How Streamers INSTANTLY LOSE Viewers - Stream Room Podcast

[@StreamRoom]

Welcome To The Stream Room! This week the boys are trying to stay POSITIVE! We discuss how Streamers can lose Viewers using Raid videos, big breaks away, and more! We also cover our favorite moments as streamers, and what we learned from them! Check out our other episodes: bit.ly/joinTheStreamRoom

[@RyeToast]

Thanks so much for the answers and advice! I've had a discord since way back when and I'll definitely have to go spruce it up, and make it a place that's fun to be in. And I have to work on cliffhangers, I play horror games a lot so there's definitely some good potential with like, walking up to a door to the next area and being like "what do we think is going to be behind here?" And then cliffhanging. As far as best moment in streaming, it's actually kind of a funny moment. My first raid, and for context I was a cismale with very long hair (enby now, any pronouns are fine). A few years back when I was still in college I was streaming Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links, and halfway through I got a raided with 50 people ( I hadn't even gotten affiliate yet). I was very appreciative and thanked them and had some nice dialogue with the chatters and the streamer, but immediately there were so many KEKWs. I asked what was so funny, and the streamer confessed that he was looking for a pretty girl that was playing duel links to raid into. It got a good laugh out of me, and I batted my eyes and said "Well boys, you got one thing right." *Dramatic hair swish* "I'm pretty as hell". And it was just such a funny interaction that I was able to react to positively and keep going with the stream. Okay, next. Positive thing, I thought about what has been said about niche-ing down and realized I could do that with the stream in tandem. Since my KZbin channel has kind of niche down into horror games for the time being, I decided to play horror games more frequently on stream days where I had just been playing Apex. Those stream days have gone a lot better in terms of chat engagement, but also I'm able to get footage for more videos easily since a lot of the games I talk about on the KZbin channel I'm streaming gameplay of. So it's just kind of making my work cycle more cyclical. Y'all making us do work down here lol. Finally, a question. Uh, I can't really think of anything after all that. I guess I'll ask a very serious and personal question: What's your favorite anime? Mine would have to be either One Piece or Everyday Life of Highschool Boys

[@StreamRoom]

I love your approach! That raid interaction is hilarious! Second positive thing is brilliant! so glad to hear it! Added to the Q&A ;) - Eljay

[@atariadam3141]

Thanks heaps for answering my question! Keen to hear of other people's stories next time. Very wholesome episode today I found, loved it!

[@StreamRoom]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DoorMatt-Live]

Nicks look of sheer disbelief @1:34:01 is just hilarious

[@DezzNytes]

Couple things I took from this podcast: Honestly, not a fan of raid videos. They fully take away from the pacing of the stream. The editing point of not overdoing it makes a lot of sense. Although sometimes 'over the top' edits can make a fully dull moment into something really funny or entertaining. But I agree with if you make a joke or a good piece of content, don't over edit it. Similar to Nick, one of my main goals in life is to make other people laugh as well. It strikes me with so much joy to see that I've maybe improved one person's day by 1%. That's a damn win in my book. I feel like Bo Burnham also captures that very well in his Make Happy special at the very end (I hope people get this reference lol). And lastly, thank you for being so real and honest in your answer to my question. There were some amazing pointers in there and some I've already been following. I'm glad that I have a couple of streamer friends who share similar viewers so I won't stay out of sight out of mind too much. And I still have time on the weekends to make some content elsewhere, like KZbin, where I've seen awesome growth as well. Thanks again for always bringing value to your viewers!

[@StreamRoom]

Hope it helped mate! Thanks for the support, and good luck! :) - Eljay

[@CFIDontStabYou]

Enjoyed the podcast again. It is funny that Reapz mentions the multiplayer games aspect and chat interaction I don't pay nearly as much attention to chat when I play FPS type games. I am by no means cracked at Call of Duty, but I'm always surprised that it has a higher average view count than other games. And after the last two streams of Call of Duty I'm seriously considering not doing it anymore for my own mental health. I get extremely salty by the end of the stream and to me it's just not fun to watch. OR maybe it is. My chat loves to spam the rage emote when I get extremely salty. I play it up a bit but I'm not having a good time with it. And I'm slowly realizing that being happy is wayyyy more important. We recently tried Outlast 1 as a recommendation from one of my viewers and I don't typically play horror games aside from Resident Evil. I had WAYYYY more fun with it than most other games I've played on stream. Lots of jump scares and screaming like a little girl but I do something similar to what ElJay mentioned where he will call out something and then usually the opposite happens. Instead of getting scared and tiptoeing through the game I'll start calling the demons or what have you a bitch and just run at them. It usually results in me dying or getting scared when they jump out from a corner. It also performed well too, I had some of my highest unique viewers per stream and a few new faces appeared in the chat during it. I do kind of worry about getting stuck into a Horror game niche but for now Im going to try and focus on games and content I think is fun.

[@Breezeezee]

I'm so glad I could feature in this episode as "guy who said there are literally golden arrows on your map" It's interesting to me self reflecting on stuff like that, how strong the impulse is to defend a game I love even when I know people don't want to hear it or it will just hurt the vibe, it's really an exercise in self control

[@StreamRoom]

I was actually referring to the OTHER guy who said it, yours was posed more as a question ;) But you actually did feature as a thank you for all the support you’ve done in the discord! - Eljay

[@Breezeezee]

@@StreamRoom ooh I haven't gotten to that part yet

[@JessZakilly]

It was me! I get a whole episode for my question! I do like hearing the grumpy middle aged men talk about the nitty gritty but I am loving the warm and fuzzies too. So here’s another question: I know you guys have mentioned a couple time about previous work experience editing and how some random experiences can sometimes be fuel for your stream discussions/jokes, but I’m curious what other pieces from your experiences you bring to your streams? Obviously we can all see how videography/editing skills are transferable but what other skills are you bringing to your tables that you never would have guessed are transferable skills? Customer service? Social studies? Accounting? And my warm and fuzzies: I decided I wanted to do content because I feel like my IRL friends are overwhelmed when I go on tangents geeking out about something I love. So this is my way to share my overflowing excitement without bashing my IRL people over the head. It’s not a microphone to my personality, it’s an unrestrained me. It’s totally a hobby for me and I am barely a month old, but the comments I get seem to resonate with that same level of excitement so that’s sort of become my guiding light in which direction I want to go. Love the podcast as always, I’ve watched every one!

[@StreamRoom]

Q&A added! Yep, you got a whole episode! It was a great idea! Love the reason you started as well! - Eljay

[@CallMeBlackout_]

First of all, this was a remarkable podcast! I look forward to these every single Sunday! Question for Eljay, you mention something about finding your "but" and finding what people are there to see you do. At the moment, I do numerous things in Just Chatting that include tier lists, reaction content, top 10 lists, etc. I've noticed that I'll gain viewers and sometimes even peak to pretty high numbers [for me atleast] and then the second I start playing my main game (Phasmophobia) I'll lose a couple people and then it'll gradually drop over time. I've looked at the analytics over the past couple weeks and it looks like it's been consistently Just Chatting where I have the highest view counts. I'm wondering if the Just Chatting stuff I do is my "but" or if it's just a natural growth/dip cycle going from Just Chatting to gameplay? If not, can you use analytics to better predict when you have found your "but"? Keep doing amazing work y'all! Love the content! ♥

[@StreamRoom]

I have the same problem, and people love to tell me that it’s a good problem to have so I’ll do the same to you… hey, it’s a good problem to have! People are there for you, not the game! I’ve done videos in the past on using analytics to help inform choices, and absolutely it works. But the rule will always be that interaction drops off when you go from chatting to a game, and without constant engagement through that chat, so does your viewer count. - Eljay

[@CallMeBlackout_]

@@StreamRoom Thanks for the reply! I’ve been told that it’s a good problem to have as well. I just can’t shake the feeling that I may be doing something wrong, switching too early/late, etc. I’m going to take a deeper dive into my analytics and figure out what I’m doing to keep people watching and go from there. Thanks Eljay! 😁

[@Jaemeric]

Been watching every week but this is my first comment so... hello! Great episode, guys! I will say, while I didn't mind the podcast touching into some heavier topics, it was really refreshing to have such a positive podcast! Being able to see what other creators are doing, how they're genuinely feeling even during stressful times, is honestly quite validating. It motivates me to create more content and strive to improve but also, to just enjoy the journey. So yeah, thanks! My favorite moment on my content creation journey has actually been off stream! We raided another creator and almost instantly, my regulars socialized, complimented the creator we raided, gave out bits, subbed, and our communities meshed really well. It was just really touching to see how we were able to brighten someone's day like that. I really enjoyed that and am so thankful to have cultivated a wholesome, kind community. Of course, I have a question for you guys! What did you do with your first Twitch payout? Did you pay bills, put it back into the channel, UberEats, etc?

[@StreamRoom]

Sorry for not replying! KZbin say the word "Pay bills" and considered it spam hahaha Thanks for the kind words on the podcast! I'll add this question to our Q&A as well so we can cover it in the podcast! - Eljay

[@Over_and_Out_]

Man, watching the podcast for me is good and bad at moments lol great information, great conversation and great ideas. But then when I hear ideas or things you guys are doing and then I feel like I cant do that because I'll just be copying lol all great ideas and plan on continuing to catch up keep it up guys! 🥳

[@UbaAmaze]

Thank you for the help guys, great pod as always! Its hard to keep making content when it feels like im not making progress but the AmbiguousAmphibian example is a good one to show that it can take a lot of time and effort to see growth.

[@StreamRoom]

It is absolutely brutal, Looking at AA's channel always reminds me that this isn't a sprint, but a marathon. - Eljay

[@TomlinAU]

I didn't even know raid videos were a thing! Personally I have raid scenes where I can interact with the raiders still to help build up onto the hype but I try not let them de-rail the stream if content is vibing at the time of the raid.

[@StreamRoom]

I think its the big gap in interaction that the video creates that can be detrimental, but if done right it works well! I love Raid Scenes personally, they are much more fun and less repetitive. - Eljay

[@stagehazed]

now this, is epic

[@C0ND3V1L]

Helpful video

[@sillylittleguy007]

I think I have a good Q&A question for this one. When you're live, what is more important: creating entertainment, or authentic expression? How much of one would you sacrifice for the other? If you took an honest look at your streams, what would the split be between the two? I feel like in my own streams, I'm struggling with this and I sometimes feel like a fake, robotic clown whose only purpose is to entertain, but I don't know how much authentic expression of my own thoughts and feelings is acceptable for the medium. I just don't think my audience knows me as much as they think they do and it feels weird to have to maintain that persona. So, on my personal side of the question, should I be more authentic with my audience and open up more or does that fall into the category of parasocial?

[@StreamRoom]

I love this question, legend. I will add this to the Q&A but honestly, we might just use it to spark the entire podcast recording. - Eljay

[@sillylittleguy007]

@@StreamRoom awesome! Loving this podcast. There’s nothing else quite like it.

[@lampdevil]

A very positive podcast today! I am certainly feeling the good vibes to take me into another week of streaming :D To throw a question your way, do you have advice about doing special events on stream? How far ahead would you generally promote that you're doing a birthday/anniversary/milestone stream event? How about event structure? Pitfalls we might not think of? I love what Eljay mentioned about how the climax of his baking stream came before all of the planned events were done, that's fantastic to keep in mind, but I'd love to see if Nick and Reapz have thoughts, too!

[@StreamRoom]

Glad you enjoyed it! Question added to the Q&A :) - Eljay

[@GamerJlee]

Hey guys, got another question for yall that kind of fits with the topic of the last few episodes. I am a part of an MCN (Multi-Channel Network), and after hearing what you have had to say and that FACT that I am gotten more value from this podcast than the two and a half years I have been with them is making me consider leaving the MCN. They are not bad people. They have been quite good to me, BUT they have not helped me in the ways I was hoping, and when they have made meetings with me to help, they told me I needed to change my WHOLE channel. My question is, should I leave my MCN, and what are your thoughts and opinions on MCNs? Are they still valuable tools for dealing with copyright issues and sponsorships, OR are they just old and outdated parts of KZbin's past? Keep up the fantastic show, and I will see you next week!

[@NicktaculaPlays]

Just my personal two cents in here, I didn't think MCN's were still a thing nor do I feel them even being worth it. But yeah I personally wouldn't even worry about an MCN. Just like Twitch, Collaborations are where its at.

[@GamerJlee]

@@NicktaculaPlays Thanks, Nick!

[@StreamRoom]

Wow! MCN's are still a thing? If you're getting nothing from it, no point being in it to be entirely honest. The short answer: 1. MCN's might get you more sponsors but they'll also cost you a cut, most of the creators I know manage themselves and it works much better with a bit of practice. 2. Copyright doesn't need MCN's anymore, just be careful with what you use and do, if something pops up, KZbin is VERY easy to deal with now. It's sort've like a Stream Team, if they do nothing for you, whats the point? - Eljay

[@GamerJlee]

@@StreamRoom Appreciate it. The thing that’s been running through my mind for the past two weeks is that I’ve gotten more value from this podcast and the advice you three have given than in the 2 1/2 years that I’ve been with this MCN on how to help my channel.

[@somerandomjedi]

on the subject of liking podcast viewers more then normal viewers, when i was 24 and all my brothers had moved out from home, Dad pulled me aside one time when I was visiting, "Son, i'm not supposed to say this, but i do have favourite children, thanks for being a good son" Telling the podcast viewers they are better then normal viewers, its both an ego boost and really shows those other stream viewers that they need to pick up there game, you should be bold and tell it to the normal viewers faces 😂

[@StreamRoom]

Hahahhahahahahahahahahaha - Eljay

[@CarrotCoffeeProductions]

Must say because I did say I was gonna hold y’all to doing the intro you all mentioned last episode… V Sadge LUL. But anywho now onto the rest of the podcast! Looking forward to it as always!

[@StreamRoom]

We were all a bit struggling on this recording hahaha, my fault mainly, I lost hot water from a storm, had a flu, and then the internet was causing issues so the boys and I were constantly delayed replying to each other. Threw a lot of plans out, but hopefully we can mess around with the joke intro another time! - Eljay

[@CarrotCoffeeProductions]

@@StreamRoom oh no you are absolutely fine. I hope you know I was only teasing about the intro. Side note: I listened to the cast on the drive to and from a quick vacay this week so I didn’t get to take my usual notes. Therefore, instead of my usual takeaways I’m just gonna compliment everyone this week! 1-Nick your ability to gain that community with 360p speaks volumes about you as a creator! Fucking amazing my guy! 2- Eljay your matter of fact mindset and work ethic is something we all strive for. Keep being the awesome person you are. And I disagree with your take on you being mediocre. You are an exceptional creator. And Reapz- You are one talented ass motherfucker. Those talent people probably spend every day regretting they sent a 17 yr old Reapz away. Also I hope your birthday was amazing 🥳 🎂 🎉 4- For all of you as a whole; smashing pod as always and I am very glad you all create this weekly space of joy and education for us all!

[@phazon_kiwi]

On channel trailers, Nick does it well, the Waluigi Marvel thing is great, and part of the reason I raid him is I know my community has liked it! Eljay on Elden Ring, and Hades, you like what you like and they ARE NOT PERFECT. I have been streaming Elden Ring and so far I've had a great time, but if that wanes, I may look to another game. My question today, my work hours changed a month back and I am looking at adding a 3rd stream to my week on Monday night! Getting to the question, what's the best way you have found to getting your community to follow you to a new day or schedule change? I brought it up on last nights stream and there was a bit of hype, which is very nice, but is there anything else I can do?

[@StreamRoom]

Channel Trailers can be so hit and miss, seeing one like Nicks is the good, but then you get the 2 minutes of highlights on others and you remember that like EVERYTHING in streaming it all comes down to your personal content and audience hahaha Question added for the recording session :)

[@phazon_kiwi]

@@StreamRoom yeah, the highlight thing has turned me off some. I don't use them. Instead, I welcome them in, do a dance with some Snorlax's I have set up to bob up an down for about 10 seconds and get back to what I was doing! Keeps the flow going well I think.

[@NicktaculaPlays]

Thank you Phazon 😭

[@sithkat8526]

Should I join a raid even if I know I am going to close twitch after a minute (and no plans to follow the raidee)? I feel like the only benefit for the raiding streamer is to make their raid slightly larger.

[@StreamRoom]

Yes :) Pass on the hype, help the streamers celebrate, then go do other things, but also never feel pressured! #YouDoYou

[@Ayrora-]

Hey love the podcast. Would like to know. What is you guy’s opinion on the mcyt fandom. Like some of the antics I find weird is them tracking every thing they do. Even posting stuff from their private twitters is weird to me as it’s meant for small audiences but I guess it truly is still seen by the people who truly care.

[@StreamRoom]

Parasocial, obsessive, intense relationships, or feelings towards creators are very strange. Minecraft KZbinrs have a primarily young fan base who don't realise what they're doing, sort've like boy bands for Teenage girls in the 80's. The real problem isn't the viewers, but the Creators who don't speak out against it, and even sometimes encourage it, aka Dream making an entire video encouraging "stans" for example.

[@Ayrora-]

@@StreamRoom I agree 100%

[@Breezeezee]

Just listening to the section about being ghost raided, and it made me want to ask your opinion Eljay: how much attention do you think it's worth giving trolls? You're always very polite and assume the best from them, but I find that giving them the benefit of the doubt allows them to impact your stream in a negative way, like with the happy birthday story. As a twitch moderator, I would generally expect the streamer to ignore trolls and let us handle it so as not to disrupt the flow of the stream, and in those cases I would probably start timing them out after about 30 seconds or less. Getting timed out isn't a huge punishment regardless (unless it's for 10 days 🤣)

[@StreamRoom]

The ghost raid in particular I was just so confused hahaha But yeah, I 100% think I handle most trolls badly. The happy birthday one was very hard to figure out what to do, because it was a 15 - 20 person raid and it wasn't actively hateful, they were just confused about what is appropriate. The main reason I think I handle issues badly is most Mod Actions are actually taken by me, unless I am intensely busy or distracted, I usually see it first and take action first. I've tried ignoring it entirely, but mods are volunteers and people are busy (which is totally fine, zero complaints) so sometimes it leaves the message or troll just sitting in chat which is worse. The goal is to expand the Mod Team a bit more to hopefully have enough people active that I never need to worry... or get a fast enough chat that no message stays there for too long hahaha But yeah, I do agree I struggle with trolls and situations being handled right, there are a lot of places I need to improve :)

[@Breezeezee]

@@StreamRoom yeah ngl just sounds like you need more mods 🤣 But also yeah I understand why you handled those situations like you did, it's just a general pattern I've noticed that you often give trolls a lot of attention

[@jayswolves]

1:41:40 ... tutorial??

[@StreamRoom]

Vid on Stream decks being scripted for SSN at the moment :) - Eljay

[@jayswolves]

@@StreamRoom yeahhh epicness moment