What are Raids?
Doing a raid means sending your viewers to another channel. A raid is done when you are closing down your stream.
How do I Raid?
The Basics
- Tell your viewers where to raid by linking the new stream in your chat.
- Tell your viewers the raid message (what to type in the other chat when they arrive).
- Type “/host newchannel” in your own stream’s chat to host the new stream.
- Join your viewers in the new channel’s chat!
Your raid message is often related to your stream, so everyone knows where the new people came from. Alternatively, it could be something funny, an emote, or an inside joke. It should always be respectful.
The message is typically short, consisting of one word or a series of words with no spaces. For example, “mynameRAID!”, if you’re not feeling creative. The message also frequently starts with a hashtag: #
Raid Etiquette
If you don’t personally know the streamer you plan to raid, ask permission before you send over your viewers. Most streamers will say YES PLEASE!
This also verifies that the streamer is watching the chat and interacting. Raiding a non-interactive stream is a real bummer. You should have scoped it out first!
Choosing Who to Raid
When done correctly, raids are a mutually beneficial activity. The streamer getting raided gets a boost in activity, and you get the recognition for the boost.
Should you raid people you know or people you don’t know?
Raiding people you know strengthens your existing network. Raiding people you don’t know expands your network. The best method is a balance of the two.
In either case, you should choose someone who is playing the same game you were. That makes it more likely that your viewers will actually be interested in the new stream beyond just “going with the flow” by dropping a follow, then departing forever. If no one is playing the same game as you were, choose a game from the same genre or someone you know that you think your viewers would like, personality-wise.
To be the most effective, you should raid someone around the same channel size as yours. Raiding a much larger channel will probably not be noticed or reciprocated. Conversely, raiding a much smaller channel may overwhelm that person and they will not be able to reciprocate. However, it might make that person’s day!
What if I Get Raided?
If you stream frequently and build your network, your stream will eventually be raided. During the raid, you have a short period of time to convince these new viewers to come back next time you’re live. Therefore, it is important to have a plan for when a raid happens.
Things to include in your plan:
- Thank the new viewers for coming in.
- Describe yourself and your stream. Who are you? What do you play? What are your socials? Keep it concise, no more than a minute, then continue on with your stream.
- Thank the streamer who raided you. Allow them to link their stream in your chat. Encourage your regular viewers to check them out.
It is very common to receive a lot of new followers from a raid. Many of them will be “hollow follows”, meaning that they will never return to your channel again.
Do not be discouraged! These people did not find you on their own, so they may not be interested in your stream no matter what you do. What’s important is that you present yourself genuinely so that any returning people see what they expect!
