Let Your Gaming Personality Shine

Lesson: Let your gaming personality shine

A strong voice and personality can set a gamer apart on YouTube. Accelerate your growth and boost discovery with these tips.

• Find your voice 

  Gamers on YouTube often have unique personalities that help set them apart from the rest. Take your audience beyond the game with style and flair that only you can offer. Remember, most anyone can buy the game and set up a camera, so consider focusing on what differentiates you from everyone else (maybe it’s your jokes, accent, your beard, or your dog) and use it to your advantage.

  • Try out different styles of video, like a vlog or a personal opinion segment, that shows the audience who you are and why they should watch more of you (and share!).
  • Appearing on-camera is a tactic creators sometimes use to create a deeper connection with their audience. “Q & A” sessions can also be a way fans can get to know you.
  • Use live chat (and ask a friend to help moderate) when streaming to increase your audience engagement.
  • Through practice and by gauging your audience’s reactions, you’ll find which personality-driven details work for you.

  Tips

  • Find ways to fill the silence -- respond to conversations when on live chat, talk about non-gaming topics, or have a plan for the less exciting moments during a game.
  • Look at YouTube Analytics to see how your audience reacts to different formats! 
  • Share your story or answer questions from your audience.

  See it in action

  • Trump draws his life

    This creator gives a quick recap of his life and how he got started with video games in this popular format.
  • Confidence to share significant moments

    LDShadowLady published this Draw My Life video after reaching one million subscribers, sharing some personal details with her audience.

• Get real and stay real!

  Authenticity is a key component to success on YouTube. The ability to turn on a camera and have a conversation with your community is something that sets YouTube creators and their audiences apart.

  This two-way interaction, can help you build a community who is interested in what you have to say. And they’ll probably be the first to call you out if you’re not being authentic. So don’t try to be something you’re not and let your real personality shine through. If you’re the loudest in the room or the most excited, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re YOU! (Without you, there would be no YouTube!)

  Tip

  • Who do you watch on YouTube and why do you like them? Think about why you identify with them. How does your audience identify with you? 

  See it in action

  • Memories through 5 million
    
    
    
    
    

    An emotional Markiplier shares gratitude for the opportunity to connect with over 5 million people in his community and inspire them to do great things. 
  • Jumbo face reveal

    When Jumbo hit a million subs, he made a video to thank his fans personally, and, for the first time, showed them his face on-screen.

Try it

Test out different styles of videos and read the comments to see which ones your fans like. Try telling your audience a story with a vlog or filming yourself in part of your next gaming video.

Find your niche. Make a list of all of characteristics that make you stand out as a gamer. For each one, think about how you can highlight this in a video or promote it to a particular audience. Is there a Reddit, gaming community or blog out there with an audience that might enjoy what you bring to the table? Reach out to them!