Social Media Presence: 5 Tips From Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is a professional gamer and one of the world’s most recognized livestreamers. Since launching his YouTube channel in 2011, he’s captivated millions of fans with his high-energy performance style and cunning set of gaming skills. Ninja is one of the longest continuous streamers around; he’s held titles for most paid Twitch subscriptions and fastest-growing YouTube channel.

According to Ninja, having a strong social media presence enables you to build a community around your stream and connect with your fans. You can use social media to post visual content, answer questions from your followers, or any other kind of content that will resonate with your target audience. Additionally, social accounts are like mini portfolios, where you can highlight your greatest social media content for your target audience and build brand awareness. “It’s definitely a way to let your community know that you are live,” Ninja says of posting to social media, “but you wanna be using Twitter and Instagram and TikTok to just showcase the best moments of your stream.”

An online presence is an especially important tool for entrepreneurs to leverage when getting their careers off the ground. While social media management can be as complicated as you want it to be, its low entry barrier is one of its advantages. “You are your own marketing tool when you start out,” Ninja says. “You aren’t ready to have or you don’t have, you know, the money to hire all of these amazing marketing teams and the people who are going to push all of this content out for you on your social media accounts.”

Keep in mind countless livestreamers and online influencers have used social media to develop their personal branding at the beginning of their careers.

Ninja uses his social media channels to share moments from his livestreams he thinks are funny, entertaining, or particularly representative of his stream’s style. “Take that, put it into a clip, and push it across all of your social media accounts,” he says.

Additionally, he wants those perusing his social media profiles to develop a sense of his personality and what they can expect whenever they tune into his stream. “For me, basically any high-energy, funny [clips are] going to attract people to be like, ‘Wow, I need to see this. I wanna watch this person live,’” he says.

As a professional gamer, Ninja leverages his personal social strategy to promote his projects and target the specific demographics who will enjoy his livestream. Here are five of his tips for posting content that can inform your social media strategy:

1. 1. Always be learning. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes or not having all the answers right away. Ninja urges those looking to grow a successful career as a livestreamer to remain humble. “No one likes an egotistical streamer, and no one wants … to watch someone who thinks that they’re … the absolute best with nothing to learn,” he says. “You always have something to learn. I’m learning every single day when I stream.”
2. 2. Avoid becoming discouraged. The temptation can be strong to constantly check your comments, likes, and other metrics while you wait for them to trend upward, but Ninja urges you not to make these your whole focus. “If you actually think that the video or the content that you’re uploading is great quality and is … super witty and fun,” he says, “then just keep doing it, and keep uploading those videos. Make sure you’re following the trends, and you will definitely pick up.”
3. 3. Make your username consistent across all platforms. Ninja acknowledges it takes some extra effort to develop a username that’s available across all the social media platforms you want to use. But the benefits outweigh the difficulties, he says. “If I can look you up across Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok, and you have the exact same username, if I’m a big fan, I’m gonna be able to follow and know where to find all of your content right away,” Ninja says.
4. 4. Post timely content. “Upload memes that are relevant and accurate to what is going on in pop culture,” Ninja says. Your fans will have wide interests beyond just your livestream. Real-time tweets and other social media posts tied to the cultural zeitgeist will appeal to your fans’ interests and entertain them. Additionally, sharing content according to a regular posting schedule could forge a connection between you and those fans who are in on the joke or otherwise appreciate that type of content.
   
5. 5. Use your platforms equally. “Make sure that you don't necessarily favor one social media platform over the other,” Ninja says. To ensure you’re not opting for certain social platforms or apps over others, it can be a good idea to develop a content calendar or social media calendar. This will help you to avoid alienating any fans or potential followers who prefer a particular platform. Additionally, remaining active on all your accounts helps to build a global social presence—another thing Ninja says is important.

Learn how to grow your audience, whether you’re an aspiring vlogger or social media influencer with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons from Ninja, Marques Brownlee, and more.