Getting followers on Twitch is the primary way to build a Twitch channel and increase the number of viewers and eventually subscribers on your channel. Followers are more or less a popularity ranking for your channel.
The first 50 Twitch followers are the most important as that is the requirement for applying for the Twitch Affiliate Program and you can begin to earn money through subscriptions and donations on Twitch. In general, the more followers you have, the more people will watch your stream so gaining more followers is always beneficial.
How to get more followers on Twitch?
In this post, we have outlined some of the best methods to gain more followers on Twitch on a more predictable and consistent basis. All methods work well for new streamers looking to get their first 50 followers and also for established Twitch channels with thousands of followers.
1. Share Twitch channel on Socials
One of the best ways to get your first 50 followers on Twitch is to ask people who are already connecting with you on other social platforms.
Sharing your Twitch channel on your socials is one of the cornerstone methods to transition followers from one platform to another and is a strategy that you should start doing when you first start streaming and continue to do even when you become a well-known Twitch streamer.
This is often done by YouTubers who are trying to transition their viewers to their Twitch stream.
Some of the best Social sites to share on include;
- YouTube
- TikTok
The best strategy for new streamers trying to reach the 50 followers milestone is to share the Twitch channel with all other social media platforms where you have followers or friends. post your Twitch channel on your Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp groups, etc.
2. Ask friends or family to follow
Asking your friends or family to follow you on Twitch is by far one of the easiest ways to get the first 50 followers required for the Twitch Affiliate program.
A lot of people avoid doing this as they find it awkward to tell their friends or family what they’re doing, however, if you can get over that hurdle, having your friends and family follow you on Twitch gives you a big advantage over other new streamers.
I’m not necessarily suggesting you get your grandma set up on Twitch just to follow you, as that wouldn’t be super helpful, however, if you have a group of friends that you play with, Ask them to follow, Ask them to join the stream, get them involved!
3. Remind viewers to follow
Sometimes all it takes is reminding viewers to follow. This simple yet powerful method should be done every hour or so for the duration of a stream to maximize the number of followers you get.
I’m not talking about constantly nagging or begging the viewers to follow as this is awkward and will cause most viewers to stop watching.
Instead, you need to find natural openings to gently remind viewers to follow the Twitch channel, something like the following:
Hey viewer_name, Thanks for the follow!!. Oh Wow, We’re at 486 followers on the channel and only 14 more followers away for the big 500. If any of you watching not following yet, hit that follow button to help us get to that big 500.
We will be doing that on our next stream, hit that follow button to get a notification when i go live, so you dont miss it!
The main takeaway is that you should be actively asking for followers for the duration of the stream without being obvious.
4. Scheduled automated messages & Popups
This one is linked to the last method in this list, however, instead of reactively reminding viewers to follow, you proactively set a scheduled reminder.
This would be a popup on the stream or an automated message from the chatbot, just to remind viewers to support the stream by following.
Automated chatbot messages
Using a chatbot like Nightbot or Moobot allows you to set up automated messages in your chat to remind users to follow the channel, and can also be used to advertise other socials, merchandise, etc.
A good automated message would be something like this:
Enjoying the stream? Don’t forget to hit the follow button so you don’t miss future streams!
Timed popup reminders
Timed popup reminders are an excellent way to give viewers a reminder to follow the stream and will activate automatically throughout the stream.
I would recommend using this Social Media Popup from NerdorDie, It’s free to download and use, however, please contribute some money to the developers if possible.
Installing Popups might be a little confusing the first time, however, it’s straightforward once you know how it’s done.
The easiest way to do this is using StreamElements with OBS.
check out the video tutorial below.
5. Setup a follower only Giveaway
Competitions are an age-old way of generating interest, and that is no different when it comes to getting followers on Twitch.
Viewers are much more likely to follow a channel if they are in with a chance of winning something.
setup a competition for followers only and watch how the follower numbers start growing.
Twitch Giveaway Ideas:
- In-Game Currency or Items
- Consoles or Equipment
- Games
- Twitch Channel Perks (Channel Points, VIP, Gifted Sub).
- Discord Perks
- Add viewer In-Game.
Check out how to set up a Giveaway on Twitch using Nightbot.
6. Collaborate with other streamers
Collaborations with other streamers can be quite difficult, especially to begin with if you don’t have a decent-sized Twitch channel, however, Collaborating with another streamer can become very powerful once you already have a following.
Conclusion
Building a following on Twitch is not easy and requires a lot of hard work and consistency. Following the steps above will give you an advantage over other streamers and put you on course to get more followers on Twitch.