Every twitch streamer wants to attract large amount of viewersand subscribers to their channel.
Twitch allows other developers to create supportingtools/extensions which make twitch a feature rich platform whereuser can add extensions based on their taste and requirements.
In a nutshell here is list of highly used Twitch Extensions.We’ll discuss them more in depth later in this article.
1) Streamlabs
2) Mobalytics.gg
3) Live Emote
4) Live Exchange
5) Live Gallery
6) Sound Alert
7) Twitter Time Line
8) Exclusvie Content for Subscribers
9) Streamlabs Stream Schedule and Countdown
10) Streamlabs Leaderboard
Extensions can be a great way to engage your audience and havethem more involved in their viewing experience.
Different categories can bring different value: for example aLeaderboard may encourage people to give more to climb to the top,subscriber exclusive content gives an extra incentive to subscribeand games between the streamer and viewer/s can make a stream feelmore connected and interactive.
They can also add originality to your stream which will interestnew viewers by helping you stand out from the crowd. Additionally,they provide an additional way to monetize your content, and mayresult in higher gains as extensions can add entertaining effectsto donating.
They can even provide a reliable way to read community feedbackwhich helps you created content better tailored to your audiencemaking them more likely to continue watching in the long run.Overall, this can contribute to an increase in views, engagementand popularity.
Attributes to look for when choosing anextension
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1) Personalisation. If the extension allows youto edit it in some way you can use this to your advantage. Yourpersonality is what differentiates you from every other streamer onthe platform; you want to broadcast it as much as possible.
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2) Originality. Many extensions fill a similarpurpose, however they will have other enticing features than setthem apart from the market. This can be as small as an interestinggraphic or a completely new concept. If it immediately catches youreye, it is likely to do the same to your audience.
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3) Positive reviews and responding to communityfeedback. This shows that other users are happy with the productand that the developers are passionate about their product andgenuinely care about improving it.
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Be wary of a website with many typos or errors – this mayindicate false software attempting to steal your data. It is up toyou to make your own judgement, and whilst is it safer to steeraway from smaller, lesser known developers it is ultimately at yourdiscretion.
There are hundreds of extensions, and it is hard to make achoice. These aren’t one size fits alltools, you have to figure out your requirements, audience and pickthe best one.
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In this post, i am going to list most widely used extensionswith their pros and cons.
1) Streamlabs
One of the most popular Twitch extension out there. They are agiant company. They offers different software tools for gamer.pretty much anything under the sun when it comes to gamestreaming.
They has standalone software with addition to multiple twitchextensions which perform different functions.
My favorite Stremlabs extensions:
StreamLabs Leaderboard is one of the most popular extensionoffered by streamlabs that combines your cheers & loyalty pointsinto one panel extension.
You can easily Sort by session, week, month or all time. You canReward your viewers for being loyal & supportive and give them therecognition they based in interaction with your channel.
StreamLabs Stream Schedule & CountDown is another extensionoffered by the company. It actually displays your channels nextstream in nice and easy to digest format.
Streamlabs is a incredibly valuable extension used by a largeamount of streamers. It is a trustworthy extension; it’s used bymany big name streamers including Ninja and Daequan.One of the most notable features is allowing viewers to make adonation during a broadcast.
You receive an alert on-stream with a animation/GIF (which canbe customised) and a short message. This can encourage donations aspeople will want their message to be read out live. Alternativelyfor larger streamers, you can have it so minor interactions simplydisplay a Tip Jar so you are not overwhelmed by smalldonations.
Other features include credits (shows all donors, followers andsubs from your current session again), integrating other accountsand creating a bits/subs/follows/donation goal. Reviews are mostlypositive, praising its ease of use and customisation.
According to the Streamlabs website, Ninja stated that heused Streamlabs ‘for a reason’. However, most criticisms arerelated to the same issue: crashes. Streamers have occasionallyvoiced their concerns on Twitter (some examples here andhere) on how they have had to end their stream early due totechnical issues.
This often seems to be linked to using the latest version;forums and threads are often filled with messages like thisafter a new release.
You see, you can only be streaming for couple of hours a day andwhen you are offline, by default your channels visitors see a blackscreen with no much information. This little extension helps you tocapture that initial user interest and increase your overallconversions.
There are some other extensions offered by Streamlabs. Read thedescription of each extension and see if it is a good fit for yourchannel.
Negative Reviews aboutStremlabs
There are some negative reviews about stremlabs as well. Youshould be careful with sharing credit card details with thesecompanies.
They make it pretty easy to signup with just one click of abutton. But when you wish to un-subscribe, they make it harder foryou and try to suck as much money as possible from you.
Their refund policy seems to be quite vague. Soplease make sure what you are paying for and keep close eye on yourcredit card statement.
As reported by some users on trust pilot, they charge users forservices they even did’t signed up for. The company really need tomake the pricing and features upfront.
2. Mobalytics.gg
If you are Legents of leage player Mobalytics is an extensionyou must have.
It enhances your stream’s viewing experience by giving youraudience interactive access to your stats, rune pages, builds,insights on your play style and matchup etc.
Twitch allows developers to either create generalized extensionswhich can be used generally on any game or they can create gamespecific extension.
Mobalytics is still in beta version. Signup to see if it is agood fit for you.
3. Live Emotes
Allow viewers to react by pushing emotes live! The best thingabout live emote is that user can interact with youanonymously.
You can place a beautiful flow of live emotes on the video, withsize, positioning and cool down all completely customizable and upto you.
Download Live Emote
Unlike traditional overlay plugins, the individual viewer maychoose whether Live Emote Reactions is hidden or visible. This makeLive emotes a unique plugin. Because some game viewers do not wantto comment publicly.
4. Live Exchange
Live exchange allows you to create your own custom exchangedirectly on your Twitch channel .
Your viewers will be able to acquire virtual items that youcreate in exchange for bits.
A great opportunity for you if you are already have lot ofviewers. This can be an extra income stream for you. You canliterally sell virtual items using Twitch Bits system.
Make your items addictive and attractive your audience. Don’tjust throw bunch of items and see which one works. Do your ownresearch and see what type of items you can offer which canpotentially attract large pool of your audience.
5. Live Gallery
If you are an istagram geek and like photos, LiveGallery wouldbe a great extention for you. You can either create your own imagegallery in your twitch channel page or allow other users to uploadtheir own images as well.
It is an awesome to great a library of images related to yourgame. Let other plays to share their achievements and grow as ateam.
My favorite feature in LiveGallery! Now you can monetize yourimage gallery. Simply lock it up with some bits and allow your fansto spend some money to unlock and download images.
Don’t be a jerk and lock up everything. I’d suggest to share 80%of content for free. And lock few images for paid subscribers. Itcan be a nice revenue stream if done correctly.
6. Sound Alerts
Sound alerts is nice tiny twitch extension which allows you toupload your own sound or select sounds from other streamers andassign them multiple buttons.
Users can play sound by clicking on button. Sounds can be placedin fun and creative way. You can also monetize your sounds and letsother users to send bits before accessing the sound.
7. Twitter TimeLine
This extension allows you to embed your Twitter Time linedirectly in your twitch channel.
This is great tool to engage your visitors when you are notstreaming. You can show latest news feed using twittertimeline.
If you plan to grow your twitter channel, this can be a handytool to let your viewer follow you directly from twitch withoutleaving the site.
There is a limit to the amount of extensions you can haveactivated at one time: three panel extensions, two componentextensions and one overlay extension.
8) Exclusive Content For Subscribers
As the name suggests, this allows you to upload content onlyviewable by those who are subscribed.
This can rapidly increase subscriber counts if usedstrategically; no one likes to feel as if they are missing out oncontent they enjoy so hiding some behind a paywall may inspireadditional generosity.
For maximum value, it is best to use it fairly often (though notso often that what you are posting is clearly forced and notinteresting) and to try and vary the content as much as possible.Some ideas for additional content would be behind the scenes clips,exclusive Q&A sessions or a teaser for upcomingcontent/announcements.
This could also be an easy way to run a subscriber-only giveawayor to create inside jokes or references between you and paying fans(though be careful not to take this too far or the rest of youraudience may feel alienated and no one should ever be shamed).
Non-subscribers can see a small extract of the post however ifthey will attempt to open it they are blocked by a paywall. Thisencourages subscribing and gives them your direct linkinstantly.
There is a chance that some viewers will be very intrigued as towhat the rest of the post may be and may lead to spontaneoussubscriptions. This extension also puts an alert in your Twitchchat which has two roles:
Reminding subscribers to check
Advertising exclusive content to non-paying fans.
Overall, this extension can be useful for interacting with aportion of your fanbase, however could have the potential to causebitterness from non-paying viewers if used very often.
9) Streamlabs Stream Schedule & Countdown
Another extension made by Streamlabs, this is displayed as apanel and is helpful to both viewers and you as a streamer.
Having a consistent schedule is very important, and byestablishing it quickly you are showing that you are serious anddedicated to streaming.
A very frequently asked question from viewers is asking when toexpect streams, and this gives them a simple visual guide.
Once you have established a schedule, it is crucial that youstick by it (and notify your audience of any changes) or this canharshly ruin your reputation.
The countdown feature is quite basic, simply showing the timeuntil your next stream in days, hours, minutes and seconds but is afun touch that adds some build-up to your next stream.
What I would consider one of the most useful features is theability to set it to hiatus. If you go on holiday or need a break,your countdown will instead be to the date of your return.
This can prevent constant questions and confusion as to why youhave temporarily stopped streaming.
Whilst these may not be the most exciting or unique features,they do convey important information in a fun, non-intrusivemanner. There are some bugs, such as displaying the hostedstreamer’s schedule if you are hosting, however the team is quiteactive on Reddit and it is fairly reliable overall.
Is there any risk in Twitch Extensions ?
Before you add extensions to your Twitch channel, you may havesome concerns. As always, there is a chance of downloadingmalicious software, but as long as you are careful and usereputable sites there is little risk involved.
It’s also important to bear in mind that bits earnt frombit-enabled extensions are shared 80/20 between the stream anddeveloper Bits FAQ. If you are unsure on how to addextensions, please watch the video below:
