How to use Shoutouts on Twitch

Twitch is no stranger to taking inspiration from third-party tools to add to its own in-house creator suite. One such feature recently added in to official Twitch functionality is Shoutouts, an opportunity for creators to easily link to other streamers in their chat and encourage followers to go check them out or follow them. Here’s how to get it to work.

How to use Twitch Shoutouts

Shoutouts rolled out on September 27, so most streamers should have access to them. Using them couldn’t be simpler. It just needs the streamer or a mod to type “/shoutout [creator username]” in the chat. Once that’s done, it’ll pin a message in the chat with a Follow button and some extra details about the shouted-out streamer, including what they last streamed and when their next broadcast is scheduled. As a nice bonus, the recipient will get notified not just of the Shoutout but of the number of followers to whom they were shouted out.

Related: How to fix Error Code 2000 on Twitch

It’s a handy feature and a great opportunity to foster more of a community between streamers, and perhaps even some collaboration. Some fans have pointed out that similar functionality was already available through popular third-party tools like Streamlabs and StreamElements, but for those less comfortable with going further afield for their streaming tools, it’s certainly convenient to have it rolled into Twitch officially.

Of course, it’s not entirely clear what measures are in place to avoid this new feature being used for less-than-honorable means. Presumably, it’s up to the discretion of the streamer to make sure they don’t send hordes of angry fans flooding into another stream’s chat, whether maliciously or not. Hopefully, Twitch will spend some time trying to make sure the feature is implemented responsibly, lest it net the company more heat than they bargained for.