How to grow your Twitch, YouTube or Kick channel for free with tournaments

Host a free tournament, put your stream first on its page and let every player stream their run with a card that points back to you.

You can grow a Twitch, YouTube or Kick channel for free by hosting a tournament your viewers and their friends can enter. Your stream plays first on the tournament page, every player can put a live stream card on their own stream, and you can add a follow step to the entry form. Each player becomes a small source of new viewers for you.

Why tournaments grow a channel

Most growth advice is about being found. A tournament gives other people a reason to send viewers to you:

• Players share the link because they want friends to enter or cheer them on.
• Players who stream show your tournament to their own viewers, with a QR code that opens it.
• The tournament page plays your stream first, so anyone who opens the page lands on you.
• It is an event with a date, which gives your regulars a reason to show up and your new viewers a reason to stay.

Step 1: pick a game your viewers already play

Pick the game you stream most, or a game your chat keeps asking about. A tournament in a game nobody in your community plays will not fill. If you play several games, ask chat with a poll a week before.

Step 2: create the tournament

Open Host a tournament. On the first question pick Stream overlay, and add Run an open event if you want strangers to find it on the RoundsWon wall.

• Format: single elimination is the easiest for viewers to follow. Double elimination gives everyone at least two matches, which keeps more players around for longer. See Tournament formats explained.
• Room for: 8 or 16 is a good start. A small bracket that fills looks better than a big one that does not.
• Your stream: paste your Twitch, YouTube, Kick or Facebook link. It plays right on the tournament page, with your chat beside it if the viewer turns it on.

Step 3: make following part of entering

In the Sponsors step, open Other free steps to enter and add Follow an account. Paste your channel link and label it, for example "Follow me on Twitch". It shows on the entry form, and Enter works once the link is tapped.

Two things to know:

• RoundsWon can not check that someone actually followed. Tapping the link is what counts.
• Do not ask for a subscription or a paid anything. Entry is always free on RoundsWon, and nobody has to subscribe, donate or pay to join.

You can add Join a Discord in the same place, so players land in your community and not just on your channel. You can remove the empty sponsor card if you have no sponsor.

Step 4: let players stream their run

Every player gets their own stream card link on the tournament page. They add it to OBS or Streamlabs as a browser source, and it always shows the match they are playing, with the score updating live. See Tournament stream overlays for OBS and Streamlabs.

Under Name and date, the Every player streams switch makes a stream link on their profile a rule for entering. Turn it on if you want a tournament of streamers, where everyone sends viewers to everyone. Viewers on the tournament page can tap any player to watch them. Leave it off for a community tournament where most players do not stream.

Step 5: promote it like a show

• Announce it on stream a week out, with the link in chat and a command for it.
• Pin the link in your Discord and on your channel's about or panels.
• Post clips from your last tournament, or from scrims, as teasers.
• Remind people the day before and an hour before. RoundsWon sends no emails or popups, so reminders come from you.
• Turn on check in so no shows drop out and the bracket starts on time.

Step 6: run it live

On the day, put the bracket overlay on your stream so viewers see the whole picture, and the stream card in a corner for the current match. Talk through the upsets, call the next match, and keep the tournament page link in chat. Players report their own scores on the page, so you only step in when they disagree.

Between matches, send viewers to the players who are streaming. That goodwill is often returned: players who got viewers from you are more likely to come back and to bring friends.

Step 7: after the tournament

• Announce the winner on stream and on socials, and tag them.
• If you gave a prize, pay it with the Pay button on the tournament page and mark it as sent.
• Clip the best moments for short form video on YouTube Shorts, TikTok or Instagram.
• Announce the next one before you end the stream. A regular tournament night is easier to grow than a one off.

What makes it work over time

The first tournament is rarely the big one. Growth comes from running them on a schedule: weekly or monthly, same game, same time. Regulars start to bring friends, players start to stream it, and the tournament becomes something your community is known for.

FAQ

Is it allowed to make following a step to enter?

On RoundsWon you can add a follow link to the entry form. The follow is never checked and nothing paid is ever asked for. Each streaming site has its own rules about promotions and giveaways, so read yours before you add a prize.

How many players do I need?

Four is enough for a bracket. Eight or sixteen makes a good evening on stream. Start with what your community can fill and grow from there.

Can my viewers enter without making an account?

Players enter with one tap on a free RoundsWon account. As the host, you can also add players with no account by typing their name in Run the tournament.

Do I need a prize?

No. Many community tournaments run for bragging rights. A prize can help a tournament fill, and it does not have to be cash. See Tournament prize ideas that are not cash.