I do not publish any games on itch.io, but I’ve seen a video or two on the YouTubes… here are some of my thoughts on the matter:
- A link to the respective store page in the description (as well as the name of the developer) would be a good first step.
- If you’re including multiple games per video having the title of a game displayed within the video itself would be incredibly helpful. Some YouTubers only say the name of a game, which has multiple potential issues: The YouTuber might have a clear pronunciation, listeners might not get what that name would look like when spelled out (maybe due to language barriers), YouTubers might leave out the developers - always fun when there are multiple games with the same name…
- Nobody expects you to brand you channel, but if you got a game on itch, you should mention it, so your viewers don’t search Steam or GOG for a game that doesn’t exist there.
- This will be kind of a big ask, but: Consider staying honest when you have a critique. I have seen too many videos where glaring issues where glossed over because “I’m sure they’ll fix it in the future.” - and trying to hide their disappointment while not doing a good job of it. This helps nobody. Saying “I’m sure they’ll fix it in the future.” is fine, but if you think something is an issue, don’t act as if there isn’t an issue at this point in time.
I also have some general advice:
- Since you didn’t link it, I have not gone hunting for your channel, but: Always invest in a good microphone situation! Even if you take nothing else away from this, buy a microphone, a pop filter of sorts and an arm to mount them on. Human ears are way easier to upset than their eyes. This is one of the big things that keeps certain channels from growing. (The other one being YouTube itself.)
- Don’t pick red as a team color on streams - it blurs more.
- The terms Family Friendly and for Kids are two very different things that get thrown together by stupid people. Make sure to point out the difference every once in a while if you happen to make “Family Friendly” content.
- YouTube makes everything you upload darker. There is better advice available, but you can record on slightly brighter settings as a hotfix.
- YouTube is broken - and has been for a rather long time. If you notice a new video hoster cropping up, try to make time to upload your videos there as well and tell your followers about this both in your videos as well as on Twitter. You never know when YouTube might finally collapse in on itself. Google is not a company known for caring.
And that is all I can think of off the top of my head. Best of luck. :)