Variety streaming is one of the most challenging areas to grow on Twitch; it’s highly competitive, with many people participating, and there are several other reasons for this as well.
Key Takeaway
A variety streamer is an individual who streams across multiple categories. This does not necessarily mean only different games (such as Dota2 and Assassin’s Creed); it can also refer to someone who streams entirely different activities (like doing puzzles and playing an instrument).
If it were up to me, I would focus on one niche; however, if your genuine passions span multiple categories, pursue them.
Today, I will explain why this is the case, what you can do about it, how to focus your content, and how to effectively develop a strategy moving forward.
That being said, let’s skip the dull parts and jump right into it.
Table of Contents
Meaning of Variety Streamer
The first topic we will discuss is the true meaning of a variety streamer and what you need to do to be recognized as one.
Honestly, there isn’t much to discuss on this subject because I believe all of you already understand what variety means. Therefore, you can infer what you need to do to become a variety streamer. Nevertheless, I will dedicate a few sentences to this topic.
A variety streamer is someone who does not concentrate their content on a single subject. Therefore, if you stream multiple games or host a podcast while streaming Warzone or any other game, you are classified as a variety streamer. Essentially, if your streams cover more than one topic, you are considered a variety streamer.
Related: Best Games to Stream
A Thing or Two About Growing Your Variety Streams
When you examine apps that track the fastest growing channels on Twitch, you will notice that nearly all of them focus on a single game (or, at the very least, a single genre).
Clearly, that is not an accident. People are creatures of habit. They appreciate consistency, enjoy knowing what to expect, and generally dislike unexpected surprises. For instance, how would you feel if you went to see a Star Wars movie anticipating an action film, but instead experienced an hour of a romantic comedy?
To encourage people to passionately watch your streams, you will definitely need a hook. You must inform viewers about what to expect when they enter your stream. This could involve streaming the same game or focusing on a specific genre of games—essentially establishing some form of routine.
When you’re just starting out (which is true for many endeavors), it is much easier to establish a niche first and then expand from there.
Another silly example: consider Matthew McConaughey in his career. He began in romantic comedies and is now involved in a variety of content, starring in impressive TV shows. This shift occurred because his initial typecasting helped him gain recognition, allowing him to expand his range.
For streamers, being typecast is actually a positive thing; it indicates that people care about you and want to return for more of that content. You can later use this to expand, but initially, your goal should be to get typecast in the first place to engage people’s interest.
Avoid having the same conversation each time you meet streamers in real life. For example, saying, “Hey, what do you do?” followed by, “Oh, I’m a variety streamer,” in an insecure manner.
If you can’t effectively present yourself (you know what I mean) to others and articulate who you are, how can you expect people to understand what you are doing and what you stand for? This is crucial, as it is one of the key ways to engage with others if you want to be taken seriously.
Competition and Choices in Variety Streaming
So, you’ve read everything above and still wish to become a variety streamer. The first thing to remember is that your competition is everyone. Many people aspire to be variety streamers, as that is essentially what they want to do, and it defines the role: doing whatever it is that you want to do.
What are some ways to ease into that transition and encourage people to engage? One effective approach is to introduce variety into your social media. You can discuss different topics and subjects, create videos that focus on comedy, or explore themes related to art, literature, movies, or anything similar.
Social media is an excellent platform for experimentation without the need to forfeit a day of streaming in your usual streaming space.
Now, I must emphasize one thing to avoid as a variety streamer: never ask your audience what they think you should play. Generally, most people don’t know what they want until it’s presented to them.
If you give them a choice, those who select an option but do not see their choice reflected on your stream are unlikely to return to your stream.
You should always be the elected dictator of your stream; you are their Julius Caesar, and it is your responsibility to lead your people. While asking your audience what you should play is not advisable, you can still engage them in other ways.
I suggest starting a Discord channel for topics you can discuss during your stream. This is a way to gauge what your audience is interested in and what they want to hear, without the harsh reality of them not being able to see their choices reflected in your stream.
Overall, it’s valuable feedback that helps shape your future content and games. You can use this information to determine what to stream next and where to focus your efforts.
Another approach is to leverage the advanced algorithms of the internet to your advantage. Go to YouTube, type in the game you are playing, click on a video, and then explore the recommended videos for that game.
Chances are, if YouTube believes that enough people enjoy one video, it will also apply to another. It’s similar to the Netflix search algorithm, but this one is effective.
Passion is Key to Success as a Variety Streamer
The challenge with this topic is that the answers can vary significantly based on your stage in the journey as a streamer and content creator. However, one fundamental point to understand is that if you are not passionate about what you are streaming, it will become evident.
Before you begin deciding whether to stream X game or Y game, or how many weeks or months to focus on one game, the first question should be: “Do you even like that game?”
I believe that what we are witnessing now, due to quarantine and the natural evolution of live streaming, is a rise in IRL streams and the various opportunities for individuals to share their passions with an audience.
For instance, I know individuals who host mental health streams, axe-throwing streams, studying streams, and more. These streams succeed because they showcase the person’s passion.
However, keep in mind that not all content you are passionate about will attract a large audience. The key is to identify the overlap between your passions and those of your audience.
Benefits of Variety and One Game Streamers
One of the most frequently asked questions on Twitch is: “What game should I stream?” However, a more important consideration is whether to concentrate on a single game or to pursue a variety streaming approach by showcasing different games.
Here, I will share my perspective on the advantages of variety streaming compared to the benefits of concentrating on a single game within one community.
If you focus on one game (which I believe is a smarter approach for beginners), there are certainly benefits to be gained from that.
As I mentioned in the previous headline, your initial growth will largely depend on the audience you can attract by focusing on a single game. Once you have built a loyal audience, you can begin your transition to variety streaming.
What I truly mean is that your initial growth will largely depend on relationships. This could involve other stream communities, essentially any community based on streaming. These will be your first Twitch viewers, especially if you are deeply involved in the community of a game. This will provide you with yet another community in which to network and build relationships.
One great advantage of single-game streaming is that it allows you to become an expert in that game. You can then share your knowledge with viewers who come in and are curious about it.
Conversely, if you continually switch between categories, you never truly become immersed in that community, making it difficult to gain expertise in a game you have only played for a week.
The downside of switching from one game to another is that the specific community that supported you for that game will likely abandon you. This is completely understandable, as they have every right to disengage from content that no longer interests them or that they do not wish to watch.
One of the best content creators I have encountered manages to balance variety with maintaining momentum and freshness, while also becoming deeply ingrained in the communities of the games they play.
They structure their streams by focusing on one or two games for a specific period, such as a month, six weeks, or longer, depending on the game being played.
The intriguing aspect is that audiences are drawn to a fresh face in a game they love, yet the established community and structure emotionally prepare them for a transition to other games.
This approach ensures that your audience is not blindsided and avoids confusion and frustration. While they may still leave, there will be goodwill and understanding. If you eventually return to a game they enjoyed, there is a 99% chance they will come back.
Essentially, if you plan to be a variety streamer, approach it with structure, timeframes, and schedules. This way, your audience will always know what to expect from you, and in my opinion, that is the most important aspect for Twitch variety streamers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does variety mean on Twitch?
Today there are more and more variety u003ca href=u0022https://streammentor.com/how-to-suggest-streamers-on-twitch/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003estreamers on Twitchu003c/au003e and the number is only rising. But what does variety mean on Twitch? Well, let’s put it as simple as possible. When a person chooses to stream different content on a daily basis, going from one genre to another. Rather than focusing on a single game variety of streamers play what they want, when they want.
2. Who is the best variety streamer?
Well, according to Twitch statements, the best variety streamer is a fellow named XQCOW. He plays a variety of games such as GTA 5, Rust, Minecraft, Valorant, and so on. His average views go up to 84.821 ranked 13th overall on the Twitch platform. Not bad for a variety streamer.
3. Is being a variety streamer hard?
We already discussed this topic above. But either way, I am also going to say a few words about this here. The answer to this question is YES. It is pretty hard to achieve something like a variety streamer. Why? Well, that is based upon multiple things. The first being that you can’t really choose a specific community to grow if you stream multiple games. The best thing to do when you start streaming is to try to break through with a single game. Then when you have a bigger audience you can slowly start to transition to another game or any type of content.
4. How do I become a variety streamer?
As I said above this isn’t an easy job to begin with. What you should do is, choose a single game that you are passionate about. When you do that you should look for a community where you can grow and expand your views and audience. When you achieve a certain standard (if I can call it that) you can slowly start to prepare your audience for something new, and then you can start streaming any content you like and become a variety streamer.
5. Is it better to stream one game or a variety?
This is a difficult question, primarily because it depends solely on what you like and how much money and audience would you like to earn/get. For beginners, it’s way better to start their career as a streamer by playing only one game. That way you can be a part of a growing community and try to boost your audience through these communities. Then when you have a certain audience you can start thinking about becoming a variety streamer (depending on what your audience would like from you).
Conclusion
If you’ve made it this far, it’s clear that your goal is to become a variety streamer. My advice is to not wait any longer; you should dive in as quickly as possible. Consider streaming three days a week as usual, and dedicate one day to your variety content, utilizing the tips we provided.
This is an effective way to gradually introduce your audience to the process and establish that personality before making the leap.
As a counter-example, consider Ninja, who is well known as a Fortnite streamer. One day, he decided to stream Final Fantasy 7 and received only five thousand views, compared to his average of fifty thousand views at that time. Therefore, you can’t simply dive into it and expect success; you have to build it up.
I hope this content has been helpful to you in some way. Goodbye, and good luck to all of your streamers out there.
