For the complete list of panels, check out the main TwitchCon 2016 panel recap post.

Poker Panel

VoD link: https://www.twitch.tv/twitchconbiblethump/v/93339425
Moderator: Scott Paul
Participants: jcarver, elky, tonkaaaap, Maria Ho  

• Until 2 years ago poker was banned on Twitch.
• Poker works so well on Twitch because you can tell the viewers your thought process when you’re in the moment, making it a whole different experience compared to a recorded video.
• Within 10 days they met their 3 month goal when it comes to viewers.
• Everyone that streams poker is part of the poker team, the community is very tight compared to elsewhere on Twitch.
• Especially for Americans, where online poker is mostly banned, Twitch is a great way for people to still get into the poker scene even when they can’t play themselves.
• Poker is an individual game, but streaming poker on Twitch makes it feel like you have people cheering for you. In that sense Twitch has changed the way they play poker.
• Streaming poker can be difficult in several ways but the main point is having a good delay. You don’t want to give people an advantage over you but you also want to keep your stream interactive.
• A lot of inspiration for how to run poker streams was taken from League of Legends streams. Some of the main principles taken from these streams were:
  • Stream needs to be a fun place to hang out in.
  • Stream consistently.
  • Build a community around your stream.
• 10 years ago the best ways to learn poker were books, a trainer, or guides. Twitch has taken over this role. It’s so easy to teach the basics of the game when they’re watching what you do and you can explain every move you make. Don’t understand something? Feel free to ask!
• There is no golden tip to grow a poker stream. But it helps to be relatable, speak the Twitch lingo, and go deep in tournaments or even better win them.
• Streaming poker brings the risk of revealing your poker secrets, but for a lot of streamers the fun of streaming this game outweighs that risk.
• The idea of people watching you play and probably trying to snipe you makes you play more creative and think out of the box.
• Poker has an advantage over other games on Twitch because there are tournaments being held all the time, allowing you to build up momentum. Doing well in these creates a snowball effect and these tend to grow your stream at an increased rate.
• Streaming tournaments creates great content because they’re filled with emotion, you can see the pressure build as the streamer gets further and you know none of it is acted. There is actually something at stake. This is something no other game on Twitch has.
• It’s a lot easier to be considered a professional poker player compared to a professional LoL player. Its comparative skill in poker versus absolute skill in eSports.
• If you love to watch or play competitive games it’s an easy segue to watch and play poker. It has the added benefit that if you stick to it and invest time it can become a profitable hobby, something that is very unlikely to happen with other competitive games on Twitch.
• There a lot of versions of poker that can be played and streamed. Learning a new one is one of the most fun experiences for a streamer.
• Check out our basic guide on streaming poker.

Social Media and You: How to Grow & Maintain a Fanbase

VoD link: https://www.twitch.tv/twitchconbiblethump/v/93341399
Moderator: Co-Founder: Raghav Mathur (@xinasha)
Participants: Co-Founder: Daniel Doan (@doandaniel) and Director of Marketing: Raquel Hayner (@XxRQxX6)

Panel is run by people from Blackshell Media, a company that specializes in indie game marketing and publishing. They work with indie developers to get their game out to the world.

• How did you use Reddit to promote SanctuaryRPG?
  • SanctuaryRPG is an ASCII based RPG
  • Daniel
    • Took to the internet to learn
    • Asked for help from subreddits for help on SanctuaryRPG. From different areas this created a nice network.
  • Raghav
    • When SanctuaryRPG was in its early stages (prototype) they had to figure out how to get value out of the people helping them and also how to give value back.
    • Make sure you can give back to the community. Give them value and they’ll give you value back.
• How do I find the right market for my game (stream) and promote it?
  • Raquel
    • Have to do some market analysis
      • What kind of streamers/gamers do you want to connect to?
      • What websites are they visiting?
      • Figure out your target market. Then research that.
    • Raghav
      • Think about the yourself and your stream. Make keywords that reflect that.
        • Quirky, charismatic, energetic, etc. If you want the same type of viewers, find out what games they like.
    • Daniel
      • Figure out your own interests and what kind of content you’d watch/resonate with. Making content you’re happy with will make others happy with it.
• What social networks should I use?
  • Daniel
    • There are tons of platforms out there.
    • Some niche platforms that may have the potential to be popular in the future are smart to invest in. (ie. Snapchat back in the day).
    • Figure out which platforms you’re comfortable using and what your audience may be using.
    • Be consistent and post daily. See how your audience resonates with that platform.
  • Raghav
    • Align what you’re creating with what platform your audience would like.
      • If you’re energetic and like short condensed hard hitters; maybe Vine or Twitter is a good place to be. On the other hand if you like long and thoughtful videos; Blogs or Facebook can offer more room for long posts.
    • Raquel
      • Facebook is the only platform that has 1 billion monthly active users. It’s a must have. Also recommends Instagram/Twitter and possibly Snapchat.
      • Utilize pictures/GIFs. They’re eye catching so make sure to use pictures on each one. Media helps engagement.
      • Hashtags are useful to stay on top of popular topics.
• How often should I post?
  • Daniel
    • Be posting as often as you can. When you have those few minutes in your busy day that are slower, post!
    • People want to get to know you. Other than your stream, they can only do this through your social media.
  • Raquel
    • Third Party programs such as HootSuite and Buffer can schedule social media posts. Still create original content, but it can help keep engagement high with less work on your end.
  • Raghav
    • It may seem daunting to post many times in a day but it’s necessary.
    • “Now Live” or “About to go live” scheduled Tweets when you’re about to go live is an easy way to have a set time you put out content on your social media.
• How do I get more followers and engagement per post?
  • Raghav
    • There’s no one secret to getting more followers/engagement.
    • It’s all about the many little things that add up to more engagement (ie. pictures/GIFs as opposed to just text).
  • Daniel
    • Putting content out there that resonates with the audience while connecting with people you enjoy.
    • It’s networking/making friends on a large scale.
    • All about making connections.
  • Raquel
    • Hashtags are very important.
    • Helps with viral marketing. Re-work the trending hashtags (right side of Twitter) to work with your content. It will help engagement.
• How do I request cross-promotion without being annoying?
  • Raquel
    • Try to private message larger streamers but don’t spam. Posting publicly can look bad for your account. Personalize the message too.
  • Raghav
    • It’s all about value. If they’re giving you a shout-out; what will you give them? Make sure both parties are getting good value out of cross-promotion.
• When should I start using social media for my brand?
  • Daniel
    • Start ASAP. It’s better to start before you feel ready.
    • It’s all about the learning process. You’ll learn social media by doing it.
  • Raghav
    • You need the social media platforms to get more attention on your product.
    • Once you make it a habit it will become easy.
    • To differentiate yourself from the rest, you have to start early.
    • Starting early also creates those meaningful relationships sooner.
• How do I get the attention of press or large networks?
  • Daniel
    • It’s all about attracting the lesser known networks.
    • Get known within smaller niches and build your brand from there. Once you’re more developed you can reach out to bigger brands.
  • Raghav
    • Building from the bottom up is helpful as a streamer.
    • Getting the attention of smaller streamers will get the attention of larger streamers.
    • Many small streamers shouting out your name can be just as important as one big streamer doing it.

• Is there an efficient way to use Twitter? Ie. Maximizing its potential whilst doing the least work.
  • Raghav
    • Trending hashtags on Twitter can help. Focus on those big events.
  • Raquel
    • “Going Live” Tweets.
• Should streamers use paid advertising? When’s the best time to use it?
  • Raghav
    • If you have the budget it can definitely help.
    • The sponsored ad section on Twitter does a good job of targeting the proper audience.
    • Facebook boosted posts are something to consider only once you already have a decent following. Once in awhile isn’t bad.
  • Daniel
    • Most social networks use something called an “Edge rank”. If you post something, have people engage on it ASAP. The sooner it’s engaged on, the higher its discoverability will be.
  • Raquel
    • Organic growth is good but at the end of the day, streaming is a business. Invest in your business.
• When you’re on Twitter, is being more direct/blunt better? Or is creative/clever/funny titles the way to go?
  • Raghav
    • When you’re first starting out, direct is probably the better way to go.
    • Don’t be afraid to ask your audience for feedback. Feedback is important and nothing to be scared/embarrassed of.
  • Raquel
    • Direct when you’re first starting.
    • Viewers/gamers want to watch a particular game a lot of the time. Be straightforward of what you’re presenting.
• Regarding posts with pictures/GIFs; is it better to mix it up with more text based posts? What’s a good ratio?
  • Raquel
    • Majority should have images/photos/GIFs. When people look at hashtags, the images will pop out among the rest.
  • Raghav
    • Media just doesn’t mean pictures. It’s URLs, GIFs, videos, etc.
    • Mixing it up is fine. As long as there is some media there your engagement will be high.
    • Nothing is wrong with throwing more text based posts into the mix either.
• Is there a sweet spot time-wise that engagement is higher?
  • Raquel
    • There are trends in times.
    • Blackshell Media posts from 9AM-9PM.
    • Lots of analytical tools out there to figure out what’s the best for your time zone.
  • Raghav
    • The larger you get the more global your audience will get.
    • It can be more common sense. Think about what times you want to engage with your audience and post during those times. (ie. 7:30AM – 9AM for breakfast)
• Regarding Edge-rank, what other “life-hacks” do you have for social media?
  • Daniel
    • On Instagram, posting time matters much less than it does on Twitter.
  • Raghav
    • Get as much data as you can from analytical tools and learn by doing.
    • There aren’t too many life-hacks. Most platforms are fairly linear which gives a fairly level playing field for all.
    • Every platform has a different purpose so cater your content for each platform. For example:
      • For Instagram, what can I pair with this post?
      • For Twitter, what part of this content can I highlight?
      • For Facebook, can I flesh this content out for a longer post?
  • Raquel
    • Connected accounts that post the same thing to ALL your social media can degrade your brand over time. Be careful with things like this.
• Where do you go to learn more about your audience?
  • Raquel
    • When you’re starting out, start niche and and go from there.
    • Figure out who you want to target and see where they go for their content. From there you can use things like hashtags/@’s to target the proper consumers.
    • Following a bunch of people will help you learn more about their content and the content they enjoy. Try not to worry about the “followers/following” ratio too much.
  • Daniel
    • It’s all about figuring out your own content first. Then try to study the followers of people doing things similar to you.
    • Even ask those people why they enjoy X content.
  • Raghav
    • Think about where you go to find your content/news so you can tap into a similar market.
• Is inventing your own hashtags a good idea?
  • Raghav
    • If you have your own community to build up your own inside jokes/topics it can help interest outsiders.
    • Can be alright to experiment with.
• If you’ve got a small audience, is it alright if you follow too many of your own fans?
  • Raquel
    • It depends on the role you have (streamer, marketer, community manager, etc.)
    • As an influencer/streamer it can hurt a bit if you’re following more than being followed but nothing to be too scared about.
  • Raghav
    • Nothing’s wrong with engaging with your audience. It helps tap into more info so you can learn to grow your audience.
• Is it a good idea to have separate social media accounts for business/personal use?
  • Raghav
    • It depends on what you want to do.
    • Most influencers/streamers are OK with tying the two together. It helps in connecting more personally with your audience.
    • Obviously if you’re not comfortable being personal with your audience, it’s alright to have separate personas.
• What other practices should eSports orgs/brands utilize other than just Tweeting out tournament times, players, etc.?
  • Raghav
    • Showing off things like interviews/interview snippets can be strong.
    • Even just a one line quote with a relevant picture can be an “interview”
    • Periscope streams can be engaging.
    • Lots of it is experimenting for your specific audience.
• Doing more creative things (ie. tattoo-ing), how do you promote your stream without giving away too much personal info?
  • Raghav
    • With specific scenarios, contacting Twitch is a good idea.
  • Raquel
    • Separate accounts is perfectly OK.
• Are giveaways a bad way to get followers/engagement?
  • Raghav
    • Giveaways are a great way to spread the word about something and give value to your audience.
    • Have that good foundation of good content first though. If you’re doing giveaways with a poor stream you’ll have a high spike but overall you won’t gain anything.
• How do you manage all your platforms? When is it ok to not reply/give short replies?
  • Raquel
    • Keep an eye out for the DMs/personal messages. You have to make time for those. Automated messages can be ignored.
    • Find a way to streamline the process (ie. Sending people to a specific e-mail you have to keep together all the “important” messages that you can reply to later).

For Whom the Bell LULs: Comedy That Rocks

VoD link: https://www.twitch.tv/twitchconbiblethump/v/93341869
Moderator: Jeff Leach
Participants: ManVsGame, SourKoolaidShow, SOMA, Swiftor, Ezekiel_III, FutureManGaming

• What do you think helped you to find your specific comedy audience?
  • Be yourself and do your thing. If you fake it, you’re gonna have to keep faking it which can be tiresome. You find your audience from being genuine.
• What do you do when you find something funny but your audience doesn’t?
  • Sell it to your audience. If you feel like you are funny, you can make other people feel like you’re funny. Once you commit to something, commit to it.
• How do you bring live stand up comedy to Twitch? How do you trust people are finding it funny without hearing them laugh?
  • Trust. Establishing a connection can help feel like people will get your jokes.
• How do you decide where the character ends and where the streamer begins?
  • It becomes a mix of both.
  • Be yourself, do you. Take that and add energy to it.
  • First impression is super important, you never know who is just coming into your stream.
• What do you do when you have a 8+ hour stream and start to get low energy?
  • Finding a balance between high and low energy allows viewers to connect with the streamer and see who they are. It gives you a way to talk about everyday things when you’re not being high energy.
• Is there room for the serious amongst the funny?
  • You need light and shadow, you can’t try to be funny all the time. It starts to weigh on you after a while.
• How important is the game to the comedy?
  • Use the features in the game to get the comedy you want. The game can shape the stage for how you’re trying to portray your comedy.
  • As the game is playing, live commentary helps. The game is vital to trying to be comedic on stream. It provides material for the streamer.
• Is technology important to your comedy?
  • Equipment definitely plays into the quality of the stream. Low budget can still be charming.
• Can mods have an integral role in comedy?
  • Telling them not to ban hecklers can provide comedy.
  • Let the trolls keep going because it’s so much better when you destroy them. It’s funny to let them keep going because you have the mic and control.
  • Turning a troll around is possible. Trolls are trying to be funny, so when you get them back they can build respect.
• Hecklers can ruin positivity in your community. How do you draw the line?
  • Utilizing bots for certain words is good. Sometimes you can’t trust people to use them in an actual comedic way. It helps guide the community. It also forces people to be more constructive or more inventive.
  • Some trolling doesn’t deserve the attention. You have to train people to troll better.
• How do you find the people in your community that want to help and encourage them?
  • Embrace your community’s ideas otherwise it will die off. Don’t squander it.
  • You start to find people in the chat that make you laugh. The ones that get your sense of humor are the ones you want to help you.
• Comedy that is mature or family friendly. How do you make the decision of being clean?
  • Clean, brutal, but at other people’s expense works for some people. If it’s not funny for you then you’re kind of limiting yourself.
  • Adapting mature humor can happen if you feel like your audience isn’t a younger crowd.
  • If you’re being a bit too much on the mature side, sometimes you have to pay attention to what you’re saying and reel it back.
  • It’s important to not change yourself or restrict yourself for your community. Do the comedy that you like.
• Twitch is broadening horizons for different categories like stand up comedy, cooking, social eating, etc. How does that change the way for the future of comedy on Twitch?
  • TV quality production is the future but there’s always gonna be room for people with charming low quality streams as long as people find you funny.
  • Sometimes there’s content that will surprise you like Twitch adding Bob Ross. The chat made it very comedic.
• What would you say is advice for the way maybe Twitch itself as a business is looking to promote comedy?
  • Don’t be racist or sexist. Be a good ambassador for Twitch and respect the platform that you’re streaming on.
• What’s gonna make someone get noticed? Is there a specific form of comedy that is particularly loved right now?
  • Being unique. You don’t necessarily have to be a character, but you never know know what could pop up. You could be a hit out of nowhere.
  • Have something that’s very different for when people click your channel. Build your stream the way you wanna build it but on Twitch it’s very different. People click in and click out within 10 seconds so you have to have something different.
• Comedy do’s and don’ts?
  • The things that you think you can’t do, do it. Don’t focus on comedy, focus on you. Focus on being you and don’t worry about it.
  • Don’t get burn out on your own personality. 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. When you don’t wanna hear you voice anymore go outside and get fresh air.
  • You will be funnier between 4-7 hours. Getting tired and losing energy can make you quiet and salty.
  • Don’t let it be quantity over quality. Keep it snappy and have people wanting more. It’s not always true that the longer you stream the more you grow. It doesn’t always help to be streaming. Good content is what counts.

How to Get Sponsored When You Aren’t That Big… Yet

VoD link: https://www.twitch.tv/twitchconbiblethump/v/93342806
Moderator: Will (@ Discord)
Participants: Thadeous (Director of Community @ Astro Gaming), Alexis (KoozyL @ OriginPC), Andy_Lunique (@ Microsoft), TKBreezy (Partnered Streamer/Smash Shoutcaster)

• Why choose streamers? How does that differ from your other advertising avenues?

• KoozyL
  • It’s our core audience. Looking for gamers and their communities. Twitch encompasses that.
• Andy_Lunique
  • Microsoft doesn’t follow the sponsorship “road”.
  • Would just like to work with the right people. Microsoft doesn’t slap their name over people’s brands.
• Thadeous
  • Working with streamers is much better than just making an online ad or one time commercial.
  • It’s relationship building and we get to understand your audience more and get more feedback for our products.

• What are you looking for in a streamer to want to sponsor them?

• Thadeous
  • Passion. The main thing to look for. E-mails can be very showing about how passionate someone is about their products.
  • While numbers are important, smaller streams do get sponsored due to their passion.
  • Don’t send templated letters!
• KoozyL
  • Tries to work with streamers of all sizes. Always tries to find a way to work with passionate streamers.
  • Likes when people present all the numbers and info about their channel up front. Less they have to research themselves.
• Andy_Lunique
  • Professionalism and transparency about what your goals are. Not only things to attain sponsorships but these things should be present when dealing with ANY organization/company.
  • First thing you should be working about is “how do we work together for this brand?”
• TKBreezy
  • Looks to brands he personally uses frequently.
  • You can’t promote a product if you never use it or don’t know how it works.
  • You want to show a company how much influence you have with their product.
• It’s a risk to reach out to organizations but the worst that can happen is just them saying “no”. Also, “no” isn’t forever; that “no” may turn into a “yes” down the road. Don’t be afraid to try in the future (Thadeous).

• What’s the benefit of working with smaller streamers over larger streamers?

• Thadeous
  • Their drive. They are hungry for more all the time and having passionate people using your brand is huge.
  • View counts are nice but it can’t replace passion.
  • You are able to build a relationship with them more directly.
• KoozyL
  • Their streams aren’t smothered in other brands. You may be the only brand in a relationship with them so they’ll likely be more flexible.
• Andy_Lunique
  • Context is important. Be very specific about what you want to do.
  • Smaller streamers usually have a core focus that can be built on. Would like to see how a smaller streamer grows off some help.
  • A smaller streamer’s growth/success story is what he wants to hear.
• Will
  • Smaller streamers tend to have a higher influence over their community due to being slightly more “tight-knit” even if it’s smaller than others.

• What is considered a “smaller streamer?”

• KoozyL
  • Mostly about the concurrent viewers.
  • Low follower count may just mean they’re new.

• What makes a good partner?

• KoozyL
  • Content creation based on their product (ie. unboxings)
  • Passionate and knowledge-able about their product.
  • Audiences can pick up on false love for a product.
• Andy_Lunique
  • It’s not only about a company having a good partner, you should do your research and make sure a company can benefit you properly.
• Thadeous
  • Pushing the boundaries of whatever you’re doing. It’s eye catching.
  • Understanding of the product. Passion is good but being thoroughly knowledge-able about their product is important too.
  • Diversification. Not just a Twitch channel. Multiple forms of content is eye catching as well and helpful for a brand.
• TKBreezy
  • Knowing others that may be interested in a brand can be useful. Networking with others to promote a brand is powerful.
• It’s important to treat your brand well. How well you work with your other sponsors can impact you greatly.

• How important is it to be at events/conventions to connect with viewers/sponsors?

• It’s very important. It gets you closer to the companies on a more personal level.
• You’re able to relate with the company and build proper relationships.
• Try and have memorable conversations with sponsors. You want to remember them and you want them to remember you.
• (Thadeous/KoozyL): When at these conventions; don’t be upset if a sponsor didn’t e-mail you back or may not remember you. Everyone has lives, and busy ones at that.

• What is the top “no-no” for a smaller streamer approaching a brand?

• KoozyL
  • Straight up asking for free stuff with nothing else.
• Thadeous
  • No previous work to show worth ie. Asking for gear without even having a channel up and running.
  • Don’t let inappropriate things about your content ruin your chance with sponsors. Homophobic remarks, racial slurs, etc. affect your chance with a sponsor. Think about what you’re offering to a brand before approaching them.
• TKBreezy
  • Experienced first hand how important your image is to a sponsor
  • In the past before being sponsored, used inappropriate language on Twitter.
  • Over the years, slowly vetted his content on Twitter to improve his image.

• When you consider streamers for sponsorship, how much does their audience location factor in?

• KoozyL
  • OriginPC ships worldwide but primarily everything they support is in the US
  • It is important to them. For example while Europeans can buy their product they can’t support it.
• Thadeous
  • Astro has a global vision. Currently trying to grow an international team.
• Will
  • Discord looks at the numbers. They differ depending on the language the content is being created on as well as the location.
• Andy_Lunique
  • Different teams at Microsoft handle different areas so it’s sort of lucky for them to be able to reach everywhere.

• Where is the best way to find contact people for sponsorship? What is the best way to do so?

• Andy_Lunique
  • It can be a battle. Every company will have a different level of communication.
  • Going to their “Contact Us” section on their company’s homepage is the first step in the battle.
  • E-mail is the first line of communication majority of the time. Having a well-rounded e-mail can get passed around to the right people.
  • Twitter is also a good place to contact.
• Thadeous
  • When contacting people on Twitter, try to word it as a question of “who to contact?”. Don’t discuss sponsorship as many don’t want to discuss that kind of stuff on their personal Twitter.

• How do you approach companies that don’t know about Twitch and may not understand it?

• KoozyL
  • It’s not easy to explain this kind of thing over e-mail so once you have contacted through e-mail try and set up a call or face-to-face meeting (ie. Skype). Then you can show examples and provide context to your worth to them.
• Thadeous
  • Twitch makes many of their numbers/data visible to the public. Take those when you approach a company who may not understand Twitch. The raw numbers can help with the understanding. Educating is the most important thing.

• Do you prefer streamers to talk about your brand? Or is it alright just to have the logo on the stream/info page.

• KoozyL
  • Talking about the product is the best thing. It engages the audience.
  • Info panel is usually not enough.
• Thadeous
  • FTC regulations legally requires you to have your sponsorships disclosed on your streams.
  • FTC regulations ARE important. If anyone is going to give you something for free or to endorse; research the FTC regulations.
  • You can get fined for not following them.
  • Astro has a quarterly class for their team to learn these regulations.
• Will
  • Actually using the product and showing it is the best. For example, seeing that people are utilizing the Discord overlay is awesome.
• TKBreezy
  • It’s important to talk about the products. Breaks are a good time to shout out your sponsors.

• Because the content (ie. Blacksmithing outdoors Creative stream) may not allow for visibly seeing a product, is talking about it enough support to get sponsored?

• Thadeous
  • Visibility is important but it’s definitely not everything.
  • Lots of time is sponsoring your lifestyle, not just what’s on the surface.

• What made you realize you had to change your lifestyle to get your sponsors?

• TKBreezy
  • Getting more serious about getting sponsors wasn’t really about dropping anything. It was more about adopting to fit to a bigger audience.
  • For example, being funny while being raunchy is good but being funny without being raunchy means being more attractive to an even larger audience.
  • This past year (2016) was a lot of seeking sponsorship. Received many “No’s” but some were half “Yes’s” (ie. sponsored with free product rather than money). Half Yes’s are good since it puts your foot in the door and opens up for full Yes’s down the road.

• What is a marketing “Deck”? How do you make one?

• Andy_Lunique
  • There’s lots of ways you can communicate yourself to someone in an image or website (ie. portfolio, reels, etc.)
  • A Deck can be an advantageous tool for a streamer that displays not only their stream but shows things like viewer numbers, growth, games played on stream, snapshots of you at events, etc.
  • A Deck gives more context and understanding to someone about your content.
  • If you’re at that point where you’re comfortable reaching out to sponsors, a Deck can be very important.
• Thadeous
  • When building a Deck, don’t inflate the numbers and don’t over promise what you can’t deliver. Be realistic about what you’re able to do for a company.
• KoozyL
  • Make sure to update your Deck as you grow. For example, if you’ve sold a ton of PCs for Origin; show in your Deck that you can translate that to selling headsets for Astro.
  • Also don’t inflate numbers about sales. Sponsors talk amongst each other will find out.
• TKBreezy
  • Use all the experiences you have when building your Deck. Anything that is in the realm of whatever you’re already doing. Just make sure it’s factual of course.
• Will
  • Doesn’t personally feel the Deck is the most important thing. Enjoys videos more and presenting themselves as human beings.

• Is it worth going after sponsors when you’re a smaller streamer or should you wait till you have larger numbers behind your name?

• Thadeous
  • It’s always worth it. Start trying right away and court people when you start.
  • It’s about making your face recognized by people running these programs.
  • If you believe in the content you’re creating you should always be trying.
• KoozyL
  • It’s never too early. If you have a community and set number of viewers, no matter how small; if they trust you and will come to see you. That’s good.
• Andy_Lunique
  • Tenure, consistency, and tenacity are more important than viewer numbers.
  • Have a track record before you think about just your numbers.

9 to 5 to 9: How to Balance Your Time

VoD link: https://www.twitch.tv/twitchconbiblethump/v/93343117
Moderator: McLoken
Participants: Bluejay, Simple_Jxn, DomesticDan, Draskia

All the streamers have a fulltime job and stream full time, or have until recently.

Mental and Physical health:

• It’s hard to maintain a good balance between two full time commitments and you slack on taking care of your body and checking if you are happy.
• Streaming is a passion more than anything else, so when you push yourself everyday it is very taxing and leads to breakdowns.
• Regardless how stressful you are with your jobs, find 30 minutes a day to focus on yourself. You spend your whole life with you, so spend quality time with yourself.
• A lot of personal friendships disappear because you don’t have time for those anymore.
• If you take care of yourself, you can find time to do anything. Make sure to treat yourself good.
• The people that come to see you on a regular basis want you to do well just as much as you want them to do well.
• Find something to help you out relax, this is going to be different for everyone.

Schedule at work and online:

• Best way to take care of yourself, your stream, and your job is to be consistent and have a schedule.
• If you are concerned about growing your audience, them knowing when and where they can find you is very important. Same thing goes for your job.
• In Creative it is important to create time to practice the things you want to improve on, wether it is on or off stream.
• Days off are important, this needs to be consistent to. It helps to disconnect from your audience for a day to recharge. If you don’t do this at some point you will realize you have worked every single day for three months straight and burn yourself mentally and physically.
• This doesn’t work the same for everyone. It comes back to listening to your body. Some people don’t need  day off, others need multiple days off per week. So don’t compare yourself to other streamers.
• If everyone knows when your day is off your community will understand.
• Social eating is a great way to combine streaming with something you need to do on a daily basis.

Connecting with your community when offline:

• Discord/Curse and social media are great ways to connect with your community.
• You don’t have to be on stream to keep working on your community, especially if you are a streamer who focuses on community.
• When you are building a community and the focus is on just you, that’s a lot of added pressure on you.
• Twitter is a great way to keep in touch when you’re not streaming, because you can use it wherever you are.
• Don’t limit yourself to just 1 social media platform, people like different platforms. The more you use the better you connect with your community.

Transitioning to full time:

• Transitioning to full time can be very stressful. You give up a lot of securities in order to chase your passion.
• It is fine to not go full time. You can work and stream part-time just fine. For a lot of streamers going full time is the dream, but it does not always work out.
• Having savings is really important. Do the math and make sure you can live for a year without earning anything.
• Take going full time one step at a time, if you take too many steps at a time you open yourself up to a lot of possible problems.
• Try to slowly transition from a full time job, to part time to going full time streamer.
• Sometimes when people manage to go fulltime they don’t have a plan to keep growing after that.
• Strive for a subscriber button, but don’t see it as the reason to go full time. A subscriber button is only the start.
• Be realistic, plan ahead, set goals, do math, have a backup plan.

QnA:

How would you recommend mentally preparing yourself for the transitioning?
Set priorities, take care of yourself first then things will get done. You are most productive when you are well rested and prepared.

What are your favorite foodhacks?
Meal planning, take a day off to cook for the week. Avoid fast food, it is easy but unhealthy and it adds up.

What were warning signs that you had to take better care of yourself?
Had a panic attack, did not want to talk to people, walking up the stairs and exhausted, stress crying, sleeping too little and sleeping too much.

It is important to be consistent, how important is the starting time compared to the ending time?
The starting time is a lot more important. If you don’t feel like streaming long be honest about it, your community will understand. It does hurt growth a little.

What are ways to keep yourself motivated to stream even when you are tired?
Be honest to your stream, stay connected when you are not motivated and let your community know and they will most likely understand. If you keep pushing yourself to stream when you don’t feel like it, it will show and will end up breaking you down.