Jeff Bullas

A very sharp question. Moving from tracking vanity metrics to meaningful engagement is the critical step in proving social media ROI.

Brief Answer: To measure engagement on X, you need to focus on the ‘engagement rate’ rather than raw numbers. This is calculated by dividing a tweet’s total engagements (all clicks, replies, retweets, likes) by its total impressions, giving you a true measure of how compelling your video, image, or text content was.

This single percentage is far more insightful than raw likes or follower numbers, as it tells you not just how many people saw your content, but how many were motivated enough to actually do something about it.

First, it’s important to understand what X counts as an “engagement”. It’s a broad metric that includes every possible interaction with your tweet: likes, replies, retweets, follows from the tweet, and every single click (on links, hashtags, your profile image, or to expand the tweet and view a photo or video).

The most important metric to track is your engagement rate, which you calculate with the formula: (Total Engagements / Total Impressions) x 100. This percentage allows you to compare different tweets on a level playing field. For example, a tweet with 100 engagements from 1,000 impressions (a 10% rate) is far more successful than a tweet with 500 engagements from 100,000 impressions (a 0.5% rate). A good benchmark to aim for is an engagement rate of over 1%.

Next, you need to interpret the story behind the different types of engagement. Likes are a passive nod of approval. Replies are a much stronger signal that your text or video content was compelling enough to start a conversation. Retweets are a measure of your content’s value; it was so good that someone was willing to endorse it to their own followers. Link clicks are the ultimate measure of your ability to drive action.

The most practical way to use this data is to go into your X Analytics, sort your tweets by engagement rate, and analyse your top performers. What do they have in common? Are they videos? Do they ask questions? Do they feature a certain style of image? This analysis will give you a clear, data-informed roadmap for what content resonates with your audience and what you should create more of.

Cheers,
Jeff

A critical question. A strategic approach is what separates a successful X campaign from a wasted budget.

Brief Answer: The best practice for advertising on X is to use visually arresting video or image creative that feels native to the platform, combined with concise, high-impact text copy and a single, clear call to action.

The key is to interrupt the user’s scroll with compelling content that provides immediate value or sparks curiosity, rather than broadcasting a traditional, polished advertisement.

First and foremost is your creative. Short-form video is the most effective format on the platform. Your video should be no longer than 15 seconds, optimised for vertical viewing, and able to communicate its core message with the sound off. This means using prominent on-screen text or very clear visuals. If you’re using a static image, it must be bold and visually simple. A clean infographic or a high-quality product photo will always outperform a cluttered graphic that looks like a traditional print ad.

Next is your text copy. Keep it short, direct, and conversational. The text should add context to your image or video, not just repeat it. Asking a provocative question or leading with a surprising statistic is an excellent way to create a hook that stops the scroll. Avoid corporate jargon and get straight to the point.

Every ad must have a single, unambiguous call to action (CTA). Decide on the one thing you want the user to do—whether it’s to sign up, download a report, or watch a longer video—and make that the entire focus of your CTA text. The landing page they arrive at must be a seamless continuation of the ad’s promise. Any friction in that journey will kill your conversion rate.

Finally, the most important practice is to test everything. There is no magic formula. You must continuously test different versions of your video creative, your image, your text headlines, and your calls to action. A/B testing is the only way to discover what truly resonates with your specific audience and how to get the best possible return on your investment.

Cheers,
Jeff

A very important design question. Getting the banner right is key to a professional-looking profile.

Brief Answer: The recommended image size for an X banner is 1500×500 pixels. However, the critical part of designing this image is to keep all key visual elements within a central ‘safe zone’ to avoid them being obscured by your profile picture or cropped on different devices.

Think of the banner not as a static, rectangular image, but as a responsive branding space that needs to be flexible.

The official dimension to design your image at is indeed 1500 pixels wide by 500 pixels tall. However, you must understand that the full image is almost never visible. The platform will responsively crop the top and bottom of the image to fit different screen aspect ratios. Furthermore, your profile picture will always cover a significant portion of the bottom-left corner.

This is why designing for the ‘safe zone’ is the most important rule. You should assume that the top and bottom 60-70 pixels of your banner image might be cut off. All of your critical visual information—such as a logo, a face, or any important text—must be placed in the central area of the image, well away from the edges and especially clear of that bottom-left corner. This ensures the core message of your brand’s image is always visible, no matter the device.

In terms of content, the image should be high-quality and clearly communicate what the account is about. It should be visually interesting but simple enough that it doesn’t clash with the profile picture and the bio text that sits below it. The banner sets the tone and provides a backdrop for the rest of the profile’s content.

Finally, the only way to be certain your design works is to test it. After you create the image, upload it and immediately check the profile on a desktop computer, a tablet, and a mobile phone. This will show you exactly how it adapts and if your safe zone calculations were correct.

Cheers,
Jeff

A great question. Understanding the ‘why’ behind a tool is far more important than just knowing how to use it.

Brief Answer: Polls are highly effective at engaging an audience because they dramatically lower the barrier to interaction. They turn passive viewers of your video or audio content into active participants by giving them an easy, low-stakes way to share their opinion and feel involved.

A well-crafted poll is not a gimmick; it’s a strategic bridge that coaxes your audience out of silence and into a two-way conversation.

The primary reason polls work is psychological. Typing out a thoughtful, text-based comment requires significant effort and a degree of confidence. In contrast, clicking a button on a poll is a near-effortless action. Polls allow the vast majority of your audience, who might otherwise remain silent, to participate and have their voice heard. This simple act of participation makes them feel more connected to you and your content.

Strategically, polls give your audience a sense of agency and influence. When you ask for their opinion on what you should do next, you’re making them a part of the creative process. A simple poll like, “Which of these three topics should be my next deep-dive video?” transforms your viewers from a passive audience into active collaborators. They become invested in your future content because they helped steer the ship.

Furthermore, a good poll can be a catalyst for deeper conversation. You can use a poll to pose a simple but debatable question related to your video’s topic. The results of that poll then become a new piece of content in themselves. You can discuss the outcome in your next audio or video segment, or use an image of the results as a starting point for a more detailed discussion in your comments section, asking people why they voted the way they did. This turns a simple interaction into a multi-layered engagement loop.

Cheers,
Jeff

An excellent and very relevant technical SEO question. The best practices around this have definitely evolved.

Brief Answer: Yes, lazy loading is now strongly recommended for good SEO when implemented correctly. It significantly improves page load times and user experience metrics, which are key ranking factors, and modern search engines like Google can now properly discover and index lazy-loaded image and video content.

The old concern about search engine crawlers not ‘seeing’ the content is largely a relic of the past; today, the performance gains from lazy loading are a much more significant factor for your ranking.

The primary SEO benefit of lazy loading comes from improving your site’s Core Web Vitals. By deferring the loading of images and videos that are ‘below the fold’ (off-screen when the page first loads), you dramatically speed up the initial rendering time. This directly improves user experience, which is a major signal that search engines use to rank pages. A faster site is, in Google’s eyes, a better site.

Your specific concern about search engine visibility is understandable but no longer a major issue. Modern crawlers, particularly Googlebot, now render pages much like a real user’s browser would. They can execute JavaScript and effectively “scroll” to discover content that loads on interaction. As long as the lazy loading is implemented using standard, modern techniques, you can be confident that search engines will find and index your image and video assets.

However, this does not mean you can ignore other SEO fundamentals. For every lazy-loaded image, its associated text attributes are still critical. You must provide a descriptive filename and, most importantly, clear alt text. This text provides context to search engines about the image’s content, which is vital for ranking in image search.

The one crucial guideline is to not lazy load content at the very top of your page. Your main hero image and any other critical content visible without scrolling should always load immediately, as delaying them can negatively impact your performance scores.

Cheers,
Jeff

That’s a great problem to have. Running out of VIP slots is a clear sign that you’re building a strong and dedicated community.

Brief Answer: You unlock more VIP slots on Twitch by completing specific channel Achievements. These achievements are primarily tied to increasing the number of unique chatters who participate in your video stream’s live chat.

Think of the VIP slots not as something you just earn, but as a direct reflection of your success in fostering a large and active conversation around your content.

The primary way to get more VIP slots is by completing the “Build a Community” achievement path in your Creator Dashboard. This achievement has multiple tiers, and each tier requires you to have a certain number of unique users typing in your text-based chat during your streams. As you hit each new tier, you are automatically granted a larger pool of VIP slots to assign.

This system is designed to directly reward you for your ability to engage your audience. The VIP badge itself is a special image that appears next to a person’s name, granting them status and recognition. Unlike a moderator, a VIP has no special powers or duties; their role is to be a recognised and valued member of the community. This is an incredibly powerful tool for you to acknowledge loyal supporters who contribute positively to the chat, regardless of whether they subscribe.

Therefore, the strategy for unlocking more VIP slots is to actively encourage more people to participate in your chat. During your live audio and video broadcasts, make a point of asking open-ended questions, running polls, and creating moments that invite discussion. The more you can convert passive viewers into active chatters, the faster you will complete the necessary achievements. By rewarding your most engaged members with a VIP badge, you reinforce the positive behaviour you want to see, which helps your community grow in a healthy, sustainable way.

Cheers,
Jeff

A great position to be in. Uploading your first emotes is a memorable part of the journey.

Brief Answer: You can upload your custom emote images via the ‘Emotes’ section within the ‘Viewer Rewards’ tab of your Creator Dashboard. The process involves uploading the required image sizes and assigning a unique text code for each one.

While the upload process is straightforward, the strategic thought you put into the image design and its corresponding text code is what makes an emote truly successful.

First, let’s get you to the right place. Navigate to your Creator Dashboard. On the left-hand menu, you will see a section called ‘Viewer Rewards’; click on that, and then select ‘Emotes’. This page is your library, showing all the available slots you have.

When you go to upload an emote, you will be prompted for two key pieces of content. The first is the image itself. A great emote image is simple, has clean lines, and is instantly recognisable even at a very small size. Overly detailed images often just look like a colourful blob in chat. The second piece of content is the unique text code. This is the text someone will type to make your emote appear. Make this code short, memorable, and easy to type so your community can use it quickly during your stream.

Think of this combination of an image and a text code as a new word in your channel’s unique language. These emotes support your main audio and video stream by giving your subscribers a fun, visual way to react and participate in the conversation. They turn your chat from a simple text feed into a dynamic, branded experience.

Finally, be aware that once you upload your emote, it will need to be approved by Twitch to ensure it complies with their terms of service. As long as your images are appropriate, the approval process is usually quite fast.

Cheers,
Jeff

A very practical and important question for any creator looking to turn a passion into a profession.

Brief Answer: Yes, earning $1000 a month on Twitch is an achievable goal, but it rarely comes from platform revenue alone. It requires treating your channel as a business and building multiple income streams that are all fuelled by your core video and audio content.

The key is to shift your mindset from simply creating content to building a brand, where your live stream is the central engine for various financial opportunities.

First, recognise that all revenue starts with your core product: the audio and video of your live stream. Without a consistent, high-quality, and engaging broadcast, none of the other income sources are possible. This is what builds the community that will ultimately support you.

The most direct revenue comes from the platform itself through subscriptions, Bits, and ad revenue. Subscriptions provide recurring income, often incentivised by the custom emote images you provide. Bits are a form of interactive donation tied to the text chat. While these are great, relying on them alone to hit a consistent four-figure monthly income is very difficult and requires a substantial, dedicated audience.

Therefore, the path to a stable $1000 a month is through diversification. You must build other revenue streams that your stream promotes. First, this includes direct support through third-party donation links, which you can place in your channel panels with custom images and text. Second, once you have a consistent audience, you can pursue sponsorships for paid mentions in your audio or dedicated sponsored video segments. Third, you can create and sell your own merchandise using logos or inside jokes from your community as images on the products. Finally, affiliate marketing, where you earn a commission by recommending products using text links in your panels, can be a significant contributor.

It is crucial to be realistic, however. This income is not stable. It can fluctuate wildly from month to month, and relying on a single platform for your entire income is incredibly risky. Treat this as building a small business; it requires immense effort, financial discipline, and a long-term strategy that ideally expands your brand to other platforms beyond just Twitch.

Cheers,
Jeff