Turn your hobby into a career
Playing video games has always been your hobby ever since you were a kid. In this day and age, it is hard to downplay if people say that is a waste of time to play video games as it has no value, or that it does not give any significance to life. Unlike in the past, people are not blessed to actually turn their video game hobby into a career. At present, we are blessed to be able to turn our hobby into a productive one as we now have the privilege to live-stream ourselves playing video games. It is never too late to kickstart your live-streaming career – it is either you go big or go home.
After intensive consideration, you finally decided that it is time to start your live stream journey and hopefully turn it into a career in the future. So this is what you need to know before you get started.
Here is what you need to know
Find the platform you want to stream on
As of now, there are 3 major streaming platforms to stream on. They are:
- Twitch
- YouTube
Each of these platforms is a great platform to stream on and they have their advantages and disadvantages. So, it is recommended to read reviews online on these 3 streaming platforms to see which one is the best option for you to stream.
Find your niche
After you have decided on which platform you want to stream on, it is now to find your niche. For example, you need to find something that you would like to stream on. Is it vlogging? Gaming? Podcast? Cooking? You have to treat your streaming career like owning a business. Do not do something which you don’t like because others are doing it as well. Once you have decided on what niche you are venturing into, you can start focusing on growing an audience for that particular niche on a platform that you decided to stream on. From there onwards, just keep grinding!
Invest in good internet
Next, it is a must to invest in a good internet package as you do not want to have stream related problems such as your stream getting cut off, lag and even stream disconnection. As you are just starting out in your streaming journey, you do not need to stream in 1080p. The minimum of 720p stream will suffice. Hence, you do not need to invest in an expensive internet package. Just invest in a package that is good enough for your streaming journey.
Here is the recommended internet speed for live-streaming
| Platform | Upload speed required to broadcast live streams | Download speed required to watch live streams |
| Twitch | 3-6 mbps | 4-6 mbps |
| YouTube live | 1-51 mbps | 1-15 mbps |
| Facebook live | 4 mbps | 5 mbps |
Invest in a dedicated rig
Regardless of whether you are doing indoor or outdoor live streaming – it is a must to invest in a dedicated rig as your potato pc or your iPhone 4 will not be powerful enough (hardware) to process the things needed for your live stream.
- Indoor streaming: If your niche is indoor streaming such as gaming, just chatting, podcast and such – you will need to have a dedicated gaming/streaming rig that is built specifically for your streaming. Besides that, you will also need a good microphone and webcam so that you can interact with your audience and vice versa. You do not need expensive peripherals if you are just starting out, as there are many good budget devices that are of good quality.
- Outdoor streaming: If your niche is outdoor streaming like vlogging, you will need a phone that is decent enough to be able to live stream. Remember, you do not need all the expensive gadgets at the start of your streaming journey, just get one that is good enough. To add on, invest yourself by getting a selfie stick or a handphone stand to make it easier for you during your stream as you do not need to stretch your hand out for long hours which will result in making your arm sore. Additionally, get a lapel mic to have clear audio when you speak. Your viewers do not want to watch a stream with bad quality audio.
Commit to it!
Once you are all ready to start your streaming journey, commit to it! Set a schedule for you and your viewers so that your viewers will know when is the next time you are going live, and this will also help you to be disciplined by committing to a schedule.
Not just that, make sure to also be entertaining as your viewers watch you for entertainment. With a monotonous personality, it is unlikely that people will stick around and watch your stream. Hence, try to be as entertaining as you can, and also to be yourself. Your audience will like you for being your authentic self.
It is going to be a tough grind
Starting out will definitely not be easy and you will not see immediate results. So, you always have to keep your heads up and be positive as Rome didn’t build in a day. At the beginning of your streaming journey, ask your friends or family to open your stream to give a little boost to your live-streaming views, this will help bring organic viewers in. Along your journey, build as many connections with other streamers out there so that you can seek out any collaboration in the future.
Making connections with other streamers will also be beneficial for you as they can help you to grow your channel as well. But of course, build connections with the aim of meeting new people and collaboration, and not just for clout. People will be able to spot immediately that you do not have the intention of giving back if that is the case.
