Twitch Streaming for Beginners: How to Start Your Streaming Adventures
Streaming has become a lucrative profession in the 21st century. It has evolved from a simple hobby to a full-blown career for many popular streamers like Tyler1, xQc, and Pokimane. With the success of these streamers, more and more people are looking to become the next big thing.
Twitch, which started as Justin.tv in 2007, has grown into the largest and most popular streaming platform with over eight million streamers. While there are other streaming platforms like Trovo, Dacast, Facebook Gaming, and DLive, Twitch remains the best choice for streamers due to its functional features like polls, channel points, and an interactive creator dashboard.
If you’ve always wondered what it would be like to start streaming on Twitch, here are the basic steps you need to follow using the software of your choice.
Streaming Essentials:
Before you start streaming and building your community, you need to ensure you have the right streaming setup. This includes having a PC that can run games smoothly without any drops in performance, a stable internet connection, and essential streaming accessories like a microphone, webcam, lighting, and a capture card. You’ll also need streaming software to record and share your screen with your audience.
PC Setup:
To have a great streaming experience on Twitch, you need a powerful PC setup that can quickly encode your video and audio. Ideally, you’ll need an i5 processor and eight GB of RAM. You can check your current PC specs by going to Settings, then System, and then About.
Streaming Accessories:
Although often overlooked, streaming accessories play a crucial role in improving stream quality. You’ll need a decent webcam, a microphone, and a headset to enhance your gaming experience. If you plan to stream cross-platform content or use two screens, consider getting a capture card. Additional lighting and a green screen can also enhance your viewers’ experience.
Stable Internet Connection:
A stable internet connection is essential for providing a smooth streaming experience. You can test your internet speed on websites like speedtest.net. Your upload speed should be at least eight Mbps for a better stream quality. If your internet speed is not satisfactory, discuss options with your provider to improve it.
Streaming Software:
Choosing the right streaming software is crucial for a quality stream. Popular choices include OBS, Streamlabs OBS, and XSplit. For this article, we’ll focus on streaming via Streamlabs OBS. Visit Streamlabs’ official website to download the software and sign in using your Twitch account for easy setup and scene sharing.
Getting Your Stream Key:
To go live on Twitch, you’ll need to get your stream key. Sign in to your Twitch account, go to Account Settings, then Channel and Videos, and select Preferences. Copy the Primary Stream Key and paste it into Streamlabs OBS in the settings menu. You can also customize your channel by uploading a profile picture and a banner.
Bonus Tips:
While there is no guaranteed formula for success in streaming, there are some basic guidelines that can help you on your journey. Regularly interact with your community, decide if you want to specialize in specific content or be a variety streamer, and establish a streaming schedule. Also, make sure to have your social media links easily accessible to your viewers.
Remember to read Twitch’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service before going live and most importantly, have fun!
[embedded video: How to set up your first scene in Streamlabs OBS]
Streaming on Twitch can be a rewarding and profitable endeavor. By following these steps and staying dedicated to your streaming career, you can build a successful channel and entertain your growing community. Good luck!