Do I Need A Camera To Be A Successful Twitch Streamer?

If you’re new to streaming you may not currently have a camera or maybe you’re just too shy right now to show your face. So, do you need a camera to be a successful twitch or youtube streamer?

In short, NO you do not need a camera to stream on Twitch. It is not against Twitch’s policy to stream without a camera and lots of smaller streamers out there stream every day without one.

However can you stream without a camera and still be successful? Let’s discuss the benefits and drawbacks of not using a camera and some suggestions for still having a great quality stream without one.

Will Having No Camera On Twitch Effect My Growth?

Let’s be real, most of the big streamers out there are showing their face on stream. It helps to build a better connection with your audience and helps people see your reactions to whats happening in game.

However that’s not to say you can’t explode and become a huge creator without a face cam. For example Corpse Husband & Dream are two extremely popular creators who are yet to show their faces.

The key thing to notice is, they have something else that is very unique. Corpse has a very unique deep voice which draws in his viewers and Dream has amazing story telling skills in his videos.

It can also be the case when you don’t show your face that there is a lot of mystery around who you are. People talk about it and “want to know” which can draw more attention but to get to that point your content has to be next level.

As a small streamer it will likely be harder to have people click through to your stream vs somebody who has a camera.

Let’s take a look at some ways you can boost your chances of being successful without a camera.

Growth Tips For Streamers Without A Camera

Have Great Audio

When you have no webcam having great audio becomes even more important. Make sure you have a good microphone set up and use this guide to greatly improve the quality of any microphone you are using with OBS.

For a budget friendly beginner stream microphone I would recommend the Blue Yeti USB Microphone. It’s an affordable mic with great quality when combined with the settings above.

You can also make sure that you have great acoustics in your room by adding sound dampening foam.

Utilise Off Twitch Growth Strategies

If you plan to stream without a camera it will be harder to get attention in the Twitch feed so utilising platforms outside of Twitch to grow first can really help.

For example one of the best ways to grow a Twitch stream right now is to capitalise on Tik Tok. This is also a great way for someone without a face cam to get across their personality in an action packed 60 second video. We have a full guide on growing your Tik Tok for Twitch growth here.

You could also utilise Youtube where you can craft an engaging story from scratch without showing your face. As you grow on Youtube you can direct people over to Twitch. Now that they already know some of your personality they will likely stick around for longer.

Stream With Friends

Streaming with an active discord of friends can also be an engaging stream for your audience. If there is a lot of banter going on back and forth between you and friends this can carry your stream without a camera.

You’ll see this with lots of popular Twitch streamers. They have a small community of friends they stream with regularly and build an audience around the whole group.

Have No Dead Air Time

Always keep talking while streaming. Especially if you’re a small stream who has no viewers. When someone pops in you’re going to need something to keep them watching. If they see no camera and no one talks for the first 10 seconds they jump in they’ll likely just leave straight away again.

Try to talk as much as possible even if this is just live commentating on what you are doing in game. At least the viewer will know someone is there when they join.

How To Become More Confident On Camera

Lots of people want to use a face cam but just can’t build up the confidence to click that go live button when the whole world could potentially see them. If that’s you then don’t worry most of us where in the same position as you at one point or another.

The hardest part is doing it for the first time. Once you have done a few streams or made a couple of Youtube videos you will naturally get better on camera. You’ll honestly just forget it’s there.

• When you first jump on play with friends and just chat like you normally would. Pretend that the camera isn’t even there.
• Realise that so many people are on instagram stories, snapchat, youtube it’s becoming normal to make videos of yourself.
• Nobody else really cares. The only person that is worried about this is you. Once you do it a few times people will likely compliment you on your confidence and say things like “I wish I could do that” rather than look down on you.
• Talk to your chat. If you have already built a small audience it’s much easier to hop on and chat than it is staring at a facecam with no viewers or lurkers. All you need is one good chatter.

One Instance You Don’t Need A Camera On Twitch

There is one instance where it really doesn’t matter if you have a camera on Twitch or not. If you are an absolute monster at the game. If you’re a top 1% player in the game people are coming to watch your gameplay which means you can get away without having a camera.

For example look at Futives who has exploded in growth over the past year. He is yet to show is face but is known as one of the best Search and Destroy pub stompers out there. His videos pull in millions of views and he gets a fairly large audience on Twitch.

So if you think you have the chops to go against the best of best with fast high action gameplay you could explode your channel on Twitch without that webcam.

When Is It Better To Not Use A Camera?

Don’t Want To Be Judged On Your Looks

If you are self conscious about your looks then you may want your viewers to focus more on your gameplay than you. If you feel that negative comments would effect your mental health then it’s likely a better option to start streaming with no camera.

Any fans you build will be more loyal as they’re there for your personality and gameplay rather than anything else. Once you start to build a fanbase you may actually start to gain confidence and one day turn on the camera for the fans.

If Using A Camera Makes You Anxious

If you feel much more nervous when using a camera this will likely hinder your content and how well you can communicate with your stream. If you have much more confidence without a facecam then roll without it.

Putting on a good show with no facecam is better than putting on a bad show with one.

The Best Budget Stream Camera

Maybe you don’t want to stream with a camera because you don’t have a good webcam. Luckily in this day and age there is some great webcams that are more than good enough for a stream camera.

Wrapping Up Streaming Without A Camera

So to conclude the question, yes you can stream without a camera and still be successful however by removing the camera you are making the already hard task of becoming a full time streamer even harder. If you want to grow as fast as possible I would recommend grabbing a camera and turning it on.

Who knows you might even enjoy it after the first few tries. Enjoy streaming!