Grow Your Twitch Following with WordPress Stream Status

Want to grow your Twitch following and community? Embed and showcase your live stream status directly on your WordPress website to drive more viewers to your channel.

According to StreamHatchet, the hours watched on Twitch increased by 17.7% in 2022 compared to 2021. And over 44% of all websites use WordPress as their CMS.

So promoting your stream on your WordPress site can be a powerful combination to boost viewership.

In this comprehensive guide, I will provide actionable tips as a WordPress developer on how to properly display your Twitch stream status.

Choose the Right Method

Here are the most popular methods for adding Twitch stream integration in WordPress, with the pros and cons of each:

My recommendation for most streamers is to use the Twitch Status plugin. For advanced customization, you can augment it by using the API as well.

Let‘s go through each method in more detail…

Install the Twitch Status Plugin

The Twitch Status plugin instantly adds your stream status across WordPress without needing to code.

Here is how to set it up in 6 simple steps:

1. Install and activate the Twitch Status plugin in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Settings > Twitch Status
3. Click Connect Account and log in to associate your Twitch account
4. Enter your Twitch username
5. Choose ".twitch-stream" as the jQuery selector
6. Save settings

With the plugin active, you can simply embed the status anywhere on your site using the .twitch-stream selector in widgets, menus, posts, etc.

The plugin handles all the complexity behind the scenes for you. But for more control and functionality, also consider using the Twitch API described below.

Embed Stream Using Twitch API

While the Twitch Status plugin is great for basic integration, developers can leverage the Twitch API for deeper integration.

Some examples of what‘s possible by calling Twitch API directly:

• Display number of current live viewers
• Show stream uptime dynamically
• Change messaging depending on stream status
• Create custom overlays and graphics

Here is a sample API call in WordPress to get stream title and current game:

$api_url = ‘https://api.twitch.tv/kraken/streams/CHANNEL_ID‘; 

$stream_data = wp_remote_retrieve_body( wp_remote_get( $api_url ) );

$title = $stream_data[‘stream‘][‘channel‘][‘status‘];

$game = $stream_data[‘stream‘][‘game‘];

WP_Remote_Get handler allows you to access any API endpoint and display returned structured data however you want.

I have used this in client projects to create eye-catching stream promotions that dynamically update with figures and status changes.

In Conclusion…

Embedding your stream directly on your WordPress website allows you to attract visitors from your existing community while also reaching new potential follows.

I recommend most streamers start with the Twitch Status plugin for basic integration, then optionally augment with API requests for more advanced functionality.

Used strategically, this streaming promotion tactic can help take your viewership to the next level this year!

Let me know if you have any other questions.