Enhancing Your Streams

 Enhancing Your Streams

If you have been a regular reader of the Streamer Framework, chances are you have already implemented changes to your streaming setup based on the advice and tips shared here. In this article, we will take a moment to pause and reflect on your channel’s performance, and prioritize which aspects of your stream truly require additional attention. Whether you aim to strengthen the basics, maximize your data analytics, or evaluate previous choices, it is crucial to look back at your progress in order to make informed decisions going forward. 

By taking this step, you can not only enhance the performance of your channel but also develop the ability to critique your own decisions. Often, we implement ideas but fail to acknowledge the indications that they may not be yielding desired results. When you challenge your presumptions about your channel’s success, you can unlock a fresh perspective and accelerate your growth potential. 

Revisiting the basics 

Reflect on your initial ten streams. What was your channel like during that time? Did you feel self-assured when addressing your audience on camera, or did the nerves get the best of you? How was your time management? Did you struggle with going live at your scheduled time?  How do your streams today compare to those early days in terms of presentation and production quality? Based on these parameters alone, have you observed any improvement in yourself as a streamer? It’s noteworthy that the preceding questions are not related to metrics such as follower count, view count, or engagement in chat, but are intended to gauge your personal growth as a streamer. If you haven’t progressed in these three critical areas, experience is the only remedy. The more time you spend on a camera, the more your confidence will increase. Consistent streaming will help you build a routine and enhance your ability to avoid missing scheduled shows in the future. As you conduct more streams and examine the outcomes, you will discover new ideas for improving your streams. 

Now you have two options here, maintain your current streaming frequency and wait for progress, or stream more frequently and accelerate your improvement. There is no issue with selecting the first choice, but you must develop the patience to wait for outcomes. It is unrealistic to expect the same results as someone who streams five hours a day if you only stream occasionally. If you opt to increase your streaming time, the post Tips for finding time to stream should provide you with direction and a roadmap to making the most out of your day. 

Unlocking Analytics

Exploring your stream’s performance in detail by using your platform's built-in analytics can provide you with valuable insights into every aspect of your channel’s growth. With numerous tracking metrics, you can view both short and long-term trends to help you gain an understanding of how your content is being received. 

While analytics can provide valuable insights, it is crucial to use them wisely.  Too much reliance on statistics can be counterproductive because external factors which are beyond your control can skew the data. Utilize and approach analytics as a guide rather than a definitive blueprint and use them cautiously.  To make the most of your analytics, it’s important to concentrate on the key metrics that matter most to you. For Example, if you are looking to specialize your channel and focus on a specific game, you might look at which categories your viewers watch to make an informative decision. If you are looking to track new followers, analytics can be used to see which streams drew them in. 

There are also statistics you can utilize to help you with community building. In the previous post Networking: 3 easy steps we emphasized the importance of establishing connections with other streamers. Reviewing where your views come from is a statistic that helps acknowledge and reciprocate the support provided by other channels. Similarly, you can review channels that have similar viewers in common with yours to make informed decisions about collaborations. You can even review the percentage of viewers who accessed your channel via someone else’s support when they raided you. 

Challenge your assumptions

Often, we conceive an idea to enhance our channels and map it out in our minds, envisioning numerous reasons why it should succeed and considering how it will align with our schedules. However, once we put the plan into action, that’s it, there is no oversight or external authority to hold us accountable for the changes we make. Consequently, if we are not prepared to confront the notion and evaluate its effectiveness, which is something many new streamers tend to avoid, we will not have any means or peers to indicate whether we have achieved success or failure.  It is so important to consistently question your assumptions. Even ideas that seem like obvious choices should not be exempt from scrutiny. This includes the long-standing practices that have contributed to your channel’s identity. Take the time to examine your ideas, if you want to enhance your streams, you must be willing to make difficult choices.

In the previous post Increasing your Stream's Impact by making changes, we discussed the importance of maintaining a list of improvements you want to make to your channel and organizing them into categories for easier problem-solving. It is important to write down the aspects you want to fix and reassess on your channel, as simply writing things down can be very impactful. Never attempt to tackle ten problems at once, instead focus on one item from your list. By directing your energy toward resolving one issue, you will uncover solutions. By pinpointing problems and addressing them effectively, we are confronting ourselves in a way most content creators avoid. For most of us, our greatest obstacle is acknowledging that we have made a mistake. However, if we aspire to make progress, we can succeed. By regularly looking back, watching past streams, and reassessing, you are already better equipped than most to face these challenges. 

Final thoughts

Adding new elements to your channel, modifying existing ones, and eliminating ineffective ones are all vital to your success. However, it is equally important to periodically evaluate whether the changes are producing your intended outcomes. Do not neglect to review the updates you have made regularly as it is the only way to hold yourself accountable. Examine your channel’s progress, regardless of whether the changes had a positive or negative impact as it will provide you with valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t. Enhance your streams by making it a point to periodically assess your channel’s growth.