

Stay On Top of Streaming Trends

From hot new games to novel stream formats, you have to keep up with the latest streaming trends to stay ahead of the curve.

I recommend monitoring sites like StreamElements and r/Twitch to see rising trends like:

• New "it" games taking Twitch by storm
• Popular events or releases drawing huge audiences
• Creative stream formats gaining traction
• Tools and tech that improve streaming
• Changes to Twitch features, algorithms, etc

Capitalizing on trends early allows you to ride waves of interest before they‘re oversaturated. But always stay true to your brand – don‘t completely alter your content to chase trends.

Conduct Streaming Challenges & Marathons

Hosting unique challenges and marathon streams is an effective tactic to build hype and attract crowds:

• Set big goals like streaming for 24/7 hours straight
• Attempt crazy in-game feats like no hit runs
• Take on viewer-suggested challenges with incentives
• Stream at special events or locations IRL – concerts, conferences, etc
• Partner with sponsors to integrate promoted challenges and prizes

The key is providing a novel experience unlike your usual streams. Promote these special events early and encourage viewers to invite friends for the unique content.

Analyze Your Analytics

Your Twitch analytics contain a goldmine of insights about your viewers. Monitor your stats to glean growth opportunities.

Pay attention to:

• Traffic sources – where are new viewers coming from?
• Follower growth pace – is it steady, stagnant, or spiking?
• Concurrent viewers peaks – when are you hitting viewership highs?
• Chat activity – does it align with your follower numbers?
• Top viewed streams – what games or formats attract the most viewers?

Analytics empower you to double down on what works and improve what doesn‘t. They show you clear paths to getting more eyeballs on your streams.

Establish a Consistent Schedule

Consistency is key for any streamer looking to build a regular viewership. When you stick to a schedule, viewers know exactly when to tune in.

Some tips:

• Choose a consistent schedule you can personally commit to
• Stream at the peak times when your audience is online
• List your exact streaming hours on your Twitch page
• Avoid unplanned days off – they disengage viewers
• If you‘ll be away, provide notice to your audience

Even just a simple, part-time 3-4 days per week at the same times works wonders. Your fans will learn your cadence and become highly engaged regulars.

Diversify Your Content Offerings

While live gaming streams might be your bread and butter, adding content diversity helps you appeal to more potential viewers.

Consider adding:

• Edited highlight and funny moment videos on YouTube
• Stream podcasts focused on gaming news or your thoughts
• Vlogs taking viewers behind the scenes of your channel
• Live chat Q&As or AMAs with your audience
• Multi-streamer collaborations on special projects

Providing a mix of live and recorded content, gaming streams and IRL content gives viewers fresh angles into your personality. It also keeps them engaged between streams.

Stay On Top of Your Gear

As your channel grows, upgrade your streaming gear accordingly. Nobody will take you seriously with bad video, audio, or a laggy connection.

Some gear investments for established partners include:

• Dual PC streaming setup for maximum performance
• 3-point lighting kit for professional lighting
• High-end DSLR camera for flawless image quality
• Top-tier gaming mouse, keyboard, headset
• Green screen and additional HD cams for more creative shots

Level up your gear over time to improve both actual stream quality and perceptions of your professionalism. This helps build credibility with new prospective viewers.

Promote Your Stream Creatively

There are endless creative ways to get the word out about your stream beyond just sharing links. Brainstorm promotional strategies like:

• Launch a hype campaign on social media for a special event
• Print flyers to post locally where your target audience hangs out
• Run an email or text message promo existing followers can forward to friends
• Reach out to influencers related to your niche and ask them to share
• Buy Twitch ad campaigns targeting potential new viewers based on interests

Think outside the box! Many unconventional tactics can get your channel on new people‘s radars so they check you out.

Build Relationships With Viewers

The most successful streamers cultivate genuine emotional connections with their viewers. When you show viewers you truly care, they‘ll stick around for the long haul.

Some relationship-building tips:

• Share personal stories and open up about your life sometimes
• Celebrate viewer milestones like follower anniversaries
• Send heartfelt thank you messages when you notice dedication
• Learn and use regulars‘ real names when chatting
• Ask viewers about their lives outside of Twitch too

When your audience feels bonded to you as more than just an entertainer, they become invested in your success. Nurturing real relationships leads to loyal viewers over time.

Splurge on a Professional Overlay

Your stream overlay is a visual representation of your brand and content. Investing in professional overlay graphics levels up perceptions of your stream.

• Work with a designer on Fiverr or Upwork to create your overlay
• Include cool animations and interactive elements
• Feature your logo, branding colors, and graphics
• Show recent donations, followers, channel point redemptions
• Display your social links so viewers can follow

An eye-catching overlay looks polished and sophisticated. It shows viewers you mean business as a streamer.

Provide Value to Viewers

At the end of the day, viewers want to walk away from your stream feeling they got value from the experience. Find ways to enrich their lives.

Some examples:

• Share your expertise by offering gaming tutorials and tips
• Foster a positive community that makes people feel welcomed
• Entertain people and offer an escape from everyday stresses
• Motivate viewers to achieve goals by setting a good example
• Raise money for charity through your streams

When viewers feel their time with you was well spent, they‘ll come back to keep getting value. Focus on enriching others‘ lives through streaming.

Key Takeaways

• Optimize all technical elements of your stream for quality and professionalism.
• Strategically select games to play that balance popularity and low competition.
• Differentiate yourself through your unique personality, skills, and passions.
• Interact with and engage viewers through conversation, activities, and incentives.
• Promote your stream across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Discord.
• Collaborate with supportive, like-minded streamers to share audiences.
• Analyze your Twitch stats to glean insights to act on.
• Establish and stick to a consistent streaming schedule.
• Diversify content between gaming streams, IRL, videos, podcasts.
• Upgrade your streaming gear over time as your channel grows.
• Build genuine personal connections and relationships with regular viewers.
• Always focus on providing value to your audience above all else!

Streaming on Twitch is an exciting but competitive world. With persistence and the right strategies tailored to your unique brand and audience, anyone can gain more traction on Twitch in 2023. Good luck and happy streaming!