As somebody who owns a couple of Facebook groups that have over 1,000 members each, it’s almost every day I see people come in and advertise their stream. It’s fine, we’re all happy to see that they’re advertising themselves on our pages. Things go south quickly, however, when the streamer in question begins to do some not-so-smart acts that get them chastised by the entire group. Having 1,000+ members on you is not a fun experience, let me tell you.
But it’s okay, I’m here to help! Here are a few tips and tips to help you get on a community’s good side. No tricks, though. Those are easily foiled.
Come On In!
The first thing you should absolutely always do as a person streaming is introduce yourself to the community. “Hi! I’m so-and-so, I do this on livestreams, I hope to see you all on my page one day!” People like being introduced before you’re throwing something in their face. Think about it, how would you like it if you were at your local bakery and the baker didn’t even say “Hi”, and just said “BUY THIS BREAD, YOU WANT IT, IT’S 99 CENTS!”. You start building relationships right then and there as you introduce yourself. Even if nobody says anything (which is highly unlikely, people are generally receptive to other people introducing themselves on a page they frequent), the next time you advertise your stream, you’ll start to see people trickle in from that page. You should start to see tiny trickle of people at this point. Maybe one or two people, curious people to see what the hubub is about. Maybe you’re a Challenger Tier League of Legends player. Maybe you’re tooling around on The Sims 4 and making your viewers. Maybe you’re playing the world’s greatest Fable detective in Bigby Wolf. All of this starts from the introduction.
Take a seat!
After you’ve introduced yourself, try partaking in some of the discussions or (if applicable) events. Make yourself well known. The community won’t just sit there and accept that you’re streaming. It’s not hard to (kindly, more on this) state your opinion on things or maybe ask a question of the people, or even participate in an event! The more people see your name in different areas, the more widely recognized you will be by the members of the community you choose to advertise to.
Be Courteous!
Don’t be a jerk. This one’s pretty easy, right? You’re basically selling yourself as you advertise your stream. You don’t want people to have a negative opinion of you because then you won’t get any viewers! Instead of saying “oh man, you’re such a feeder”, try saying “Hey I noticed this item in your build. Did you consider this item instead? It might have prevented some deaths!”, or something similar. Negativity is generally only accepted in a format where it’s perceived as positivity, primarily because the post in question often offers advice on how to overcome a performance like that for next time.
Don’t Steal The Silver Wares!
When advertising, a common sight in the pages I administrate on is the use of a video or an image not of your own creation to push something of yours. This is 100% unacceptable on my pages, and should be unacceptable everywhere. Original content is where it’s at, particularly when you’re selling yourself, as previously mentioned. Did something funny happen on your stream? Get a clip, post that as you plug your stream! Using somebody else’s content for your own gain is morally akin to stealing. Giving credit to the right person might be a step in the right direction, but to actually do yourself justice, use your own content.
“You’re either coming in, or staying out!”
Don’t spam the page with your stream every day, even if you’re streaming every day. If you want to bump your post without bumping it, try deleting the last stream post you made, even if there is heavy traffic on the page! If people see that your only contribution to the community is plugging your stream, they’re less likely to come in. Contribute with more than your stream. Show off something funny! You may think your stream is the hottest thing going, but they don’t know that juuuust yet.
Bow Out Graciously!
With these tips, you should be well on your way to becoming the hottest thing around in the community! I encourage you to leave comments with other words of encouragement or advice to would-be streamers looking to make a name for themselves! I wish you good luck in your games, and happy streaming! And don’t forget to smile.
