I have no intention of streaming and honestly don't really care too much about the particulars of streaming itself. Although I guess it must be somewhat interesting to me or else I probably wouldn't watch. If it was someone else doing the same talk I probably wouldn't watch it. Devin just makes some great content.
Streaming is in an interesting position where it's easier for me to open obs and start streaming myself than it is for me to find a streamer on twitch I actually enjoy watching
It's probably because you just have the natural mindset of a creator rather than a consumer. Both are necessary to feed one another, do both are valid! 💙
I'm the same way. I waited upwards of two years to be able to move and get the internet to stream and barely ever watched anyone, but I absolutely love streaming more than anything I've really done as a hobby
I'm a self employed attorney for 31 years. I can make more in an hour in my real job than years of producing years of online content. I have the utmost respect for those that produce online content for a living. The ride is not for the faint of heart. But I enjoy the marketing wisdom that flows from this channel. My wife and I multi stream music twice a month. We don't care if it ever makes us money. We do it because we enjoy it, the connections we make and because we enjoy the shared passion for improving as songwriters.
well, I think that if you approach it like a hobbie it's ok, but if you try to approach as a business from day 0 it doesn't make sense as a time investment
I would imagine that a fair chunk of the viewer accounts are alt accounts as well, which essentially means there's even less actual people watching than what the viewer number indicates.
@@shimonami8960 oh 100%. Business needs to look at money and that ratio makes it harder to really make a dent. As a hobby streamer, one might not actually care about the ratio at all! I just find all of it fascinating!
@@JohnnyOnTheSpot5 yeah! I know lots of people with several accounts, and with the recent uptick in bot raiding and follow bottins etc, I'm sure there's some inflation
I have literally changed my entire strategy all because of your talks. My RUclips has almost passed up my twitch in a matter of months with literally a quarter of the time. But it also makes me learn a skill like video editing where live streaming does nothing much at all. Just wanted to say thank you for all your advice. I will still be using it to continue to evolve. And as someone who looks to get into the org size of the industry thank you for all the education as well.
This is true and false. True because in most scenarios live streaming just for most people is just going live and playing a game and people think that they’ll just gain viewers over night and using RUclips and whatever other content you make gives you skills like video editing and sound editing and color grading all that stuff. False because streaming gives you a way to learn how to interact with your target audience and it’s more of a live “face to face” per say interaction as opposed just faces behind screens interaction in comment sections
@@musicdude1540 What skills do most people learn by being a video game streamer? Even big streamers say themselves that Twitch gives me no actual real skills like Coding or Art
The only way you can learn a skill from being a streamer is if you deliberately try to improve your acting and improvisation routine. But like anything in life, you won't magically get better just by doing it. You have to make a conscious effort, or you are your wasting effort.
I actually run a youtube channel, I make music and I use it to share with friends, mostly, the views I get from the algorithm are just bonus I'm glad to have, I have been slowly growing over the past year but I don't try to grow or market. I just enjoy making music and sharing it, but still, it's very interesting to have some insight into the more business side of thing, and these tips will certainly be useful if I ever grow to a point where I start taking my channel seriously. =)
Twitch's relationship with the internet has changed. You can't just be a streamer. You will never build an audience by being "a streamer". You have to do something else that gets people to your social media where you can direct them to a stream. Twitch is where you graduate to when you have an audience. It's the reward for building that audience, you get to move to a site where you can make way more money for way less effort. There's a reason so many old time video makers have just completely abandoned their RUclips channel and become streamers, and it's the same reason why no views Andy is wasting his time on the 0 viewer "Grind".
idk if thats really true for all people though, I watch one streamer very religiously and they average about 100-200 viewers and get subs + donations relatively often and only have a discord(only made the discord after they started streaming) (they have a Twitter but don't advertise their stream) they went from basically 0 viewers to like 50 viewers with just only streaming (I'm well aware this is an outliner and not the norm)
@@swordyshield "I'm well aware this is an outliner and not the norm" you just argued your own point lmao. but yea, its never good to try and be another outlier. Just do what works rather than trying be 0.1% and even then, with those 200 viewers, does he make enough income to support his lifestyle?
Gotta say I love your videos! I started streaming again during covid and I got partnered within a year. Your channel helped me out SOOO much along the way!
as a new streamer, just wanna say thank you so much for taking the time and effort in making this video,i have seen alot of "How to twitch stream 101" type of a videos but, the only one i can agree on is with you devin, no sugar coating, no nothing, just blasting our face and soul out with facts after facts after facts to the point where iam nothing but a gaping hole. i have been streaming for a little bit over a month(twitch/toiletochan , mid break ads :P ) and almost at my 100 followers(yay (?) idk if iam doing good but iam happy with my community members) and all of that tbh is thanks to most of your videos that keeps me motivated and opens my minds up on what to do idk, if anyone else is experiencing this, but, while i do upload youtube videos but for some reason, i feel iam not satisfied with the product(content) and i felt like its sh*t and ended up deleting the video and move on to another one, i have experienced this many times, tons of times in fact, should i just leave the videos there.. or should i just delete it... yeah iam down bad too in point No.1
I’m probably “one of those people” haha. Though the more I watch your content the more I think about maybe starting to stream and provide some value. So I flitter back and forth between only being interested in the marketing and you validating a lot of my ideas/hunches in clear language, and problem number one!
I've got a few symptoms, but im also pleasantly surprised to find out there's a few I've gotten on top! I'm similar that I like to geek out over tech so I had some things that I definitely didnt need, but since ive gotten myself stuck in lockdown midway through moving, with most of my stream gear on the other side of the country I've been making do with the little that i've got quite well! procrastination is the big one for me, its not just streaming for me but for most areas of life. I think on the positive side, content creation is a great motivator for me to tackle the issue in every area of my life! Ty Devin, much value hath been received
You made me realize how much of an outlier I am. For many years now in order to find what I believe is more enjoyable content I always look for the games I want on twitch and then immediately scroll to any of the streamers under 10 viewers. I'm also in no way involved in streaming myself and solely watch your videos because of my interest/curiosity in the live stream business.
If viewers cross-pollinate on a platform like RUclips, everyone wins. Big content creators can be a springboard for newer creators to attain viewership through Recommended feeds and RUclips/creators get their ad revenue. However, if you are cross-pollinating on Twitch, it's basically the danger zone. For some reason or another, if you're not interested in continuing watching a streamer, you're likely ready to leave the site. It's like streamers are forced to fight over scraps of viewership and keep them there, which is so unlike VOD-based platforms. Great content, Devin!
I'm one of the people who started listening to you because I enjoy the content. I knew virtually nothing about marketing or business and wanted to educate myself some. I realized that nobody on Twitch offered any medical discussion, which I thought might be useful during a pandemic, so I've been streaming to an admittedly small but dedicated audience for a few months now as a hobbyist and have been having a blast. It's nice to be able to (hopefully) provide value regarding something I enjoy. Thanks for the inspiration! Awesome video, as always!
💖Thank you for going over this , it was great ..because a lot of this is done. Over thinking is a major one...next to a few others like visiting everyone every day , with every minute of your day. I also remember when I wanted to start streaming I went out and bought stuff just to look like the big kids. I went and bought a good cam ,Christmas I begged my hubby for a yeti mic and 2 monitors 😂. Now I just make videos and so one of the two monitors isn't even used hardly lol. Thank you about the dumb drama thing ...I saw this a lot in some stream teams . Where in the large picture none of it mattered, but in that moment everyone thought it mattered lol.😂 I also like that you go over things worth time, like getting better..doing what you like to do , and always improve on what your doing. Staying for the full thing because I believe this really needs to be out there so that people have direction and also cuts out some waste of time.
I fit into almost every single category of your list atleast in some ways and the funny thing is that back when I was like 14-16 I streamed (under a different name) and I had literally none of these problems but over the years ( I’m 21 now) ive begun overanalyzing and overthinking everything in streaming to the point where I’m afraid to stream because of my own mental block. So my advice to anyone looking to stream is please, don’t think too hard about it and just do it! Don’t spend all your time overthinking it.
I’m part of the small Twitch streamer group and so much of your advice have made so much sense. The viewer loyalty from raids too is one of the biggest reasons why I lowkey don’t like getting raided unless I’m really energized and able to provide value. It’s so much more rewarding too to hit 20, 30 views organically than it is to get the same amount of views from a raid, because you know those from the raid ain’t loyal. I really need to get my RUclips channel started...
Yo Devin, i really would like to hear your opinion on how to provide variety of games to channel when you succeed at playing only one game and now you stuck and slowly burning out, meanwhile audience always wants this one game and resist to anything else
Obviously not Devin but I've heard it said the best way to make changes like this is slowly. Introduce new games and things on top of the game you're well known for, if possible add an extra stream to your schedule or an extra video upload slot and make it clear that this is not replacing the other stuff but adding to it. Then slowly over time your audience will adapt to it or you'll attract new viewers and you can slowly start to fade out one of your other slots until you're where you want to be with it. This isn't advice from personal experience btw, it's just something I've heard, so take it as you will. All the best!
Aren't people there more for you than the game? Try to figure out what your "voice" that is attracting people to game 1 and then transfer that voice to game 2 - maybe even over the very same stream! Good luck out there!
@@jarredspectre "You have 188k subs on RUclips, people are obviously there for you and not what you do." Say that for my 30 viewers on final fantasy 7 remake :D Such a big difference when you got 700+ on apex just shoking, sometimes i thinking that it's just YT algorhytms but then i see people who can stream more elder games and had insane ammount of viewers. Then i thinking it's just me, maybe im not interesting for audience and boring, but then... how a boring not interesting guy could grow big channel and hold big ammount of viewers people on Apex. Really dont know what to think
I have done this with my own channel. I went from GW2 to FFXIV, both mmos. Playing same genre games has done it for me, but it takes time. I started with LoL and swapped to OW, my subs tanked at the time and way less viewers cuz I came from a MOBA to a shooter which I liked. I still love OW, but it didn't make me grow rapidly. I had the OW community, but it was lower than LoL. MMORPGs did it for me, see what can work for you. GW2 is medium sized population and I made myself known with GW2 raid guides on classes. I'm not devin but I figured I let you know how I managed it.
car analogy was spot on man. love it. long as you got the basics you can drive to your destination, everything else is just an addon. you dont need a radio, car still drives.
To all of these points are 100% accurate. Only true way I found positive discovery in the Twitch community (and you did mention this to a degree) was hosting / raiding similar streamers in my category and viewership numbers. The other best thing was being consistent with my content and when I chose to stream (once a week). This was around 2 years ago, now there are easily triple or quadruple the amount of streamers in that category. I've met some great people along the way and several fell into this trap of just repeating the "Twitch Grind" and not expanding their range of influence online.
Got to say man I watch all your stuff for both reasons, I LOVE understanding what makes people tick and analytics but I also want to create content so your content is just a double whammy for me. I fucking love you man, you provide genuine and great content. Every time I watch I’m not only entertained but also get motivated. Thank you man.
26:30 YES! Couldn't agree more. Its all about the D.E.N.N.I.S. system. Demonstrate your value. Engage physically, Nurture Dependence, Neglect emotionally, Inspire hope, Separate Entirely. This as well allows for you to gain your viewers back at any point you want.
I'm one of those people who like to have nice equipment even it's not necessary. I don't feel as bad hearing I'm not the only one that thinks like this. I'm enjoying the frequent uploads. Watching the videos in their entirety and even re watching to reinforce the points in my head. Thanks Devin for all effort to put out all this value.
I like your no BS take on things. Just go for it and be you and change as needed is the only time I have ever experienced growth. When I allowed myself to fall victim to every single one of these follies, growth stopped or regressed. Basically I have to get over myself on a daily basis. I am still small but I experience leaps of growth when I get over myself.
Since you asked! I don't stream and don't do youtube. I watch a lot of streams almost everyday (only in the Gwent section) and your opinion (and facts) are interesting to hear. I always learn something and in the end it all makes sense. Not only about twitch itself, but for example the only fans video and why they made that move was all very interesting (and totally new to me). Sometimes after watching some of your videos I end up googling around for even more info on some of these subjects. So keep it up and I can totally understand that a lot of people who do not produce content themselves enjoy watching/listening to your videos. You are someone who clearly has passion for all this and has a lot of experience and knowledge about it, I am just happy to learn. So thanks :)
I don't do any content creation but love these videos. I like to listen to them while being occupied with something else, whether it be work, gaming, etc... The in-depth analysis you bring to this space from a business driven POV is fantastic for an econ student like me. Keep up the great work Devin
I love all these points. Great video all around. I will say a vast majority of people that come to my twitch channel from within twitch's website are via recommended tab. A mod of mine (who also streams) and I have been experimenting and have found recommended is almost reliant on activity within other channels. So while being active on the platform helps, it's a tool to keep people on platform which lessens the amount of time to create elsewhere. I'd still rather rely on having content on tiktok and other platforms that then draw in people, than rely on the recommended function and jump through the hoops required to come up in the recommended of more people. Most of my most staunch supporters came over from Tiktok.
Been semi frequently watching streams since 2012. Went thru the typical fad of wanting to become a streamer( falling victim to many things on this list). And now I LOVE listening to your talks and learning about all the growing market and social media bullshit. Just because I find it interesting! Also the first time I've ever actually paused a video to respond to a question.. you've always had me hooked, good sir
I've studied Marketing during my university years and a lot of points you make during your vids are clear to me. Most of them are things i've already told to a couple of friends who stream / used to stream at one point or another. I've linked a bunch of your vids to them, because the way you're explaining things is easy to grasp on. I'm just here to expand my marketing knowledge, so keep em coming.
Can really attest to the first two points. I was interested in something, saw nobody else was doing it and made a crappy 7-minute video about it that somehow started getting me subs on here. Followed through on something I said I might do in the initial video and now I’m making content because I love doing it and I love connecting with people that enjoy my content. Before that I was always concerned with what I was going to do and how I was going to do it and nothing got me anywhere until I just hit record on OBS with my crappy mic and transferred a video I recorded ON my PS4. I hadn’t even bought a capture card until a couple months after that first video. Excellent points and video my dude. Glad I subbed.
Also chiming in to the sea of random people who don't actually care about Twitch streaming much. Honestly I don't really watch live streams at all, nor am I really looking to start any sort of business ventures in the foreseeable future. I just really enjoy a lot of podcast-style content, as it's not only interesting to understand from the context you bring it up in, but also seeing how it abstracts into so many other facets of my life as well. Every time I watch one of your videos, there are always a few of things that I pick up and immediately make a connection to in my job as a software dev. Like the first point you made about not overthinking, it's something my team at work constantly try to remind ourselves when we're working on new project specs. Anyways, love the content as always, and I really hope that you'll continue putting out videos like these even after you return to streaming.
I'm definitely in that [ Don't Steam, but interested in the Madness of the Method ]. The thing i find the most intriguing is the [ Just because there's 10,000 ppl doing X, doesn't mean that X is actually what's working ]. I always viewed Twitch as "Where you grind the meat & materials", but other platforms are where you show off "The artisan sausage links". Keep making the great content 🔥🤘🔥
Gotta say Devin, as a small stream, there is loads of value here and though I may not action on all of this as much as I should, I know how little that will get me. I know that one day I'll diversify my content and actually grow, so it's great to learn this now before I'm doing. Watched the whole video. Also! I love the regular uploads, if you end up going back to Twitch streaming, I'm gonna miss this stuff.
I can clearly see that I've done everything wrong. I focused on my dedicated viewer content when I barely have any dedicated viewers. I need to work on my discovery and I need to change my RUclips channel as whole before working on Twitch expansion. Thank you so much Devin for giving me the "Ah Ha" moment I was looking for. Look out tik tok here I come!
I simply can't overstate how much value those videos are giving me. I'm also guilty of #1. I used to be guilty of the last one, but one of your previous videos helped me a lot. Now I'm working on content that I'm passionate about and believe has no market (so I can create it). **Suggestion**: please make a video about "why raids and hosts are a myth". I'm constantly seeing people mentioning how "hosts are important!", **but they cite zero information that would actually support such claims**.
I treat my channel like a tinkerers hobby that re-opened a few doors to other related things. The hand-full of streams I've done over the last year re-sparked some other interests again that have been dormant for close to a decade. It was a spring-board, and for that I'm grateful. Streaming isn't my thing, but it sent me in a great direction.
I was previously live streaming for an average of 4 hours a day on Twitch with a RUclips video about once a month. I definitely burned a lot of time doing this, missing out on actually doing something valuable. Devin's videos over time led me to start experimenting with short-form content, like RUclips Shorts and TikTok. Instead of 4 hours a day streaming, I only burn about 2-3 hours a week producing a week's worth of short-form videos. It took me a month on RUclips to match my 7 months of followers on Twitch. Also just want to say thanks to Devin and his community for the insights on this industry, I gain massive amounts of value from content like this.
Your videos straight up motivated me and gave me a proper... slap in the face... to make just a few Shorts from my stream that got some views, which further motivated me to start a channel, currently editing my first video and pretty hyped about uploading it. Probably will suck as you said but I feel it'll be a kickstart that I need to do something other than just working in my life. I love your videos man! Thank you!
I only now finished the video, I'm one of the people who has no interest at all in creating content, I just find this highly interesting, because it's a lot more dynamic, it's a rel time interactive medium, it's literally every child's dream of being able to talk to the TV. The secondary reason is that I like a few small streamers and I am interested in how their chances look/are looking of growing more, and/or if I could advise, other than just saying "watch devin, he's good", like when the whole "twitch social credit" thing happened, small streamers were super censoring of their chat so they wouldn't lose social credit I could say "that's not exactly how that works" and have them chill a bit. In general it's really entertaining to listen to someone talk about issues/news on online media forms without emotional rants and/or talking bullshit that they don't understand.
I only have a small interest in content creation one day, but I mainly watch to hear a marketer's perspective on the processes behind the content I consume. That marketing lens is an interesting and useful angle to think about things in my own life - career, life path, etc.
I'm a tiny etsy seller, miniscule Instagrammer, nearly invisible on Twitter, and just started streaming as a vtuber, all art focused to be full time freelance someday. I've been using restream and realized today it just doesn't feel right. I'm still not sure whether I should be streaming on twitch or RUclips, but I'll definitely be working on making more content videos on RUclips anyways. There's so much to learn and I feel like I keep flip-flopping. I wish youtube had little chat incentives, goal markers, and image about panels now that I've already drawn and designed all of mine, it would make the decision easier!
Not a content creator but love your content - its an inside look into the industry that i spend so many hours a week watching while i work lol. Thanks for the content man!
I'd like to add one thing - as a viewer: Twitch hosts and raids helped ME to find my favorite streamers. I started a new game and was looking for a bit of instruction. I started at the bigger ones by numbers (gotta start somewhere) which was bad because there are too many people in chat to get questions answered. Eventually, through raids, I got to one that fit me like a glove in tone, content, and most importantly - community. I'm now very much involved in that channel, community, and clans.
I've watched literally all of your streams and videos for the last year and a half or so. Getting started has always been the biggest hurdle for me because of the fear of Doxxing and things like that, after my friend got her address sent to her in twitch chat. My anxiety has gotten the better of me on that and I have never been sure how to mitigate that risk. Recently decided step one should just be learning to edit and putting out content on the RUclips end. Always good vibes watching though, thanks for always delivering the harsh reality of wanting to put out internet content.
I can relate to every 6 points you mentioned out. Every video you do is helping me to simplify my life as a content creator. I took twitch as a priority lots of times but I was running on a hamster wheel. Your videos educate me. I can agree and disagree on certain things but most of your advices influence my technic every time I want to put out something. People from my surroundings start telling me that they see an evolution on my content. Thanks to you Devin! You are a true MENTOR
Yes I talk about this SO MUCH. I started out and grew on a crappy set up then got to in my head and felt stuck. Once I let go of my limiting beliefs and let go of the idea everything has to be perfect I felt free and I saw my community react to that and grow. But I do need a AI tesla robot.
Streaming and social media related stuff is so weird... I have a buddy who is insanely talented at his particular game of choice, has a fun personality, and is engaging, etc. And yet he's been trying out the whole streaming thing for maybe a year with little to no success. I just find stuff like that so embarrassing. Like people who post RUclips videos for 30 viewers or people who stream for a few viewers. But I guess everyone has to start somewhere. It just hurts me inside when I see something like that. Obviously it's less embarrassing if they're just starting out but if it's been years or something then damn. Maybe it just isn't meant to be for them. Also I feel like one of the biggest issues with streaming and things like that is people forcing it. If you're a RUclipsr for example you should be doing it because you're passionate and interested. Not because you want to be a famous RUclipsr and make easy money. And I think this relates to the whole thing with people wondering what game they should play. Play something you find enjoyable. Don't just play something because it's popular. People just don't like putting in the work and with the internet anyone can try whatever the hell they want. Nothing is stopping them. But streaming and creating RUclips videos is entertainment. If you're not someone with an interesting personality, you're not creative, not good at speaking and so on. Then what are you even doing? You wouldn't try to get a job in the media like being on TV or on a stage. So what makes you think you can do things like stream or make RUclips videos? That's just my personal outlook though. Could be completely wrong and I'm curious what other people think about this topic. Oh, and I'm someone who is not interested in creating content or streaming and stuff like that. I just find it interesting to think about.
I have no real interest in streaming. I don't even really watch streams anymore. Used to. Just a business guy who loves to hear how other businesses work. You give crazy deep dives and I love it.
I mainly watch your videos to get advice if I ever decide to start streaming, despite not having home internet or a PC, and to help a relative who is trying to grow on Twitch from scratch playing a semi-obscure game with a small audience. Your videos also help me learn more about the technical side of marketing which has in turn helped me in my social life and work life.
I tried streaming a while back (coding), but it's a bit tiring and having had little to no viewers and no clear setup for interacting with them as soon as they write something (so someone could have been waiting for me to even read what they wrote) - I decided against streaming and just focus on more devlog style content (on my other channel). But I watch your videos because you're very coherent in your explanations and it's just nice to listen to you.
def needed to hear this , started getting super lazy on my youtube channel , instagram and live streaming , just stopped making content overall , sometimes getting into something new like videography and story telling in youtube videos could cause you to overthink and i think thats what happened with me , i completely stopped on all fronts just cause of that and im realizing how stupid that is lmaoo , appreciate the talk homie
Hi Devin! I love just listening to your videos for the marketing talk and learning, I have lots of friends who stream and i'm constantly telling them things i learn here. They don't listen, but love your content and learning anyway!
I'm never going to do streaming or content generation of any kind however I love listening to these talks. They give insight on things I've never even heard of and you're pretty entertaining. Good frickin job man!
You content = Essentially what is Business content + Gaming Two things I love. So yeah, you've definitely got a sweet niche running for me. So a big thank you for your videos, really appreciate them. :) Have only ever listened to your RUclips videos. I don't really watch streams. Can't speed them up or jump ahead like you can with a video, plus lack of cuts on content that should have it. I've got RUclips premium so you've probably got a decent chunk of my fees over the years. ;) Thanks again.
I always thought its be cool to be a content creator but never seriously consider it. You just explain everything so well and are so knowledgeable in the field that I love watching.
Hey don't be so harsh on your older stuff, project no limits and all your stuff before that was awesome. Definitely helped me get through some stuff and love all the advice. Thanks for continuing on!:)
I agree with you wholeheartedly on the equipment part. There's no point in dropping a huge amount of money on something if you don't know if you're going to like the feel of using set equipment
No intention on streaming myself but I do mod for a few streamers in the music community on Twitch. Your content has been a great tool in coaching streamers how to think about their streams. There are a few things that are different about the music community. 100 viewer streams can be supported enough to be full time gigs. There is some discoverability thanks to mod networking. Most of the overarching principles you talk about still apply though.
Twitch has been a great tool for me as a raid leader in Classic/TBC. We us it as an on demand video service to be able to review things that happened in raid. On top of at my peak running 3 40 man raiding teams that is a lot of Twitch Primes every month. I don’t think my YT or Twitch content will ever become discovered but Twitch basically paid me to raid lead in WoW. So I am grateful for that. Not to mention the clipping tool is amazing for saving funny moments with your friends. It’s so much easier to clip a stream than it is to open Premiere Pro and cut the segment, then render it, then post it in Discord. So I do think that even for smaller content creators Twitch is a great service for enhancing any community and I think so many people get lost in the rat race of trying to be famous. Just have a good time with your friends or whatever community that you’re in
I use to feel this really hard on YT without streaming, and a lil while I streamed on YT Live. Although since then, I just learned it doesn't really matter, so long as your constantly seeking to improve yourself, and your streams, then people will see, and come with time. Word of mouth is the main factor to growth, and people will share the more dedicated you are to improving yourself, and the community as a whole. Although it does help, I'm a Graphic Design Artist who is also a VTuber, so I can customize everything to feel exactly how I want it too
I pretty much have no association with Twitch besides the 2 times a year I feel like streaming a game for a couple hours, but I do come back to your videos a lot. I enjoy how you breakdown and look at things from an analytical perspective and get straight to the point. Loved the recent one on the OnlyFans issue. I would’ve had no idea what was really happening behind the scenes
I work in product marketing with physical products, been doing RUclips videos since 2013 and now have done few editing gigs for all size RUclipsrs/Streamers. Following your content to learn about the space that seems hard to access and only limited people are openly talking about since I would like to be part of this somehow while like you said, providing value. That's why I've switched to mostly trying to find people to edit videos for instead of making my own.
Loved the vid, long time fan. I think one issue with streaming and RUclips as a personal pursuit is that since online content creation has become a “profession”, green creators think they need to be professional to do it. The hobbyist / car enthusiast analogy was pretty good and I was hoping you’d expand a little, but yeah all of these excuses are like saying that you can’t drive to the grocery store without a Ferrari or some custom driving shoes. If ever the phrase JFDI was appropriate to issue as advice, this space has to be one f the most receptive places to issue it!
I'm one of those people who is just here for the knowledge! You have a way of explaining complex concepts that I instinctually kind-of get and turning them into very logical discussions that push the ideas further than I originally think them through. I am a digital designer by trade and one day I might start a project in the space out of interest but for now I'm perfectly happy with what I have already got going on elsewhere.
I rarely stream, honestly only for fun like every other month for friends but I love listening to these. I make some RUclips video that aren’t related to this topic at all but the advice does cross over from time to time. I’ve recommended your channel to my streamer friends all the time. Love your videos dude.
What you said about equipment is incredibly true. I have no interest in streaming, but I am a hobbyist when it comes to equipment so I'm slowly building my setup. It's not for anyone else. Just me. If you want a really good setup then make it, but its absolutely not necessary
The value that you are providing about economics and marketing in this extremly specyfic and fairly new enviroment is simply amazing ! Keep doing it, I always saw your videos as an event but with this semi-daily uploads... it's an event every day ^^.
#4 hits hard. I like playthroughs of new AAA games and the hardest thing is trying to stand out in the sea of top high-energy creators doing the same thing. My strategy is to just let my unique personality shine. I don't like doing gimmicky things to stand out cause it really comes off disingenuous to me. So far I see it working, but maybe it'll take more time than usual to grow.
Hi Devin Awesome insight and analysis as per usual! I just returned to live streaming after about a 6-7 month break cause my internet was ass. I spend alot of my time doing RUclips content and my first stream back I had more viewers/interactions than some other streamers that have been hardcore streaming 7 days a week for 8 hours for that same amount of time. It's just a harsh reality that no one really wants to face, but it sucks cause it destroys their mental health so much
To Devin's point on hosting.. I had a friend that CONSISTENTLY streams Warzone get hosted by Aydan, a streamer that plays the same game and in the same manner (competitively), with over 15,000 viewers. Within ONE day he reverted back to 12ish concurrent viewers and remained there. I have seen this occur between many different streamers of different categories as well, although maybe not to the same degree, it's still prevalent. IMO, hosting might be the most trivial and overrated factor for streaming when it comes to sustainment of motivation, marketing strategy, and overall consensus of its value/worth.
I'm also one of those people that don't intend to stream but I do run a small business and I love your content! Excellent breakdown of topics, interesting perspective, and quality information makes for great entertainment
I once wanted to start a show with a few of my friends where we just live stream and talk about games and who knows what else. They expected the quality to be at the level of an IGN pro broadcast. They couldn't be convinced that it didn't matter because we were not going to have any viewers to start and we would work it out along the way and we should just concentrate on actually getting together and going live. Sooooo many people have the mindset that if they don't have the setup of millionaires or big corporations then it's an instant fail.
great content devin! i've been watching your stuff for over a year and i've learned a lot over the years about the industry... I haven't streamed in also about a similar amount of time, not due to excuses and overthinking, but more about the realization that I haven't really found the type of content I want to create and felt that streaming without the purpose--or without the value to the viewer--was a waste of my time. I still like to keep myself informed, and I find the way it works very interesting, but as an aspiring content creator it's hard to see where you can fit in in such a saturated market. Some people might need to understand that it might not be for them, but most people have found ways to get creative. Harris Heller and his content is also very informative about this too, and how many many streamers still haven't realized that livestreaming is a secondary form of content for their viewers to engage directly with the creator. Regardless, the more we watch content like yours and understand how the industry works helps many people find a way to make it happen for them. Your knowledge is invaluable! Keep up the great work! much love
I used to focus all my attention solely on streaming. Now it’s just a hobby that allows me to make short form content on the side when I have time. What’s amazing is all this advice still helps with other creative and content related fields and I’m excited to implement these teachings in those other fields. Love ya Devin, you’re making some great stuff here man! 💪🏼
I started with a laptop that had 4GB of RAM and 0.6 of upload, so it's all very true - you don't need all of that fancy crap, not only it all costs a f lot, but it's also unnecessary. My first viewers arrived when my stream was lagging every 3 seconds, and they're still with me. It's a friendship building, a vibe riding, sharing the good times. Just open up, be yourself, you don't even need a cam - I went in without one so so many times just because I didn't feel like lagging more than usual. About the "competition" and "stealing" - one of the biggest mistakes there is. There's no competition, it's not a race. Not only you aren't live every single moment of the day aka people aren't live at the same time so there's no "stealing", but also: you want to build a community that want to watch you for your vibes, so trust me - people will watch you if they want to, and they won't even if no one else is live. Sharing communities is the most fulfilling thing there is on twitch, building friendships with other streamers, but also allowing your viewers to meet more people and discover more content. The moment you realize it's not a race - that's when you will start growing. Granted, I'm not a pro, been doing it only for a year and started because quarantine was boring af, but I made so many new friendships that I'm grateful for discovering streaming as a new way of meeting new people to talk about games, about life, to game with.
Hey Devin! Checking in to let you know i watch these for info and fun Not a streamer or content creator but i love how informative your videos are. Keep up the great work!
Appreciate these videos Devin, always fascinating to hear someone passionate talk about something they are personally genuinely interested in. I originally came across your videos looking for advice on how to get started into streaming, eventually stopped for personal reasons but have continued to watch your videos as I do enjoy the insight, I suppose for the same reason I watch artisan how-to videos so I suppose I fit into the category of viewer that enjoys marketing-social media management type. I look forward to your next video, good luck with the applicant search.
I found you a year or two ago because I used to be interested in streaming but decided it wasn’t for me eventually and now I just continue to watch you because I love the topics you talk about and the brilliant way you present them!
I'm an engineer that works in sales/service and I listen to you just because you're talking about cool things related to professional development and marketing and sales. if you did other talks more general topics I'd just as well watch them. great stuff
Yeah, I found the topic of social media marketing fascinating, but have no intention of actually streaming. Fantastic content Devin, I really enjoy your videos.
The onboarding point is a rough one. I was already playing games for hours on end before I was streaming. Only difference is I press a button before playing now. But I can't do other stuff while paying attention to a stream and RUclips videos are so much more malleable in how I can watch them, so I avoid watching streams and prioritise videos instead.
This is my favourite video since you’ve come back. Planned out and communicated very well. Loving the frequent uploads Devvin, please keep them coming!
I'm one of the people that don't create any content and just like to listen. I don't even have any social media accounts. Just enjoy learning, Devin's Vids are usually easy to digest and informative.
Yo! I'm not a content creator, but love to hear you cut straight through the PR. It's awesome and have really been loving the burst of content. I stay till the end almost every time.
I have no intention on Twitch streaming. I just like hearing the sage advice from the Marketing Monk at the top of the mountain.
It's always nice to see you there. Hello.
Freakin amen! This dude speaks knowledge and calm vibes!
same
I have no intention of streaming and honestly don't really care too much about the particulars of streaming itself. Although I guess it must be somewhat interesting to me or else I probably wouldn't watch. If it was someone else doing the same talk I probably wouldn't watch it. Devin just makes some great content.
Jesus its Platwow!
I'm here for the knowledge - despite having no interest in making content myself, this channel is one of my favorites
+1
likewise. I make youtube videos on a different channel, but his knowledge can really be applied to anything.
+1
same here
+1
"3 are your mom, 1 is your dog, and 1 is commander root.." had me dying 🤣
you already know it's gonna be a heater when dnash comes in with the galaxy background
Streaming is in an interesting position where it's easier for me to open obs and start streaming myself than it is for me to find a streamer on twitch I actually enjoy watching
It's probably because you just have the natural mindset of a creator rather than a consumer. Both are necessary to feed one another, do both are valid! 💙
@@haylinicole7358 I like both
I'm the same way. I waited upwards of two years to be able to move and get the internet to stream and barely ever watched anyone, but I absolutely love streaming more than anything I've really done as a hobby
I'm a self employed attorney for 31 years. I can make more in an hour in my real job than years of producing years of online content. I have the utmost respect for those that produce online content for a living. The ride is not for the faint of heart. But I enjoy the marketing wisdom that flows from this channel. My wife and I multi stream music twice a month. We don't care if it ever makes us money. We do it because we enjoy it, the connections we make and because we enjoy the shared passion for improving as songwriters.
Dang those streamer to viewer ratios... that was always my argument when telling people why I didn't think twitch was as great of a time investment
well, I think that if you approach it like a hobbie it's ok, but if you try to approach as a business from day 0 it doesn't make sense as a time investment
I would imagine that a fair chunk of the viewer accounts are alt accounts as well, which essentially means there's even less actual people watching than what the viewer number indicates.
@@shimonami8960 oh 100%. Business needs to look at money and that ratio makes it harder to really make a dent. As a hobby streamer, one might not actually care about the ratio at all!
I just find all of it fascinating!
@@JohnnyOnTheSpot5 yeah! I know lots of people with several accounts, and with the recent uptick in bot raiding and follow bottins etc, I'm sure there's some inflation
Devinnnn!!!! I love how much content you’re giving us! It literally makes my day when you upload a video
This is not even content anymore, I'm halfway through and this video is saving my life.
I have literally changed my entire strategy all because of your talks. My RUclips has almost passed up my twitch in a matter of months with literally a quarter of the time. But it also makes me learn a skill like video editing where live streaming does nothing much at all. Just wanted to say thank you for all your advice. I will still be using it to continue to evolve. And as someone who looks to get into the org size of the industry thank you for all the education as well.
This is super false. You should learn _a lot_ from streaming. Being a passable streamer is a huge skill.
This is true and false. True because in most scenarios live streaming just for most people is just going live and playing a game and people think that they’ll just gain viewers over night and using RUclips and whatever other content you make gives you skills like video editing and sound editing and color grading all that stuff. False because streaming gives you a way to learn how to interact with your target audience and it’s more of a live “face to face” per say interaction as opposed just faces behind screens interaction in comment sections
@@musicdude1540 What skills do most people learn by being a video game streamer? Even big streamers say themselves that Twitch gives me no actual real skills like Coding or Art
The only way you can learn a skill from being a streamer is if you deliberately try to improve your acting and improvisation routine. But like anything in life, you won't magically get better just by doing it. You have to make a conscious effort, or you are your wasting effort.
Dang the algorithm knew exactly what I needed when it recommended me this. Thank you!
Oh snap Javier looking to stream real estate advise on Twitch!?
I actually run a youtube channel, I make music and I use it to share with friends, mostly, the views I get from the algorithm are just bonus I'm glad to have, I have been slowly growing over the past year but I don't try to grow or market. I just enjoy making music and sharing it, but still, it's very interesting to have some insight into the more business side of thing, and these tips will certainly be useful if I ever grow to a point where I start taking my channel seriously. =)
“What makes you happy?” Is a really good string of advice that applies to more than just twitch.
Twitch's relationship with the internet has changed.
You can't just be a streamer. You will never build an audience by being "a streamer". You have to do something else that gets people to your social media where you can direct them to a stream.
Twitch is where you graduate to when you have an audience. It's the reward for building that audience, you get to move to a site where you can make way more money for way less effort. There's a reason so many old time video makers have just completely abandoned their RUclips channel and become streamers, and it's the same reason why no views Andy is wasting his time on the 0 viewer "Grind".
idk if thats really true for all people though, I watch one streamer very religiously and they average about 100-200 viewers and get subs + donations relatively often and only have a discord(only made the discord after they started streaming) (they have a Twitter but don't advertise their stream) they went from basically 0 viewers to like 50 viewers with just only streaming (I'm well aware this is an outliner and not the norm)
@@swordyshield "I'm well aware this is an outliner and not the norm" you just argued your own point lmao.
but yea, its never good to try and be another outlier. Just do what works rather than trying be 0.1% and even then, with those 200 viewers, does he make enough income to support his lifestyle?
Gotta say I love your videos! I started streaming again during covid and I got partnered within a year. Your channel helped me out SOOO much along the way!
as a new streamer, just wanna say thank you so much for taking the time and effort in making this video,i have seen alot of "How to twitch stream 101" type of a videos but, the only one i can agree on is with you devin, no sugar coating, no nothing, just blasting our face and soul out with facts after facts after facts to the point where iam nothing but a gaping hole.
i have been streaming for a little bit over a month(twitch/toiletochan , mid break ads :P ) and almost at my 100 followers(yay (?) idk if iam doing good but iam happy with my community members)
and all of that tbh is thanks to most of your videos that keeps me motivated and opens my minds up on what to do
idk, if anyone else is experiencing this, but, while i do upload youtube videos but for some reason, i feel iam not satisfied with the product(content) and i felt like its sh*t and ended up deleting the video and move on to another one, i have experienced this many times, tons of times in fact, should i just leave the videos there.. or should i just delete it...
yeah iam down bad too in point No.1
I’m probably “one of those people” haha. Though the more I watch your content the more I think about maybe starting to stream and provide some value. So I flitter back and forth between only being interested in the marketing and you validating a lot of my ideas/hunches in clear language, and problem number one!
I've got a few symptoms, but im also pleasantly surprised to find out there's a few I've gotten on top! I'm similar that I like to geek out over tech so I had some things that I definitely didnt need, but since ive gotten myself stuck in lockdown midway through moving, with most of my stream gear on the other side of the country I've been making do with the little that i've got quite well!
procrastination is the big one for me, its not just streaming for me but for most areas of life. I think on the positive side, content creation is a great motivator for me to tackle the issue in every area of my life!
Ty Devin, much value hath been received
You made me realize how much of an outlier I am. For many years now in order to find what I believe is more enjoyable content I always look for the games I want on twitch and then immediately scroll to any of the streamers under 10 viewers.
I'm also in no way involved in streaming myself and solely watch your videos because of my interest/curiosity in the live stream business.
If viewers cross-pollinate on a platform like RUclips, everyone wins. Big content creators can be a springboard for newer creators to attain viewership through Recommended feeds and RUclips/creators get their ad revenue.
However, if you are cross-pollinating on Twitch, it's basically the danger zone. For some reason or another, if you're not interested in continuing watching a streamer, you're likely ready to leave the site. It's like streamers are forced to fight over scraps of viewership and keep them there, which is so unlike VOD-based platforms.
Great content, Devin!
I'm one of the people who started listening to you because I enjoy the content. I knew virtually nothing about marketing or business and wanted to educate myself some. I realized that nobody on Twitch offered any medical discussion, which I thought might be useful during a pandemic, so I've been streaming to an admittedly small but dedicated audience for a few months now as a hobbyist and have been having a blast. It's nice to be able to (hopefully) provide value regarding something I enjoy. Thanks for the inspiration! Awesome video, as always!
💖Thank you for going over this , it was great ..because a lot of this is done. Over thinking is a major one...next to a few others like visiting everyone every day , with every minute of your day. I also remember when I wanted to start streaming I went out and bought stuff just to look like the big kids. I went and bought a good cam ,Christmas I begged my hubby for a yeti mic and 2 monitors 😂. Now I just make videos and so one of the two monitors isn't even used hardly lol. Thank you about the dumb drama thing ...I saw this a lot in some stream teams . Where in the large picture none of it mattered, but in that moment everyone thought it mattered lol.😂 I also like that you go over things worth time, like getting better..doing what you like to do , and always improve on what your doing. Staying for the full thing because I believe this really needs to be out there so that people have direction and also cuts out some waste of time.
I fit into almost every single category of your list atleast in some ways and the funny thing is that back when I was like 14-16 I streamed (under a different name) and I had literally none of these problems but over the years ( I’m 21 now) ive begun overanalyzing and overthinking everything in streaming to the point where I’m afraid to stream because of my own mental block.
So my advice to anyone looking to stream is please, don’t think too hard about it and just do it! Don’t spend all your time overthinking it.
I’m part of the small Twitch streamer group and so much of your advice have made so much sense. The viewer loyalty from raids too is one of the biggest reasons why I lowkey don’t like getting raided unless I’m really energized and able to provide value. It’s so much more rewarding too to hit 20, 30 views organically than it is to get the same amount of views from a raid, because you know those from the raid ain’t loyal.
I really need to get my RUclips channel started...
I enjoy your analysis talk, even as a small streamer/viewer I like hearing discussions on many media platforms for catching up with current events.
Yo Devin, i really would like to hear your opinion on how to provide variety of games to channel when you succeed at playing only one game and now you stuck and slowly burning out, meanwhile audience always wants this one game and resist to anything else
Obviously not Devin but I've heard it said the best way to make changes like this is slowly.
Introduce new games and things on top of the game you're well known for, if possible add an extra stream to your schedule or an extra video upload slot and make it clear that this is not replacing the other stuff but adding to it.
Then slowly over time your audience will adapt to it or you'll attract new viewers and you can slowly start to fade out one of your other slots until you're where you want to be with it.
This isn't advice from personal experience btw, it's just something I've heard, so take it as you will. All the best!
Aren't people there more for you than the game? Try to figure out what your "voice" that is attracting people to game 1 and then transfer that voice to game 2 - maybe even over the very same stream! Good luck out there!
@@jarredspectre "You have 188k subs on RUclips, people are obviously there for you and not what you do."
Say that for my 30 viewers on final fantasy 7 remake :D Such a big difference when you got 700+ on apex just shoking, sometimes i thinking that it's just YT algorhytms but then i see people who can stream more elder games and had insane ammount of viewers. Then i thinking it's just me, maybe im not interesting for audience and boring, but then... how a boring not interesting guy could grow big channel and hold big ammount of viewers people on Apex. Really dont know what to think
play what makes you happy. if youre not happy stream definately wont be happy. and those that dont like the change can just fuck right off
I have done this with my own channel. I went from GW2 to FFXIV, both mmos. Playing same genre games has done it for me, but it takes time. I started with LoL and swapped to OW, my subs tanked at the time and way less viewers cuz I came from a MOBA to a shooter which I liked. I still love OW, but it didn't make me grow rapidly. I had the OW community, but it was lower than LoL.
MMORPGs did it for me, see what can work for you. GW2 is medium sized population and I made myself known with GW2 raid guides on classes. I'm not devin but I figured I let you know how I managed it.
car analogy was spot on man. love it. long as you got the basics you can drive to your destination, everything else is just an addon. you dont need a radio, car still drives.
I streamed for a few years before deciding to explore other avenues, but I still love the space.
To all of these points are 100% accurate. Only true way I found positive discovery in the Twitch community (and you did mention this to a degree) was hosting / raiding similar streamers in my category and viewership numbers. The other best thing was being consistent with my content and when I chose to stream (once a week). This was around 2 years ago, now there are easily triple or quadruple the amount of streamers in that category. I've met some great people along the way and several fell into this trap of just repeating the "Twitch Grind" and not expanding their range of influence online.
Got to say man I watch all your stuff for both reasons, I LOVE understanding what makes people tick and analytics but I also want to create content so your content is just a double whammy for me. I fucking love you man, you provide genuine and great content. Every time I watch I’m not only entertained but also get motivated. Thank you man.
I just love learning about the business space regardless of the sector. Thanks Devin!
26:30 YES! Couldn't agree more. Its all about the D.E.N.N.I.S. system. Demonstrate your value. Engage physically, Nurture Dependence, Neglect emotionally, Inspire hope, Separate Entirely. This as well allows for you to gain your viewers back at any point you want.
I'm one of those people who like to have nice equipment even it's not necessary. I don't feel as bad hearing I'm not the only one that thinks like this. I'm enjoying the frequent uploads. Watching the videos in their entirety and even re watching to reinforce the points in my head. Thanks Devin for all effort to put out all this value.
I like your no BS take on things. Just go for it and be you and change as needed is the only time I have ever experienced growth. When I allowed myself to fall victim to every single one of these follies, growth stopped or regressed. Basically I have to get over myself on a daily basis. I am still small but I experience leaps of growth when I get over myself.
Since you asked! I don't stream and don't do youtube. I watch a lot of streams almost everyday (only in the Gwent section) and your opinion (and facts) are interesting to hear. I always learn something and in the end it all makes sense. Not only about twitch itself, but for example the only fans video and why they made that move was all very interesting (and totally new to me). Sometimes after watching some of your videos I end up googling around for even more info on some of these subjects.
So keep it up and I can totally understand that a lot of people who do not produce content themselves enjoy watching/listening to your videos. You are someone who clearly has passion for all this and has a lot of experience and knowledge about it, I am just happy to learn.
So thanks :)
I don't do any content creation but love these videos. I like to listen to them while being occupied with something else, whether it be work, gaming, etc... The in-depth analysis you bring to this space from a business driven POV is fantastic for an econ student like me. Keep up the great work Devin
I love all these points. Great video all around. I will say a vast majority of people that come to my twitch channel from within twitch's website are via recommended tab.
A mod of mine (who also streams) and I have been experimenting and have found recommended is almost reliant on activity within other channels. So while being active on the platform helps, it's a tool to keep people on platform which lessens the amount of time to create elsewhere.
I'd still rather rely on having content on tiktok and other platforms that then draw in people, than rely on the recommended function and jump through the hoops required to come up in the recommended of more people. Most of my most staunch supporters came over from Tiktok.
Been semi frequently watching streams since 2012. Went thru the typical fad of wanting to become a streamer( falling victim to many things on this list). And now I LOVE listening to your talks and learning about all the growing market and social media bullshit. Just because I find it interesting! Also the first time I've ever actually paused a video to respond to a question.. you've always had me hooked, good sir
I've studied Marketing during my university years and a lot of points you make during your vids are clear to me. Most of them are things i've already told to a couple of friends who stream / used to stream at one point or another. I've linked a bunch of your vids to them, because the way you're explaining things is easy to grasp on. I'm just here to expand my marketing knowledge, so keep em coming.
Can really attest to the first two points. I was interested in something, saw nobody else was doing it and made a crappy 7-minute video about it that somehow started getting me subs on here. Followed through on something I said I might do in the initial video and now I’m making content because I love doing it and I love connecting with people that enjoy my content.
Before that I was always concerned with what I was going to do and how I was going to do it and nothing got me anywhere until I just hit record on OBS with my crappy mic and transferred a video I recorded ON my PS4. I hadn’t even bought a capture card until a couple months after that first video. Excellent points and video my dude. Glad I subbed.
Also chiming in to the sea of random people who don't actually care about Twitch streaming much. Honestly I don't really watch live streams at all, nor am I really looking to start any sort of business ventures in the foreseeable future. I just really enjoy a lot of podcast-style content, as it's not only interesting to understand from the context you bring it up in, but also seeing how it abstracts into so many other facets of my life as well. Every time I watch one of your videos, there are always a few of things that I pick up and immediately make a connection to in my job as a software dev. Like the first point you made about not overthinking, it's something my team at work constantly try to remind ourselves when we're working on new project specs.
Anyways, love the content as always, and I really hope that you'll continue putting out videos like these even after you return to streaming.
I'm definitely in that [ Don't Steam, but interested in the Madness of the Method ]. The thing i find the most intriguing is the [ Just because there's 10,000 ppl doing X, doesn't mean that X is actually what's working ]. I always viewed Twitch as "Where you grind the meat & materials", but other platforms are where you show off "The artisan sausage links". Keep making the great content 🔥🤘🔥
Gotta say Devin, as a small stream, there is loads of value here and though I may not action on all of this as much as I should, I know how little that will get me. I know that one day I'll diversify my content and actually grow, so it's great to learn this now before I'm doing. Watched the whole video.
Also! I love the regular uploads, if you end up going back to Twitch streaming, I'm gonna miss this stuff.
I just got my AI Tesla robot can’t wait to get my channel started 😎
I can clearly see that I've done everything wrong. I focused on my dedicated viewer content when I barely have any dedicated viewers. I need to work on my discovery and I need to change my RUclips channel as whole before working on Twitch expansion.
Thank you so much Devin for giving me the "Ah Ha" moment I was looking for. Look out tik tok here I come!
I simply can't overstate how much value those videos are giving me. I'm also guilty of #1. I used to be guilty of the last one, but one of your previous videos helped me a lot. Now I'm working on content that I'm passionate about and believe has no market (so I can create it).
**Suggestion**: please make a video about "why raids and hosts are a myth". I'm constantly seeing people mentioning how "hosts are important!", **but they cite zero information that would actually support such claims**.
I treat my channel like a tinkerers hobby that re-opened a few doors to other related things. The hand-full of streams I've done over the last year re-sparked some other interests again that have been dormant for close to a decade. It was a spring-board, and for that I'm grateful. Streaming isn't my thing, but it sent me in a great direction.
I was previously live streaming for an average of 4 hours a day on Twitch with a RUclips video about once a month. I definitely burned a lot of time doing this, missing out on actually doing something valuable. Devin's videos over time led me to start experimenting with short-form content, like RUclips Shorts and TikTok. Instead of 4 hours a day streaming, I only burn about 2-3 hours a week producing a week's worth of short-form videos. It took me a month on RUclips to match my 7 months of followers on Twitch.
Also just want to say thanks to Devin and his community for the insights on this industry, I gain massive amounts of value from content like this.
Your videos straight up motivated me and gave me a proper... slap in the face... to make just a few Shorts from my stream that got some views, which further motivated me to start a channel, currently editing my first video and pretty hyped about uploading it. Probably will suck as you said but I feel it'll be a kickstart that I need to do something other than just working in my life. I love your videos man! Thank you!
I only now finished the video, I'm one of the people who has no interest at all in creating content, I just find this highly interesting, because it's a lot more dynamic, it's a rel time interactive medium, it's literally every child's dream of being able to talk to the TV. The secondary reason is that I like a few small streamers and I am interested in how their chances look/are looking of growing more, and/or if I could advise, other than just saying "watch devin, he's good", like when the whole "twitch social credit" thing happened, small streamers were super censoring of their chat so they wouldn't lose social credit I could say "that's not exactly how that works" and have them chill a bit. In general it's really entertaining to listen to someone talk about issues/news on online media forms without emotional rants and/or talking bullshit that they don't understand.
I only have a small interest in content creation one day, but I mainly watch to hear a marketer's perspective on the processes behind the content I consume. That marketing lens is an interesting and useful angle to think about things in my own life - career, life path, etc.
I'm a tiny etsy seller, miniscule Instagrammer, nearly invisible on Twitter, and just started streaming as a vtuber, all art focused to be full time freelance someday. I've been using restream and realized today it just doesn't feel right. I'm still not sure whether I should be streaming on twitch or RUclips, but I'll definitely be working on making more content videos on RUclips anyways. There's so much to learn and I feel like I keep flip-flopping. I wish youtube had little chat incentives, goal markers, and image about panels now that I've already drawn and designed all of mine, it would make the decision easier!
Not a content creator but love your content - its an inside look into the industry that i spend so many hours a week watching while i work lol. Thanks for the content man!
Literally going to listen to this every morning to keep me focused on the right shit. Thanks Devin.
I'd like to add one thing - as a viewer: Twitch hosts and raids helped ME to find my favorite streamers. I started a new game and was looking for a bit of instruction. I started at the bigger ones by numbers (gotta start somewhere) which was bad because there are too many people in chat to get questions answered. Eventually, through raids, I got to one that fit me like a glove in tone, content, and most importantly - community. I'm now very much involved in that channel, community, and clans.
I've watched literally all of your streams and videos for the last year and a half or so. Getting started has always been the biggest hurdle for me because of the fear of Doxxing and things like that, after my friend got her address sent to her in twitch chat. My anxiety has gotten the better of me on that and I have never been sure how to mitigate that risk. Recently decided step one should just be learning to edit and putting out content on the RUclips end. Always good vibes watching though, thanks for always delivering the harsh reality of wanting to put out internet content.
I can relate to every 6 points you mentioned out. Every video you do is helping me to simplify my life as a content creator. I took twitch as a priority lots of times but I was running on a hamster wheel. Your videos educate me. I can agree and disagree on certain things but most of your advices influence my technic every time I want to put out something. People from my surroundings start telling me that they see an evolution on my content. Thanks to you Devin! You are a true MENTOR
Yes I talk about this SO MUCH. I started out and grew on a crappy set up then got to in my head and felt stuck. Once I let go of my limiting beliefs and let go of the idea everything has to be perfect I felt free and I saw my community react to that and grow. But I do need a AI tesla robot.
Streaming and social media related stuff is so weird...
I have a buddy who is insanely talented at his particular game of choice, has a fun personality, and is engaging, etc. And yet he's been trying out the whole streaming thing for maybe a year with little to no success. I just find stuff like that so embarrassing. Like people who post RUclips videos for 30 viewers or people who stream for a few viewers. But I guess everyone has to start somewhere. It just hurts me inside when I see something like that. Obviously it's less embarrassing if they're just starting out but if it's been years or something then damn. Maybe it just isn't meant to be for them.
Also I feel like one of the biggest issues with streaming and things like that is people forcing it. If you're a RUclipsr for example you should be doing it because you're passionate and interested. Not because you want to be a famous RUclipsr and make easy money. And I think this relates to the whole thing with people wondering what game they should play. Play something you find enjoyable. Don't just play something because it's popular.
People just don't like putting in the work and with the internet anyone can try whatever the hell they want. Nothing is stopping them. But streaming and creating RUclips videos is entertainment. If you're not someone with an interesting personality, you're not creative, not good at speaking and so on. Then what are you even doing? You wouldn't try to get a job in the media like being on TV or on a stage. So what makes you think you can do things like stream or make RUclips videos?
That's just my personal outlook though. Could be completely wrong and I'm curious what other people think about this topic.
Oh, and I'm someone who is not interested in creating content or streaming and stuff like that. I just find it interesting to think about.
I have no real interest in streaming. I don't even really watch streams anymore. Used to. Just a business guy who loves to hear how other businesses work. You give crazy deep dives and I love it.
I mainly watch your videos to get advice if I ever decide to start streaming, despite not having home internet or a PC, and to help a relative who is trying to grow on Twitch from scratch playing a semi-obscure game with a small audience. Your videos also help me learn more about the technical side of marketing which has in turn helped me in my social life and work life.
I tried streaming a while back (coding), but it's a bit tiring and having had little to no viewers and no clear setup for interacting with them as soon as they write something (so someone could have been waiting for me to even read what they wrote) - I decided against streaming and just focus on more devlog style content (on my other channel).
But I watch your videos because you're very coherent in your explanations and it's just nice to listen to you.
def needed to hear this , started getting super lazy on my youtube channel , instagram and live streaming , just stopped making content overall , sometimes getting into something new like videography and story telling in youtube videos could cause you to overthink and i think thats what happened with me , i completely stopped on all fronts just cause of that and im realizing how stupid that is lmaoo , appreciate the talk homie
Hi Devin! I love just listening to your videos for the marketing talk and learning, I have lots of friends who stream and i'm constantly telling them things i learn here. They don't listen, but love your content and learning anyway!
I'm never going to do streaming or content generation of any kind however I love listening to these talks. They give insight on things I've never even heard of and you're pretty entertaining. Good frickin job man!
You content = Essentially what is Business content + Gaming
Two things I love.
So yeah, you've definitely got a sweet niche running for me. So a big thank you for your videos, really appreciate them. :)
Have only ever listened to your RUclips videos. I don't really watch streams.
Can't speed them up or jump ahead like you can with a video, plus lack of cuts on content that should have it.
I've got RUclips premium so you've probably got a decent chunk of my fees over the years. ;)
Thanks again.
I always thought its be cool to be a content creator but never seriously consider it. You just explain everything so well and are so knowledgeable in the field that I love watching.
Hey don't be so harsh on your older stuff, project no limits and all your stuff before that was awesome. Definitely helped me get through some stuff and love all the advice. Thanks for continuing on!:)
I agree with you wholeheartedly on the equipment part. There's no point in dropping a huge amount of money on something if you don't know if you're going to like the feel of using set equipment
No intention on streaming myself but I do mod for a few streamers in the music community on Twitch. Your content has been a great tool in coaching streamers how to think about their streams. There are a few things that are different about the music community. 100 viewer streams can be supported enough to be full time gigs. There is some discoverability thanks to mod networking. Most of the overarching principles you talk about still apply though.
Twitch has been a great tool for me as a raid leader in Classic/TBC. We us it as an on demand video service to be able to review things that happened in raid. On top of at my peak running 3 40 man raiding teams that is a lot of Twitch Primes every month. I don’t think my YT or Twitch content will ever become discovered but Twitch basically paid me to raid lead in WoW. So I am grateful for that. Not to mention the clipping tool is amazing for saving funny moments with your friends. It’s so much easier to clip a stream than it is to open Premiere Pro and cut the segment, then render it, then post it in Discord. So I do think that even for smaller content creators Twitch is a great service for enhancing any community and I think so many people get lost in the rat race of trying to be famous. Just have a good time with your friends or whatever community that you’re in
I use to feel this really hard on YT without streaming, and a lil while I streamed on YT Live.
Although since then, I just learned it doesn't really matter, so long as your constantly seeking to improve yourself, and your streams, then people will see, and come with time.
Word of mouth is the main factor to growth, and people will share the more dedicated you are to improving yourself, and the community as a whole.
Although it does help, I'm a Graphic Design Artist who is also a VTuber, so I can customize everything to feel exactly how I want it too
I pretty much have no association with Twitch besides the 2 times a year I feel like streaming a game for a couple hours, but I do come back to your videos a lot. I enjoy how you breakdown and look at things from an analytical perspective and get straight to the point.
Loved the recent one on the OnlyFans issue. I would’ve had no idea what was really happening behind the scenes
I work in product marketing with physical products, been doing RUclips videos since 2013 and now have done few editing gigs for all size RUclipsrs/Streamers. Following your content to learn about the space that seems hard to access and only limited people are openly talking about since I would like to be part of this somehow while like you said, providing value. That's why I've switched to mostly trying to find people to edit videos for instead of making my own.
Loved the vid, long time fan. I think one issue with streaming and RUclips as a personal pursuit is that since online content creation has become a “profession”, green creators think they need to be professional to do it. The hobbyist / car enthusiast analogy was pretty good and I was hoping you’d expand a little, but yeah all of these excuses are like saying that you can’t drive to the grocery store without a Ferrari or some custom driving shoes. If ever the phrase JFDI was appropriate to issue as advice, this space has to be one f the most receptive places to issue it!
I'm one of those people who is just here for the knowledge! You have a way of explaining complex concepts that I instinctually kind-of get and turning them into very logical discussions that push the ideas further than I originally think them through. I am a digital designer by trade and one day I might start a project in the space out of interest but for now I'm perfectly happy with what I have already got going on elsewhere.
I rarely stream, honestly only for fun like every other month for friends but I love listening to these. I make some RUclips video that aren’t related to this topic at all but the advice does cross over from time to time. I’ve recommended your channel to my streamer friends all the time. Love your videos dude.
What you said about equipment is incredibly true. I have no interest in streaming, but I am a hobbyist when it comes to equipment so I'm slowly building my setup. It's not for anyone else. Just me. If you want a really good setup then make it, but its absolutely not necessary
The value that you are providing about economics and marketing in this extremly specyfic and fairly new enviroment is simply amazing ! Keep doing it, I always saw your videos as an event but with this semi-daily uploads... it's an event every day ^^.
I am here to listen to the ideas you are discussing. I eventually want to get into content creation but I haven’t fully jumped into it yet
#4 hits hard. I like playthroughs of new AAA games and the hardest thing is trying to stand out in the sea of top high-energy creators doing the same thing. My strategy is to just let my unique personality shine. I don't like doing gimmicky things to stand out cause it really comes off disingenuous to me. So far I see it working, but maybe it'll take more time than usual to grow.
Hi Devin Awesome insight and analysis as per usual! I just returned to live streaming after about a 6-7 month break cause my internet was ass. I spend alot of my time doing RUclips content and my first stream back I had more viewers/interactions than some other streamers that have been hardcore streaming 7 days a week for 8 hours for that same amount of time.
It's just a harsh reality that no one really wants to face, but it sucks cause it destroys their mental health so much
To Devin's point on hosting.. I had a friend that CONSISTENTLY streams Warzone get hosted by Aydan, a streamer that plays the same game and in the same manner (competitively), with over 15,000 viewers. Within ONE day he reverted back to 12ish concurrent viewers and remained there. I have seen this occur between many different streamers of different categories as well, although maybe not to the same degree, it's still prevalent. IMO, hosting might be the most trivial and overrated factor for streaming when it comes to sustainment of motivation, marketing strategy, and overall consensus of its value/worth.
I'm also one of those people that don't intend to stream but I do run a small business and I love your content! Excellent breakdown of topics, interesting perspective, and quality information makes for great entertainment
I once wanted to start a show with a few of my friends where we just live stream and talk about games and who knows what else. They expected the quality to be at the level of an IGN pro broadcast. They couldn't be convinced that it didn't matter because we were not going to have any viewers to start and we would work it out along the way and we should just concentrate on actually getting together and going live. Sooooo many people have the mindset that if they don't have the setup of millionaires or big corporations then it's an instant fail.
great content devin! i've been watching your stuff for over a year and i've learned a lot over the years about the industry... I haven't streamed in also about a similar amount of time, not due to excuses and overthinking, but more about the realization that I haven't really found the type of content I want to create and felt that streaming without the purpose--or without the value to the viewer--was a waste of my time. I still like to keep myself informed, and I find the way it works very interesting, but as an aspiring content creator it's hard to see where you can fit in in such a saturated market. Some people might need to understand that it might not be for them, but most people have found ways to get creative. Harris Heller and his content is also very informative about this too, and how many many streamers still haven't realized that livestreaming is a secondary form of content for their viewers to engage directly with the creator. Regardless, the more we watch content like yours and understand how the industry works helps many people find a way to make it happen for them. Your knowledge is invaluable!
Keep up the great work! much love
I used to focus all my attention solely on streaming. Now it’s just a hobby that allows me to make short form content on the side when I have time.
What’s amazing is all this advice still helps with other creative and content related fields and I’m excited to implement these teachings in those other fields.
Love ya Devin, you’re making some great stuff here man! 💪🏼
I started with a laptop that had 4GB of RAM and 0.6 of upload, so it's all very true - you don't need all of that fancy crap, not only it all costs a f lot, but it's also unnecessary. My first viewers arrived when my stream was lagging every 3 seconds, and they're still with me. It's a friendship building, a vibe riding, sharing the good times. Just open up, be yourself, you don't even need a cam - I went in without one so so many times just because I didn't feel like lagging more than usual.
About the "competition" and "stealing" - one of the biggest mistakes there is. There's no competition, it's not a race. Not only you aren't live every single moment of the day aka people aren't live at the same time so there's no "stealing", but also: you want to build a community that want to watch you for your vibes, so trust me - people will watch you if they want to, and they won't even if no one else is live. Sharing communities is the most fulfilling thing there is on twitch, building friendships with other streamers, but also allowing your viewers to meet more people and discover more content. The moment you realize it's not a race - that's when you will start growing.
Granted, I'm not a pro, been doing it only for a year and started because quarantine was boring af, but I made so many new friendships that I'm grateful for discovering streaming as a new way of meeting new people to talk about games, about life, to game with.
Hey Devin! Checking in to let you know i watch these for info and fun
Not a streamer or content creator but i love how informative your videos are. Keep up the great work!
Appreciate these videos Devin, always fascinating to hear someone passionate talk about something they are personally genuinely interested in. I originally came across your videos looking for advice on how to get started into streaming, eventually stopped for personal reasons but have continued to watch your videos as I do enjoy the insight, I suppose for the same reason I watch artisan how-to videos so I suppose I fit into the category of viewer that enjoys marketing-social media management type.
I look forward to your next video, good luck with the applicant search.
Loving your new content push - feels good to have D.Nashville talks again :)
I found you a year or two ago because I used to be interested in streaming but decided it wasn’t for me eventually and now I just continue to watch you because I love the topics you talk about and the brilliant way you present them!
I'm an engineer that works in sales/service and I listen to you just because you're talking about cool things related to professional development and marketing and sales. if you did other talks more general topics I'd just as well watch them. great stuff
I really enjoy Devin just pumpin videos out
"blue ocean strategy" I never thought about that as a concept but it's been happening alot. new opportunities keep popping up in my industry
Yeah, I found the topic of social media marketing fascinating, but have no intention of actually streaming. Fantastic content Devin, I really enjoy your videos.
The onboarding point is a rough one.
I was already playing games for hours on end before I was streaming. Only difference is I press a button before playing now.
But I can't do other stuff while paying attention to a stream and RUclips videos are so much more malleable in how I can watch them, so I avoid watching streams and prioritise videos instead.
This is my favourite video since you’ve come back. Planned out and communicated very well. Loving the frequent uploads Devvin, please keep them coming!
I'm one of the people that don't create any content and just like to listen. I don't even have any social media accounts. Just enjoy learning, Devin's Vids are usually easy to digest and informative.
great video, I loved the 'only worry about yourself and your content' advice, thanks for everything you do
Yo! I'm not a content creator, but love to hear you cut straight through the PR. It's awesome and have really been loving the burst of content. I stay till the end almost every time.