Strean Key Podcast: Finding Your Unique Identity As A Streamer (2)

Finding Your Unique Identity As A Streamer Link

1. Guest Pimz's Inspiration:
1. WolvesAtMyDoor(JasonTheNicest), subCommunity Wolfpack
2. Lieutenant Eddie
2. Identity--host notes that if you don’t have identity you’ll have difficulties growing.
3. Identity per Pimz--core values that you and your community follow. Heavily influenced by the community. What you represent as a collective, as much as what you inspire from your community as a streamer.
4. Ex. WolvesAtMyDoor is very community driven (not a pro-gamer), you get a welcome from him and chat, no matter how long you’ve been away. Open and involved community.
5. High end streamers per host are both good at entertaining and gaming, but gaming skills not necessary.
6. Pimz watched streamers playing Warframe because it was big, and he noticed that a lot of streamers didn’t seem to have fun with Warframe.
7. Big mistakes on Twitch regarding identity:
8. Imitating favorite streamers. Okay to take notes of streamers you admire, but don’t copy verbatim.
9. Build on the things you admire about favorite streams, not merely imitate.
10. DO be active and take notes--what is s/he doing that I love and makes the show entertaining.
11. DO ask your viewers what they like about your streams.
12. Do NOT stream just to stream when you’re not “on” and you can’t be consistent with your identity, or if you don’t have the energy to do so.
13. Unhealthy to compare yourself to other streamers. Pimz has known streamers who quit because of that.
14. Brand and Identity are separate.
15. Pimz notes DanTheDapper as someone with a strong identity. He asked others what his community is. Mentioned 2 other streamers at around 19:30, but couldn’t catch their names. The third streamer, Pimz says he has a very warm personality.
16. Pimz notes that since it’s viewer/community-based, your viewers are very important.
17. Spend a lot of time with your viewers, regardless of numbers, and get to know them.
18. Play with your strengths. If you don’t have energy, you can focus on your game, or on chat.
19. Affiliates = almost 200K, but there are millions of streamers. Still less than a percent of the overall population of Twitch. “You’re still doing things well” per Pimz, even if you feel you’re stagnating.
20. When stagnating, make adjustments. Talk to your community and ask for honest and genuine feedback from them.
21. Recommend Discord--feedback channel! Self-criticism also important--look at your own VoDs to see what you can change. I incorporated this in my Discord and asked those who are shy/uncomfortable providing feedback to PM me. 
22. Streamers who didn’t have an identity, and found one--Pimz included himself. He played games he wouldn’t play because he thought others are playing those games that worked for them, but he didn’t like them and didn’t work for him.
23. Pimz then pivot to indies and story-driven games that he loves.
24. Pimz reports that all who are successful have an identity, or they may come to others for help with identity, or if they felt they lost it.
25. You want to make your identity work for yourself. Host mentions that identity is one of the biggest things that hold people back outside of the basics. 
26. Host notes that if you have all the basics in streaming, but if you’re “lifeless” he finds it a problem. Hosts note either boring to watch or nothing there, no special identity (but what does that mean?).
27. Pimz reports to always involve your community as key to identity. The more likely you’re going to get wholesome, good feedback, even if it’s one person such as your moderator.
28. Don’t take feedback personally.
29. If you don’t have a community and starting from ground zero, Pimz notes to go back to question, “what will work for me” as in finding what you admire in other streamers and if those traits will work for you.
30. My aside: for instance, I admire streamers who can play the games AND reading/talking to chat at same time. They use peripheral vision and moving eyes/head back and forth b/w gaming and chat. They don’t miss chat at all which is astounding.

Question/Answer:

• Never bad to refine your identity on Twitch. Pimz constantly refine during the feedback. Are you guys interested in this, what do you guys want to see.
• Giveaways are double edged sword. Will bring a lot of people, but they’ll only come to the giveaway. Pimz does it in Discord, so HIS community has best chance of getting them. That seems like superb advice tbh.
• Pimz notes giveaways can be a huge money sink which I agree, especially as to how personal your identity is.
• Host notes that there’s a streamer who has giveaways daily, which ends up becoming his identity, but other than that he says no in general.
• How to avoid the temptation doing something that you’re not, such as playing Warframe hype. Host says it’s okay to cater to your audience, and you don’t know if it’s you until you try it.
• If you feel it doesn’t work for you and/or your audience, then pivot if you want to do what you want out of this such as having fun, even if it’s just a handful of people, that becomes part of your identity.
• Is it bad to ask other streamers for advice/feedback? No, both host and Pimz recommend.
• Gimmick or niche to set you apart from the pack? Pimz reports he’ gimmick-free and no niche/shtick. The only thing is his being Canadian which is what people forced on him
• Host reports you need to do something that others aren’t doing.
• Example: Widowmaker on Overwatch, two streamers, one gets 500 the other get 100, they do almost the exact same thing
• But since the 500 does it first and better, he gets more viewers. But the 100 is so similar, that others watch the other guy.

The How of Happiness Review