Inside the Streamer Journey: Colesy's Lessons from 10 Years of Content Creation

Can you tell us who you are and what you stream?

My name is Colesy, and generally I stream a variety of different content depending on what I'm feeling like, what's come out recently, or what my friends and I feel like playing. Really, it's a whole mixture of pretty much everything.

Follow Colesy on:
YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, X, Bluesky

What inspires you to start live streaming?

Really, what inspired me was that I started as a YouTube video creator, and during that time, streaming became more popular and common. It felt like it worked well alongside making video content, so I started adding in some streaming.

When did you go live for the first time, and what was that experience like?

I honestly can't remember the first time I went live. If I look back on my YouTube channel, I might be able to find something from early on, but I remember doing GTA 5. I feel like it was not long after that was released. I can't remember off the top of my head, but the first stream I have found that I did while on my YouTube channel was Rocket League, which was in 2015, so a good 10 years ago at this point!

How long did it take you to get your first regular viewers?

In all honesty, I've been on and off with streaming for a while. Making YouTube videos has always been my main priority, my main passion. Although I do enjoy streaming very much, it just hasn't always fit with life and stuff. It's much easier to work around making YouTube videos. With streaming, I've moved platforms a few times when I've decided I wanted to look into streaming again. I do regularly stream now at least once a week with a couple of friends of mine, so in terms of that, I have had viewers come, and I'm noticing some familiar names and faces in the chat, so that's pretty cool.

What helped you grow your audience in the early days?

So, the early days of my YouTube content were mainly just making videos that I thought were fun. It'd be mostly small indie games that were free, generally because I didn't have a lot of money to spend on games. So I would kind of just pick random things that seemed funny, silly, or outrageous and make content with them. And I just got lucky a couple of times that a couple of videos did well, and I guess that's where the initial first growth came from.

Were there any turning points or breakthroughs that helped your stream take off?

In terms of streaming, I'd say no because, like I said, YouTube is more my priority. But in terms of my YouTube videos, there's definitely been a few moments where I can say it felt like I'd achieved something or like something happened that was a big deal. I know early on I had a sponsorship sort of thing with a company, a games-selling website. But yeah, they offered to give me new games if I would then, you know, share a link to their website, and it meant that I didn't have to do only the free indie games anymore—I could also do new triple-A games which were coming out. And honestly, that was a big breakthrough.

I think it showed me that I was not only useful to a bigger company, that I could be of some help to them and that these options were out there, but it also meant that I could make content that was on newer, fresher games that maybe people would be more likely to be searching for.

How do you attract new viewers today?

I guess I'm not necessarily great at gaining new viewers. I kind of just make the content, and obviously, I do promote it through social media and other social media sites. But I just kind of make the content that I think would do well, or I think would be interesting, or I think people might be looking for, and then I kind of let it do its thing. I try to promote when I do streams, I try to mention that we're going to be live when we're going to be live and all that, and we just see. But again, it depends on the game you're playing. I always kind of treat streams as if no one comes by, then it's just like me recording a long YouTube video. And a lot of my streams I will edit down into more edited YouTube videos, so I just kind of treat them like that. It's just a fun time for me, and if people come by and join in and enjoy what we're doing and have fun with us, then that's just an extra bonus.

What role does social media or content outside Twitch/YouTube play in your growth?

Social media is kind of a key part of being a content creator, whether you're a streamer or YouTube creator, TikTok creator, or whatever you're doing. You should be using as many different types of social media as you can reasonably do. Now, it's very difficult to use every single different social media and have a presence on them all, but it's definitely a good thing to have those because it helps to spread the word to different audiences that you might not have ever interacted with if you only streamed or created content in one place and never shared it elsewhere. It's definitely an important part in terms of getting your content seen and getting growth for your channel, so it is important.

How do you keep your community engaged between streams?

I think in terms of engagement between streams or between content, really it comes down to being active on social media or active on the platform in general. Even though you might not be live or you might not be making a video, it's good to be active on the platform anyway and be there in other people's streams, as well as using your own social media to be active. And you know, even if it's just, you know, daily life things that you're like “oh it's really hot today, what are you guys doing to escape the heat,” for example—I feel like just being there to communicate, whether that be on your Discord (if you've got your own community Discord), in other people's streams, with friends and other creators that you work with. I think that's how you keep engaged—you show that you are around even when you're not the one creating the content or streaming at that moment.

How do you earn money from your stream?

So, for streaming-wise, I am/was a Twitch affiliate, so the option is always there to go back to Twitch and obviously use their subs, donations, bits, all that stuff over there. But in terms of my YouTube content and YouTube streaming, where I stream now, YouTube has a very similar thing. It's got memberships now, which is very much like subs on Twitch. Obviously, YouTube has ad revenue, which is a way I earn money—it's just built into YouTube, and it's a nice to have. But yeah, sponsorships definitely come into how I earn money, as well as donations or anything like that when I get them on stream, which are always massively appreciated. But generally, it's not something I rely on; it's not something I take for granted. Sponsorships are easier to look at because you know exactly what you're earning. I do also really enjoy doing sponsored content—it means I can make different types of content. There's definitely a mix, and there's definitely more avenues that I'd like to pursue, but we will see where that goes in the future.

What was your first source of income from streaming?

For me, my first source of income when it came to content it was probably YouTube ad revenue. At this point, I don't think I'd taken a paid sponsorship that I can remember before the point that I got to be monetized on YouTube, so it was probably YouTube ad revenue. Although there's a possibility that maybe through the game-selling website that I mentioned, I had worked with, maybe they had some sort of affiliate scheme which meant I earned a little bit of money through that. But yeah, that was the only one for a big-time YouTube ad revenue.

Is there any tool outside of Twitch or YouTube that helps with monetization?

There are a fair few different companies out there that do offer to help with sponsorships and being able to help create merch and stuff like that. They're definitely out there, and I have used a couple of them. But in reality, the majority of the sponsorships come from reaching out to brands myself or brands reaching out directly to me, with my contact email available on my YouTube channel and social media. That generally is the best and the most common way that I am able to then monetize content.

How do you decide which sponsors or collaborations to take on?

This is definitely something you have to take into consideration when you're being offered sponsorships or collaborations. Every sponsorship or collaboration will differ in some way. I've definitely taken on sponsorships that have been unpaid, but instead, you'll get a free product—they want you to review a product. I'm happy to do that if the product is something that falls into a category that me/my channel aligns with, so that'd be like microphones, cameras, stuff that I'd use, stuff that I think is either streaming/content creator-related. I'll do those from time to time. Realistically, they don't bring in any money—they are just a way for me to get a free product that I might use. But it does also sometimes end up with me having a large amount of microphones, cameras, but I generally end up giving them out to friends and family when they need a new microphone or a camera.

When you're thinking about whether a sponsorship is right for you or your channel, I think just look at it as in, “is it something I genuinely want to share?” You don't really want to sell your soul and push something that you don't believe in. There have been shadier sponsors or things that are questionable, or it's involving like NFTs or something that I'm not really interested in, or I don't particularly have much knowledge of—I'll tend to avoid those. But I'm open to most sponsorships if I can think of a fun way to sort of integrate it or make a fun piece of content. That's more what I'm up for. So even something that might not initially make you think, “that’d be useful for a content creator or streamer”—if I can find a way to make it into a video where it could be used in that way, then that's even better. That means I get to make fun, unique content, as well as working with an interesting brand/product.

What's your typical streaming schedule and workflow?

So in terms of my content on YouTube, I've kind of settled on three videos a week. I tend to do videos on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then we stream on a Saturday evening. That’s currently my schedule—that’s how I work at the minute, because I am a full-time dad at the same time as trying to be a full-time YouTuber. I get into my office as often as I can. I have a couple of days dedicated where I can definitely come in and work on stuff, but at the minute it’s just work as much as I can, whenever I get time. If that means I have to remote into my own desktop computer from home on my laptop so that I can edit, that is what I will do. I try my best to stick to the schedule. Occasionally, I’ll miss an upload, but I think that's just part of life. Everyone has things pop up that you're not expecting or you can't do anything about. But yeah, that's my schedule at the minute. I'd love to be able to do everyday uploads, but it just seems out of the realm of possibility with the amount of time I have. But definitely something I would consider in the future if I had something like an editor or someone else to help out, but we're not at that stage yet.

What tools do you use in your streams?

There are a few tools that I use. Software-wise, at the moment I'm using OBS Studio. Back when I started making content, I used a program called FRAPS—if you remember that—then moved to OBS, and now OBS Studio. I do use a couple of bots and stuff, which I definitely should use more on my streams. I dabbled with Meld for a little bit, and I’m definitely looking into using the AITUM vertical plugin for OBS to do some more vertical streaming when I stream. I've probably used many different things like StreamLabs, I'm sure I've used StreamElements, but since I've come back to more regular streaming, I’ve kind of kept it more simple and haven't gone in too deep with bots and software. But it's definitely something that I should look into when I have time to do that and add a bit more stuff to my stream.

What's your streaming setup like today vs when you started?

My setup has changed quite a lot. When I first started making YouTube videos, I had a laptop that wasn't a gaming laptop or anything like that, and I would record and edit on that. Then I got myself a secondhand desktop PC—that was my entire recording, streaming, gaming, everything machine. I still only at this point use one PC to stream, record, edit, and everything. But in terms of equipment like cameras, microphones, etc., when I started, I had a cheap headset, and I remember specifically going into a secondhand shop and buying a small webcam to use. But even before that, I was using my phone on a tripod to record a face cam—I would then have to edit those together. Now I have a dedicated camera, I have lighting, a Stream Deck, I have an audio setup with a professional microphone—so yeah, things have progressed a long way. But I have been doing this for a long time, and I wouldn't necessarily tell somebody if they're starting out that they need to go and buy all the equipment. If you’re starting out with what you have, the main thing is to see if you love it, and if you love it, then you can invest in it. But don't go spend all your money on day one buying all the equipment—it's just not needed. You can make great content without expensive equipment.

What has been your biggest challenge as a streamer so far?

I guess really it's motivation that’s most difficult for me. When you're working on your own, it's not the same as working with a bunch of people—you have to be able to motivate yourself to work on stuff. And while a lot of the time it's super exciting and fun and enjoyable to work on content, there are times where it does grind on you, and it is difficult, and you just have to find that motivation. Balancing content creation with real life, home, and mental health is all a challenge, and at times it's more challenging than others, and that's just part of life. But realistically, I think the motivation is the most challenging. It's a dream to be able to do this, and 99% of the time, it's awesome. But there's always going to be boring sides to it—trying to work on stuff behind the scenes, managing accounts, treating it like a business. But in reality, I quite enjoy most of those things. But when you're on your own, you're a solo creator like I am, motivation and having the get-up-and-go to get on with it sometimes can be a bit difficult.

Have you ever felt like quitting? If so, what kept you going?

It would be dishonest of me to say “no, I've never felt like giving up.” There are times when you feel like you're stuck in a rut or things aren't progressing as quickly as you'd like them to—growth is slow. That definitely happens, and there's definitely been times where I'm like, “I don't know if I'm doing the right thing.” There's been times where I'm worried about money and I'm like, “It would be easier to go out and get a ‘real job.’” But there's a passion, there's a love in there for me that means that I just can't stop. I really love doing it, and it's not impossible to make this a career. I don't see why I would not be able to create a career from this the same as other people have done. I have as much passion and love for doing this as I know that if I keep going, I can make it really successful.

What mistakes did you make early on that others should avoid?

That's a difficult one. I'm sure there's been many mistakes that I've made. I don't know whether I've made these mistakes, but a few pieces of advice I would give to people is: just be positive. Be a positive person in your content creation. Don't go for negativity, don't go for drama, because you're probably gonna end up in a situation that's not great. Just try to make great things—try not to get bogged down in drama or stuff like that.

How do you manage burnout or streaming fatigue?

This happens from time to time. Sometimes I will take time off, and I will just admit that—I will post out on social media and say I'm having a week off. Which is something you can do with a “regular job,” so I don't see why you can't do that with content creation. If you need it, it's good to do that—to step away and reevaluate things. It's never like “am I gonna come back to this,” it's always “oh, I'm coming back, it's just I need some space away to deal with, you know, whatever else is going on in life.” So don't be afraid to do that, and I think your audience will always understand that.

What's the best decision you've made for your stream/content?

It's really difficult to think of the best decision I've made for my content. I think just saying yes to more opportunities would probably be the best thing. I am a nervous/anxious person, so initially when it got to a point where I was beginning to talk to brands or apply to be sort of ambassadors for brands or work with brands or whatever it was, I was very nervous—because usually they'd want to talk to you and have a video call or something like that. I was very nervous, but when I have said yes to those things and gone out of my comfort zone to do those things, which I know I want to do, I know I'm going to enjoy them, it's gonna be good for me—even though I'm nervous—when I've actually done it, they've been so beneficial. Not only to me, but to my channel, my content, and have been hugely important. They've not only given me confidence to do it again in the future, but they've shown me that I'm actually good at doing some of this stuff, and I can do this again with other brands, other companies, and be out there.

What advice would you give someone who's just starting out?

The best advice I can give is just do what you want to do. If there's content you want to make and you enjoy it, do it. Do it because you enjoy it—don't expect anything other than you're going to enjoy it, and hope that other people enjoy it. If you love making the content, you love playing the games, whatever it is you're doing, then it's not going to feel like a chore. You never want to feel like you have to do this, like it's a chore. That’s my main advice. It's pretty simple: do this because you love doing it, because you enjoy doing it. And if you keep it that simple, then everything else on top of that—brand deals, sponsorships, growth—will all be a bonus.

Are there any underrated tools or tips that have made a big difference for you?

There's a whole bunch of tools out there that even I think I’m not using enough. Off the top of my head, I can't name one standout tool. There's been a few that I've come across in my time that I'm like, “this is really something very useful.” Here’s one. Before I got a Stream Deck, I used an app on my phone called Touch Portal, which does very much the same thing—you can link it to your stream and OBS and do all the stuff that you can do with the Stream Deck, but it's just an app on your phone. That was a very useful tool early on because I didn't have the money, and I didn't want to spend the money on something like a Stream Deck. That's definitely a standout one for me in my time growing as a creator. But yeah, there's always new tools coming out, and they're always gonna be useful in a way. And there's always going to be new ways you can use tools—even something as simple as a stream bot. I think of a bot as quite simple because I only use it simply, but there is a lot you can do with a bot to make it very, very complicated but very, very useful.

How do you stay creative and keep your content fresh?

I just try to mix things up every now and again. If there's something that I decide I want to do—whether that be something a little bit different to my regular content—then I will do that. Making the content is what I enjoy, so just filming something I'm doing that's a little bit different, whether it be more like arts and crafts, for example, I enjoy the whole process of making that content. So I'm just gonna put it out there in case there are other people who also enjoy that content. Yes, I'm predominantly gaming/tech focused, but I'm not afraid to stray out of that if there's something that I'm interested in. At the end of the day, it's my channel and my content—I can make it about what I want. Don't be afraid of doing things. If you've got an out-there idea that you think “that's a bit silly,” definitely go and do those things.

What are your plans for the future?

Well, the future really is just more of the same and continuing to do what I do. I would love to be able to spend more time on this, but that is just going to come with time. When my son is a little bit older and he goes to school or nursery full-time, I'll have a little bit more time. But for the foreseeable future, I’ll just continue doing what I do—making content that I think is enjoyable, fun, and entertaining, silly, whatever it is. I just plan on doing more, and hopefully that comes with growth and more opportunities to do even more.

Any creators who inspire you or helped you get to where you are? Someone I used to watch a lot that kind of inspired me was the Yogscast—just a whole bunch of people from the UK that made funny content that I enjoyed, and I guess I just thought, “why can’t I do that? There's no reason why I can't.” But in terms of creators who've helped me get to where I am, I want to shout out my two friends Rapskilian and JamieSauce. They have not only been great friends to me, but they've also become a huge part of my content and have joined me in a lot of my streams. We pretty much always stream together, and they've been great. It's great to have like-minded friends and creators who you're all on the same wavelength with you. They've just been amazing friends, and that's just made everything much easier. They're very positive people and encouraging, and when I'm needing someone to bounce an idea off of, or talk to, or complain to, then they're there. Yeah, just—those guys are awesome and I really, really appreciate them very much.

Favourite moments or memories from your journey so far?

I've been doing this for a while, so there's a bunch. I'm sure there's some stuff I don't even remember, but I will always remember the company that first gave me games—that was huge to me. There was an indie game that I did a video on, and then the developers asked if they could show off my video at their booth at PAX. That was crazy to me—my little silly video of me just in my living room at the time playing a game would then be shown at such a large show. That was crazy. Recently, working with Nintendo has been amazing. They invited me out to their London Switch 2 event, and that was incredible and definitely one of those moments I will never forget, because it was so special. And just some of the brands I've worked with over the years have been incredible opportunities—I'm so proud of and so honored to be able to do these things. I just hope for more in the future, because that's really what I love doing. I just love making content and having opportunities to do cool stuff and fun things—that's pretty much what I'm all about.