Thread by @ellenfromnowon

Beginning to get some questions about how to grow on twitch as a new streamer. I'm still new, I've only been streaming since November, and started with years and years of audience building behind me.

Twitch is crushingly hard to grow on, don't put all your eggs in that basket.

I think it's because I'm a Twitch Partner but I got that because of my *other work*, not just because my streams met the criteria. The audience that seeded it have mostly been here for multiple years. If you have that, use it. If not, start building it.

A lot of the folks I enjoy on twitch (and who enjoy me) are unapologetic nerds with brilliant obsessions. It's so much fun, it's why we're good at Geoguessr. If you have one of these, it might make streaming a lot more fun. Twitch is not yet a mainstream platform like YouTube.

And a word of warning: it works for me and I went into it with informed consent but as soon as you start using the monetised parts of twitch as a streamer you are in an exclusivity contract. Make sure you know what you're signing up for.

I'm lucky to make over $1,000 a month through direct twitch stuff but the smart thing up do is (once lockdown lifts) raise revenue elsewhere while giving it a platform via Twitch.

It takes 200 paying subscribers to make just $500 a month. This is a LUDICROUS number.

Twitch has some really good stuff for streamers but it also takes a huge chunk of your income, more than most other platforms. It may be, but it also may not be the platform for you.

If you seriously think it could be an income source, start learning self employment stuff.

It's the most fun I've had on the internet for a while and it's paying rent. A pretty big win win. But this relies on the seven years of largely unpaid and difficult years prior to it, so it's not an advisable strategy!!

What Twitch does have? Much better culture and community than other platforms as a whole, a more savvy user base in general and viewers more experienced and open with paying for content. Better moderation than YouTube live.

Streaming can be a very fun and rewarding way to put food on the table. It really can. It has the potential to be gratifying and engaging, to make people feel happiness. I love that about it.

I hope twitch makes it easier for new folks to start out. That'd be excellent.

Also please for the love of god, if you're planning on doing anything for money at a computer, make one of your first investments getting a chair that won't cause you pain. Please.