One of the biggest keys to success for streaming on Twitch is positioning. Positioning is choosing when to stream a certain game and relies on a number of factors including the popularity of the game and the number and popularity of streamers playing that game. Many new streamers believe the best game to stream to get viewers is by playing games listed on the Top Games list but that is not true for smaller streams. In fact, it will make it less likely for you to gain new viewers. Why? Because those games are normally saturated with many other streamers who are much more popular than you. What are the odds a viewer is going to scroll all the way down the list of channels for a popular game and find yours? Not very good. Especially for a new or hyped game, a viewer is most likely going to visit one of the top 10 channels for that game. However, if you time it right, streaming a new or hyped game can be a great opportunity to bring in a lot of new viewers.

Here is a guide on choosing when to stream a hyped or new game. Note that this is a rough estimation and will vary per game.

Launch Day: Unless you are a mega streamer, avoid this day like the plague. You will be crushed by the competition. Do not attempt to stream this day at all. No matter how excited you are or how many viewers you see watching that game, let this go until you are getting 1,000+ viewers on average per stream.

Day 2: Nope. Don’t do it. Many big streamers will still be here. This might be safer for those getting 500+ average viewers per stream. There will still be a ton of saturation.

Day 3: Okay, maybe the bigger streamers have moved on by then. If you average 100+ viewers per stream, and you don’t see too many bigger streamers already playing the game, it might be a good idea to take a shot!

Day 4 and later: Before you start your stream, see who is streaming the game and look at their viewer counts. Are there a high amount of streamers for the game? Can you be in the top 10 listed channels based off your normal viewer count? Or do you still have to scroll through the endless list of streams and guess you might be at the bottom?

The general rule is, you want to wait it out until all of the big streamers leave the game. Do not try and compete with them. There will still be viewers for the game days and even weeks after the particular game launches, and you will have a better chance of getting those viewers.

As a note, if you are able to put yourself in a position where you are streaming without competition from streamers much larger than you, it could be worth giving it a shot. This usually occurs because of timing. If you can stream really late at night (Midnight or later for EST time zones), you could potentially catch a pretty decent night crowd as the pool of streamers is typically smaller.

If you are itching to stream a new game, try having a giveaway for that game and make sure to advertise it in the beginning of your stream title, that will definitely get the interest of viewers. When people come in to ask about said giveaway, tell them it will happen randomly during the stream. This will get people to stick around, and if you are entertaining, they may even want to come back!

Lowco2525
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