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If you want to succeed with Twitch or any other live-streaming platform, you need to have your own unique style, personality, and communication skills. However, before you start streaming, your brand should already be in place (or at least in motion). You don’t have to have everything 100% perfect from the jump, but you’ll want to have the basics. A strong brand will make your name recognizable to your followers and sponsors, and is a representation of the style and content you’re offering. When you think of the top streamers on Twitch, these streamers are memorable because they have nailed the branding piece! Their name, logo, design, panels, persona, style, and content all are relatively consistent.
In this article, we will go through some channel branding ideas that can make your streams unique, pretty, and polished. Though your channel may evolve over time, try to focus on the basics of how you want everything to look right now. Let’s dive in.
Getting Started
After you’ve set up your live stream channel and feel pretty confident about your content, the next step is to learn how to brand yourself on Twitch (or YouTube, Facebook, Trovo, etc.). Your brand is the first thing people will notice and if done right, can make a favorable impression on your audience and future sponsors.
Give some serious thought to what makes you and your stream unique. Remember, everything matters: the way you speak, the way you dress, your setup, and everything in between. Think about branding that feels like you rather than following trends or what everyone else is doing.
The next step in the process of your brand creation is to determine your long-term goals, whether they be creating a small community or becoming a Partner onTwitch. If you’ve determined your goals, you will have a clear notion of what your streams should be about and how you’ll connect with others.
Who Are You?
When creating a stream, you have to determine what kind of presence you want to create. If you’re going to be yourself, then you should make a list of values, beliefs, and strengths you care about. Your streams should be a reflection of who you are. You’re not just a streamer, but a person. What do you and your brand represent?
Also, you can be someone you’re not, which could be a lot of fun. You can create a character from your imagination to provoke strong reactions from your viewers. VTubers often choose a personality and backstory (lore) to go along with their virtual avatar. It can be a fun, safe, and anonymous way to explore a different side of yourself.
Brand Identity & Aesthetics
Brand identity can really help you stand out and make a name for yourself in the live streaming circuit. Here are some things you’ll need to take into consideration as you start building a visual identity:
- Username
- Colors
- Logo
- Profile image(s)
- Overlays
- Alerts
- Other Graphics
- Merch
- Audio
- Social Media
We’ve talked about your values as a streamer, now let’s think about how you want your branding (and therefore, your streams) to look and feel. You can choose an emotion or a feeling (for example, warm and comfy), a color palette, or even an object to base your brand around. A coffee lover might choose overlays and music that give their streams a cafe vibe, while a streamer who loves FPS games may opt for a cool, sleek, black and silver color scheme. You can customize your streams to be anything you want them to be—how cool is that?
Username
Deciding on the right username can be difficult, as you want something catchy yet easy to remember (that hasn’t already been taken by someone else). If you have a clear idea of your brand aesthetics, choosing a name shouldn’t be too difficult. Unless you state otherwise, people will likely refer to you by your username, so choose accordingly. For example, someone who likes mermaids would be better off choosing “MermaidKate” instead of “MermaidFan,” as they can be addressed as “Kate.” An FPS player should choose “FPS_Drew” over “FPS_1527.” You can only change your username once every 60 days on Twitch, so choose wisely!
Colors
Choosing a color palette for your brand is a great way to develop a consistent theme that’s pleasing to the eye. A website like Coolors can help you choose a pleasing palette or you can simply choose 3 to 5 colors that you really like (and work well together). Choosing more than 5 colors will make it harder to keep your branding consistent: sometimes, less is more.
Logo
After you have your username and colors, it’s time to create a logo! You can keep it simple and just go with your colors and initials, or choose an item that somehow relates to you and your brand. A good logo can be used as merch, too, so keep that in mind while you’re brainstorming.
Profile Image(s)
You can use your logo as your profile image—if you multistream, be sure to use the same image across all of your streaming platforms, as well as any social media you have linked. Alternatively, you can use a photo of your face or avatar.
Overlays
When it comes to streaming, one of the funnest things to customize is overlays. Streamlabs has a ton of awesome overlays with coordinating themes (Starting Soon, BRB screens, etc.) that you can download for free. If you subscribe to Streamlabs Ultra, you’ll unlock access to premium overlays, many of which come with animated transitions for a super professional look. Streamlabs offers overlays to fit virtually every theme: sporty, sleek, cute, cozy, and everything in between. There are even holiday and seasonal overlays you can use to switch things up or for a special event (24 Hour Spooky Subathon, maybe?). Seriously, go check them out here!
Alerts
Alerts tell you when someone has followed, subscribed, or donated and play an important role in your channel’s branding. Again, Streamlabs has got your back when it comes to top tier alerts. Most of our overlays come with matching alerts that you can choose for a polished look. You can also go wild and choose whatever alerts you like the best!
Other Graphics
You’ll want to keep your branding consistent wherever possible, and that includes things like your custom tip page, Starting, Ending, and BRB screens, panels on your profile page, widgets, and more.
Streamlabs has a lot of free tools available, and we encourage you to try them out! If you have Streamlabs Ultra, you’ve got access to everything you need to get your channel looking sharp in a matter of minutes. If you’re artistically inclined, you can make everything yourself in your design software of choice.
Audio
Sound branding is another way to develop your channel’s image. Lots of streamers choose specific music to play while their “Starting Soon” screens are showing and use a catchy jingle when ending their streams. In addition, the sound that plays in conjunction with your alerts can be a great way to further develop your brand. The Streamlabs Sound Library has tons of effects and melodies to choose from, all crafted by our talented team (and royalty free so you don’t have to worry about any takedowns!).
Merch
Though merch may seem like a “big streamer only” perk, the truth is, anyone can (and should!) have their own merch store. Streamlabs Merch lets you create your own store where you can apply your logo, some witty text, or anything you think would look good on a t-shirt, hoodie, etc. All you have to do is upload your design, choose items you want in your store (apparel, stickers, water bottles, etc.), and watch the orders roll in! Streamlabs will fulfill the order so you don’t have to mess with any packing or shipping. Be sure to wear your merch on stream, have a link on your profile page, and shout it out whenever you can to boost your sales.
In addition to your streaming platform(s) of choice, social media such as Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. can be great places to promote your streams and drive traffic to your channel. Use social media to stay connected with your followers when you’re not streaming. Consider starting a Discord server to let your community chat, hang out, and support each other. If you use a link in bio tool, such as Link Space, you can keep all of your links in one place so people can find you on their preferred platforms.
If you don’t have a YouTube channel, we highly recommend starting one to post your VODs. You can use a free video editor like Video Editor to turn your streams into helpful or entertaining YouTube videos. Think about some of your favorite streamers and how you found them: odds are, YouTube played an important role.
For TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram stories, try using Cross Clip to take the best or funniest moments from your streams and turn them into clips. One of the best ways to grow on Twitch (or any streaming platform) is to promote your channel elsewhere. The likelihood of a funny TikTok, tweet, or YouTube Short going viral is much higher than having your stream raided with thousands of viewers. Social media has been a key factor in getting many big streamers where they are today: it worked for them and it can work for you!
Collaboration
Collaboration is one of the key aspects of a successful brand. Try to reach out to other streamers and ask them to collaborate with you. If there’s chemistry, you can work together to build both of your brands. Feel free to exchange innovative ideas, but also listen carefully to their suggestions. To read more about how to work with other streamers, check out our article on collaborating with other influencers.
Also, analyze your chat and search for constructive criticism (this doesn’t mean you should take every bad comment seriously). You should consider your follower’s comments on how to improve your stream.
In Conclusion, Streaming Is Hard Work
Ask any successful streamer and they’ll tell you that streaming requires commitment, tenacity, perseverance, and a lot of hard work. With the tips and tools we’ve outlined, we hope we’ve made the daunting task of setting up your channel for branding a little bit easier. Remember to take care to avoid burnout and don’t feel like you have to get everything perfectly set up right away. Streaming is a journey and we’re happy to support you every step of the way!