So, are you networking with other streamers and your viewers? Are you doing it methodically but genuinely? Networking can be a huge boom to your stream which means it makes all of the dollars and cents in the world to do! A strong network is the foundation of a strong business.

While I’m relatively new to the world of streaming (and therefore networking as a streamer) I do have a ton of experience networking for work. If you have any ideas you want to add to this article, please let me know. You’ll be helping me and the readers!

Aight, so what’s networking? That’s a simple one. Networking is just talking to people. That’s it. Nothing super fancy, you don’t need a suit and tie or fancy-ass business cards. All you need to do is talk. It doesn’t even have to be in person or via Skype or something, just chat in their channel or Discord. This means that streamers can network from home in their fuzzy pajama pants, which I clearly think is a major positive. If you’re starting out in their stream you also don’t need awkward ice breakers to get the conversation flowing.

So what do you talk about? Whatever the hell you want to talk about. The point of networking is relationship building. Do you have a shared interest? Are you from a similar place? Do you have interesting stories that might be interesting to each other? This isn’t intended to be something cynical where you plan ahead exactly what you say and try to get the most you can out of it. Planning is a part of good networking, but the reality is being relaxed and friendly is your best bet.

By building a network of positive relationships you’re more likely to come up when there’s something that they come across that’s perfect for you. It could be a sponsor, a team, or even a viewer.

Network with Other Streamers

Why would you want to network with other streamers? They’re competition, right? There are a ton of reasons. First, there aren’t that many people who do what you do for a living. It’s always good to have a community where you can ask important questions. These are the people going through the same business, marketing, financial, and maybe even emotional issues that you’re experiencing. Not many other people know what it’s like to have a chat that’s both awesome and toxic! They also might know good video editors, graphic designers, or have connections to companies looking to sponsor streamers.

The more people you know the more likely you are to find that “random” connection that really helps you out. The people who are the best/most knowledgeable in a particular field are called mavens, and if networking can help you meet some of them you’ll have an expert on hand for any question. They’re the kind of people who have their own extensive networks so if you find a friend in a maven you’ll probably have them reaching out to their network as well as yours to get you answers. It can make sense to intentionally try to network with someone who is a maven, but again only do this if you think you can be your genuine self while talking to them.

Networking can also help you find people for a mastermind group, and it can be incredibly helpful to start a one. This is a group that gets together regularly to talk about a business topic. For instance, I’m a part of a group of financial planners that all work virtually. We came together to discuss our unique challenges and to learn from others. It can also make sense to have your group have some diversity. If I were to do that I might sign up for a group of planners who operate differently (for their different perspectives on the industry) or a group that included other similar professions like attorneys or accountants.

Basically, it can be way too easy to get caught up in your own issues so it can help to have someone there on the outside that you trust whom you can talk to. While you’re networking, keep the mastermind group concept in mind and ask once you’ve found some good candidates!

Next, if you meet people you like or think you could work with that’s a great potential source of growth for your stream. First, you might end up hosting each other during your off hours or when your stream ends. If you have different audiences that’s a really good way to find new viewers. Second, you might be able to do a co-stream that draws on both of your strengths. Again, a good way to bring more viewers to your channel. Most of my biggest streams have been the biggest because of shoutouts and hosts from other streamers (shoutout to DolphinChemist and ScottOnesieWilson). How did those come my way? Because I was participating in their chats, contributing positively, and when it was appropriate I mentioned I am a streamer.  I also use hosting and auto-hosting to help out other streamers I’ve networked with and they’ve returned the favor.

There’s more to it though. You might meet someone who would make a great mentor to you. They’ve been through some of the challenges you’re facing and they are interested in helping you get through them. If you think someone would make a good mentor and they seem willing to take on that role, ask! This, of course, actually has to come after establishing some trust between the two of you. Having a mentor can be a great help in pinpointing your weaknesses to shore up and your strengths to build upon. Networking can help you find the right person to be your mentor.

Finally, it gives you some social time. One of the down sides of being a streamer is that your work can be pretty lonely. While that’s kind of ironic, since you probably have more viewers than the average company has employees, it’s still true. This goes back to the community piece from my first point, but having someone there for you when you need it does a lot of good. Even if are an introvert and you need your alone time to recharge it’s still good to have time with other people. We’re social animals, after all.

Network with Your Viewers

Ok so we’ve covered some of the benefit of networking with other streamers, but how and why do you network with your viewers? You do it because you want to create evangelists, true believers of your stream who will spread the word of how awesome you are. Yes, they might use your emotes in other channels and which could help make someone aware of you. It’s even possible that you have a really cool sub emote that brings in some new subs just for the emote. But odds are that what will bring more viewers to your channel is evangelists. You want your viewers, when not viewing you, to be referencing you positively.

So how do you get them to do this? It can be pretty easy! To boil it down to a word: interaction. Talk to your viewers, answer their questions, make them feel welcome. Recognize repeated viewers and subs, thank people for follows, tips, and subs, and make sure you’re taking the time to interact with the people who are contributing to your chat. This doesn’t mean you need to acknowledge every troll or answer every question, but you want the audience to feel as though there’s a good shot they’ll hear from you if they participate. Not everyone wants that from a streamer but those who are talking in chat are looking for that community aspect.

You could perhaps do some viewer or sub games as well. If you do a bonus stream or dedicate one stream per week/month to involving your viewers you’re providing a huge incentive to be a regular. Personally, I use Revlo as a points system and I added the option to spend your hard earned points to get bumped to the front of the line. Then I pick a game that’s easy to play as a group (Starcraft co-op for instance) and we’re off!

I really suggest starting a Discord for yourself where your viewers can hang out and chat. Hopefully you or they can come up with a good name for themselves like Day[9]’s DayKnights. By participating in a chat together even when the stream isn’t live you’ll continue that bond and continue building evangelists.

Community Building: The NG+ of Networking

You’ve networked well and you have other streamers you can turn to with any questions that come up in running your business. Your subs are out there using your emotes in other channels and talking about how cool you are. Great work! So what’s next?

Focus on building a community. This is a group that self-identifies with a label, hopefully one that has you at the forefront since that will skyrocket your business. I already referenced one of the major pioneers of this, Day[9] (yes, still a fanboy). Not only is his Discord extremely active but before Discord was a thing his site had really active member forums. When DayKnights go to things like TwitchCon or Pax there are dedicated meetup times for just that community. A group of his mods hold a community stream every week where people can get together and have fun gaming. They even put on a weekend long multiplayer stream-fest just for the community and are looking at implementing a Twitch team. You want people who want to do things together.

So guess what happens whenever Day[9] plays a game on stream? Suddenly, there are thousands of his dedicated fans who may buy the game. There are small streamers who pick it up because they saw how much fun he had. And there are a legion of viewers who go looking for those streamers because they’re fellow DayKnights.

Ok, let’s talk logistics of building a community. It’s something that can totally happen naturally but is much more likely to happen with some shepherding. The seed of your community is those networking channels we discussed before, especially Discord. You want a place where your peeps can get together to talk with our without you there and live streaming. Sometimes it can make sense to do a full-fledged forum. Set up some basic rules to help with good conduct, nominate some good people to be community managers, and invite your streamers/viewers.

Then sit back and observe. Course correct as necessary, pitch in if things are slow, but observe. If you have enough people talking you can get a chance to see some patterns emerge. Those common threads can help pinpoint future business opportunities (is everyone talking about a particular game or a stream format they liked?) or help fine tune your schedule. You may also get a sense for what kinds of affiliate programs or sponsorships you could pursue that would provide good value to your community while also rewarding you.

Make sure that you’re jumping in to connect people as necessary but also make an effort to not overwhelm the chat. Ideally, you want people connecting with each other regardless of your input. You can facilitate it by adding channels for people looking to play a particular game or to discuss some favorite topics (I’ve seen anime, art, music, even a book club).

Your primary job might actually be to weed out the trolls and others who hinder building the community. By nature we’re social animals so given the space to do so people will form a community as long as there’s not a strong disincentive to do so. So if you have users that are being particularly aggressive or trollish, interact with them to see what’s up. It could be that they’re having a bad day or didn’t realize how they’re coming across. If they’re unrepentant, ban their ass and move on.

Conclusion

Network! Build a community! Both of these will help you be successful. Networking isn’t particularly hard if you can think through the benefit it can bring and realize that everyone else is in the same position as you. Very few us are naturals at having everyone like them. It takes some practice but you’ll get there. The harder part is community building. If you focus on building strong, connected networks of streamers and viewers one day you’ll find yourself with a community. Now you suddenly have the power of that many people to do what you want to accomplish. Get out there and do it! Don’t forget, act natural.

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