Stream Growth Guidelines

Stream Growth Guidelines from Ace Of Arrows
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I may not be a Partner (I'm an Affiliate), but I've been on Twitch nearly 5 years at the time of this writing, and have watched a lot of streamers grow happily, and give advice on how to do so (both good and not-so-good).  In my experience, this is what seems to work for most streamers.

Keep in mind that for the vast majority of people, growth is SLOW and should NOT be expected to go quickly.  These are just general guidelines to ensure you do grow, and that you'll be happy with your progress as you get it.  Nobody says you *have* to follow *all* of these *all* the time; not everyone can - or wants to.  The more you can manage, however, the better your general chances are.

1) Be yourself.
Your viewers will figure it out REAL quick if you're putting on airs.  Lies and facades will fall flat soon enough.

2) Do you.
Don't copy someone else, and don't regularly play games you hate, just for the sake of getting viewers: you may get the viewers, but you'll never be truly happy on a *personal* level with what you're doing to get them.  (Note that I'm not saying "don't play popular games ever;" if you happen to really enjoy a game that tends to get lots of viewers, that's great!  Just don't expect an appreciable chunk of that high-viewer pie right away; people still have to realize you exist.)

3) It's mostly about the fun and the friends you make along the way.
Don't start a streaming career for money or big numbers, and never forget that it's more about loving what you do and appreciating those who *do* tune in to watch your stream.  If you start drifting too much toward a focus on moneymaking, you'll lose the viewers who wanted to watch you play what you were having fun with.

4) Show your community that you appreciate them.
Talk to them (mic if you have one, type if you don't), have conversations with them, let them know at least once or twice a stream that you appreciate their coming to watch.  Maybe even make a Discord server so you can more easily communicate with your community when you aren't streaming.  Community members who feel appreciated will continue coming back and watching your streams!

5) Stream often.
Frequency is probably the most important thing out of the Holy Streaming Trifecta (frequency, duration, and schedule), as it grants you the most leverage of the three if you have to choose one to focus on.  Stream every day, or as often as you can; by not taking lengthy time off very often, you're showing your viewerbase that you're sticking around.  If you can do so, however, shoot for the other two when you can; streaming on a schedule gives you viewers known times to tune in, and streaming for lengthy periods makes it more likely they'll catch you on any given day.

6) Network!
"Networking" refers to other streamers knowing who you are and what you tend to stream, such that they probably have enough reason to host/raid you, or give you occasional shoutouts (and this goes in the opposite direction as well).  This can be as easy as finding the communities for the games you play (probably on Discord) and letting everyone know you love the same game they do!  The important thing here isn't so much that you get a few big ones: people often make the mistake of feeling that if they can just ally with a big-name streamer, they'll be good, but if there are no shared interests, that big-name streamer is never going to find a good reason to refer others to you.  The important thing is that you have as *many* who *share your interests* as possible.  You draw from them, and they draw from you, and you all grow stronger together.  *Together* - don't forget that you should host/raid/shoutout them too; if you do so, they'll see your generosity more often and feel more inclined to return the favor.

7) Find exposure!
Speaking of networking, another big one: learn about and participate in events such as tournaments, marathons, and races that will be held live or re-streamed on others' channels to increase your exposure whenever you can: get seen in places other than your own channel where there are way more people.  You will also learn from places like GDQ and RandoMania that even managing to commentate/couch a run or race can get you exposure for your personality.

8) Do events yourself too!
Viewers get excited when they hear you're doing something special on your stream that isn't part of your typical fare, and it gives you and others a reason to announce to the public that there's something to see on your channel.  Hold your own marathons, even if it's just 1 or 2 days and you're just doing a themed thing by yourself!  Do a donation incentive for something you know your viewers really want to see!  Hold giveaways if you have the resources for it!  In general, just find reasons to make special, announceable things happen on your stream from time to time.

9) You can *hope* for whatever you want, but don't *expect* to ever find major success.
The most important point on this list for some people: Not everyone eventually hits it big, even if they're seemingly otherwise doing everything right for years.  It does depend somewhat who you are, what you're like, what you play, what (if any) drama you've been part of (and how you've handled it), and who knows you.  Major success can indeed take a lucky break.  It CAN take a corporate sponsorship.  It CAN take high-profile tournament wins.  I have seen people who hold multiple speedrun world records not have a very high viewercount.  I have seen people you'd think deserve way more than they've got, not have tons of numerical success on Twitch.  Major success can be nice, but it isn't a guarantee, and not many people can turn what is, at the end of the day, a glorified HOBBY into what they do for a living.

10) If you do find major success, don't go full-time until you're 120% ready for it.
Don't quit your day job until your Twitch income is covering not just the actual money you'd be getting, but also enough that you can cover the costs of all the insurance your job was paying for.  Going full-time is a big decision, and you have to ensure that your Twitch income actually can replace your old job, or you aren't going to be able to pay your bills.

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One more thing, by the way.  When you're first starting, the appropriate move to make is *NOT* to go into other streamers' channels and beg for follows/viewers - that's considered rude (because it is; it's follow-fishing and attempted viewer theft when it's on someone else's channel).

The appropriate moves to make *ARE*:
* Get on all your social media, announce that you're going to start a Twitch career, give them the link to your channel, and tell them what kinds of content you think will be common on your stream so they can tell if they might want to follow you or not.
* Get on Discord and find the communities for the games you love and will probably play a lot of on your stream, and let *them* know you exist too (this goes with the Networking point anyway); give them a link to you channel too.