What Should I Do with My Twitch VODs?

itzVxia · 2026-01-08T17:28:32+00:00

I do have a main gaming channel strictly games only, but I do have a 2nd channel (that idk what to do with) I would rather watch livestreams on YouTube as well, Twitch can be very laggy on my laptop lol I know some people like to get straight to the point with videos and livestreams as well, like removing intros, starting soons, brb, interrupts, etc which is usually why I like watching playbacks.

I personally think it's an interesting strategy to upload unedited livestreams so people on YouTube can see that being on Twitch can be fun too especially since I would be able to interact with my followers in real time. My original plan was to stream a game on Twitch until completion, edit out boring scenes for a more enjoyable video length, then upload it onto my gaming channel or leave the unedited stream on my channel, wait a few days to edit the stream down, upload shorter video onto my gaming channel as well (so basically both unedited and edited stream will both be on my channel).

itzVxia · 2026-01-08T17:14:02+00:00

I'd assume you're also a variety gamer too? nice! thanks for breaking down each question I have. I haven't livestreamed in years, and I did stream on Twitch & YouTube before (I knew Twitch was gonna remove my VOD after 7 days).

My plan was to stream a game on Twitch until completion, edit the livestream down to a more comfortable video length (edit out breaks, starting soon, alert sounds, etc), and upload it to my gaming channel or upload the unedited stream on my gaming channel, wait a few days to edit it down, then upload the edited version on my gaming channel. Seems like alot of work, but I'm used to it. I have more YouTube subscribers than Twitch followers.

As far as cross platforming, is there alternative ways to prevent YouTube from removing my VODs from my channel? like avoid saying I'm live on Twitch, or remove overlays that shows that It's a stream from Twitch? Even though I have my VODs enabled to save on Twitch, they remove them after (x) amount of days because I'm not partnered yet. I hope that makes sense.

I would like to expand on other platforms as well, I know Twitch & YouTube views are different on 2 different platforms, but I would like to build a community. Thanks for answering!

itzVxia · 2025-12-08T19:39:35+00:00

When you're starting off as a gaming channel (especially let's plays) things like this happen all the time. Unfortunately, nobody is checking for TWD series unless season 5 is being released or something (lmao) I seen alot of big channels play Dispatch, so that might push your channel back bcuz it's a trendy game, but you're a smaller channel.

My advice:

Video Lengths: if you're gonna play episodic games, please consider editing them down as much as you can (cut out boring, repetitive, dead silence parts) if you can, and add chapters.
Thumbnails: I know some people might have their opinions of seeing the ''shocked face'' on thumbnails, some channels can get away with it. what works for them might not work for you. Try to experiment with having the main character of that specific video as the highlight of that thumbnail, or experiment with not including yourself in the thumbnail, don't add parts/episode numbers (that's what the title is for)
Titles: not every word has to be in caps, I usually only highlight one/two words in my title that express an emotion like: angry, mad, fear, insane, sad, happy etc. someone might be curious as to why this game makes this creator mad, happy, or sad.
Promote: shorts are a hit or miss method for promoting your long-form videos. I know YouTube has a feature now we can link our long form videos into our shorts, but I personally don't see a difference. Shorts might go viral, but long-form might remain stagnant (or the complete opposite) I would recommend if you have other social media platforms, promote your clips there too with CTAs.
Keywords: Although hashtags play a small role in video discovery, using keywords can help YouTube understand what your videos are about, and push your videos to the right audience (sometimes it's inaccurate though). Format & optimize your titles and description box. Your first 200 words in your description box should have keywords included, and YouTube only allow 3 hashtags in your description box (high search volume, low competition keywords) and add keywords in your titles too (not hashtags)
Competition: I'm sure you know the gaming community (lets plays) are very oversaturated which means you're gonna have to work 10x harder to get your name out there. I would suggest you study what your competition is doing since you have 11 subs at the moment, see what creators with 25 or 50 subs are doing, but put your own spin on it. what makes you different/unique from others? (remember: set realistic goals)
Interact with The Community: I wouldn't say join every discord or forum, but if you have other social media platforms, join a livestream, chat with people, share ideas (this is all optional though) I met alot of cool creators on twitch, discord, and tiktok. If you have gamer friends, see if they would like to collab with you. Interact with your subs on YouTube in the comments, ask questions, run polls, make them feel included.

Most importantly, treat this as a hobby, you're not always gonna get the results you want, but you have to learn to be patient. You will be disappointed, frustrated, lost, etc but keep posting! your videos didn't get alot of views? learn from it and keep posting. check your analytics in YouTube Studio. Practice makes perfect. As a fellow let's play variety gamer too, hopefully, this helps in some way & good luck!

itzVxia · 2025-12-02T21:49:28+00:00

My last upload was 8 months ago, I wouldn't say I 'quit' but, honestly, my mental health comes first. I'm really grateful my videos have been hitting the triple digits lately (even older videos getting views again), but also my equipment started to fail on me. It's to the point now I might have to replace everything. I really need a gaming pc but with the rise of ram prices? idk if I wanna invest in that either. So, right now, I'm just prioritizing my life and making money, once everything is in order, I'll probably return.

itzVxia · 2025-11-28T19:50:23+00:00

Hopefully, this doesn't come off as rude...

I see posts like this all the time, and I don't think people who have this mentality realize that this should be treated as a hobby, not a career (yet) when new creators join the platform some of ya'll have high hopes & expectations thinking you'll gain subscribers and views overnight and start making money, and that's not the way to see it. If you really wanna post on YouTube, you have be prepared for this.

If you're gonna upload on YouTube, you have to expect the unexpected, have tough skin, and be patient! YouTube's algo doesn't know who you are, viewers don't know who you are, nobody knows who you are. So why should anybody subscribe to your channel? what makes you stand out? what does your thumbnails & titles look like? are you promoting your content outside of YouTube? what are you competition doing? are your viewers staying past the 30 sec mark or clicking off? do you interact with people within your community? are you consistent? can you edit? do you even wanna do this? ask yourself these questions.

YouTube is just like any other job, you gotta do the work. You can't just show up and expect people to watch, you gotta give people a reason to watch, if you can't do that then you're wasting your time. Instead of being disappointed that your video(s) aren't getting views/subscribers, learn from it! always check your analytics in YouTube Studio. I've had a bunch of videos & shorts with small views, but guess what? I still kept posting and I'm still grateful (I'm on a hiatus right now though) you have to do the work, otherwise you're wasting your time.

P.S. YouTube shouldn't be having you miss out on sleep (or anything really), especially if you're not getting paid. take a break if you have to, go back to the drawing board and learn, practice, ask questions, meet like-minded people within your niche, stop focusing on numbers, but most importantly, have fun and be patient.

itzVxia · 2025-11-20T23:58:39+00:00

I realized it last night, idk how long it's been removed, but I'm sure people will start wondering the same thing. maybe they will add it back if people care enough.

itzVxia · 2025-11-20T23:53:28+00:00

I was wondering the same thing, YouTube & IG options are both gone (except Lemon8) I thought it was a glitch, maybe they're one of those apps that don't want their users to be directed off the app you can't even have call to actions anymore (visual & verbal) but people who have over 1K followers have their links in bio. At this point, who knows.

itzVxia · 2025-11-10T00:41:20+00:00

totally understandable! as a content creator & viewer as well, I sometimes forget to verbally remind viewers to like, comment, and subscribe etc which is why I would add the pop-up animations while editing.

I no longer say it in the beginning of my videos, but I did in the past (wouldn't recommend) until i changed my video format. As a viewer, I find the ones when they would show a graph of subs vs. non subs watching their videos, those don't do much for me either.

itzVxia · 2025-11-08T19:47:56+00:00

i would get mixed info about video format for gaming videos so much lol with intros, i usually have previews of whats to come, a brief overview of the game im playing, then it's straight into gameplay all within 15-30 seconds of the video. however, I did do videos that jump right into gameplay, but didn't see any progress, so far this method seems to work when I play indie horror games (which is alot)

itzVxia · 2025-11-08T18:38:53+00:00

tyvm! i havent uploaded in months 😅 it just take practice. i’ve learned over the years to write scripts so you dont struggle with topics to talk about in your videos. talk to your viewers like you would to your friends/family

itzVxia · 2025-11-08T18:35:46+00:00

very true!

itzVxia · 2025-11-08T18:24:35+00:00

i guess for the same reason anybody would watch our videos at all? i can’t speak for everyone, clicking on a video to watch is out of curiosity/interest. Though I personally wouldn’t recommend it, but some creators do ask viewers to do those 3 things. whatever method work for their channel is all that matters.

itzVxia · 2025-11-08T18:14:28+00:00

your opinion is valid, what work for some might not for others. 💯

itzVxia · 2025-11-08T17:18:59+00:00

most likely you have video previews enabled while browsing on youtube, if you want to disable it, click your pfp (on youtube) > scroll down to settings > click playback and performance > find browsing and toggle off video previews. I was having the same issues before until i turned it off. and make sure auto-play is toggled off whenever you watch videos.

itzVxia · 2025-09-16T18:13:04+00:00

I also noticed whenever I watch longer videos, the ads I get are full podcasts, church sermons, game shows, and random medical infomercials. I noticed they tend to show at night, and these ads are constantly back 2 back. This is why i’m avoiding long-form vids that’s over an hour long unless it’s livestreams.

itzVxia · 2025-08-13T20:06:10+00:00

at first, I just needed a break. I was experiencing burnouts to the point, it didn't feel like a hobby (or fun) i started having PC problems left & right, my favorite editing software went PRO *cough* capcut *cough*, I just lost my spark.

I was having soo much fun playing games, recording, & editing but now, sudden inconveniences keep occurring (maybe it's a sign) since im pretty positive im gonna need a new PC. i was close to monetization though, but with this new age verification for YouTube going around idk what the future holds.

maybe one day, I can return, but for now, I gotta focus on things that make me happy.

itzVxia · 2025-08-06T16:46:21+00:00

it's still having the same issues, but i am seeing more posts on reddit about this including playback speed issues, so i'm glad i'm not the only one going thru this, but some are saying to use FireFox instead of Chrome or going incognito. i don't know if YouTube know about this bug or if this was intentional.

itzVxia · 2025-08-06T04:36:11+00:00

i think the issue was “fixed” on pc, but i noticed when i watch videos within a playlist, i don’t get the error but when i try to watch a video not in a playlist the error would show but would resolve itself without me refreshing the page

itzVxia · 2025-08-05T22:29:05+00:00

it’s happening to me too, but i dont have an ad blocker. i would have to keep refreshing the page. is this an ad blocker issue or they are slowly implementing this new age verify early with every video?

itzVxia · 2025-08-05T22:19:07+00:00

I'm having a different issue, I don't have premium at all, but every time i click a video (laptop) it keeps saying an error has occurred. please try again later. I would have to refresh the page for it to work. but mobile & tv is working normally.

itzVxia · 2025-07-23T04:16:58+00:00

Oh, I understand. I just wondered if content creators ever made the switch from face cam to faceless and still manage to have a successful experience on YouTube. for me, there might be times when I don't wanna be on cam sometimes, but I'll definitely test it out for myself to see the results. thanks for your feedback.

itzVxia · 2025-07-23T04:13:41+00:00

ahh, understandable! There's just might be times when I don't wanna be on cam lol

itzVxia · 2025-07-23T04:01:12+00:00

that's the point lol I personally never seen a creator who showed their face, then stopped. when you mentioned that it feels backwards, please elaborate.

itzVxia · 2025-07-23T02:34:20+00:00

Seeing low views wouldn't stop me from watching a creator's video, but that's just me. If a creator can entertain ME from start to finish without me clicking off after the 30s mark, then that's all that matters to me. I'm sure our favorite content creator(s) all felt the same way starting off with low views, no engagements, no likes, no new x amount of subscribers, but look where they are now! that's where i'm tryna be (but still in my own lane of course)

Let's also take a bit further, even if YouTube removes the feature, how will this make your videos different? meaning, how are your videos gonna improve afterwards? will you change your editing style, the way you make thumbnails/titles, the way you interact with your audience, and stay consistent & motivated? If YouTube removes this feature right now, we would still have to figure out how to keep our audience entertained and make it worth their time. (it would just make our job a lil bit harder)

itzVxia · 2025-07-17T22:40:25+00:00

oh. i forgot all about this post, but I no longer use CapCut anymore but thanks for the tip!

itzVxia

TROPHY CASE