When to consider live streaming for self-improvement? [+checklist]
Have you already teased the idea of live streaming, but the fear of not looking good or sounding stupid are getting in the way of pressing the “Go Live” button?
First of all, you are not alone. A lot of people wished they had the courage to go live and share their interest with the world.
But, maybe with the right intentions and goals, you can rewire your brain to find the strength in going live and building your own community.
In this article, I share the benefits & tips I experienced since streaming live on Twitch; in the hope you find motivation or answers to start your own live streaming journey.
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MY EXPERIENCE WITH LIVE STREAMING ON TWITCH
Since the day I can remember, I have struggled with sticking to a hobby — turns out I have many! I just couldn’t find that one hobby that could answer both needs for self-improvement and self-acceptance.
I tried sewing where making my clothing would help me accept my petite size using custom patterns.
I tried indoor gardening where taking care of plants would give me the necessary headspace and break from the screen.
I tried writing fiction to improve my written English.
But all these hobbies were “one-goal focused”, meaning, these would only satisfy one interest: sewing to accept my body, gardening for my mental health, etc.
What I found in live streaming on Twitch was a “multi-faceted” hobby: self-improvement in digital skills, self-acceptance, developing content strategies and taking care of my social presence whilst perfecting my communication skills in English.
In short, my “hobby” goals were:
- Improving my spoken & written English (as I am a non-native English speaker),
- Getting comfortable in front of the camera,
- Developing a community mindset,
- Learning to stick to a routine,
- Sharpening my creative digital skills,
- Building meaningful friendships with people that share my interests.
Note: some of these goals had professional-growth interests as well.
The way I stumbled upon Twitch, and the whole live streaming content creation, was when I wanted to watch Stray, the cute cat game. Little did I know anyone could create a free channel on Twitch and get started with the right software & tools.
After a quick taster — streaming using my MacBook Pro with limited GPU, CPU and a crappy face cam! — I quickly saw the potential of the concept!
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WHEN SHOULD YOU START LIVE STREAMING
“Hesitation is the killer of all ambitions, but only a warning to watch out for those red flags.” — t0ddsquad, 27/05/23
As to “when” you should consider streaming is all about your ambitions and the allocation of time you want to put in.
Live streaming can be a casual social interaction, e.g. chilled gaming & chatting with people; or an in-depth online presence for you to be known about a topic you have an interest in.
Here are examples of WHEN you may find benefits in live streaming:
#1 — You want to improve your confidence on camera
Being in front of a camera and watching yourself back on the screen can be intimidating. Not everyone enjoys the sound of their voice, which makes it difficult to start a live-streaming channel.
If your life goal is to fight back this discomfort, live streaming is one of the fastest ways to go about it. When playing a game live, for example, your attention directs quickly towards the game rather than the streaming tool that mirrors your every movement.
It’s easy to get distracted by how sophisticated your stream overlays are, but these are getting in the way of your true interest: getting comfortable on camera.
Soon, your new viewers will be more intrigued about the value & content you share with them rather than the discomfort you may subconsciously show to your audience.
✨Tip: You can start streaming with just a microphone, then slowly introduce a camera pointing to your face. Go at your pace, and build that confidence over time.
#2 — You want to build a unique community you share an interest with
Let’s assume you haven’t found the right community for you or an active platform to interact with people online.
Then why not build your own?
Chances are, others may feel like you and are waiting to find the right community to come around. Could it be yours?
Building your own community can be a rewarding feeling on top of creating a space for others to feel at home.
By creating this space, you define the parameters of your community: how to interact with each other and what subjects to converse about.
As a bonus, you’ll also get to decide how interactive the space gets and what type of rewards your community get from joining, e.g. some competitions, exclusive content, etc.
✨Tip: Even if your community is small or not that active, keep posting and being active. You know the proverb “Dance like no one’s watching”. The more active you are, the more likely others will chime in. This is your community, therefore, your responsibility to make it a safe & interactive space.
#3 — You want to learn or sharpen your digital skills OR discover content creation
The internet is an integral part of our life and it will be hard for it to be otherwise.
Content creation is a process of sharing knowledge, tips & advice about a given topic.
There are many ways to create content, such as video content, social posts, infographics, podcasts, wikis, and more (so much more it can be an article in itself!).
In the world of employability, digital skills are in high demand and will remain a long-term strategy for many businesses. When a candidate comes forward with skills & experience with video creation or podcast editing, you give yourself more chances to be the ideal candidate. Or maybe shift your career to a more creative field?!
✨Tip: If your focus is to add digital skills to approach brands, use your LinkedIn profile as a portfolio. By documenting & linking to the projects you are most proud of, brands can assess your skills as well as see how involved you are in content creation.
#4 — You like sharing your knowledge with others
Content creation falls hand in hand with sharing knowledge with the online community.
If creating videos on YouTube is not enough for you, you can try and experiment with live streaming. By being live, you give a chance to your audience to interact with you directly, building a strong(er) bond with them.
It feels alive. You set authenticity right before their eyes and you create that unique bridge that only live content can give.
Using a live chat can get you closer to your community who in turn get to know you faster than waiting for that scheduled content on your social profiles.
Live streaming is also a way to catch viewers who interact better with live content. A new way to understand where and who your audience is.
✨Tip: If you are interested in building strong bonds with your community, you can use live streaming to answer Q&As or play live with them. Then redirect them to your Discord server to build that permanent community.
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WHY SHOULD YOU START LIVE STREAMING
In the world of employment & marketing, any kind of content creation is a valuable skill to have in your skillset.
If you are the type of person that needs concrete arguments about why live streaming is a valuable asset to master, below is my take on the subject.
#1 — Futureproof your digital skills & creative mindset
Digital skills gap is no joke! This is still a thing businesses are worried about, even in 2022 (UK source | US source).
If you are someone that looks ahead and wishes to futureproof your employability, there are tremendous advantages to mastering digital skills. Even more so when creativity comes into play! Brands employ creative agencies to make their online content because they don’t have the workforce for it.
👍Publishing online content consistently will keep you ahead of the curve. It shows you are aware of these fresh new trends, but also up-to-date with your editing software.
#2 — If you want to become an influencer, live streaming should be part of your strategy
Live streaming is undervalued for its capabilities. Influencers of any size should incorporate it for maximum reach.
The young generation proves to digital marketers every day that they need unique content, interactive & personalised. By using the live function, the influencer ticks all these boxes.
Social media platforms are offering to go live on the spot, which is a free and easy tool for all to use.
👍You should plan in advance what topic you’ll cover so your audience knows what to expect. Don’t make them feel you are wasting their time if you have nothing to talk about.
#3 — Live streaming is not within reach of ChatGPT (yet?)
I mean, who hasn’t tried ChatGPT at least once? Since November 2022, everyone has had an opinion about ChatGPT and where it might be heading for the next few years.
Some marketers, myself included, are worried about the direction it may take in terms of written content creation. Will blog posts be accurate? Original? Trustworthy? Human???
What we know so far is that ChatGPT is not replacing humans on live streams, at least at the time of writing.
Use that feature to your advantage, and become the content creator that put the work in and cares about the topic you cover and your community.
👍If you want to stand out from the crowd while keeping a true connection with “real” humans in your chat, live streaming is your best bet. And ban those bots!
#4 — Fun highlights can be repurposed for your socials
Given the fact you record your live streams, you’ll be able to create unique content from the recordings.
Repurpose your live streams, and create highlights of these fun, unexpected moments your viewers enjoyed.
It could, in turn, peak the interest of the new viewers.
👍Give your audience an authentic view of yourself that no other creators/brands can without live streaming.
#5 — If your focus is community building, live streaming is a no-brainer
Finally, if building an online community is your true focus, live streaming would be your go-to.
Make them feel special, make them connect with each other, and become the place they hang around and chill.
Live streaming is good at building a strong relationship with people on the spot. It creates a new dynamic no other platforms can replicate.
👍Create themed streams or purpose-focused content for your community to be excited about.
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IS LIVE STREAMING RIGHT FOR YOU?
[+CHECKLIST]
“You never know until you try” would be the first argument I put forward for the above question.
However, live streaming is a time-consuming discipline that requires planning, computer literacy and patience.
Below are the questions you could ask yourself to assess whether streaming is for you:
- Are you a patient individual looking at results as progress, not failure?
- Do you have life goals you wish to master that live streaming could answer?
- Are you itching to learn and polish content creation?
- Did you wish you belonged to an online community that shares your interest?
- Do you like interacting with people online?
- Are you excited to try out new ways to push your online presence?
Try to avoid live streaming if the below applies to you:
- You are unsure about putting yourself out there which could trigger negative thoughts,
- You get easily discouraged by negative or slow results,
- You get frustrated quickly with technology and content creation,
- You get easily influenced by cyberbullies and other aggressive behaviours online,
- You are not sure you’ll enjoy interacting with people while live,
- You are focused on monetary benefits and nothing else.
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GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO PRESS “GO LIVE”?
Live streaming is a complex but valuable resource for content creators.
With the right motivation and content in place, anyone can press that (scary) go-live button.
Look within yourself and ask what you could gain from this experience, and give it a shot.
You can put in steps to slowly get to the point where you wish to be; then assess.
List the benefits that mean something to you which will keep you motivated as you practise and polish your live presence. Above all: Enjoy the journey and have fun!
Enjoying this content?
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