GUYS... I don't even know what to say. On Saturday, my community raised $2,455 for @AlveusSanctuary ! 💚 If you know me, you know how much I love animals and how much the mission at Alveus means to me. I'm so grateful to everyone who donated, raided, chatted, and gamed with me - all with the goal of raising money for this amazing nonprofit organization! It was my first time using Twitch Charity and it was pretty convenient! I definitely have some feedback for Twitch, but that's for another post 😂 I still highly recommend other creators try it out on their own streams! 🥰 AND, because we hit our goals, we'll be having @Evantomology join us on stream in the near future to educate us on invertebrates 🪲 (bugs), I'll be dressing like a cowgirl 🤠 on stream (when I find an outfit), AND I'll be designing a cosplay on stream! 🧚‍♀️ hehe I might fail at that last one though... 😂 Thank you again!! I can't say enough how much everyone's support means to me. 🥺💚 #fundraiser #charitystream #alveus #twitchcharity

I was today years old when I found out that recurring subs that renew automatically DO NOT COUNT toward the creator badge drop. WHY?? Can we please add this. It's weird that my recurring subs don't get it automatically...

about to show off my big AF brain by walking way too fast at Universal Studios today 😈

Tips for Streamers (#78) 🎨 YouTube Shorts THUMBNAILS!! When people are browsing your channel or scrolling through search results, your thumbnail helps convince them to CLICK. 📢 A few ways to make your thumbnails stand out: 👉 Create custom thumbnails in Canva or another graphics editor 👉 Use the YouTube mobile app to choose a frame from your Short and add text or filters 👉 Use different images, colors, and short text that match each video's content (a little baiting never hurt anyone...) 😉 👉 Keep it clear and easy to read on a small screen! Check out @CoconutBrah's YT shorts for inspiration! He doesn't have 1.8M subscribers for nothing... 💪

Tips for Streamers (#77): 📢 Your channel should tell people about you — EVEN WHEN YOU'RE OFFLINE! Your Twitch, YouTube, and other social pages are often someone's first impression of you. What are they learning about you when they visit? Think about: 👉 Your profile picture, banner & overall branding 👉 Your bio, panels, & channel description 👉 Your content, highlights, & channel trailer 👉 Your personality, interests, & what makes your community interesting or unique! You DO NOT need expensive graphics or a perfect logo!! You want someone to visit your channel and get a feel for who you are and what type of content you create. Want some inspiration for improving your channel? Check out this video by @CpawsMusic 👇 youtube.com/watch?v=K_LL9EaW…

Tips for Streamers (#76): Don't give up! ❤️ "Streaming is like throwing a party every day and hoping people show up." I saw this quote on Reddit, and honestly? It hits HARD for small streamers. Growth doesn't happen overnight. Some days chat is active and engaged, other days it's like talking into the void. It's SO easy to feel discouraged when you're putting in the effort to go LIVE all the time and aren't seeing the results you hoped for. I've seen so many streamers give up because they just got tired of hoping and waiting for viewers to show up... But here's the thing: you don't have to just keep throwing the party and HOPING people find you. You MUST... 📱 Create content OFFLINE, like Shorts, TikToks, Reels, YouTube videos. 🤝 Network with other streamers and build GENUINE friendships. 💜 Be an active, supportive member of other communities WITHOUT self-promoting. (PLEASE) 💬 Engage with your chat and make the people who DO show up feel welcome at all times! Keep learning, keep experimenting, and give yourself time to grow. Don't give up on your goals just because growth is taking longer than you expected. Keep showing up, but keep finding new ways to help people discover you, too. ❤️

Tips for Streamers (#75): 🎬 SHOULD YOU HAVE A CHANNEL TRAILER? Think of it as a quick introduction for people discovering your channel when you're offline, so yes, you probably should! Do I? No... but not because I don't want one. More so because I KEEP FORGETTING TO MAKE ONE. 😅 A few tips for creating your trailer: ✅ Keep it short (30–60 seconds is a good starting point!) ✅ Show your personality and best moments ✅ Give people an idea of what content you create ✅ Make sure your audio is clear ✅ Include a reason to follow or subscribe ✅ Keep it updated as your content evolves 📢 You don't need fancy production!! In fact, KEEP IT SIMPLE! Don't overthink it, just add multiple short-but-sweet clips... and only show games/content that viewers could expect to see in an upcoming stream. Avoid outdated content! 💡 Give new visitors a reason to hit that follow button even when you're not LIVE. ❤️

🚨🚨 For everyone who's been following my "Tips for Streamers" series on here... I'm going to be posting every other day for a while. 💜 I don't want to run out of ideas too quickly AND the next few weeks are going to be BUSY AF. Love you all and thanks for your comments and support on the series! 😘 Bonus Tip: Don't push yourself too hard 💜

Tips for Streamers (#74) 📅 YOU DON'T NEED TO STREAM EVERY DAY TO GROW! A good starting point for many creators is 3-4 days a week, for 2-4 hours per stream. But there's no magic number that works for everyone... it also depends on your availability and energy levels. What big creators and coaches advise (for growth): ✅ Consistency over frequency... Streaming 2 days a week on a predictable schedule is better than going live 5 days at random times. ✅ Quality over quantity... Don't drag yourself through an 8-hour stream when you're exhausted just to say you streamed longer. ✅ Make time for OFF-STREAM growth... Editing clips, posting Shorts/TikToks/Reels, networking, and engaging with your community all take time, too! ✅ Protect your days off... Especially if you have a full-time job, school, or other responsibilities (like telling your family and friends you love and appreciate them). Burnout isn't worth it. And even if streaming IS your full-time job, you should still want people to MISS YOU between streams! Give them time to get EXCITED to see you go LIVE. 🔴 Build a schedule you can actually maintain, and one that your community can count on. Consistency does NOT mean being LIVE every day! Please take care of yourself. ❤️

Tips for Streamers (#73): 💰 There are many ways to earn money as a creator outside of livestreaming! Like @Garfieldisdoc showed in this post, you can create UGC (user-generated content) for brands, using platforms like @TrybeUGC Other ways to make money... 👉 Video editing & clipping VODs for other creators 👉 Selling emotes, overlays, & artwork on @Etsy 👉 Coaching or offering gameplay reviews 👉 Affiliate marketing & brand partnerships 👉 Managing social media for other creators 👉 Designing thumbnails, logos, & stream graphics (please don't sell me AI slop) 👉 Offering OBS, Stream Deck, or Discord setup services on platforms like @fiverr (I have, personally, paid for these services before!) 👉 Selling INTERESTING merch (there's a good chance people won't buy a hat with your logo on it... but they MIGHT buy a pair of socks with your cat's face on them...) 😂🐾 #meow First, think about what you're already good at and how you could turn that skill into a service or product. OR take some time to learn a new skill that you can turn into a side hustle. 💼 Go get em, tiger! #rawr (Sorry for the animal sounds, I went to the San Diego Safari Park this past weekend...) 🦁💚

Tips for Streamers (#72): ❤️ Your attitude MATTERS, even when things aren't going your way... Not getting viewers? Having a terrible gaming sesh? Losing every match? TRUST ME, we've ALL been there... It's okay to be frustrated, but remember that your viewers can feel your energy. Try to keep things fun and light-hearted, LAUGH at the bad moments, and remember WHY you started streaming in the first place. ❤️ You won't win every game, you won't always have active chatters, but you CAN have a positive mindset. OF COURSE, if you're having a bad day and the mental is chalked, it's okay to call it. BUT if this is a regular occurrence, it may be time to rethink your streaming strategy... 🤷‍♀️ I can tell you that, PERSONALLY, I have a hard time sitting through a "woe is me" stream. And that's because sometimes... Work was exhausting Work pissed me off I'm tired I'm overwhelmed by life I'm sad So WHY would I want to watch an exhausted, pissed off, tired, and sad streamer? Just saying... And this is also a little reminder to watch your own VODs back sometimes. You might find out you're a grumpy streamer, and maybe a little positivity would do you some good. 😊 Don't let a bad game or a quiet stream turn into a bad experience for everyone. You never know who's watching... your next great community member might show up on your worst day. ❤️

Tips for Streamers (#71): ⚠️ Not every sponsorship is worth your time! As a small streamer, getting offered a sponsorship can be exciting... but PLEASE do your research before agreeing to (or signing) anything. 🚩 Watch out for upfront fees, suspicious links, unrealistic promises, and contracts you don't fully understand. 🎮 Gaming sponsorships: Be careful with deals that require you to get X number of game downloads or sign-ups before you earn a SINGLE dollar. You could put in hours of work and make absolutely nothing! You don't have to accept every opportunity just because someone offers it to you. Your time, content, and audience have value (and some games are not interesting enough for you OR your community to play). Always read the terms and make sure the deal is worth it BEFORE you agree! ❤️

Tips for Streamers (#70): TIER LIST: Ways to stay connected with your community when you're NOT LIVE: S-TIER ❤️ Being active in your Discord community ❤️ Checking in, replying, and genuinely talking to your regulars off-stream (boundaries are still important!) ❤️ Remembering things your viewers share and following up later A-TIER 🧡 Posting questions, polls, and fun discussions 🧡 Sharing clips and funny moments from your streams (in Discord or on socials) 🧡 Keeping people updated on your schedule and updating them on any changes B-TIER 💛 Posting on Twitter, TikTok, IG, etc. 💛 Playing games or hanging out with your community off-stream (movie nights, etc.) 💛 Twitch Streamer Shouts (Verdict is still out on if this will be a good tool for creators...) 🤷‍♀️ C-TIER ❌ Only posting “LIVE NOW” and disappearing until the next stream ❌ Only interacting when someone subscribes, donates, or gifts ❌ Going LIVE without a regular stream schedule and expecting people to show up Remember: building a community doesn't stop when you end stream. You do NOT have to be available 24/7, and you do NOT need to post constantly. Small, genuine interactions go a long way. ❤️

Tips for Streamers (#69): CONSIDERING STREAMING BUT NOT SURE IF YOU SHOULD? Before you buy a bunch of equipment or hit that Go Live button, here are a few things worth thinking about... ⏰ TIME & COMMITMENT Streaming takes time beyond just being LIVE. Consider how often you can realistically stream, and create a schedule you can maintain without burning yourself out. Consistency helps, but your schedule needs to work for YOUR life. 🤝 COMMUNITY Trust me when I say that starting a stream knowing even a FEW people will regularly show up is HUGE. Make friends, connect with other creators, and find communities around the games or interests you love. You don't have to start completely alone. 🚨 (be careful how you publicize in other communities that you are "becoming a streamer too"... self-promotion is still looked down upon in most communities) 🚨 🎯 YOUR GOALS Why do you want to stream? Making money and becoming popular are possible, but they're incredibly difficult goals to achieve. If you mainly want to play games, meet people, and build friendships with others who share your interests, streaming can be an awesome experience even if you never become a full-time creator. ✨ YOUR ANGLE What do you want your stream to be like? Maybe you're loud and entertaining, incredibly good at a game, cozy and laid-back, creative with fun alerts and camera angles, or just someone who makes people feel welcome. You don't need a gimmick... just think about what makes your stream YOURS. 📱 CONTENT OUTSIDE OF STREAMING If you REALLY want to grow, think about creating content outside your livestreams, too. Twitch discoverability isn't great, so clips, Shorts, TikToks, and Reels can help new people find you when you're offline. 💻 YOUR BUDGET You don't need an expensive setup to start. Use what you already have, make sure people can hear you clearly, and upgrade as you go. Don't spend on things you can't afford in the hope that streaming will eventually pay you back. (Remember, Twitch doesn't pay you until you hit $50, pre-tax) 🔒 PRIVACY & BOUNDARIES Think about what you're comfortable sharing online, how much of your personal life you want viewers to know, and what boundaries you want to establish. You can be friendly and authentic without sharing everything about yourself. ❤️ YOUR EXPECTATIONS Are you prepared to stream to very few people sometimes? To spend hours creating something that doesn't get many views? Growth can be slow (and it isn't always linear). Make sure there's something you enjoy about streaming BEYOND the numbers. MY BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE... You don't have to have everything figured out before you start. Try it. Start small. Learn as you go. Give yourself permission to be freaking NEW at something. Fail. Get back up again. And... HAVE FUN! You might discover that streaming is exactly what you wanted. Or you might discover it's not for you, and that's okay, too. ... but you won't know unless you try. ❤️

Tips for Streamers (#68): Try BATCH CREATING your content, instead of posting one video/clip at a time. Set aside a few hours to edit multiple Shorts, IG Reels, and TikToks, then schedule them in advance or save them as drafts. Why? ✅ Consistency, even when you're busy ✅ Spend less time switching between editing and posting ✅ Plan your content around your streaming schedule ✅ Keep a backlog ready for days you don't feel like editing (just as @VantDrav said in this post!) And YES, there are third-party tools that let you schedule posts across multiple platforms from ONE PLACE! WORRIED ABOUT THE ALGORITHM? 😟 After some digging, I've found that there's no solid evidence that TikTok automatically punishes you for scheduling posts or uploading from a PC. However, it's best to use TikTok's own scheduler or a reputable third-party tool SUCH AS: @buffer @hootsuite @Metricool (any other recommendations? comment below!) Please remember to check that your videos, captions, sounds, and formatting work properly on each platform... it may not be a simple copy/paste for each platform. Work smarter, not harder! You don't have to create AND post everything on the same day. Especially since many of us smaller creators also work a 9-5. 🥲

just move the chonky white one to my forehead and this is accurate

Tips for Streamers (#67): 📊 DON’T MAKE BIG DECISIONS BASED ON ONE BAD ANALYTICS DAY. You will have streams where the numbers just... aren’t there. I’ve had MANY streams where I didn’t gain a single follower. In fact, sometimes I LOSE followers... 🤣 And you know what? THAT’S OKAY. ❤️ One slow stream doesn't mean your content suddenly sucks, OR that you need to completely change what you're doing. Sometimes people are busy. Sometimes your regulars can't make it. And sometimes... Twitch just decides to humble you. 😬 What matters to me, personally, is that the people who DO show up are spending their time with me and supporting what I do, whether it's two people or fifty. And honestly, that means WAY more than one day's numbers. 🥹❤️ 👉 Look at your analytics over time, not just one stream. And lastly... 6️⃣🤷‍♀️7️⃣

Tips for Streamers (#66): 🚨 STREAMER MODE ON DISCORD! 🚨 If you use Discord while streaming, TURN THIS ON. HOW: Discord → ⚙️ User Settings → Appearance → Streamer Mode Here are 6 reasons why: 🔇 No Discord notification sounds 🔕 No join/leave voice channel sounds (Note: some people leave streamer mode OFF because they want to hear when people join...) 🚫 No pop-up notifications 🔒 Hide personal/account information 🔗 Hide invite links ⚙️ Automatically turns on when you go LIVE Don't forget: you can also set up a keybind to quickly toggle it on/off. ⚠️ Just remember: Streamer Mode only does so much... If you open a private DM or channel on stream, people can still see what's on your screen. 😅 It's an extra layer of protection that can save you from accidental “OH CRAP, YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE THAT” moments. 😜❤️