Over the past few years, Twitch has attained mainstream popularity, thanks to the massive success of games like Fortnite and PUBG. As a result, big brands are now partnering with popular streamers to advertise their products.

The biggest names on Twitch now rake in millions every year, motivating more people to pursue a career in streaming. However, being successful on this platform is not nearly as easy as it looks. You see the success, but you rarely observe the hard work.

If you're trying to make it big on Twitch, here are six things you'll need to do:

1. Find a Niche and Be Consistent With Your Schedule

Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch

One of the first things you need to do when you start out as a Twitch streamer is to find the right niche. You need to be smart about this and get some Twitch statistics. For instance, browse through the categories and find a game that few people stream, but has a decent audience. This means less competition for you to succeed.

Typically, a good niche would be something you're passionate about and that is lucrative at the same time. However, it doesn't always have to be a video game. You can stream IRL content too. This is the fastest way to grow an audience as a new streamer.

Once you've found your niche, you have to be consistent with your streaming schedule. No, you don't have to stream for twelve hours every day, but you can maintain a fixed schedule, even if it's just four hours.

People watch live streams in their free time. So, if you have a few people watching you when they're free, you don't want to mess that up with your disorganized streaming schedule. And don't take too many days off. Instead, you should stream consistently as much as you can to keep the momentum going.

2. Be Extremely Good at a Particular Game

Esports gaming

To be successful at something, you have to be superb at it. Of course, this applies to video games too. You need to be good at the content you're streaming on Twitch. But, if you're someone who's playing at the top-level in any game, you will probably find success on Twitch more quickly than the others. Here's why:

If you look at any competitive game on Twitch, you'll find that the top-level players have the most viewers too. This is because people want to learn from the best. For example, streamers like Ninja and Myth blew up on Twitch solely because they were the best players when Fortnite became popular.

Playing a game at the highest level will land you more opportunities. Esports teams and organizations will look to hire you for a hefty paycheck. They will help you grow as a streamer by promoting your name on their socials. You'll get more sponsorships and better advertisers, which ultimately means more money.

Related: How to Make Money Playing Games

3. Broaden Your Audience With Variety

Playing FIFA on PS4

It's very easy to get caught up in short-term success, especially if you grew an audience playing just one game or making one type of content. However, you need to look at the long-term if you want to maintain a stable streaming career. What would you do if the game that made you popular dies off?

This is exactly why you need to branch out and widen your Twitch audience with variety. Allocate a portion of your stream regularly to try out different games or other content. This will bring in new viewers to your stream, even if it's just a few. Look at Twitch as a business.

Over time, even if your main game becomes stale, you won't suffer a sharp decline in your viewer count since some of your audience look forward to your other content too.

4. Interact With Your Chat

Twitch streamer camera and mic setup

Interacting with your viewers is crucial on a streaming platform like Twitch. This will be an important factor in deciding whether you can be a successful content creator. Of course, you can be the best in the world at a particular game, but if you don't have the personality or you don't talk to your chat, people will lose interest down the line.

Talk to your chat at least twice every minute. Do a Q&A, respond to donations, thank your new subscribers, or just talk about the game you're playing and how they can improve at it.

The quality of your audience can be a driving force behind your Twitch success. Your viewers can help share your content on platforms like Reddit, YouTube, or Twitter while you're offline and bring in more people to your next stream.

5. Set Perks for Subscribing

Twitch streamer PC setup

Twitch subscriptions allow your viewers to pay a monthly fee to your Twitch channel and get benefits like ad-free viewing, exclusive channel emotes, and more. Subscriptions start at $4.99 per month and go all the way up to $24.99 for Tier 3.

You can enable subscriptions on your channel as long as you're a Twitch Affiliate. Consider subscriptions as the base pay for your job, except they fluctuate a lot. A viewer who subscribes to you this month can always cancel their subscription next month.

As an aspiring streamer, your job is to keep your existing subscribers and grow your subscriber count. So, you need to set perks that'll motivate people to subscribe to your channel. For instance, you can do something cool on stream for every new subscriber to stand out rather than just saying thank you.

Read More: Complete Guide to Twitch Subscriptions: Everything You Need to Know

6. Network With Other Streamers

People socializing

If you're looking for the fastest way to speed up your growth on Twitch, then look no further than networking. The connections you make on Twitch are important to stay relevant in the long run.

You can get started by simply playing games with other streamers. Have fun interacting with them, and make new friends in the Twitch community. Once you're comfortable, take part in podcasts, try a hand at co-streaming, and vlog with your streamer buddies.

You'll become a familiar face in the community as you network with more people. The best part? When your streamer friends are offline, chances are, their viewers will hop into your stream. This is another smart way to expand your audience.

Twitch Streaming Isn't an Easy Career

Anyone can start streaming on Twitch, but you have to stand out among millions of other streamers on the platform to be successful. If you noticed, we didn't bring up streaming hardware once. There's no point in spending thousands of dollars on expensive equipment if your content isn't up to the mark.

You don't need high-end hardware to make it big on Twitch, but these tips will help you create better content and get you halfway there. If you're really passionate about what you do, you'll make it work. We believe in you.