I’m banned from the r/funny subreddit. I posted this meme:
I followed the rules. I uploaded it to imgur instead of linking to any socials. It ended up going “viral” on imgur. So I added a link to my Instagram in the description on imgur.
The backlash was fierce and swift. I’m talking actual threats of violence in the comments.
I get a DM from a Reddit admin: “You have been banned from posting to /r/funny.“
I respond “Whoa, what happened? Why did I get banned?”
“Constant spam for your site... The problem is the blatant self promotion.”
A tad extreme but I get it.
Self-promotion without any value is annoying at best, and at worst, it can overwhelm a community to the point the community is unusable.
Gaming group admins know this better than anyone. Everyone who has a Twitch channel has an irresistible urge to post “I’m going live. Tune in,” on every platform, channel, server, listserv, geocity, or Facebook group they’re part of, even if they’ve literally never posted there otherwise.
Streamers want followers and viewers, but valueless self-promotion has the opposite effect. It annoys people and they will NOT follow and NOT watch; they may even block you.
So how can I self-promote?
Start by being an active and valuable member of a community/platform.
If you participate in discussions, create content, and engage (likes, respawns, comments) with other members’ content, then people will like you, follow you, and be more receptive to your content and yes, whatever you’d like to promote.
5 ways to promote your stream on Channel 3
One of the principles of Channel 3 is to be creator-friendly.
I want to create opportunities for organic streamer promotion that is NOT annoying and even appreciated by the masses. How???
1. Post great content.
We’re already seeing a ton of users in Channel 3 creating custom memes in the platform. I’ll “respawn” these until the end of time. Streaming Fortnite? Create a hilarious Fortnite meme, post it, and mention in the top comment that you’re streaming Fortnite with a link to your Twitch. If the meme is good, people will appreciate it. Time great content like this so it hits right when you’re going live.
Is Channel 3 MySpace for gamers? I’ll take it. Follow woxdy on Twitch.
2. Stream an event.
We run events in Fortnite, Mario Kart, and Rocket League every Friday night. If you’re a streamer, stream your participation. We’ll promote it before, during, and after the event. We even do a Top Clips roundup from the events. Submit one! Channel 3 supports Twitch Clips and YouTube links. Create a post with one and it embeds the video FROM YOUR CHANNEL, making it easy for users to click through and follow.
Follow blockmamba24 on Twitch.
3. Record a Quest response.
This week we started posting Challenge Quests. The first two are “What is the most distance you can travel in a single Fortnite match” and “What is the most goals you can score in an Unfair 1v4 bot match?” The community is loving these.
Quests allow video links as responses. Record your attempt at a challenge. Then post your video as your response. Check out this one from Jsu…
This is my favorite use of video on the platform so far. Follow Coach Jsu on YouTube.
4. Do a video review.
Channel 3 is brand freakin new. But it already has over 6,500 (!!!) game and system ratings/reviews. This week we enabled video link responses to reviews as well. Record a quick video review of your favorite (or most hated) game, and include it in your review.
Follow X-bit Gaming on YouTube.
5. “Go live.”
Coming soon…. I am working on a feature where you can say “I am live on <url> playing <game>.” During the window where you are live, Channel 3 will put a blinking red LIVE icon next to your profile photo anywhere it appears on the platform. When users click, they’re on your stream.
And eventually we’ll have full Twitch and YouTube API integration.
I want Channel 3 to be the most streamer friendly platform on the web. Even more streamer friendly than the streaming platforms themselves!
We’re running private events in Fortnite, Mario Kart, and Rocket League tonight.
If you’re a streamer looking for promotion, we’d love to see you on the battle bus.
Who should join Channel 3? Anyone who wants to do one or more of these:
Create and consume gaming content: “tweets,” memes, clips, videos, news, and more.
Participate in offline challenges in your favorite games.
Compete in fun (virtual and IRL) events in your favorite games.
Rate/review games and manage your library. (Goodreads for gaming.)
Create your public-facing gamer profile. (Linktree for gamers.)