Twitch VoDs: From Live To Recorded

VoDs allow gamers to watch recorded gameplay sessions of skilled players. By analyzing these sessions, gamers can learn new strategies, techniques, and tips to improve their gameplay.

This article dives into what VOD means, tips on setting them up, and a couple of ideas on how to convert them into content.

Let's dive into one of the most essential parts of starting streaming on Twitch - the VODs.

What are Vods?

As per Twitch's own definition, VOD stands for Video on Demand and it's an archive of content previously streamed live on Twitch. Twitch sees it as a way to help grow the channel and allow the community to access content they may have missed otherwise.

You can find them on your favorite Twitch stream channel in this section:

Where can I watch deleted Twitch VOD?

If you're a Twitch Partner, Prime, or Twitch Turbo user, your VOD will be saved for 60 days before deletion while twitch affiliates only have their VODs stored for 14 days, and all other broadcasters for 7.

After that time, the twitch vods are deleted permanently from the channel and you're unable to access them unless you have recorded them previously or used a third-party software that tries to recover them.

However, a lot of streamers use different platforms to re-upload VODs - in most cases that's going to be YouTube. Make sure to double-check in the streamer's bio whether they have a platform for past broadcasts and if they don't - be the one to suggest it! 

Do Twitch streamers make money from VOD views?

Currently, they do not. Viewing past broadcasts does not contribute to the streamer's income directly. Indirectly, it might make the VOD itself show higher in the search results on Twitch but if that does not convert into live views and then subs or bits, then it's all for nothing.

How to set VoDs up for Twitch?

You might find that by default your live streams don't get saved. It's a bummer to have streamed for a couple of hours just to see that it's nowhere to be found later. To save all of your broadcasts as VoDs you need to enable VODs (also known as archives) in your stream settings on your creator dashboard.

You now need to tick the box, enabling past broadcast storage. When you do, another option will appear.

You can also choose to automatically publish those past broadcasts. If you don't toggle it, you will have to go to your Video Producer tab in the Content section and manually click Publish. Unpublished Vods will not be visible to your viewers or subscribers but you can still access them from your dashboard.

How to disable music from your Vods?

You may have heard of copyrights strikes that are closely linked to the music used in your stream. That's also why some streams broadcast without any music, naturally circumventing these issues.

However, if you do want to provide more entertaining live streaming but have music-less VoDs, there is a way to do it!

Twitch Studio Advanced Audio Mixer

Let's start with the Twitch native option - Twitch Studio Advanced Audio Mixer. Thanks to this feature you can control your audio sources  that you use while streaming. What we are interested in here is a way to remove certain parts of the audio. Afterall, you want to make sure that you keep the game sounds and your mic, only excluding the music you play.

In the Audio Mixer, you will find the below option:

When ticked, you won't find the sound that's in a given source in your vods. You can always double-check that it works, looking for this popup:

OBS

A very common streaming software, OBS, also supports excluding certain audio tracks.

In your OBS Settings go to Output:

Set your Mode to Advanced

From this position, you'll see a panel that will allow you to choose the track that is or isn't going to be on the VOD.

Then, you choose the audio in your OBS scene, go to Advanced Audio Properties, and choose which track it is. You want the track's number to match the Twitch VOD Track number from the Settings - when they do, you're all set!

5 ideas on how to use Vods for content

Now that we know what VODs are and how to set them up properly, let's analyze what you can actually do with it! There is a myriad of doors that vodding allows so let's dive straight into it!

• Compilationssome text
  • You can use your twitch vods as a source material for different compilations like annual funny moments compilation, best catchphrases, or scariest jumpscares.
• Clips and shortssome text
  • One of the most popular ways of repurposing your stream content is to take singular clips and use them as YouTube shorts, Instagram Reels, or TikToks. You can use a moment when you had a short rant, gave life advice, or had an insane trick shot. It's a great way to do long-form live streaming on twitch but also capitalize on what you *already* do via different channels.
• Full archive videossome text
  • A very simple way to take advantage of vods is to just reupload your broadcasts to different platforms like YouTube. If you don't have the time and resources to edit them down, don't worry. Just to a straight up re-upload for the people who couldn't join live. Contrary to Twitch VODs, you can actually monetize those reuploads on YouTube.
• Trimmed down long-formsome text
  • If you do have the resources and motivation, you can take your entire stream, edit it, and post as well-polished long-form content. Maybe you played a tournament - cut out all the waiting in queues so viewers just get the raw action. You may have had internet issues or had to restart the client - remove it from the vod so people don't need to skip over it themselves.
• Repurposing for written contentsome text
  • If you write articles or blogs on sites such as Metafy, you can embed the vods in your articles to cross-link your content so that video viewers can read your blogs and readers might check out your live streaming content. 

What's worth mentioning is that the more deliberately you do it, the easier it gets. As an example, if you know you're going to be repurposing content and, say, you go on a 10-minute rant about a topic you're particularly passionate about, note down the time stamp so it's easier for you or your editor to clip that specific moment and re-purpose it. Otherwise, you'd have to scour through past broadcasts trying to find it.

On top of that, you can have trusted mods who know the direction of your content that will clip the most interesting parts in real-time so you have access to them immediately and can post them as short-form content in the blink of an eye.

Intentionality can take your content to the next level.

Conclusion

If you want to start streaming and growing your audience, don't wait. You can start by joining our Metafy community to showcase your passion and start engaging in content and audiences that you fancy.