How to Get Your First 50 Followers on Twitch

While followers don’t matter as much long term, you do need them in order to reach Twitch affiliate status. The quickest way to get those first 50 followers is by advertising your stream to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Putting together a promotional video or post is a great way to get early traction and showcase your channel to people that might enjoy your content.

I was able to reach Affiliate status in 12 streams and reached my 50th follower on that stream. This post will cover a few tips on how you can reach those first followers so that you can monetize your channel and commission Twitch emotes. 

1. 1. Avoid Follow for Follow Schemes

   While this first tip is a “don’t” and not a “do,” it is really important to get it out of the way at the very beginning. Even if you think you are close to your goal or just want extra followers, don’t do it. Follow for Follow (or F4F) generally hurts streamers instead of helping them. 

   Follow for Follow schemes were popularized on other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter. On those platforms, posts could still be seen on each other’s feeds and neither party truly had to commit to supporting the other content creator. 

   On Twitch, if a follower doesn’t ever watch or engage with a channel, they are absolutely useless. One of the other metrics for getting Twitch affiliate is 3 average viewers. 50 followers who are asleep or busy when you are streaming will not help you reach your goal. 

2. 2. Engage With Your Viewers 

   Engaging with your viewers goes beyond saying “Hi” to them. Get them to chat with you by asking them questions about their day or their opinion about the game you are playing. There are many questions you can ask to break the ice. I often ask new viewers in my chat what country they are from or what time it is for them. This generally gets them talking and we can start a conversation. 

   Building a community around talking with people in chat helps your viewers to also engage with each other. Eventually, they become friends and make sure that they catch every stream. Several of my viewers frequently play their own games with each other, even if I’m not streaming. 

   If people feel welcome, they will likely follow your stream and return again in the future, helping two of your metrics go up, getting you that much closer to Affiliate. 

3. 3. Remind People to Follow

   This tip may seem simple, but reminding people to follow your channel is sometimes all it takes. Many viewers go channel to channel to watch content, but they don’t always remember that they can follow the channel. Create a call to action to follow that isn’t super pushy or intense. 

   Here are a few things you can try:

   • Bot Commands – set up commands in Streamlabs or whatever bot you are using to frequently (every 30-45 minutes) post a message in your chat that reminds people to follow. I often get 3-5 followers every time this goes off in my channel. 
   • Follower Bar – if you are trying to reach a follower goal, try using a follower bar widget that shows on your screen. While these are incredibly ugly, they are effective in reminding people to follow. I used this bar on my 12th stream and it was that night that I reached 50 followers.

4. 4. Choose the Right Game

   

   In order for you to get followers on your channel, you need to attract viewers to it. The best way to do this is through game selection. If you try to stream an oversaturated game, it is far less likely that viewers will find your channel. Popular games attract hundreds or thousands of streamers, and viewers will have to scroll for a very long time to get to the lower levels where your channel is being displayed. 

   Choose a video that will give you the potential for growth on your channel. Work toward building a community that will go with you from game to game so that you can eventually compete in those more popular games. 

   Engage with your followers in your game. Choose games where you can name characters or animals or teams after chat members. Even though it is something so simple, people love it!

5. 5. Host Community Events

   

   You don’t have to have a huge viewerbase in order to host community events on your stream. All you need is 5-6 people to get started. I reached my 50th follower on my first community night. I hosted one every week for a couple months after that and gained many followers every time I did. 

   During community night, play games where you can play with your viewers, such as Jackbox Party games. They are very popular for people looking to be interactive and you can turn the occasion into a fun event. Playing multiplayer games will help everyone have fun and build bonding within your community. 

   Community games also tend to create memes on your channel. Your viewers will refer to those memes for months to come, making everyone laugh and have a good time. 

6. 6. Create a Positive Experience

   If someone isn’t having a good time on your stream, it is unlikely that they will follow or engage with you in any way. Don’t pay attention to your numbers or the negatives in your stream. Focus on the positives in your stream and keep smiling, even when everything seems to be going downhill. 

   When I start feeling nervous, I try to smile and laugh as much as I can. If you are positive, you will grow a positive community. If you are negative or toxic, you will create a toxic environment, which will push away new viewers. 

7. 7. Celebrate Every Single Follower

   As a small streamer, it is very important that you celebrate every single follower and thank them for their support. Remember how cool it is that people want to be a part of your stream. Be positive and engage with them on a new level. This is one of the most crucial things you can do.