Data shows that an average of 94,800 streamers are live on Twitch at any given time, highlighting its immense popularity with creators and viewers. In order to compete with other live streaming platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, Twitch is constantly updating its product line to appease its wealth of users. As such, Netinfluencer will delve into the intricacies of the new Twitch Guest Star feature. 

What Is Guest Star?

In November 2022, Twitch announced the opening of Guest Star, a new feature that would allow users to host up to five guests in a stream at once. Users can now create ‘guest slots’, meaning that they can quickly add a speaker to their stream via OBS.

Streamers can find this tool on their personal Creator Dashboard and can modify the feature so that it can be placed in the Quick Actions tab. Thus, creators can quickly set up a multi-panel stream and hold guests in a waiting room until they are ready to be shown on screen.

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Why Was It Launched?

Although Twitch is best known for its gaming content, it also hosts a wealth of other capabilities. Thus, it seems that Guest Star has been added so that users can create their own panel show on the platform. This has the potential to help the platform become more widespread and competitive against other mainstream live streaming platforms. 

The Just Chatting category has grown 151% since the beginning of 2022, indicating that many viewers enjoy watching their favorite creators interact with them in the chat. In turn, Guest Star now allows these influencers to join together, helping the platform to diversify itself away from traditional gaming content.

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How To Start a Twitch Guest Star Live Stream

1. Add the Guest Star feature to your Quick Action panel for easy access.
2. Select the Guest Star option and ensure that your desired camera and microphone are configured.
3. Input your Guest Slot Browser Sources in OBS. This will help you to organize where the panelists will sit on your screen. 
4. Click the ‘Invite Guest’ button and choose up to five streamers to be a part of your stream.
5. Choose a slot for them to appear in.
6. Once you are ready for a guest to appear, click the ‘Show on Stream’ toggle to push that creator into the live stream.
7. When you are ready to remove a guest, simply hit the toggle again.

Creative Ways To Use Twitch Guest Star According to Twitch

• Q&A/Advice Show: Twitch recommends that streamers use Guest Star to bring select viewers into the stream so that they can ask their most burning questions in a face-to-face format. This can help to create a more intimate and amicable relationship with your community.
• Talent Show: Invite some other streamers to show off some of their weird and wonderful talents. This can be used for a fundraising stream or just for fun. 
• Study Stream: If you are best known for your study or educational content, you can host a live study group to help motivate your fans or offer them advice. Here, you can answer questions from your viewers or invite other streamers to help you stay focused. 
• Co-Watch Other Content: You can use Guest Star to react to various pieces of content such as a sports match, a press release, or a TV show. This is also useful if you are looking to host watch parties or hold an intellectual discussion with your chat. 
• Record a Podcast: Guest Star can be used to produce an entertaining podcast with multiple guests. You can record the episode using this tool and then publish the audio as a VOD on various platforms.

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What Are the Requirements?

Twitch Guest Star is currently in Beta and is only available on desktop. Thus, for guests to gain the best experience from this tool, they will have to use a certain collection of software. For example, hosts must have access to OBS. However, guests do not have to use this software in order to be invited into a stream.

Twitch also recommends that streamers use Google Chrome in order to access the full range of benefits. It also states that a user’s Twitch account must be phone verified, meaning that it must use Two-Factor Authentication. 

Benefits of Using Twitch Guest Star

Guest Star allows a whole host of influencers to use Twitch, even if they are not comfortable with creating gaming content. For example, influencers can now use this feature to produce commentary, react to various pieces of content, and to even conduct interviews. Thus, Guest Star makes Twitch seem more attractive to influencers and gives them the chance to build a new audience and a profitable revenue stream.

This tool also gives the host full control of who is on stream at all times, helping to create a safe and controlled environment for the viewers. Moreover, a host can easily swap out certain guests, meaning that they can chat with a collection of other people with ease. This versatility helps Twitch to become a fully-functioning live streaming platform and gives the host more freedom to produce different types of content. 

It is also very simple for guests to join a stream, ensuring that they can join the conversation quickly and do not have to keep the audience waiting. As a result, the host is able to create a smooth and professional transition and can also mute their guest’s microphone and camera at any time. Therefore, guests can be a part of a Guest Star stream without feeling intimidated or overlooked by the host or other guests. 

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Guest Star opens up a wide array of creativity for Twitch streamers, allowing them to use these new features in an abundance of different ways. This tool also pushes influencers to diversify their content and collaborate with other popular figures on the platform.