As a creator, the content you share and the value you provide don't have to be limited to one platform. On the contrary, cross-platform efforts help drive traffic from your different social media accounts, to grow them all collectively.
Reddit currently has around 2.8 million subreddits, making it one of the best platforms to build a community and engage your target audience. You can then 'cross-platform pollinate' by driving traffic to your Twitch channel.
But, you have to be mindful of Reddit's guidelines, and also strategically tailor your growth efforts. Here's how to grow your Twitch channel by leveraging Reddit.
How Twitch streamers use Reddit to grow their channels
If you're looking to leverage Reddit to grow your Twitch stream, take a look at these best practices that successful streamers use.
Create your own subreddit
Unlike other mainstream social media platforms, Reddit has placed strict rules on blatant self-promotion. Does that mean you can’t promote your Twitch stream on it, though? Not quite.
While Reddit users frown upon self-promotion, the platform hasn’t banned it outright. Reddit shared a ‘quote’ in their guidelines which conveys the gist of their policy quite well:
"It's perfectly fine to be a redditor with a website, it's not okay to be a website with a reddit account." - Confucius
The takeaway from their guidelines is that you should treat Reddit like a forum, which it is. The best way to funnel traffic from Reddit to your Twitch stream is to create your own subreddit.
Subreddits have their own distinct rules, moderators, and voting systems for links and comments. They're also typically niche-specific - so you can create one focused on the type of content you deliver on Twitch.
To get started with your own subreddit, head over to your Reddit homepage and select ‘Create your own subreddit’. You can then make a subreddit to connect with your followers and grow your Twitch channel.
When managing your subreddit, remember the quote by ‘Confucius’- your subreddit should cater to a community. So, you should create relevant content, engage with your audience, and cultivate meaningful relationships with your followers, just like you do on Twitch. You can then direct followers from Reddit to your Twitch stream.
If you ignore community-building practices and just spam Twitch links on your subreddit, you won’t have much success in growing a following, and Reddit may take disciplinary action against you for violating their guidelines.
Additionally, as per the platform’s guidelines, you can’t fill your subreddit exclusively with your own content. Since Reddit is a community platform, users should be able to freely share and post their own content.
The best practices for being a creator are the same regardless of which platform you’re using: focus on your audience and deliver consistent value.
Get clips posted on r/livestreamfails
Organically growing your subreddit is a great long-term strategy for increasing your Twitch following. But, it’s a long game and it takes time before you see significant results.
A faster way to increase engagement and possibly go viral is to engage with subreddits that are already popular. By getting featured in a subreddit like r/livestreamfails, you gain exposure from the subforum’s 1.3 million users.
r/livestreamfails is a popular subreddit because, well, viewers like to see fails. It makes creators seem more authentic and relatable, and the videos are funny too. However, getting featured in it is also highly competitive. You can increase your chances of getting featured on r/livestreamfails by staying true to your brand, posting authentic content, and being an active member of the community.
The subreddit specifically discourages self-promotion and has warned users against it in the rules. The forum doesn’t allow clickbait, duplicate submissions, old news, or off-topic content.
r/livestream moderators have also restricted certain content, including swatting and unintentional nudity. You are also expected to produce content that the viewers would genuinely enjoy, and spam or offensive content isn’t accepted.
Authentic and non-fabricated livestreamfails get the most success, and failing is where good creators shine. We're kidding. But seriously - learning to laugh at yourself is something your audience will appreciate).
Post clips on relevant subreddits
While most social media platforms rely on sharing content with your social circle, platforms like Reddit and Twitch are content delivery networks. These platforms value the content’s quality over social sharing.
How do you continually deliver content that the world wants to see, though? The answer is: niche focusing and segmentation.
Why do subreddits exist? Because people have different interests, and they form communities with like-minded individuals to share their thoughts. There are even dedicated subreddits to streaming services like HBO Max and Hulu.
Through niche content, and organizing the content (such as into dedicated subreddits), platforms like Twitch and Reddit cater to a diverse, global audience. Similarly, content creators like Twitch streamers also succeed by focusing on a niche. Their content is niche-specific and caters to a specific audience.
So, when hunting for outreach opportunities, look for subreddits that are relevant to your niche. These are the subreddits that cater to your target audience, which means you have a higher chance of engaging users.
The easiest way to discover relevant subreddits is by searching for keywords relevant to your content. For example, in the Reddit search bar, typing in the words' Twitch,' 'live stream,' or 'gaming,' helps narrow down the search for a relevant subreddit.
There are really no limits to what you can find on Reddit - users share everything from their Spotify playlists to their eBay, Shopify, or amazon ecommerce stores.
After shortlisting some promising, niche-specific subreddits, you can almost start posting. First, read the subforum’s guidelines thoroughly and make sure you follow them. Then, you can go ahead and start sharing content!
Interact in subreddits (based on your niche)
Reddit promotion is a two-way stream. You can't expect to drive engagement and build an authentic audience on your Twitch channel by posting mindless self-promotions. You need to catch your audience’s interest without disruption.
Remember how we discussed that Reddit is a community? That means you have to post, interact with users, and deliver value just like you would in any other community. Your posts are attributed to your Reddit handle, so commenting on posts and sharing relevant experiences helps increase your visibility.
Most subreddits don’t let you share links unless you have a specific level of Karma. So you should also focus on building at least 30-50+ Karma to soft promote your Twitch channel or live streams.
If your Karma is a little mismatched, don’t worry, there are multiple ways to fix it.
You can share pictures or videos to generate interest in internet users, driving your upvotes and new comments. You can also comment on posts on r/AskReddit as a quick fix for your Karma.
If you're a Twitch streamer focused on current affairs, try engaging in popular topics shared by news outlets (like the New York Times, BBC, or the Guardian).
Collaborate with other streamers
Just like identifying relevant subreddits can help grow your following, collaborating with established streamers in your niche is also a great way to grow your Twitch account.
These streamers have followers that are interested in your niche, which means their viewers are more likely to relate to and engage with your content. Collaborating with top streamers also helps you learn more about growing your brand.
You get an inside scoop of how successful creators in your niche are promoting themselves and which strategies are effective. Similarly, you can also share your own knowledge to strengthen your relationship.
What tips and strategies helped you build a successful Twitch channel? How do you get the most engagement out of a new clip or new video? Share what you know, and learn more too. It’s a great opportunity.
Grow with Beacons
Beacons helps you grow your Twitch channel by streamlining your cross-platform efforts and putting your best content in the spotlight.
Promote your Twitch channel on Facebook, Instagram, and more
Beacons lets you build mobile sites with all your relevant content from different platforms in one place. You can then seamlessly drive cross-platform traffic by promoting your Twitch on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms.
Build a website optimized for engagement
You can optimize your Beacons website for engagement by making it easy for users to find content that genuinely interests them. You can clearly organize your explainer content, entertaining content, and streaming tips into different sections, all on one beautifully designed page.
Promote multiple clips and links
Constantly promoting different clips and links can get you flagged for spam, especially on stricter platforms like Reddit. Beacons lets you collect all your best clips and links on one page. So, you can soft-promote just one link, through which your audience can view everything.
Become a community expert in your niche
As a creator, you're already accustomed to delivering value and connecting with your audience. By applying the same best practices to Reddit, you can establish yourself as a community guru in your niche. You can then tactfully promote your Twitch channel and grow your personal brand!
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