How Important Is a Streaming Schedule for Twitch Success?

Streaming has become a significant form of entertainment and content creation, with Twitch leading the way as a popular platform for streamers to connect with their audience. As a channels community grows, knowing when that “offline” changes to a “live” can excite viewers to see your next stream. But is it vital to have a streaming schedule as a streamer?

Yes, a streaming schedule is an valuable tool that enables streamers to bring consistency to their stream. Viewers know when to expect you and can join the stream moments before you go live, bolstering immediate viewer numbers. For streamers, you know when to prepare for each stream and can plan the content beforehand.

Your viewers will have their own viewing habits, and knowing for definite when you will be live each week can help them alter their schedules or watching habits to include your stream. It’s very challenging for viewers to become regulars if they don’t know when to expect you.

Lets take a deeper look into how streaming schedules can help your streaming career.

In the middle of contemplating creating a streaming schedule and need an answer RIGHT NOW? Check out the FAQ section at the end of the blog.

How a Streaming Schedule Helps Your Stream and Growth

Consistency is the key to success in any endeavour, and the same holds true for streaming on Twitch. The structure and reliability of a schedule allow viewers to anticipate when their favourite streamer will be live. This predictability cultivates a sense of loyalty and encourages viewers to return for more content. 

But what about as a streamer? 

Streaming can be a mentally taxing hobby or job, especially when multiple eyes watch your stream. Setting a schedule can remove the randomness of streaming, which some streamers attribute pre-live anxiety to. 

Before setting my own schedule, I used to feel the same. 

The “need” to stream to remain consistent often wouldn’t align with my mood, causing me to “fake” a happier persona while on screen. Once I created a schedule, I could orient myself earlier in the day and quickly get into the frame of mind needed to provide entertaining content. 

Which is what streaming is all about. 

Randomness invites uncertainty and provides a bigger opportunity for overthinking, while a schedule allows you to pre-plan your content and gives you ample time to get your head in the zone for your next stream. While these don’t sound like tremendous benefits on paper, these small things actually contribute to your overall consistency and likelihood of growth.

How to Determine a Good Streaming Schedule

Creating a good streaming schedule requires careful consideration. 

Many of us wish we could stream five days a week for five hours at a time, but reality seldom works how we want it to. Life responsibilities might get in the way, but similarly, smaller and new streamers drastically underestimate how draining streaming can be for that length of time, especially if you’re trying to create the best content possible. 

Before jotting down all your free time, consider your real-world commitments, how they fluctuate and what you can reliably commit to without stretching yourself too thin. 

When starting a schedule, I recommend streaming less than what you originally intended, whether a day or an hour shorter. Get a rough feel for how these streams go, how you feel, and your chat’s overall atmosphere. 

You can bring a lot more to a three-hour stream than an eight-hour one, and you may not feel like streaming after your full-day shift at work. 

Here are a few questions worth thinking about when crafting a streaming schedule:

• How many free days do I have a week?
• How long can I stream before I begin to feel tired?
• Would my work impact my ability to stream?
• What content do I want to do, and does it require me to plan my streams in advance?
• Can I only stream when my home life allows for it (i.e. living with family members)

Now that you’ve considered the above let’s dive into the best practices for maintaining your chosen schedule. 

What Are the Best Practices for Streaming Consistency?

Consistency helps build viewer loyalty and maximises your growth potential on Twitch. Here are some key best practices to consider:

1. Set Realistic Streaming Frequency: Determine a streaming frequency that aligns with your availability and resources. Establishing a manageable schedule over the long term is better than overcommitting and potentially burning out. Consistency is about quality and regularity, not quantity.
2. Communicate Schedule Changes: If there are any changes or updates to your streaming schedule, promptly inform your viewers. Use social media platforms like Twitter or Discord to announce schedule changes and keep your audience informed. Transparent communication helps maintain trust and avoids viewer confusion.
3. Leverage Twitch’s Scheduling Features: Take advantage of Twitch’s scheduling features, such as Twitch panels and extensions. These tools allow you to display your streaming schedule prominently on your channel, making it easier for viewers to know when you’ll be live. See later in the post on how to alter the in-built scheduler within Twitch. 
4. Engage with Your Community: Regularly engage with your community during and between streams. Respond to comments, messages, and questions from viewers. You create a welcoming environment and encourage viewer loyalty by actively engaging with your audience.
5. Plan and Prepare Content: Use your streaming schedule to plan and prepare your content effectively. Knowing when you’ll be live enables you to brainstorm creative ideas, set up appropriate overlays and scenes, and ensure you have all the necessary resources ready for a seamless and entertaining stream. Preparation enhances the quality of your streams and keeps viewers engaged.
6. Analyse Viewer Analytics: Monitor viewer analytics to gain insights into viewer behaviour and preferences. Analysing peak viewer times and stream performance data can help you optimise your streaming schedule. By understanding when your audience is most active and engaged, you can tailor your schedule to maximise viewership and interaction.
7. Experiment and Adapt: Be open to experimentation and adapt your streaming schedule based on viewer feedback and performance analysis. Test different time slots and days of the week to identify optimal streaming periods. Flexibility allows you to find the schedule that resonates best with your audience and yields the highest engagement.

Alternative Ways to Notify Viewers if You Don’t Have a Streaming Schedule

While I recommend incorporating a streaming schedule, for some people, it’s not possible. Shift work comes to mind as a clear blocker of organised enjoyment. 

That said, there are alternative ways that you can let viewers know you’re live, even if you don’t have a schedule, and the best part is they’re all free: 

1. Utilise Social Media: Leverage social media platforms to notify your followers when you’re going live. Regularly post updates on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or other relevant platforms, informing your audience about your impromptu streaming sessions. Be sure to include the necessary details, such as the date, time, and the content you plan to stream.
2. Create a Discord Community: Establishing a Discord server dedicated to your community can effectively notify members when you’re live. Encourage viewers to join your Discord server, where you can have dedicated channels for announcements and live notifications. Just ensure you have a strong onboarding process to prevent spam and unwanted members from running awry in your discord. 
3. Utilise Twitch’s Live Notifications: Use Twitch’s built-in go-live notification features to alert your followers when you go live. Encourage your viewers to enable notifications for your channel so that they receive immediate alerts whenever you start a stream. If you need help making these interesting, take a look at my 25 go-live notification ideas handout.
4. Collaborate with Other Streamers: Partnering with other streamers with established schedules can help you reach a wider audience. When you collaborate with a streamer with a fixed schedule, you can leverage their viewership and notify your audience through their stream or by appearing as a guest. This way, you can tap into their established viewer base and gain exposure to new potential viewers who may become regulars on your channel.

Whether you use these ideas or send out a flock of carrier pigeons with your stream name on them is up to you. The main takeaway is that if you don’t have a schedule, make use of all the tools in your arsenal to ensure your viewers know when you’re live.

How to Create a Streaming Schedule on Twitch

Adding a streaming schedule to Twitch is reasonably straightforward, but it can be arduous if you want to add multiple days in a row where the content is different. 

To add one, you will need to access the creator dashboard, but you can actually do this in two different ways:

1 – Access your Twitch channel’s ‘schedule’ tab, then select ‘edit schedule.’

2 – Click your ‘creator dashboard’, open the ‘settings’ drop-down and select ‘channel’. Then, on the top bar, click ‘schedule’.

Once there, you’ll see a weekly calendar and the ‘add stream’ button. Twitch’s in-build scheduling functionality lets you set up streams in advance with start & end times, category selection and the title. One downside is that you can only create the schedule if you add a category; thus, you may have to use a temporary category if you’re unsure what game or content you’ll be streaming.

Here’s what that looks like once you’ve clicked ‘add stream’:

And what it should look like on your channel once populated:

These settings are incredibly effective if you have a dedicated schedule and you only play one game or stream one category, as you can select a specific time and day, and Twitch will auto-populate all upcoming days with that time for you.

How to Add a Stream Schedule to Your Twitch Panels

Twitch panels give you the flexibility and room to showcase any important information you have to new viewers. You can use this for rules, an about segment, a rundown of the spec of your computer, or – and for the purpose of this – including your streaming schedule.

You can do this in two ways, and I recommend doing both for reasons I’ll explain below.

The first is to add a ‘schedule panel’, a singular panel on your panel list that gives a quick rundown of when viewers should expect to see you live.

The second method is to make use of a scheduling widget. You can add widgets to your panels to provide a range of additional functionality for the viewer’s benefit. The scheduling widget I show here is “schedule and countdowns” and highlights when you’re next live, per the viewers’ timezone.

To add widgets, you will need to access your creator dashboard and select ‘extensions’. Here’s what it looks like when it’s populated:

So, why do both?

Many Twitch panel extensions don’t work on Mobile devices, or they show in a weird format which can prevent them from fulfilling their purpose. While the text panel would cover both areas, adding something extra for your desktop users doesn’t hurt. Also, quickly glancing at a countdown is substantially easier than sifting through several panels to find the information you want.

How to Add Streaming Schedules to Your Social Media Channels

Perhaps a redundant and self-explanatory point; however, I want to include it for those that may not already be doing this. Social channels, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, may not directly impact your channel growth if you aren’t using them to put traffic towards the channel you stream to.

However, if you’re not using these channels specifically for another occupation – such as a job or alternative hobby – using the bio space within the profiles may see some residual benefit down the line.

You can optimise these bios to include the important information about your stream and allocate the one slot you get to share a link (typically one; some socials allow for more) to redirect back to your stream. This makes it more effective when you post stories or content, as users can quickly click the link in your bio to go to your channel.

For social channels, you can do something like this:

If you want to do something similar for your Discord community, you can create a separate channel named ‘streaming schedule’ and share an update:

Implementing Your Streaming Schedule for Growth

A well-structured streaming schedule can play a vital role in the growth of your Twitch channel. Determining a good streaming schedule requires careful consideration of personal availability, target audience preferences, and viewer analytics. While consistency is critical, streamers should also be open to experimentation and adaptability.

To further enhance your Twitch journey, navigating the platform effectively and being aware of the broader aspects of streaming are important. Check out my other post, “Is Twitch Toxic? Safeguarding Yourself and Your Viewers?” to gain insights into managing your Twitch community and fostering a positive streaming environment. Additionally, check out “Twitch Banned Words: What Streamers Need to Know” to understand the impact of language and create a welcoming atmosphere for your viewers – plus snag an easy copy/paste sheet to fill in your banned words in a flash.

Remember, success on Twitch goes beyond a streaming schedule. Engage with your audience, create valuable content, and utilise the available resources to build a thriving channel.

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