Nightbot tips for streamers

Thanks to the many custom commands one can add to the program, Nightbot is an entirely flexible tool that streamers can use to store information. This information is then easily accessible to their audience with a simple “!” command or can be delivered automatically during the stream.

Through this feature, Nightbot offers a streamer the possibility to deliver important messages through another channel than simply showing them on-screen or telling them. Helping the streamer to create a perfect setup that isn’t filled with different messages, often confusing the viewer in its understanding of the core content. 

But this doesn’t mean we should put as many commands as possible into Nightbot or make him show our social links on repeat. Indeed, a super active Nightbot can monopolize your chat room and prevent those trying to discuss to do so pleasantly. 

In this piece, we will discuss what crucial information Nightbot should be delivering while focusing on keeping your stream enjoyable and interactive. 

Using Nightbot for non-essential visual messages

Nightbot is exclusively working in your chat room, meaning that it will only conduct messages that can be written down, and therefore seen.

Also, considering Nightbot isn’t visible to a viewer that would be watching you on full screen, it is important to keep the crucial messages on screen rather than to incorporate those into your Nightbot. 

Basically, if it is a message that isn’t helping to directly understand what is happening on the screen or does not need the support of a visual or audio element, it probably is better to leave that to Nightbot

Links and external information to your stream

Your peripheral content

If you have a youtube channel or have other content on the internet outside of your stream, Nightbot definitely is the place to store a link that will be easily accessible to your audience. 

Simple !content for example would allow anyone to be redirected to anything related to your work. 

Your other social media platforms

Something a lot of new streamers do is that they put up their social information on their screen, most of the time making it harder to enjoy the content as it is partly covered. 

!socials is one of the most common commands for Nightbot nowadays. Be mindful of not including too many links to avoid covering up discussion in your chat room whenever someone uses the command. 

Upcoming events

While these are usually best when advertised directly, Nightbot can help you considerably shorten your announcements, allowing you to fit those more naturally in the rest of the content. 

Through a classic !event, you can now occasionally remind your audience to save the date without having to take a break to talk about it. 

Information about your current content

The arriving viewer will usually have questions about what is happening on stream that others know about and don’t want to hear the answer to. 

With a !game explaining the basics of the game you are playing, or the lore of it if there is an important story, you make sure everyone is on the same level without needing to repeat the same information over and over

Commercial links

Just like recurrent questions from arriving viewers, an audience gets quickly bored of hearing the same promoted content over and over during a stream. 

Having an !ad command in your chat will allow you, just like for your events, to casually mention that command during your gameplay without interrupting your content to fulfill your ad requirements. 

Using Nightbot for enhancing the content

In its essence, Nightbot is mostly used for the activable commands from the chat, as a way to give them access to valuable information without the need for the streamer to interrupt its content all the time. But Nightbot can be much more than that, and actually help set a mood in the chat, and participate in the overall enjoyment of the content offered.     

Through silly games, funny trivia, or delivering valuable information about the content, Nightbot can help your viewers have a more immersive experience. 

Making Nightbot a viewing experience tool

Delivering important backstory messages

When playing a game with an important story to it, the experience isn’t the same if a viewer ignores most of it. Similarly, if you are a competitive player, helping players ease into your worlds with random facts about the game or its development will alleviate the seriousness that your content can draw at first sight. 

In this scenario, Nightbot acts as a knowledge tool that helps viewers enter your world without needing you to stop your content for them to catch up. Still, use breaks to make sure you interact and not rely solely on your Nightbot. 

Nightbot can keep track of your score 

If you are a competitive stream, a large part of it is to show off how good you are, and your current score is valuable information in order to do so. 

Having Nightbot occasionally remind people of your win-loss record, your favorite character, your rank on the ladder… is a way to keep people involved in your progression in addition to simply watching your gameplay. 

In a similar manner, for story-based or solo games, Nightbot can remind people of the chapter you are in the story or how you build your character up until this point. 

Use Nightbot to make your viewers interact more

If you play a game that can induce interaction with your viewers or some decision-making, Nightbot is a great way to make them interact with you through a simple command, or with Nightbot actively asking the audience to take action. 

In interactive games, Nightbot can serve as a warm-up act in order to push your viewers to get involved more in your content. This will help your passive viewers to get involved and give more opportunities for active viewers to be a part of your content

A useful command to interact with lurking viewers is the !lurk command, which lets you know that some viewers aren’t here to interact with the chat, but still support the stream. 

Conclusion

Nightbot has become a powerful tool for streamers over time, and its importance only grows as we figured out how to put the command bot to various uses. Depending on the content you are offering, Nightbot can be used in different ways, either being an encyclopedia for your viewers or a humorous tool used to break the ice with your audience. 

As a streamer, understanding how Nightbot can help you enhance your stream experience, whether it is to make your job easier or to have your viewers more supported in their viewing experience will do wonders for your results. 

Frequently asked questions