By: Richard “AnimatedBreak” Suchit

Hi there! I am Richard, or known on the Twitch as animatedbreak! I’m Twitch Partner and been in the broadcasting space for 3 years!

Being in the realm of content-creation and seeing both the business and creative sides – I have noticed just how difficult it can be to try and connect with various content creators, personalities and even media to try and grab their attention so they can ultimately try your game and see for themselves how amazing it is (of course.)

The reality of the situation is this: Not everyone wants to try your game, or will be interested – and that’s okay – however, if you put a bit of time and put your best foot forward equipped with some good information, maybe these few helpful tips may earn you some friends within the community and maintain the relationship!

Before you start approaching broadcasters – I advise you do a quick scan of similar games that best match your game and see who’s streaming them. Pop in! Lend an ear. Try to see if their personna is what you want to have attached to your game. If they’re interactive and engaging with their chat – it definitely doesn’t hurt to say hi! Don’t advertise who you are, but engage and you can make an informed decision in the future. From there:

• Be legitimately interested in what the broadcaster is producing/get involved in the community if you are a fan
  • You don’t have to be active in every single community you are trying to outreach to – that’s unrealistic. But, if you find a broadcaster(s) that you especially enjoy, don’t just uproot and move on. Go into all rooms with the intention of having a continuous connection with them – keep them in mind for bigger opportunities!
  • Stay in contact but don’t be a pest – Keep them in the loop for gaming opportunities if they consent!
  • The worst thing you can do is abandon a broadcaster and community after they  helped you in your endeavors and contributed to the impact your overall success
    • Go back, thank them for their time
    • Support them in any capacity you can
    • Be friends – those connections will be the ones that last you a lifetime and are the best!

• Find content that suits the broadcaster and culture
  • Fit is important – if the game doesn’t suit the broadcaster, it won’t resonate with them or their community
  • If it’s paid opportunity, you want real enthusiasm – make sure that they genuinely excited about the game and that it isn’t fueled by the compensation
  • Pay attention: What game do you see them playing most? Do you feel that your game is very similar? If so – then most likely this would be something they’d be interested in trying

• Be personable
  • If you have specific opportunities and you know someone that could benefit or it’s a really good fit – take the extra time and tailor an email to them – they’d be most likely to respond if you took the time to talk to them individually or have an email to specific set of people that has a bit more of a personal connection so they know that they were thought of
  • If your email looks like it’s been massively sent out – I can almost guarantee that the broadcaster who receives maybe a dozen of these – will ignore your email. I usually personalize the subject line so it creates a bit more of a connection rather than a generalized one
  • If you’ve spent enough time in a broadcaster’s stream – Tell them about it! This is considered a wonderful compliment and makes them feel valued that someone noticed their work and is being selected for a specific opportunity.

And finally: Avoid the drama – no matter how big they are. Run. Away. Fast.

The drama I’m talking about takes on the form of the unnecessary and gratuitous shaming companies and former employers or anything in that realm. Don’t get me wrong; it is definitely okay to have an opinion and voice it – especially when you’re calling for positive change or sharing an experience to your fellow community warning them of potential danger – I’m talking about the messages that are a one-sided, direct attack at a company for reasons that shouldn’t warrant it. Didn’t get that partnership you wanted? Well trust me when I say throwing wild amount of shade won’t get you closer to it and it does more damage than good.

My one tip for this? Take a peek at their social media timelines and jump into a stream of thiers and listen for a little! Taking the time to observe; I’m more than confident you’ll be able to make an informed decision!  From there, it’s all up to you!

I hope you found this helpful – if you have any tips, tricks or comments regarding this, feel free to tag us on social media @AkuparaGames! We’d love to hear from you.