Tips to promote your channel on social media
“Advertising is everything”, says the main marketing slogan. And while this was true for more traditional ventures, this mentality also works great for live streaming channels, be it Twitch, YouTube, Kick or any other platform.
Standing out in a universe of already established or growing content creators can be a complicated task, but there are tips that can help you grow your live streaming channel through social networks.
Index
Online presence
Why create content on social media to promote your live streaming channel? That’s a good question… And the answer is: to stay online even when the streamer isn’t streaming. That is, to keep showing up for people during the streamer’s offline moments.
Out of sight, out of mind, right? Therefore, be present on as many social networks as possible and that may make sense for your audience and content. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and even Linkedin… Don’t be afraid to be on as many social networks as you want, but keep in mind that each of them has a different content format.
All of this can help your live stream to be more discoverable, especially on Twitch, where the channel discovery system is heavily criticized.
Realistic goals
Planning is extremely important for the success of any project and a live streaming channel could not be different. Set goals to achieve with promotion on social networks.
The goals can be different: getting followers, increasing the audience per broadcast… The important thing is that the goal must have a deadline and it is realistic for the current moment of your channel, after all, there is no point in having a goal of 100 thousand followers in 15 days from a brand new channel. Think big, but with your feet on the ground.
Content that relates to your channel
Another important topic is about your content on social media. Of course, what you post outside of your live streams has to be related to your live streams, whether that content is clips from the live streams or behind-the-scenes footage, gameplay tips… Anyway: post about what you broadcast live.
Even if you are a variety streamer, without a specific focus on a game, it is important to find your niche, what resonates with your audience, be it a catchphrase, a special effect on camera or microphone, a specific segment of the live stream… Use and abuse of what works for you and your audience.
Each social network can benefit from something different from the content in live streams and this planning can be your differential for growing your online presence and, consequently, your live audience.
One of the most popular social networks today, Instagram is one of the main areas where you need to work to promote a live stream channel. The contents here can also be more versatile, since Instagram includes several publication formats: photos, videos, stories…
Feed
In addition to promoting the channel’s schedule and other “institutional” information, such as promoting other social networks, giveaways, etc., the Instagram Feed can make room for the audience to get to know a little more about the streamer. After all, those who watch and follow you also want to know you better.
Publish behind-the-scenes moments (videos and/or photos) of your live broadcasts, clips from live streams, game information that you present in your broadcasts… All of this can be content to promote your channel and better interact with your audience.
Stories
Lasting 24 hours, Instagram Stories can be perfect for announcing the start of a live broadcast directly to your audience, with a link to your channel. There are those who also use this tool to share Feed publications and reach even more people within their audience.
Despite the controversies and changes since Elon Musk bought the company, Twitter is still a widely used and efficient social network for streamers and content creators. Its short and quick content format can be a great tool for interacting with your audience.
In addition to promoting live streams with their direct links, a great way to build engagement on the microblogging network is to post discussions with your followers: games that are featured on your channel, videos of funny or impressive moves, gameplay tips. On Twitter, everything can be a reason for a healthy interaction with your audience.
YouTube Shorts/TikTok/Instagram Reels
This is perhaps the only place where specific content can work for many different social networks, and here the streamer can benefit greatly.
We’re talking TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. All of them are publications in videos, in vertical format and of short or medium duration. What goes to TikTok can be easily reposted on YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels (on YouTube Shorts, the video time limit is still 1 minute for most users).
Content for these platforms is perhaps the simplest for a gaming streamer: clips from your live streams.
The streamer can benefit from including a link to the live channel in the caption of the videos, in addition to informing the name of the channel and its platform in the published video images.
Publishing scripted, creative videos on a subject that is always presented in live broadcasts can also be a super positive point for the growth of your audience on social networks and also on your live stream channel. Planning here is key to success.
Who uses Facebook these days? Well, according to verified data, millions and millions of people. And this social network, even if lately forgotten by many youngsters, can be a great tool to promote your live stream channel.
In addition to creating an official page, where content from Instagram and even Twitter can be efficiently replicated, having a group dedicated to your channel is a great way to interact with your audience.
The Facebook groups tool has received a lot of attention from Mark Zuckerberg and his team and has been gaining priority in the feed of this social network users.
With a Facebook group, the streamer can publish exclusive content for subscribers, perform giveaways, distribute discount coupons… There are countless options here.
Think outside the box
After all these tips, one last one: think outside the box. Delivering content that nobody else does, or almost nobody else does, is what can set you apart from everyone else and put you in a prominent position.
Have you thought about promoting your channel on Linkedin? Despite being a social network aimed at the professional market, your channel can be promoted efficiently there. Publishing videos or articles with game tips that you usually present live, with links to your channel, can be an interesting idea to attract more audience. Fit your content appropriately for each of the social networks.
With all this, remember: the important thing here is to create a unique brand, stabilize your online presence to be seen by more and more people and create interest in your content.
Lots of great advice.