In this day and age, as I am sure I have complained about before, simply writing is not always enough to get by on. Sure, there are some individuals who do that and tend to be just fine, but simply put, I am not one of those individuals. I am amongst the individuals who have long since accepted that we need to market ourselves on top of simply marketing our books, and in this case, we may need writing- adjacent side hustles. I know there are far more options than the ones I will discuss here, but for now, I will tell you about a few different methods I have done myself. We will discuss streaming, YouTube, and merch shops for now. I know some people may profit off of conversational podcasts or writing Instagrams that turn a profit, but I am simply not one of those types. As with the other two articles I wrote, I will try and stick to what I know.
Firstly, we will talk about streaming. Streaming is such a growing market, especially as we are all stuck inside seeking content to consume and a community to find ourselves in. Yes, the pandemic has been a disaster for many industries, but it has been a blessing in media and content creation for those who can work from home. I know that I personally heard about Twitch streaming for writers from Kate Cavanaugh. I found her YouTube channel, where she talked about her Twitch channel, where I found a huge community of other writers. Now, to clarify, the Writers category is actually pretty small compared to many of the gaming categories, but the community is wonderfully welcoming and supportive to newcomers. I know that when I started out streaming myself, I felt like I was constantly being promoted by others in the category, to the point where I have made some friends, some very close friends even.
So, how do you get started with streaming? The obvious answer is that you need some software. I personally use Streamlabs OBS, but I know some others use StreamYards, some use the built into Twitch program. If you are not all that interested in spending an entire afternoon figuring out what you are doing, StreamYards is the quickest to pick up. There is no download required, as it is all web based, but it has limited functionality. The last I used the software, you could do screenshare and display messages from your chatbox on the screen, but that was about it. However, one of the major benefits of StreamYards is that you can have multiple people on stream, like a video call. This has been incredibly useful for co-hosting and the like. I used it when a friend on YouTube hosted me for her stream and we discussed various topics about writing, working, and mental health between writing sprints.
If you plan on having simple streams and are interested in multiple hosts, or even just want to try going live to see how it feels without much commitment, StreamYards is the way to go.
The software I currently use is Streamlabs OBS, shortened to OBS. This software really is the software that has it all. It has nearly infinite possibilities for what you can create with it, limited by the power of your computer and your patience levels. It has game capture functions, you can capture multiple windows at a time, you can create slide show images, display chat boxes and alert boxes, it has it all. With an external program (I use Snaz, it is a very small file and so simple) you can even have a timer or countdown right on the page. Most of the streamers you see with a lot of different elements going on, or even a few elements with maybe a custom background, use OBS.
Now, it is truly wonderful and I highly recommend it to anyone trying out, but there are a few setbacks. The biggest of which being that it is a little tricky to learn right off the bat. When I started out, I did not start with anything simple, no, I went out the door absurdly ambitious and wanting to do it all.
Mind you, we are here to learn from my mistakes, right? We are not here to read about the smart way I did things.
YouTube, as well as the OBS site itself, and Twitch guides, became my best friend when it came to starting out with OBS. Since there are so many tools, and it seems like more are almost constantly being added, it is easy to be overwhelmed. It took me probably a few days, and a few disastrous streams, to find something I was more or less content with, and even more than that to find something I was actually happy with. As it stands, I feel like I am nearly constantly tweaking elements here and there to fine tune what I am working with. It does not have a simple format for co-hosting, but with window capture, or a discord extension, there are ways to make it work, should you have the patience for it.
However, despite my warnings, the software is actually fairly straightforward once you figure it out. I can throw together a slide in a matter of minutes, and I know exactly how to make it all work the way I want it to. I have created my brand and my personal aesthetics on the software, and it works perfectly.
An added bonus to OBS is that it is so popular, so it is not difficult to find a person or two willing to answer a few questions.
So, after you choose your software and are happy with how it looks, how does a writing stream work?
Well, naturally, that is up to you. Personally, I like to do writing sprints, where we have a timer set for x number of minutes, and we just work until the timer runs out. I have my word doc open and window captured so my viewers can see me typing away, but small enough that they can’t read it- unless they have an absurdly large monitor. I’ve been told at least one of my viewers can indeed read my screen. (I am actually writing this article live- hello to my Collaflowers who may be reading this live!) I do not have any music on my streams, though some people do. I listen to my own music while I work, but the audio for my streams during the sprints is just me typing away. I know some people do use music during their sprints, but it is all up to personal preference. I’ve been told that my viewers like hearing the typing sounds when I write. Between sprints we chat a bit, usually my cat makes an appearance, then it is back to work.
I know other writers do not utilize sprints. Some simply work in between chatting with their chatbox. More power to them- I simply cannot keep changing my focus like that. There are also writers who do not show their work onscreen, everyone likes their setup a little differently.
Ok, now the big question: How do you make money as a streamer? Well, that is a bit complicated. There is a Twitch subscription that viewers can do, but you need to reach a certain threshold a month, or you never see a cent of that subscription. If I remember correctly, in my country, it is $100Can a month. Personally, I have never reached that threshold. Instead, I redirect my viewers to my Patreon, which I have covered in a previous article, or to my merch shop, which I will talk about later on, if they want to support me directly. Don’t get me wrong- there are some individuals who do indeed make money off their Twitch subscribers, it is just difficult.
Now on to YouTube. I feel like many of us already know how YouTubers make their money- off of ad revenue mostly. Much like streaming, it can be difficult to become monetized because you need to, once again, reach a certain threshold. I did a quick google search, and a video needs to have about 1000 views to make between $4USD and $18USD. I am having a difficult time figuring out how many views it takes to get ads on your videos, or how to slap an ad on there, but it sounds like the income is actually based on clicks on the ad as opposed to the views. This information may be outdated, but it is surprisingly difficult to find information that is up to date.
The trick with YouTube is to get your videos in front of viewers. On Twitch, if you stream under the Writers category, you get the benefit of being in a relatively small market with not that many options for viewers. On YouTube, the challenge becomes making a voice for yourself in a fairly heavily saturated market. Many people make the videos because they love it, and that is really how it should start out. A passion for what you create shows, and makes for a good video. There are also a variety of algorithmic factors that, frankly, I don’t understand at all, but the consensus is that if you make good content, consistently, then you will get at least a little attention.
\In case it is not painfully obvious, I do not make YouTube videos, I stream. The permanence of a YouTube video, as well as the time and energy that needs to go into editing and all that terrifies me.
Let’s weigh the two formats against each other, shall we? Streaming gives you less room for error, but at the same time, slipping up or making mistakes or being goofy is expected, if not encouraged. If someone sits down to watch a 2hr stream, or however long you go for, odds are, they are there for the personality. They want the interaction with the content creator. On the other hand, it’s a commitment to sit down to a stream. It is not unheard of for viewers to jump from streamer to streamer looking for one that catches their eye. If you are not doing something in that moment that they like, then you may very well not get that viewer.
YouTube, on the other hand, is expected to be more polished, and usually more short form. I know there have been trends favouring longer videos, then favouring shorter ones, then full episodes became the norm, then YouTube shorts became a thing, so it is all a matter of keeping up with the trends. Truth be told, I barely understand how the trends work. The only things I have done on YouTube are private videos for my Patreon and streams, so I am far from monetized.
One thing I will warn about YouTube streaming is that it actually can hurt a content creators algorithm, as streams simply cannot have as many ads on it. That not to say don’t stream- streams can be fantastic ways to engage with your viewership, just make sure you are cranking out plenty of videos as well.
The last thing that we will go over here is merch. Now, this is a tricky one to crack into, but as someone who has tried it three times now and is only now successful, I feel like I am more or less qualitied to talk about it.
The type of merch you create will be very heavily dependent on what type of following you have. My first (and second) merch shop were more or less wrapped around a mascot we had, for the first one, and around my cat for the second one, since those seemed to be two things my viewers enjoyed. However, what I did not realize at the time was that I was simply too small of a creator to have merch specifically branded to me sell very well. The audience for it was entirely limited to my viewers, and narrowed down even more to my followers who were into that particular branding and were willing to spend for it.
I also did not know what platform to use for merch. I used CafePress for the first two, which proved to be, while versatile, not the most user friendly. It was also not very well known, which limited anyone who may stumble across my products without knowing me. Needless to say I did not sell a thing.
My third attempt, however, I think I figured it out. The first thing I did was rebrand entirely. I was actually already in the process of rebranding my stream, unrelated to the merch shop, so I was able to use the rebranding to my benefit. I think L.J. Stanton has my links below so you can see how I made my stream aesthetic more uniform. I extended it to my merch- it is identifiable as my own, but not so unique that it would be niche.
I also made the merch relatable. My latest thing is the #BehindWritersClub, which has swept through the writing community on the mere premise of it being relatable. After all, how many of us are behind on what we should be writing? I did not plan this, but the shop expanded beyond myself with various other writers being like ‘lol I’ll join the Behind Writers Club’ and buying a button or a sticker to ‘join’ the club. From there, I frequently use the #BehindWritersClub tag in my social media and streams to promote the merch shop and increase the sense of community around this mutual feeling.
The next thing I did was change where I was posting my work. I ended up switching over to RedBubble, which is not only huge, but I have a chance of my work being simply stumbled upon and, once again, being super relatable for people.
I didn’t realize I had so much to say on the matter, but that’s all I’ve got!
Happy writing, and best of luck!
-Bailey
Bailey Mikkelson has written numerous novels, streams on Twitch, and has a lovely Instagram feed!