Focusing on Quality over Growth

 Focusing on Quality over Growth

As you build your channel, it is common to feel the need to expand during periods of staleness when reaching milestones such as a follower goal or finishing a long-term project. While there are several ways to grow your channel’s scope and quality, such as hosting events or upgrading equipment, it is important to evaluate which upgrades are actually helpful to your success. Pursuing growth blindly can lead to a bloated channel that negatively impacts your streams or even worse your motivation. 

As streamers, we may encounter a unique kind of pressure to conform. Since our platform choices are highly visible, there can be an unspoken expectation regarding how we should brand ourselves, leading us to feel as though we're on a predetermined path to channel growth. However, the reality is that there's no singular "correct" approach to expanding your channel, and what works for others may not be the best fit for you. You may have preconceived notions about what your channel should resemble when you reach a certain follower count or even before your first stream. This tendency to blindly adhere to pre-established conventions is a significant source of discontent for streamers, and it is essential we don’t fall into this trap.  While I recommend experimenting with new approaches to see what works, it is detrimental to keep doing something you despise merely because you believe it is expected. To thrive in streaming it is crucial to understand when to expand your channel and when not to, keeping your happiness at the forefront.

Assessing your channel’s growth

As a streamer, you may have already implemented various changes to your channel over time, but have you ever evaluated them to determine if they are effective or something you actively want to pursue? These additions could have been requested by your community, made sense in theory, or were used by other streamers. However, before implementing and keeping a certain feature because it works for someone else, or the idea looked good on paper, review your stream to ensure you are keeping it for the right reasons. Ask yourself: Does this feature add value to my streaming experience or does it take away from it?

We have touched base on this subject in my previous article titled Enhancing Your Streams. As streamers, we often become preoccupied with the various elements we have incorporated into our channels, making us feel restricted by the very features we added. However, it is essential to remember that nothing on your channel is sacred, and there is no requirement to keep any particular feature if it doesn’t bring you happiness. If you don’t enjoy marathon streams, or perhaps you don’t like certain video games, cut them out. Stream what you love. Your stream is yours and no one else’s. There is no magic formula that you have to adhere to, and if you want to thrive, it is best to do what you enjoy doing right from the start.

Prioritizing sustainability 

As we expand our channels, we often add features based on a checklist of what we think a “real streamer” should have. Some of these features end up being too time-consuming, and we have to remove them. The real issue arises when we find ways to fit these expansions into our schedule, but they drain our energy and time without us realizing it. Tasks like growing on other social media, or setting up community game nights may seem harmless, but they can add up over time. Don’t be afraid to cut something out if it’s not helping, no matter how small it may seem.

One pitfall I've experienced is creating a merchandise store for my brand. It appears to be a fantastic concept at first, given that it involves no upfront expenses and is assumed to be a "set it and forget it" procedure. Nevertheless, in practice, it is far from simple. The process of designing and publishing items is much more arduous than I had originally assumed. Many do it because they believe that it is something that is expected from streamers but again if it doesn’t bring you joy don’t do it. Although we all would love to see people wearing our logo and designs sometimes the work, effort, and time to create the line is more than we are willing to do and that is ok.

Final thoughts

Expanding your channel can be both beneficial and detrimental. While some streamers may find success with certain additions like multiplayer games or merchandise sales, others may find them to be a source of unhappiness. It is important to regularly evaluate the activities that you engage in and ensure that they align with your goals and desires. Trying new things and making upgrades can be exciting, but it's essential to keep in mind that some changes may sap the joy out of streaming, leading to burnout and/or a loss of passion. To avoid this, it's important to regularly re-evaluate your channel and let go of anything that no longer serves you. By doing so, you can prioritize your actual ambitions and continue streaming for the long term. 

Take a moment to reflect on any aspect of your channel that you may have doubts about. Are there types of streams that you don’t enjoy as much as others? Are there any off-stream tasks that feel like a burden? Consider letting go of them, even if it’s only temporary, and see if it improves your overall streaming experience. Remember, it is okay not to always be focused on growing your channel if it is not aligning with your goals. In the long run, you have to prioritize sustainability over short-term gains.