A GUIDE TO TWITCH.TV - HOW AND WHY TO SET UP YOUR TWITCH.TV ACCOUNT
This is the second article in a short series focusing on Twitch.tv – a growing social video-streaming platform destined to change our perception of (and interaction with) live broadcasting. It is our hope that you will use the information presented in this series to get involved and thus improve your poker affiliate business results.
ADAPTING TO THE (CONSTANTLY) CHANGING FACE OF ONLINE MARKETING
The possibilities within the world of online marketing are expanding with every new development and keeping track has become more difficult than ever. Even though all the information might be easily accessible for anyone using a computer or a smartphone - the sheer number of these developments is so huge it seems almost impossible to grasp in its entirety. This, of course, brings along yet another new challenging level to our continuing struggle to keep up with the changing times.
As technologies advance, they bring changes in almost every possible aspect of our personal and business lives. Not only does the way we do things change, but the places, the battlegrounds we compete on are also being migrated from one place and medium to the next.
In this day and age, the marketers feel pressured to adapt as quickly as never before. In order to succeed, we must become the masters of the web, we must follow and know each and every new development and use it to ou advantage. To stay alive, you must never get left behind.
TWITCH.TV – A NEW BATTLEGROUND
As we wrote in the previous article about this topic, Twitch.tv represents the future of live broadcasting and a new, almost revolutionary way of interaction between the audience and a broadcaster. It is a simple, free and easy to use platform that enables anyone with a minimum of affordable equipment to become a broadcaster, stream content and interact with their audience while making money and improving their business and client networks. It has become the most popular and widespread live streaming platform on the entire internet. Its global traffic is second only to Netflix, Google and Apple while its streaming traffic accounts for 40% of all internet live-streaming content!
For more info on Twitch’s success and its importance in the online marketing world, check out our first article in this series - TWITCH.TV – an introduction to the future of live broadcasting and why poker players and affiliates should use it to their advantage.
SET UP YOUR TWITCH.TV ACCOUNT AND START BROADCASTING IN 4 EASY STEPS
Many Twitch.tv broadcasters are supported by the site and their growing community. This way, the broadcasters are often able to earn money and support themselves through their work and involvement with the site. There are various ways of achieving this so here are some tips on how to set up your account and get started in the right direction.
STEP ONE - CHECK YOUR HARDWARE AND CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS
PC REQUIREMENTS - Live streaming on Twitch.tv does not require any expensive equipment or set up. Still, making sure your PC or Laptop are up to the task is a step you should never miss when trying out new stuff.
Minimal hardware requirement for streaming on Tiwtch.tv largely depend on the game(s) you are planning to stream. While certain games require more advanced equipment, streaming poker is one of the least challenging things to stream. This is the reason why the official web page only gives recommended (not minimal) hardware requirements. This recommendation will actually be enough for almost every existing game but for streaming poker – you need much less than what’s recommended.
All that you will need in order to start live streaming poker on Twitch.tv is a relatively new computer (PC or Laptop).
CONNECTION - As far the connection is concerned, Twitch.tv recommends at least 3 Mb upload speed to cover most of the games available, but for poker, even a simple 1Mb upload speed is more than sufficient to cover all your broadcasting needs.
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT - Besides the computer, streaming on Twitch.tv will require a web camera and a microphone. If you don’t already have them with your computer, these items are readily available in almost any tech store. Choosing the ones you like is only a matter of preference and personal appetites. A standard gaming headset will do just fine but investing in a quality microphone and a better resolution camera could bring a more clean cut and appealing quality to your channel.
Some streamers are known to use a green screen to hide the background and superimpose themselves on the top of the game stream. This kind of effect can also be created with dedicated cameras that offer automatic background removal and a built-in noise-cancelling mic's.
STEP TWO - SIGN UP FOR A TWITCH.TV ACCOUNT
Using Twitch.tv does not necessarily require an account but in order to message, follow, interact or broadcast to other users, you will need to register and make your own account.
Creating a Twitch.tv account is as simple as it gets. You can manually enter your basic info or just click to connect with Facebook and you are well on your way. Once you have done this (it should not take more than a minute!), feel free to explore the sites features and try out a test stream just to get an idea how the experience actually feels like.
Remember to really think about the way you will design your Twitch.tv persona. Build a custom recognizable avatar, write a captivating description and incorporate banners so viewers find it easy to learn more about you and get closer to your broadcasting persona.
If you want to record your broadcast and have the option to upload it at a later time, you will need to tweak the setting in Settings > Channel & Videos > Archive Broadcasts.
However, keep in mind that this will not archive your broadcast forever. It will store it for 14 days but you will have the ability to export the recorded broadcasts to YouTube or create video highlights that might be stored on your Tiwtch.tv account forever.
STEP THREE – INSTALL AND SET UP BROADCASTING SOFTWARE
In order to start broadcasting, you will need to install some additional software. While there are many available options (you can find a full list here), we will focus on the standard, most popular and free option called Open Broadcasting Software. It is a free, open-source software platform that is an adopted standard for Twitch streaming.
Install instructions and additional info are available all over the net. You can find a number of YouTube video instructions on setting up OBS and even Twitch's own website offers a great step by step instruction on how to set it up easily. There, you will find detailed instructions with screenshots and everything you will need to start streaming.
One important thing to remember when setting up OBS is concerned with the stream delay option. This option enables you to delay your live stream to a certain time limit that prevents other users from spying and influencing the current game. Simply put, it prevents others from watching your stream and checking out your cards in real time. The typical stream delay is 5 minutes but it can also be set up for 10, 15 or any other number you like.
Another aspect of OBS you should know about concerns the layout you are streaming with. These options are available under the tab entitled “screens”. There, you can set up anything from the arrangement of your online tables to the size and position of your face cam.
STEP FOUR – START STREAMING
After you have set up your computer and OBS, all you need to do in order to start streaming is enter your stream title and make sure your stream is designated under the Poker category. While the experience of online broadcasting can truly be fun and fulfilling, there are a number of things to keep in mind while starting out.
While practically anyone can easily become a Twitch.tv streamer, the qualities that attract viewership to top Twitch.tv channels are important to consider. Not only are the top broadcasters good at the games they play, they are also great entertainers with engaging personalities. Twitch’s director of public relations, Chase describes the sought out qualities of a good Twitch streamer like this: "…humble, friendly, highly interactive and treat the people in their chat as if they are the stars of the show!"
Following this or some other Twitch broadcaster advice could potentially get you a large enough viewership to gain a Twitch partner status. This way, you would be able to get a share of the broadcasting revenue while also offering your viewers exclusive perks for a monthly subscription fee.
Here is some advice for novice streamers and those who are still considering it.
Commitment and perseverance! Setting up and installing the software is the easiest part. The hardest part about streaming is concerned with building an audience.
Firstly, you should choose a game and try to make a program schedule for all your streams in advance. While you can do this in a very simple way by choosing a particular poker client to center on, you can also make a schedule where you visit and try out different rooms and platforms or play tournaments or different stakes. In other words - while simplicity might be sufficient for some viewers, trying out a variety of different things can be both enticing for the prospective audience and helpful for you in your quest to find the platform that best suits your personality and attracts the most viewers.
Keep a tight schedule and follow it. Consistency and reliability are always valued.
Be careful to choose games that you are good (or at least entertaining!) at.
Develop an entertaining persona. Most Twitch users come to the site in order to have fun and interact so focusing on the entertainment value of your broadcast in certainly an important factor to take into consideration. While poker is specific and its viewers want some educational material, striking a balance between education value and entertainment could be the most important factor determining your channel popularity. One of the paths to follow in this quest concerns your interaction with the viewers. The more you involve them in the broadcast, the better. Try to be open and playful, this is a chance to show yourself or build an entertaining persona you can actually share with the world. It is a shot at stardom and why not give it your best!
Promote yourself! Promoting your channel and your broadcast persona is essential for good exposure and attracting new viewers and potential followers. Use Facebook, Twitter and any other platform you can think of to get yourself as much exposure as possible. This is what Twitch.tv is for too. All of these platforms can be used to promote all aspects of your business. Use it and promote your new deals, bonuses, special promotions and anything else you can sell.
Interact and become a part of the community! Many successful Twitch broadcasters say that interaction with their viewers is the main factor to their success. This is not at all surprising since interaction is also the most important reason these viewers actually tune in for. This is the specificity that makes Twitch so popular. You don’t just watch the stream – you interact with it, with the broadcaster and other users watching. The audience is a vital part of the stream and it is as important as the broadcaster itself. If you find a way to engage your audience and bring them in to participate and communicate with you – you are on a great way to success on Twitch.
Be patient and have fun! As most Twitch broadcasters will tell you, starting out on Twitch, you are destined to spend some time broadcasting to a very small number of viewers. This is, as they say, completely normal and natural so, adopting a mindset that will curb your expectations to this fact is essential for success. Actually, this time is something you sacrifice not only to let the audience find you but also to get comfortable doing this and finding your persona.
As one of the popular Twitch broadcasters, Sonja Reid says: “Whether it's a hobby or something you hope to make into a career, streaming should be fun — the more you enjoy yourself, the more everyone watching you probably will, too.”
With Twitch.tv, you can promote yourself, your business, your deals and promotions, you can connect, build, grow your network and exponentially expand your business scope.
The name “twitch” refers to games where the quickness of reaction makes a difference between winning and losing. Just like in marketing, or almost anything else - the shorter the reaction time, more probable the success. So - be quick to react to Twitch’s big success and get involved as soon as possible!