Location, Location, Location! Move the Button, Get More Subs

We’ve been doing this whole “GameWisp” thing for a while now. It’s had its ups and downs, certainly, like any business, and we’ve had to learn a lot, not just about how to do things right, but about you, the streamer, what you want, what you need, and how you do what you do. One of the things we’ve discovered is that there’s rarely a “best way” to do something. Every creator is different, along with every audience, and what works perfectly for one person might not for the next. There’s so many different strategies, different methods, that work for different channels, it sometimes makes it hard to give solid advice, a simple answer to “what should I do?”

But, certain things are true for everyone. Sometimes, particular strategies do rise to the top, and it becomes clear that this isn’t just one channel’s ideal method, it’s every channel’s. Of those universals, one question everyone must ask, has, to us, jumped out as being most important.

Where should I put my sub button?

To begin to answer, we need to look at Twitch’s sub button and figure out what makes it so strong. When you go to a partnered streamer’s channel, their sub button is front and center, right under the stream itself. You don’t have to go looking for it, because it’s right there, in the same place as their follow button, sharing options, and quality controls. The sub button works because it’s always there, even when the creator isn’t talking about it. It’s simple. It’s obvious. And it’s intimately connected to the stream.

Now, consider your own sub button. Your GameWisp sub button can’t go where Twitch’s own does, but can you take those strengths into consideration when placing it in your panels? The answer is absolutely.

You want your sub button to be simple, and on display. When someone comes to your channel for the first time, they should see, from the very beginning, that there’s an option, right there, that quite explicitly says “Subscribe.” You don’t need to mire it in an explanation of what GameWisp is; “Subscribe” tells the whole story. You don’t even need to include our name, and, often, it’s better if you don’t. Your goal isn’t to confuse people, your goal is the same as with a Twitch sub button, to let it be an impulsive response to finding a creator you like, a simple, easy-to-understand way to support, to get on board.

So many of our users hide their subscribe button deep, deep down in their panels. If you don’t go looking for it, you’d probably never know it exists. Certainly, people aren’t discovering it on their own, realizing mid-stream that they like this creator so much they just have to subscribe. What’s more, they also create buttons that make it less clear just what they do. If a button doesn’t say “Subscribe,” and instead says something like “Join the Wolf Pack,” it doesn’t tell enough of the story to prod people into action. It just ends up being confusing, and people participate less. We’ve seen it happen.

Meanwhile, if you look at our biggest creators, the ones delivering extra goodies to the greatest number of fans, you’ll see their sub buttons are all there, right at the top of their panels, so you see it as soon as you go to their stream, and you’ll also see that their buttons are simple. They just say “Subscribe,” something their fans understand right away.

Subbing to your favorite streamer can be an impulsive decision. Or, conversely, it can be a long, drawn out, reasoned conclusion, one they need to be reminded of, over and over, as they consider their options, before finally pulling the trigger. Either way, what’s important is that their path to subscription is obvious, clear, and on display. It’s so frustrating to see a creator with an active audience, tons of viewers who would love to subscribe, but legitimately don’t even know its an option because the creator has hidden away their sub button.

You’re doing this whole thing for a reason. It’s because you’ve got an awesome group of fans who want to support you, with or without the official endorsement of Twitch’s sub button. Make it simple for them, and you will be rewarded.

Originally published at blog.gamewisp.com Apr 8, 2016.