How To Get More Viewers On Twitch
I created a free web tool that Twitch streamers can use to predict which of their streaming options is most likely to yield the highest channel growth during a particular month.
by S4B0T4G3FIRE | May 16, 2022, 8:00 AM EDT
Note: If you just want to see and use the web tool, scroll to the final third of this article.
Introduction
In March 2020, I hatched an idea to start a new series of guides called “Maximizing Twitch Exposure.” Basically, I would use my free time during the imminent COVID-19 pandemic/lockdown to help the massive influx of new Twitch streamers navigate their way to a successful streaming career. To create these guides, I combined both past and present trends in order to predict the future of content creation. This included factors like:
- Twitch Games/Categories
- ESports Popularity
- Broadcasting Times
- Broadcasting Days of the Week
- Broadcaster Gender
- External Social Media Advertising
However, the most I could accomplish were limited, incomprehensible tables of arbitrary values that users would have to manually multiply together to reach a prediction for the effectiveness of their streaming methods. For example, a male streamer who wanted to know if it would be better to stream Fortnite or League of Legends… at morning or at night… on a weekday or weekend… with or without the assistance of social media advertising would use some data tables (like the one below) and do arithmetic.
As you probably could have predicted, this method was not very attractive or popular. I needed to revamp it if I was ever going to help a large capacity of aspiring Twitch streamers, but I did not know how. In hopes of someday taking my research to the next level, I continued writing these awkward mathematical guides until I gave up in April 2021. After five months of clarity, I had a new idea for a far more comprehensible tool. It would take a couple of inputs from the user, do all the math for the user, and make multiple predictions at once.
Research
The tool began with extensive research (far more research than the 2020/21 edition had). 11,000 broadcasts from hundreds of diverse Twitch streamers during October 2021 were analyzed for definitive trends, some of which were:
- “The best broadcast duration for maximizing views per hour is between 0–4 hours.”
- “Weekends are worth streaming on.”
- “Starting a broadcast in the 2:00 AM — 11:00 AM Eastern Time period is best for maximizing potential viewers.”
These trends not only validated the primitive data fueling the old guides I wrote but also gave light to new hidden trends. The next step was to produce an easy-to-use calculator that would utilize these trends and additional data to provide accurate predictions.
Development
The calculator started taking shape as just a bunch of drop-drown lists. Users would select from 20 different Twitch games/categories, 24 different broadcast starting times, 24 different ending broadcast times, 7 different days of the week, and the average viewership they typically see during any given broadcast. Next came Math and algorithms. A lot of math and algorithms. Maybe Microsoft Excel is not the best software for a project as large as this one, but it can do a lot if you know how to use the formulas and functions available to you.
If a user selects “Fortnite,” the formulas would search the file for Fortnite and retrieve values that are specific to the popularity and “streamability” of that game for the current month. If a user then selects a start time and end time for their broadcast, the formulas search the file again and retrieve values that are specific to those times. Once all the necessary values are retrieved, the file calculates and outputs a weighted average (the weights of which were determined using even more testing). The user can then enter a new combination, and the file would compare both weighted averages and inform the user which one is best. Very comprehensive! This was exactly what I wanted to do in 2020 but did not have the experience or capacity for. October 2021 was a major breakthrough. I just needed to find a way to make this file public for anybody to use…
The Twitch Growth Calculator™
Fast-forwarding to March 2022, I finally discovered a website where I could convert my Microsoft Excel file into a publishable, distributable, accessible, comprehensible, free-and-easy-to-use pocket tool. Five (5) months of on-and-off searching eventually brought me to an amazing business website called GRID!
Twitch Streamers and anyone else can try it for free right now:
➡️ Twitch Growth Calculator ⬅️
Where You Come In!
The only ways for this tool to get even better is through more testing/features (which are already in the works) and feedback/constructive criticism from users like you! If you are a Twitch Streamer and decide to give this tool a chance, you can tell me about your experience by taking a moment to complete this survey:
📝 ‘Exploring Your Twitch Options’ Survey 📝
I look forward to reading your feedback and taking your ideas into consideration! Good luck with your broadcasts!
