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As a new streamer, there are so many things that you can waste time and money on. If you don't have the right tools to be able to stream, to sound good, to look good, or to create content faster, it's going to be hard to grow your stream.
In this article, I'll be introducing you to some tools that you should have in your toolkit that will allow you to stream, grow, and create content.
Grok
The first tool we'll be looking at is Grok. This allows you to leverage AI to help generate ideas, not just for your stream but also for the videos you'll make to grow your channel. It's important to be able to use AI in this process.
Grok is the first tool that will allow you to see what people are saying on X. If you play a specific game, you can use Grok to see what people are saying about it to get ideas, like if there was an update, a patch, or maybe if there's some news surrounding it. This can help you to be the first person talking about these things.
All you have to do is just type in, "Tell me what is happening in (insert game name)," and it's going to pull up and summarize everything that people are saying about the game on X. I'm going to do this using Marvel Rivals.
This is going to tell me everything I need to know, like what people are saying about the current season. All of this will help you come up with ideas that you can create content or build your stream around. You also have access to ChatGPT to do the same thing.
I would definitely encourage you to start using AI to generate ideas for content that will be relevant to your viewers and help you build your stream.
Streaming Tools
The next tool that you need is one to livestream with. A great one to use is OBS Studio, or you could use Streamlabs. If you're only a console streamer, Lightstream Studio is a good choice.
Streamlabs just announced that you can multistream directly from your console so that you can be streaming on both YouTube and Twitch at the same time.
I also have lots of videos that go more in-depth on how to use all three of these platforms.
Epidemic Sound
Next, you'll want to bring music into your stream to help keep your viewers engaged. This is where Epidemic Sound comes in.
Not only can you use this for your livestreams, but you can also use it for any other content that you create. This is what I use, as it allows me to not have to worry about my content getting a DMCA strike or getting taken down altogether. Whether I use this on my videos, on TikTok, or on Instagram, it's going to keep me covered.
They have over 50,000 songs and over 200,000 sound effects for you to choose from. You can use this to create a specific vibe or feeling in your content and stream.
Epidemic Sound makes it easy to search by genre or mood. You can even upload your video directly to the site, and it will give you recommendations for what music to use.
Using the link above, you can get a 30-day free trial to see if this is the right fit for you.
Adobe Express
Next, you'll need to create graphics and thumbnails for your videos or streams. The tool that I like to use for this is Adobe Express.
With their templates on how to create fonts and thumbnails, it's super easy to use. You can even use this to edit your videos.
Adobe Express is free, but by using the link above, you can get a free trial of some of the premium templates and features as well.
Powder.gg
Now, we're going to look at Powder.gg. This is a tool that's going to make it really easy to clip your livestream.
After you've gone live, you can take the recording, and Powder will find all these moments to clip based on kills, laughter, and engagement. Then, you can take these clips and post them to TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts to help you grow.
There are so many things you can do here, but again, this is about being efficient and smart so you can create good content quickly.
Powder is completely free, but they do offer a pro plan if you want to download your videos in 4k. 1080p is really all you need, and it's available in the free version.
CapCut
Next, we're going to look at CapCut, which is probably one of the most powerful free editors available to utilize.
Not only is it beginner-friendly, but you can also use it to edit your content, add music from Epidemic Sound, use templates, and create a lot of different and unique content.
Another beautiful thing about this is that it's free. You can use this on your mobile device, laptop, or tablet to create content that looks good on social media.
Nightbot
Another great tool to utilize is Nightbot, which will help monitor your chat.
Having a bot in your chat is great for when there are trolls or people saying things that you don't want said in your chat, but it's also a great way to create points or engagement systems for your viewers to keep them invested. You can also use it to tell people about your latest video or things that are coming up.
It's important to have something like this that not only automates your chat messages and moderation but also gives you data to understand what people are saying or what commands are being used the most.
If someone asks what my YouTube channel is, all I have to do is type "!YT" and the bot will automatically put in the link to my channel without me having to interrupt the stream to stop what I'm doing.
Stream Decks
Another great tool to have is a stream deck that makes it super easy to control your stream. With this, I can easily switch scenes, go to my main camera, or pop stuff up without stumbling and having to take time out of your stream.
Elgato has lots of different options for stream decks.
Below is the Elgato Stream Deck Neo, which is all you really need.
With this, you can adjust each button to take you to a different page or scene.
If you do not want to get the Neo, you can get the Stream Deck Mobile to utilize your phone as a stream deck instead.
With this, you can get 6 keys for free, or you can go pro and get up to 64 keys, custom layouts, and personalized backgrounds.
You can use the app to switch scenes, control your lights, and easily control your stream.
Stream Designz
Of course, you want your stream to look professional, and there's no better place to look than Stream Designz. With lots of animated overlays, there are packages for everyone to make their stream look unique and professional.
These packages include your starting soon scene, alerts, and more. Let's take a look at the "Project Zero" animated overlay package below.
You can see everything that this package comes with above. All of this is going to help make your stream look put-together and professional, which will keep your viewers engaged and coming back.
When you purchase from Stream Designz, the Countdown Timer and Stinger Transitions are sold separately, but there are matching versions for most of the different themes.
Again, these animated overlay packages from Stream Designz will help take your stream to the next level and make it look professional. You can use these with any streaming platform like OBS Studio, Lightstream Studio, or Streamlabs.
In this video here, I'll show you step-by-step how to put these overlays into OBS Studio to make your stream look professional.
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The Fastest Way to Get Your First 10 Viewers