Twitch Chatters: How They Help Your Streams

Streams with a thriving chat will grow faster due to Twitch’s algorithm. Some streamers will even buy commenters to grow their channel. With the right strategy, you can get more Twitch chatters and keep them engaged. In this post, we’ll show you how to make the most of your commenters while managing them mid-stream.

How To Connect With Twitch Chatters

Your stream chatters can help you build a thriving Twitch presence. However, you need to make sure they’re having a great time. Otherwise, they may leave the channel behind. Here are seven ways to keep them talking:

• Ask questions: The best way to keep engaging your chatters is to talk to them. Ask how your viewers are doing, and respond to their answers.
• Learn your chatters’ names: After a few streams, you may start to get regular viewers. It’s vital that you remember (and talk to) these users often.
• Give chatters a say: Consider letting viewers choose your next game. They’ll see more of what they enjoy and are more likely to get involved.
• Play party games: Some games, such as Jackbox, let you play with your own fans. Use these as a chance to connect with your viewers and chatters.
• Do Just Chatting streams: You can devote some Twitch streams to talking to your viewers. The site’s Just Chatting mode is very popular for a reason.
• Set up channel points: Twitch’s channel points system lets viewers earn points just by viewing your stream. They can redeem these for special chat perks.
• Get a moderator: As your channel grows, you might face spambots or trolls. Make sure you have mods ready to keep your chat as a friendly space.

Twitch Viewers and Chatters: Which Matters More?

Live viewers and chatters are two vital stats for any streamer. These show you exactly how your channel is performing. You could also compare the two metrics to find out your “comment rate.”

But which of these stats is more important? The simple answer is that they’re both essential for any thriving Twitch channel. Everyone has “lurkers” who don’t engage. However, you can’t force them to engage. If you try, you’ll likely just drive them away.

Your viewer count is visible below the stream for everybody to see. It includes anyone watching, even those who aren’t logged in. You can also manually check which signed-in users are in your chat. Simply click the symbol of two shadows above the chat to see the complete list.

To succeed as a streamer, you can’t value one number over the other. For example, make sure chatters aren’t dictating your channel’s direction even as your viewers decline.

How To Check Top Chatters on Twitch

Twitch doesn’t currently let you see your top chatters. However, if you pay attention during your streams, you should notice who your biggest fans are. These will be the users who always reply to your open-ended questions and engage with other chatters.

Third-party tools may be your only way to see these stats. For example, StreamElements lets you connect your account and see a ranked chatter list. According to the site, Kai Cenat’s top (non-bot) commenter is rodorigesuuu with over 252,000 chat messages.

Tracking your top chatters helps you determine your biggest audience members. You could then calibrate your content toward what they’re enjoying. However, make sure you don’t neglect the lurkers in your audience. They could leave in droves if you change things up too much.

You should also reward your engaged fans. For example, you could give top commenters a free month-long channel subscription. You can use your channel points system to decide who to reward. Going this route also lets you reward active viewers who don’t comment often.

Should You Buy Twitch Chatters?

There are plenty of services that allow you to buy Twitch commenters. However, you must be careful when using these. Only buy from services that promise organic Twitch engagement. Bot viewers and chatters won’t give your channel any real benefits.

The goal of buying chatters is to boost your stream’s overall engagement. It’ll then get a boost in Twitch’s algorithm. More people will see your stream, leading to even more comments and fans. 

However, bot comments are apparent to any viewer. As these commenters can’t actually see the stream, their messages won’t be specific. At best, they’ll be generic messages. However, when someone notices you’re using bots, your whole channel will suffer.
Real chatters will genuinely respond to what’s going on in real-time. However, commenters aren’t everything. Balance your commenter growth by checking your Twitch follower numbers and getting a healthy general viewership.

How To Get Free Twitch Chatters

Buying chatters may be a quick way to get ahead, but you don’t always have to spend money. If you have the time, you can naturally grow your commenter base. Here’s how to get more Twitch commenters:

• Make great streams: All the money in the world can’t make your streams fun. That’s up to you. Focus on quality, and more Twitch commenters should come in.
• Post on social media: Make sure you post about your upcoming Twitch streams on TikTok, IG, and other channels. Some of your new viewers will be regular chatters.
• Be consistent: Go live at the same time each time and create a streaming schedule. Users who lurk in several of your streams might soon start leaving comments.
• Collab with other streamers: Contact other Twitch users in your niche and ask if they’d like to play together. You could get new commenters from their audience.
• Use an overlay: A nice-looking overlay gives your stream higher production quality. You can also show off your chat in the corner to encourage more comments.
• Show your personality: Lurkers can become commenters if they like you more than the game you’re playing. Be yourself, and more users will want to engage.
• Stream for longer: Aim to stream for at least two to three hours each time. The more time you’re live, the more likely you are to get extra Twitch commenters.

Can Twitch Ban Chatters?

Yes, the site bans users who break Twitch’s Community Guidelines. If someone in your stream’s chat starts harassing others, you or your mods can report them to Twitch. The site’s moderation settings also let you quickly ban people from your stream temporarily or forever.

Here’s how to report a chatter to Twitch:

1. Click on the user’s name in the chat.
2. On their user card, click the three dots.
3. Press the Report (Username) option.
4. Select the right category and click Next.
5. Under Tell Us More, go into more detail.

You must give a full, complete explanation of the user’s behavior. Include all necessary context, and only report one comment. Reporting every violation separately will not speed things up.

Twitch permanently bans chat users for more than just mean messages. It also clamps down on triggering comments about self-harm, support for extremism, and doxxing. Some users will say they were only joking, but this doesn’t make their comments okay.

Can Twitch Users Block Other Chatters?

When setting up a Twitch channel, you won’t expect your streams to be a drama hub. However, tensions may develop between your chatters. They could even have an argument that distracts from your stream. Luckily, Twitch lets users block each other.

When a Twitch chatter blocks someone, they won’t be able to see one another’s messages. You might see each other’s comments on the streamer’s chat overlay. However, you won’t be able to directly interact or send Twitch Whispers to one another.

If problems erupt in your stream chat, blocking alone might not solve the problem. You also can’t force arguing commenters to block each other, leaving them free to disrupt the stream. Consider sending them chat warnings or even giving them a 10-minute chat timeout.

Signs of Problematic Chatters on Twitch

You and your mods must monitor your chat for the entire stream. If you notice anything amiss, a timeout or ban might be necessary. Here are some red flags to watch out for from your chatters:

• Generic spam: If someone’s comments look too broad or generic, they might be fake. If they don’t fit your stream at all, consider blocking them for spam.
• Rudeness: Even if a user isn’t harassing anyone, they might just be rude. For example, they may endlessly criticize your game choice or your skills.
• Edgy jokes: One of your chatters might be rude under the guise of dark humor. Don’t let them make your fans even uncomfortable; intervene right away.
• Rule-breaking: You have every right to set the rules for your stream’s comments. If you notice someone breaking these, tell them to stop immediately.
• Self-promotion: Your stream isn’t a place for other users to push their channels. Make sure anyone who is self-promoting talks to you about it first.
• Overfriendliness: A user might try to get too close to you or another chatter. You’ll need to shut this down before other commenters feel uncomfortable.
• Ban evasion: If Twitch suspects somebody is evading a ban, it’ll tell you and your mods. Remove these users at the first rule break or sign of trouble.

How Many Unique Chatters on Twitch Do You Need?

Realistically, you can have a thriving chat with just a few regular commenters. However, there’s always room for growth. One day, you might have to keep slow mode on just to keep up. 

It’s true that your chatter metrics will boost your engagement. You’ll then be more likely to reach a new wave of Twitch users. But this isn’t down to unique chatters alone. Lurkers will also make an impact. Besides, a few engaged chatters might be all you need to have a great time.

There’s no perfect viewer/commenter ratio. However, you will ideally have enough chatters to fill the silence between levels and missions. If you get too many comments, your stream mods can answer common questions on your behalf.

Making New Stream Chatters Feel Welcome

First-time chatters will instantly be visible to you while you’re streaming. Twitch will highlight the user’s message with a unique border. You could then thank them for joining the conversation. A first-time commenter might be a long-time lurker or a first-time viewer as well.

Only you and your mods will see the highlight. In fact, the user may not even know about it. You can toggle these highlights off in your settings. However, it’s good to know how your streams are growing. By turning highlights off, you might miss a chance to welcome a new fan.

If you get an influx of new chatter, make the most of it. Keep playing the same game, but try to find more time to address your fans. If you make a good first impression, they’ll keep chatting.

Twitch Chat Settings You Should Know

You’ll have access to many chat features when running or moderating a stream. These could help you make the stream better for everybody. Here are some of the platform’s chat settings and tools:

• AutoMod: Twitch’s AutoMod uses machine learning to figure out if a chat message looks suspicious. A real mod can then approve or deny the message.
• Verification: Streamers can limit the chat to users who have verified their Twitch account through their phone number or email address. Trolls and spambots often use unverified Twitch accounts.
• Slow mode: If messages rush in too fast or somebody’s spamming the chat, slow mode can help. This stops users from sending several messages at once.
• Timeouts: If someone bothers you but isn’t being especially mean, you can give them a timeout. These give users a chance to cool off and rethink their behavior.
• Follower-only mode: You can set your chat to work only for followers. If someone raids your stream, make it so only non-recent followers can talk.
• Block-specific terms: Twitch also lets you ban certain phrases or words. Any message that has these terms won’t show up, similar to Twitch’s profanity filter.

Get More Twitch Chatters Today

If you need more Twitch chatters, engagement boosts through other social media platforms might be the answer. This way, you could get extra Twitch fans to promote your content to highly engaged chatters. At GoRead.io, you’ll always get organic growth.

We could even help your Instagram and TikTok grow. A strong social media presence is vital for any growing streamer. Try GoRead.io today, and you’ll see your Twitch channel’s viewership get even better.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are paid chatters?

Paid chatters are users who will comment on your streams for a fee. You could buy packages of these comments online. However, avoid bot-driven Twitch services; they won’t help your stream get big.

What is the difference between viewers and chatters on Twitch?

A viewer is anyone who’s watching your streams. However, only people who comment on it will count as chatters. Chatters require a Twitch account and might even need email verification.

How do I check active chatters on Twitch?

Twitch lets you see a list of your chat’s users. However, the list also includes lurkers and anyone else reading the chat. The most active members will likely be obvious at a glance.

How do I handle harassment in chat on Twitch?

You can block the user who’s harassing you or someone else. Timeouts are also a good option, but the user might resume the harassment once they’re allowed to talk again.