Streaming is a very fun thing to do, but it can also feel overwhelming at times, especially when it comes to your audience and having an active chat.
Playing video games is probably a fun thing for both you and them, but most often, it’s not enough to keep the entire stream entertained, and your job as a streamer is to entertain people.
If you happen to have problems with being active during live streaming, do not worry, as you’ve come to the right place.
After going through everything in this article, you’ll be able to make a good strategy about what you should do on your live stream, and which topics to talk about on stream, which will inevitably have a great positive impact on your streaming career.
Here’s what I have in store for you:
- Topics that will make your viewers start talking
- Tips on how to make sure that the conversation keeps on
Let’s make your stream a great place to be!
Table of Contents
Topics That Are Always Interesting
How To Be More Appealing To Your Viewers
The best topics to talk about on stream while you play video games usually aren’t really something that’s universal to all.
What your community will engage with depends on what the most common interests among the people are.
So, before you read the ideas for stories, you can tell and conversations you can make in order to connect with the audience, make sure that you know your viewers. Knowing your viewers and what they are as a whole interested in is way more important than the viewer count itself.
Now, let’s see what you can talk about in order to have interesting conversations on stream.
1. Current Events
Events that are happening in the world are something that impacts everyone in your community to some extent, so if nothing else, this is something that will always be relevant to a lot of people.
Of course, if the events in question are of a negative nature and have a chance of making people upset, then you should tread lightly before deciding to bring it up, but a bit of collective complaining could have some positive consequences for both you, and more people in the stream.
While discussing world events, you have to be conscious of the age group that your viewers are in, as some topics might not be the most appropriate for a large-scale discussion.
However, there are a lot of events that you can discuss that are fun and light-hearted, so make sure that you find out about some here and there.
2. Content Creation
For you, live streaming and creating content is probably second nature by now, and you probably see it as somewhat of a mundane, day-to-day task, especially if the live stream is your main source of income.
But, for your viewers, it can be a very interesting topic.
You have one of the most wanted jobs in the world nowadays, and even though watching a live stream or a YouTube video has become a regular, daily activity for all of us, it’s still something that’s very new and exciting.
So, if you want to have a rant about how your streaming setup is not being cooperative that day or what happens behind the scenes while you keep your stream intact, go for it!
Another thing that often happens is that a lot of viewers in the stream might want to become streamers themselves, so talking about something like this can really stir up some interesting discussions.
Or, if you have some problems, there might be someone in chat who knows how to deal with the specific problem you have, making it even easier for you to make everything work.
Chat can truly be a golden resource for everything and anything, so don’t underestimate that.
If you’re a content creator on more than just the streaming platform, then it will probably be a fun topic to talk about other work you do.
3. Video Game You’re Playing
The easiest thing to talk about on stream is the game that you are playing.
This doesn’t have to necessarily mean talking about every step you make and narrating the game but maybe talking about the game in general.
Has there been any news around it recently? Are the developers talking about finally fixing that one bug that’s been driving both you and your viewers insane for months? Great! Make a discussion about it.
Just say: “Hey guys, have you heard that…” and watch the chat start talking.
Make sure that you keep an eye on what they’re saying and, react to that, share your thoughts and opinions
4. Real-Life Stories
This is probably something that piques your viewers’ interest the most, even though your life might seem pretty boring to you.
Being a streamer isn’t the same as being a mainstream celebrity, but even if you are a very small streamer, you are in a way a part of the entertainment industry, so people who watch you are naturally going to be interested in who you are as a person when the cameras shut down.
If they don’t have that type of a relationship with you but rather see you as a familiar face who they have fun with, then that will make your personal stories even more interesting for them.
Of course, it’s really important to know your boundaries and what you’re okay with sharing and not feel pressured to share something that you don’t want. There are potential viewers that can get pretty intense, especially when they are younger, but it’s important to remember that it’s your final choice to make.
And another important thing to remember when talking about the things you’ve done is to keep details about your location broad or unknown, as doxxing yourself is the last thing you want to do on the Internet.
These are the things that you’ll practice over time, but talking about personal experience is always a great option for livening up the chat, as you will probably be excited yourself, which will then have an effect on the audience’s level of excitement.
But anything from your favorite dish to a big event like graduating from University has an equal chance of getting the stream excited.
Tips For Keeping The Chat Alive
Besides specific topics to talk about, it’s important to have some tips and tricks up your sleeve that will make it easier for you to keep the conversation going, no matter what you’re talking about.
Asking Thought Provoking Questions
If you have something that’s been on your mind, like a dilemma that needs solving, it’s great to ask these types of questions and see what chat has to say.
For example, if there’s some topic related to the game you’re playing that you know has a lot of opposing opinions among gamers, then don’t be afraid to bring that up.
A lot of high-quality discussions can happen from questions like that, so it’s a very low-effort way to activate the chat.
No matter how many people are watching the stream, there are going to be people who have different opinions, and it is inevitable that the discussion will become interesting.
Of course, make sure that your mods are always prepared in case things get too heated, but that is a general tip, not just relating to this case.
The questions don’t have to be controversial, and in most cases, it’s better that they are not, but topics that require a minute or two of thinking can result in a great time.
Have Your Conversation Starters Ready
If you know our audience well enough, you will know which topics always make them especially active during your Twitch streams.
You’ve probably played the game you’re playing that day before, so you know what made it interesting the last time.
Before you turn your camera on and begin with the gaming, sit down and think about what are some topics that you know always create a fun time when mentioned.
Have them ready in case the stream and comments become a bit slow.
If you have everything ready and know when to say what, your viewers will be more likely to engage with the conversation.
Remember Your Loyal Viewers
You probably have people that visit your stream regularly, so it would be great if you tried to remember their names. If nothing else, you will always know that there is a friendly face that you can talk to.
If you remember your viewers and they notice that, they will be more likely to keep engaging with your content and start having non-gaming-related conversations and pulling in all other viewers as well.
This is how you create a community with your audience, making the experience something more than just a random stream that they are watching.
Of course, this is not possible with everyone, but there’s always going to be a group of regulars that you will remember and whose company you will most likely enjoy.
Think Of A Few Topics To Talk About On Stream Beforehand
While you don’t need to prepare what you need to say very precisely, have a little list of things that you can start talking about ready before you start the stream.
This is another simple tip that will help you be ready and avoid any kind of uncomfortable silence from appearing.
Invite Your Friends
This is another very simple tactic that a lot of streamers use in order to be sure that their chat will stay active.
Inviting your friends, whether they are real-life or online friends, is a great thing to do for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, having familiar faces will make you feel more relaxed, and therefore your performance will be better. Also, your friends will know what to talk about, and they will watch your back.
But the main thing is probably going to be the fact that you’re way more chill and relaxed, and the stream will become like that, too.
Interact With Other Streamers
Interacting with other channels is a great thing to do for multiple reasons.
The first, and the most obvious one, is that you could share your viewers, as people from their stream can come to yours and vice versa.
But, being in touch with other people that are in the same circle as you could also mean that you could get more ideas for what you should talk about, as your conversations can be used as an inspiration.
The main benefit of this is that you could collab with people, and having another person on the stream will guarantee an active and engaging chat.
Keep An Eye On The Chat
If you are out of ideas of what to say, be sure that you keep an eye on the chat, as it often happens during a live stream that the chat will have discussions of its own.
Being able to react and reply to everything people have to say will result in even higher quality time.
Your new viewers will appreciate this very much, and it will make them keep coming back.
Talk About What You’re Doing
Finally, if you’re really not sure what it is that you should do, simply discussing what is happening on the screen is always a safe bet.
If you narrate some steps that you’re taking, people could have more ideas about how that thing that you’re doing could be done, which may result in an even better game, and everyone could get some new ideas about how to go about their gameplay.
Just make sure that when you do talk about the specifics of your gameplay, you don’t sound like a very bored narrator, but rather try fighting something interesting about each step.
FAQ
How To Talk To Chat While Streaming?
While there is no way that you can follow everything that the chat is saying, keeping up with it is something that you have to do.
The best way to go about it is to take a look whenever you can and then comment or respond to things that seem interesting to you.