Something that I always notice is the fact that people begin streaming and working on YouTube channels without putting in much effort. Sure, starting is GREAT, and there’s never a better time to start then right this second, but if you’re going to start, it’s better to do it right. Every time someone comes into your channel and doesn’t follow or subscribe, that’s a lost opportunity. That being said, I’m sure you’re all aware that in order to get people to subscribe or follow, they need to like what they see, hear, or read in some way shape or form. One “turn off” can cause you to lose that person.
If Streaming was ALREADY your job…
If streaming was already your job, don’t you think you would make your stream, page and headline look professional and awesome at all times? I think so. Finally someone comes into your stream and then suddenly realizes you don’t have a camera, mic, overlay, or anything properly organized on your stream page and then clicks the back button and goes into the next persons stream. You only have one shot at making a good first impression. Why not use that one chance to your advantage? The difference between you and that top streamer may only be the fact that you’re already selling yourself short. Well, that and the inactive chat because everyone keeps leaving! If you don’t think you’re good enough to be considered a top streamer, how do you expect other people to view you as one? Make sure your stream, stream page, and anything else that the viewer may see is completely in order and “professional”.
Things that the viewer will possibly notice FIRST:
- The Stream Quality
- Your Camera
- Your Overlay and other titles and images on your stream
- Your Stream Page theme and overall feel
- Do you have a Green Screen? If not, don’t forget about your BORING or DIRTY background!
If YouTube was ALREADY your job…
Same idea behind YouTube as it is for streaming. First impression on someone doesn’t just magically change. One huge thing that I notice is the fact that some people begin their YouTube journey is stopping and starting. Motivation is a HUGE factor when it comes to being a YouTuber. The first video usually starts something like this “I’ve wanted to do this for so long and now I finally am and I’m so excited to post all the time!”. Then maybe one or two more videos later, maybe you didn’t get as many subscribers as you would have liked to at the beginning, and you’re done. Then, continuing on with the story, no name YouTuber decides to pick up where he/she left off and start the channel back up because heck, there’s already 10 subscribers on that one due to the other 2-3 videos! From there you can basically rinse and repeat this boring and horrible cycle for a lot of failed YouTube channel attempts. There are way to many channels and gamers who QUIT to soon and sell themselves short. Other then that, some people think just posting videos is enough. You need to also interact, make sure the main page is customized for a great first impression, and post regularly. These aren’t hard tasks, but things that are overlooked. If I go to a promoted channel from someones Twitter or possibly even a re-tweet and the next thing you know I show up and the home page of their channel is showing me their recent subscriptions instead of a customized view of what they post. Immediate turn off. Their are just little things that can be adjusted that can alter the whole outcome of their first experience with your channel.
Authors Note
Take advantage of first impressions and believe in yourself. If you believe you’re good enough to be a top Streamer or YouTuber you’re one step closer to actually making it. From there it just becomes acting and performing like one. Make your channels look like a pros would. The other day I went into a low viewed stream and it was set up so professionally that I actually had to second guess myself and check if they had just signed on and were actually a top level streamer. It’s a first impression like that, that will lead to more followers daily.