Ultra.
Note: As of October 3, 2022 Twitch has deprecated the /host and /unhost commands and updated "autohosting" to "suggested channels". Read more.
Twitch launched back in 2011, though the iconic live streaming service began to take the world by a storm in 2020, when face-to-face social interaction became more or less eradicated, save the internet. While things have picked back up in the real world, Twitch has proven to withstand the changing social climate, creating an avenue for those wanting to showcase their talents, grow their brand, and engage with their fans.
Whether you’re new to Twitch or you’ve been in the game for some time, it’s no secret that live streaming is altering the way people expand their reach. The inherent structure of Twitch’s platform enables users to interact with fans directly and allows the viewers to interact with each other in real-time. While live streaming is one way to magnify your numbers, hosting and auto hosting other streamers ]can be equally if not more beneficial.
What does it mean to Host?
Hosting someone’s channel means playing or “hosting” other people’s streams on your channel. Think of it as sharing someone’s Instagram post or video on your story or embedding someone’s website link on your website. You are essentially embedding their stream on your channel to broadcast their content to your audience, in turn helping them grow.
Why Host Someone Else’s Channel?
Hosting is a great way to leverage other channels to boost your streaming career. Streaming with little to no viewers can be challenging, but when you host other channels, you can draw more traffic to your channel and your general content.
But why does this matter? For one, it can be beneficial to both you and the person you are hosting.
Here are several reasons why you’ll want to consider broadcasting another live streamers channel to your viewers:
● Support and help others grow their audience
● Grow your community by drawing traffic to your page
● Build relationships with other content creators
● Show your fans what else you are interested in
● Give your audience something to cure boredom and get excited about when you are unable to stream
Knowing how to host on Twitch is a surefire way to develop as a content creator. Aside from expanding your fan base, hosting gives you the chance to connect with a community of like-minded individuals that might lead to future partnerships and collaborations.
Now that you understand why hosting on Twitch can be beneficial, let’s cover the basics of how to host and auto host so you can host other channels at ease, even when you’re offline.
How to Host Someone’s Channel on Twitch
It’s relatively easy to learn how to set up auto host on Twitch. Log in, head to your homepage–or from whatever page you are at, and follow these steps.
- Click on your avatar image in the top right corner of Twitch (profile)
- Select “Creator dashboard.”
- Select “Stream Manager” from the left-hand column
- Add /host, then type in the channel you want to host
- Press the spacebar or click “Chat” to initiate hosting that person channel
- When you are ready to stop hosting them, type in /unhost and then click the person you want to un host
As you can see, understanding how to host someone on Twitch is pretty straightforward. If you’re curious how to host another channel on Twitch, try practicing it with a friend or a broadcaster you admire. Remember that the content you host on your page can reflect your values and help foster deeper connections with your core audience. They get a chance to understand you better through the streamers you choose to host and share with them.
Auto Hosting 101
Now that you’re no longer an amateur when it comes to hosting others channels, it’s time to take it up a notch and learn how to auto host. The main benefit of auto hosting that distinguishes it from regular hosting is sharing others’ content automatically. Auto hosting is an outstanding feature you should utilize if you are extremely busy but want to keep your audience engaged.
While auto hosting will save you time, you have less liberty over what content you are hosting on your page. Typically you would only want to auto host channels and creators that align with your brand or whose content you are familiar with and are ok with what they are broadcasting on your channel.
Auto hosting is an excellent feature if you like to get your friends together to share each other’s content. It will increase watch time and cultivate community. There are also free and paid services like Twitch Auto Host Team, which helps you develop as an individual or team. Their services help you get auto hosting by hundreds of streamers and thousands of followers simultaneously, among other things.
How to Auto Host
- Click on your avatar image in the top right corner of Twitch (profile)
- Select “Settings” from the left side column
- From the drop-down menu, select “Channels.”
- Select Featured Content
- Switch the button to on where it says “automatically host list when you are offline.”
Of course, to auto host, you will need to create a list of channels that you’d like to auto host. It can take as little or as long as you need to gather this list; you can auto host random streamers or auto host your buddies or role models to show them your support and appreciation for what they are doing with their content. A general rule of thumb is this list of broadcasters should fall within the lines of what you think your viewers might enjoy.
How to Add People to Your Host List
Adding channels to your host list is very simple.
- Navigate to the Featured Content Page as seen above
- Click “Autohost list” to manage your auto host channels
- Search names to add someone (perhaps have someone in mind already you’d like to add)
- Click the “Add” button to them to your host list
Once you have your pre-approved list of hosts and have switched to auto hosting, sit back and relax. Whoever is live from your host list will automatically be featured on your page.
Now that you’ve learned how to host someone’s channel on Twitch and how to auto host on Twitch, it’s time for you to get out there and start doing. Find some live streamers you love, add them to your host list, auto host them, and see the results for yourself. Play around with what types of content you auto host, and be sure to check out other features Twitch has that will broaden your capabilities as a creator.
About Streamlabs
Founded on the belief that we want to help creators make a living doing what they love, Streamlabs provides a robust suite of features to help creators better engage with their fans, grow audiences, and improve monetization. Building on this mission, Streamlabs is expanding its product with 1) Talk Studio, our browser-based streaming studio, 2) Link Space, an all-in-one bio link tool, 3) Video Editor, a video review and collaboration tool. And 4) Cross Clip, the easiest way to convert Twitch clips to videos for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.