Until recently, this trend wasn’t popular in North America. Native to Japan In 2016, live streaming quickly became popular, but it is still a niche market in the United States.Then, in 2020, the very popular streaming Pokemon A stream was uploaded in which she was replaced with an avatar, which sparked a lot of discussion and helped draw attention to the format.
Syafire has seen this interest in her audience. The 22-year-old creator has dreamed of breaking into the industry for years, but struggled to grow her channel.
Syafire spent years moving between states while pursuing an art degree while uploading to video platforms and trying to build an audience. Five years ago, she started streaming and playing video games on Twitch when she was in high school. Later, she started hosting live broadcasts, where she would draw and talk to viewers.
“My goal has always been to share my creativity, my art projects, and my work process,” says Syafire. “My focus and dedication back then was just to improve my skills. I didn’t really focus on the marketing side of live streaming. I didn’t really realize its power until I grew up as a VTuber.”
After some family challenges, Syafire moved to Salt Lake City to live with her mom. One day, as she sat in class for her art degree, she realized that she could learn most of what she needed online. Eventually, she got inspired by streaming and got into VTubing CodeMikohas nearly 1 million followers on Twitch and uses motion capture suits and video games Unreal Engine Animate her avatar.
This revelation became the basis for Syafire’s future audience. Now, she grows her channel by focusing on tutorials and encouraging viewers to create art. Many of her tutorials revolve around helping users get into VTubing themselves, making evergreen videos that will perform well on YouTube for a long time.
“That’s when my love and passion for learning marketing and growing my business really started because I was just obsessed with figuring out how this video started going viral,” she said, referring to her first VTuber tutorial. “My niche kind of found me and chose me.”
It’s a smart move. Other creators see an opportunity in the trend but don’t know how to make it happen. Syafire started using SEO to ensure she could reach these audiences. There are now 16,000 new VTuber uploads, which has helped her grow. She’s now building a business, offering private consulting work to other creators, and even using her platform to sell art classes — all on top of regular livestreams.
It may take a long time, Syafire said, but she is able to live comfortably out of it. The appeal isn’t just about growing your audience: Syafire says VTubing will be the future of digital engagement.