How to get in to content creation

Content Creation Explored

Content creation sounds like a corporate buzzword, but it refers to making YouTube videos and streaming on Twitch – two of the biggest areas in gaming and technology right now.

They’re growing fast, so it’s no surprise that more people than ever count on these websites for their income – whether it’s their full-time job or just some cash on the side.

YouTube was formed back in 2005 and has grown to become the world’s dominant video-sharing site. It’s tried to muscle in on streaming, too, thanks to YouTube Gaming, which was formed in 2015 to compete with Twitch. That’s no surprise, because Twitch is the biggest site when it comes to streaming: it only launched in 2011, but it’s grown alongside the rise of esports.

Those two websites dominate the world of content creation, and we’re going to explain how to get started on both – and also explain the key differences between these two vast and popular products.

What Do You Need?

Video might not seem particularly intensive, but you’ll need decent equipment if you want to make a go of content creation: a graphics card that can play games smoothly at solid resolutions, and a processor that can handle multi-tasking and video editing.

We recommend one of AMD’s recent Ryzen 7 processors – they’ll have the cores and the clock speed to avoid bottlenecking games. Make sure the solid CPU is paired with at least 8GB of RAM – with 16GB a more comfortable capacity – and use an SSD to banish hard disk loading times.

Ryzen™ 7 is the perfect solution for anyone who needs to both work and play. High-end performance without the cost is something you can’t ignore – so not only does it improve your workflow, it’s the best choice for delivering top notch gaming performance, with the grunt to handle power hungry applications.

A graphics card is important, too, if you’re going to be gaming or working with video. It’s got to run your games of choice smoothly – and if the card will handle modern games, it’ll have enough grunt to handle video production. Crucially, any graphics card from the past two or three years will also have the right codecs to handle video output and decoding.

Overclockers UK has you covered when it comes to streaming systems. We’d recommend out Titan Vulture which ticks every box: its AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processor has eight cores and can support sixteen concurrent threads, which makes it great for multi-tasking, and the rig includes 16GB of memory and a lighting-fast Samsung SSD – so you won’t keep your viewers waiting too long.

The AMD Radeon RX 570 has 4GB of its own memory and enough power to handle any modern game alongside video, and the CPU is chilled by one of our own TechLabs water-cooling units with two super-quiet fans – so videos and streams won’t be interrupted by irritating fan noise.

This rig costs £1,609.99, and Overclockers UK offers dozens of customisation options, from the processor and the storage to the graphics card and memory – so it’s easy to build your perfect streaming machine.

Alternatively, take a look at the award winning Titan Katana which recently featuring an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 processor, an Nvidia GTX1060, 8GB of RAM, a Samsung 250GB M.2 drive to keep your load times low, along with a 1TB storage for all your games and video projects. The Titan Katana starts at £1009.24 and offers an even more affordable entry to Streaming and content creation thanks to AMDs Ryzen 5 processors.

With Ryzen™ 5, you can enjoy smoother and more efficient gaming. A great choice for those looking to break into the realm of content creation, Ryzen™ 5 offers unparalleled performance for its price.

You’ll also need to pair your new PC with top-quality peripherals. Overclockers UK has Britain’s best selection, from gaming mice and keyboards to monitors, speakers and merchandise from the world’s best esports teams.

Getting Started

Once you’ve got all the gear, it’s time to get an idea – it’s no good to flounder in such a competitive scene.

You’ll need a Twitch or YouTube account, for starters, but that’s not all the software you need to stream. Open Broadcast Software, or OBS, is a high-quality and free option for streaming, and there’s Xsplit – one of the biggest tools on the market, but you’ll have to pay for an annual subscription. You’ll have to set up the software, pick the source, and then perfect the layout that your viewers will see.

And, of course, you’ll need a camera and a microphone. Whether you buy a dedicated microphone or stick with a headset, Overclockers UK has you covered – and we’ve got a huge range of webcams, too.

Being a Successful Streamer

Once you’ve got the gear and everything is set up, it’s time to start streaming. You won’t become successful simply by broadcasting your latest gameplay, though.

Several key principles can increase your chance of success whether you’re creating content on YouTube or Twitch. The first thing you’ll need to do is find your niche: what is going to set your channel apart from other streamers, and what’s going to attract viewers and keep them coming back?

The best streamers have their niche, of course, but they also nail other key aspects: they relentlessly engage with their audience, and they’re not shy about showing their personality – if viewers feel a personal connection, they’re going to stick around.

Consistency is important, too. People will come back if they know you’re going to be running an entertaining stream every day at a certain time – but if you never establish a routine and never stick to the times you’ve advertised, they won’t bother.

If you grow your Twitch or YouTube channel to a large enough size then you’ll start to make some serious dough, whether it’s from advertising on YouTube or becoming a Twitch partner and charging for subscriptions. You’ll need a hefty following to pay yourself a salary, but it’s possible – now more than ever.

Rewards, Pitfalls and Differences

It’s certainly possible to earn a living from streaming on Twitch and YouTube. When that boils down to making money from playing video games, it’s easy to see why it’s so enticing.

That said, there are advantages and issues to both platforms, and the opportunities are matched by some serious pitfalls.

Broadly speaking, the two websites cater for different kinds of content creation. YouTube is better for videos that you’ve recorded, edited and uploaded, whereas Twitch is superior for streaming – no surprise, since it was designed from the ground up for this functionality and has become a key component in esports.

Twitch has better chat integration, and its streaming service is far more popular than the YouTube Gaming offshoot. Twitch is better when it comes to discovering new streams, too, but YouTube has the upper hand for sharing and finding new video content. YouTube also has friendlier upload settings and more freedom when it comes to bandwidth.

There are key differences when it comes to monetisation. Anyone can put ads on their YouTube videos and start earning cash, but you’ve got to become a Twitch Partner to make money on that platform – and to become accepted as a partner you’ve got to have a growing audience and regular broadcasts. If you are accepted, you can earn advertising income and charge people a subscription fee, so you’ve got two potential income streams.

The two services converge when it comes to some of the pitfalls of content creation. You’ll be reliant on YouTube and Twitch, and any changes they make to advertising rules or discovery algorithms can slash your income – something that’s happened recently when YouTube branded a host of hobbies as “Offensive Content”, drastically cutting down how much money that popular channels could earn.

If you rely on Twitch or YouTube for your income you’re going to be self-employed, too, so you don’t have any of the safety nets that employees usually get, like sick days, pensions or other perks. On the plus side, you do have far more flexibility, which is important when you’re trying to capture a global audience.

Conclusion

Streaming is a high risk and high reward business – and business is booming. There’s more opportunity than ever to make a good chunk of money broadcasting your gaming, whether it’s on YouTube or Twitch – just figure out your niche and get out there. Don’t forget to visit Overclockers UK, too, for the best range of PCs, headsets, webcams and peripherals – perfect for beginners or experienced content creators.

For a limited time only while stocks last, pick up your own AMD Ryzen 7 PC featuring a Ryzen 7 1700X or 1800X and get a free Nitro Concepts C80 Comfort Black/Orange gaming chair to help kick start your content creation journey.

See more about Ryzen here – www.overclockers.co.uk/AMD-Ryzen