Ultra.
Streaming on Twitch can be a bit of a learning curve for those just beginning to stream. Even experienced streamers may be surprised about the extensive suite of functionality Twitch offers its streamers. Luckily for you, most of their tools are pretty intuitive and are built with developing their community of streamers in mind.
One feature that streamers can utilize is the Raid function, which transfers current viewers of one steamer’s channel to another once the first stream ends. In this quick guide, we’ll walk you through the details of what a Twitch Raid is, how to start your own, and what to do if you find yourself raided by another streamer.
How Raids Work on Twitch
The main concept behind a Twitch Raid is sending viewers to another Twitch stream once yours ends. Some new streamers may wonder why they want to send their viewers somewhere else. Twitch is a community-driven platform, so seeing streamers collaborating during a streaming session is relatively standard.
With a Twitch Raid, streamers can work with other streamers to create a more seamless flow between content and assist each other in boosting views. For example, if Streamer A is currently streaming a PVP stream on a specific game, they can tell their viewers to check out Streamer B afterward by joining in an initiated Twitch Raid. This way, Streamer A’s viewers are still on the platform after they end their stream, and Streamer B gets an automatic audience boost.
Differences between Hosting and Raids
Some users already on Twitch may be wondering how Raids differ from another known feature called Hosting. A Twitch raid moves viewers from one channel to another, whereas a host retains viewers on the same channel they were previously on and only plays another stream on their channel.
How to Start a Raid on Twitch
If you find yourself wanting to start a raid, it’s pretty easy to do so. While the main step is technically just typing out a command to initiate the process, we’ve added some additional measures to ensure your viewers have the best experience when participating in a Twitch Raid.
Inform your Audience of the Raid
Make things smoother by informing your audience of your plan to begin the raid in a few moments. Even if you specifically stated earlier in your broadcast that you will be starting a raid soon, it’s always good to remind your viewers that you will transfer them to another channel momentarily.
Begin the Raid Process
To start a raid, you have two options: type /raid followed by the channel’s name you’d like to transfer your viewers to, or you can use the raid channel function on the dashboard to select from a list of streamers. Note that only you and your certified channel moderators can initiate this process.
Whichever method you choose, a chat popup will appear in the chat area informing everyone on the target channel and the number of people joining in the raid. After 10 seconds, you will see a secondary popup indicating that you are about to raid the target channel. Streamers and moderators can choose to cancel the process in case of any changes, but once that 10 seconds pass, the raid will automatically start.
What to do if you get Raided
Sometimes you may find yourself on the flip side of this situation where your channel gets raided by another streamer. Once this happens, don’t worry, and make sure to help everyone get settled into the channel.
Introduce yourself and the game you’re playing and thank them and the streamer for what is essentially free viewers.
Tips on Unwanted Raids
There are unfortunate instances of raids not being the most positive experience for most. There have been occurrences of malicious raids aimed to harass some streamers. The best way to avoid this from the start is to set who can raid your channel in the first place.
Streamlabs recently released a Safe Mode feature that prevents hate and harassment from appearing in your stream.
Activating Safe Mode will:
- Clear all recent events
- Clear currently queued follower/host/raid alerts
- Disable follower alerts
And with Cloudbot enabled, Safe Mode will:
- Put chat in emote-only mode
- Put chat in follower-only mode
- Put chat in sub-only mode
- Disable chat alerts for followers
- Clear chat history
Final Words
Twitch Raids are a fantastic way to grow your channel alongside other newer and older Twitch streamers while providing a consistent stream of content for the Twitch viewers. With enough know-how and this guide by your side, you can set up your own raid in no time.