Onoez is a Rogue Energy partner with a wicked personality and a thriving community. We chat to the creator about her stream and her rise on Twitch as she edges closer to Partner.
In the sea of streamers of Twitch it's not always easy to find the diamonds in the rough. That is why we're taking the time to highlight a few rising creators on the platform. This week we talked to Alyssa better known as Onoez, a Twitch streamer on the verge of Partner whose hard work and dedication has seen her stream go from strength to strength. However, it was not without sacrifice, and the 29 year-old shared her story, her advice for new streamers and her most memorable moments of her streaming career thus far with us.
The early days: Streaming 100+ hours a month and being raided by a celebrity
Onoez started streaming in November 2019 after being encouraged by her core group of friends to give it a shot.
“I didn't think that I would be good at it,” said Onoez. “But that core group of friends tuned in basically every stream and I hit Twitch affiliate within the first week of streaming!”
Onoez was working a 45-50 hour a week job, but dedicated her spare time to growing her stream. After working from 8am to 6pm at her day job, she would come home to cook up some food and stream from 7pm until midnight.
In the first 3 months Onoez streamed 370 hours, and by month four had already reached 20 average viewers and gathered 600 followers. Her relentless approach to streaming was paying off and a stroke of good fortune soon came her way.
“I was playing Call of Duty on stream for probably the first six to eight months of my stream and one night I was hosted by Alex Zedra, who is well known in the gun community IRL and plays one of the female characters in Call of Duty called Mara,” said Onoez.
“One of Alex Zedra’s community members was searching for somebody to host or raid that night and they ended up coming into my stream and I guess they liked it,” said Onoez. “We became friends and over my streaming career she has probably raided me five times. I do attribute a lot of my success to her and she helped to put me on the map. I went from 20-25 average viewers into the 40s.”
Alex Zedra’s first raid on Onoez’s stream was with 400 to 500 viewers, and for a streamer knowing how to react to a raid can make a big difference.
"I always think it's important when people do raid you that you show appreciation that’s sincere for their raid and sharing their community with you. Because there's thousands of people they could have chosen over you. "
“I always think it's important when people do raid you that you show appreciation that’s sincere for their raid and sharing their community with you,” said Onoez. “Because there's thousands of people they could have chosen over you.
“Alex Zedra and I have a similar personality, we’re both women, we’re both tattooed, we both play shooters and we both have a little bit of that vulgar 18+ plus kind of language (laughs), and we don’t take any kind of BS. I think that did help to keep her audience, and I attribute a lot of my success to her, and I tell her that all the time (smiles).”
However, as politician Iain Duncan Smith said: “Luck is great, but most of life is hard work”, and Onoez put in the work. After Call of Duty, Onoez moved into streaming Rogue Company, and at the time got partnered with the developer of the new third-person shooter thanks to the thriving community she had built on Twitch.
Joining the Rogue Energy community and winning a fridge
While her partnership with Rogue Company has now drawn to a close, Onoez’s collaboration with Rogue Energy has gone from strength to strength. Rogue Energy operates a free to enter Partnerships Program, where streamers and creators can rise through the ranks unlocking new perks and rewards.
After being sent a tester kit by a Rogue Energy representative, Onoez’s curiosity was sparked and she was pleasantly surprised.
“I wasn’t really big into energy drinks or supplements, I just lived life and if I was tired I’d go to sleep (laughs),” said Onoez. “But after trying Rogue Energy on stream and actually really liked it. I told my community this is working for me, it’s helping me get through my streams and tastes really good. So I applied to join the Partnerships program.”
Soon after Onoez joined, Rogue Energy hosted a competition for a branded fridge, it was the reward for whoever could help attract the most customers, and Onoez was crowned the winner. Within two months, Onoez had not only got the fridge but also become a full partner and was the first creator to be spotlighted in Rogue Energy’s newsletter.
"It's been a really nice journey with Rogue Energy to seeing both of us grow in different ways. Me as a creator and them as a business. It's one of those things where like, I will not partner with a company unless I believe in it. And I really, really believe in Rogue."
“Rogue are actually so supportive on social platforms and with their affiliates and partners. They’re constantly retweeting on socials, giving shout out to creators in newsletters and doing spotlights,” said Onoez. "Rogue has just been that community for me that I am happy to be a part of. "
"Zac (Founder of Rogue Energy) is 100% a leader and if I was trying to build a business, I would want to be like Zac because he is so approachable. It's been a really nice journey with Rogue Energy to seeing both of us grow in different ways. Me as a creator and them as a business. It's one of those things where like, I will not partner with a company unless I believe in it. And I really, really believe in Rogue," said Onoez.
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Tips for aspiring streamers to conquer viewership and game choice
Streaming can inevitably cause frustration at times, but Onoez shared some advice for dealing with some of the more common pitfalls. Many new streamers feel the path to success is in streaming long hours, but Onoez advises on a more flexible approach.
"I don’t think committing to streaming long hours is the best for people who are just starting out. In the back of my brain there is a voice that tells me ‘something could happen an hour from now’ and if I stop streaming it won’t happen. But you need to gauge the momentum of the stream."
Onoez went on to explain how there is nothing wrong with ending a stream early if the viewers aren't coming or you're not vibing. Instead of carrying on, Onoez said her approach of simply cutting the stream early and saving that energy for next stream will pay off in the long run. "However, if I see the momentum going up, viewership is there and I’m feeling good, then I’ll ride the high until my brain tells me to stop. "
"At the end of the day for me it's always been my community. I don't really care what I'm playing. But if my people are there with me and we're vibing and we're having a good time, I don't ever really get too disappointed in my numbers."
Another common challenge for streamers that Onoez has conquered more than once is the at times harsh realities of switching games on your viewership. Onoez has had to "rebuild" her stream several times, and while a good chunk of her community have followed her across different games, some viewers have just not had a particular interest in the new title. Mixing things up is important says Onoez, and sticking to one game she said felt like it would have limited her as a creator.
"At the end of the day for me it's always been my community. I don't really care what I'm playing. But if my people are there with me and we're vibing and we're having a good time I don't ever really get too disappointed in my numbers."
What to expect from an Onoez stream
Onoez is a fun and laid back streamer who goes the extra mile to make her stream special and her community of loyal viewers happy. At time of writing, Onoez has 6,700 followers and streams 3-4 times a week. But what can a new viewer expect from a Onoez stream?
"If someone asks me what my stream is, I say it's me being 100% authentically, unapologetically myself. The absolute weirdest version of myself is me on stream. If a new viewer comes to my stream they're going to get a community filled with an incredibly diverse group of people from different countries in different states and from different backgrounds," said Onoez.
"All of us just coming together to laugh is my selling point, I want someone to laugh. The second that they come into my stream, in the first 10 minutes. If you didn't laugh, then I'm probably doing something wrong."
"All of us just coming together to laugh is my selling point, I want someone to laugh. The second that they come into my stream, in the first 10 minutes. If you didn't laugh, then I'm probably doing something wrong."
One rather ingenious way Onoez has found to reset or energise her streams is a "vibe check" (clip above). Redeemed by 20,000 Channel Points, Onoez will stop whatever she is doing - assuming it's not a ranked game - and put on a EDM remix of Alesso's song "Heroes" and just take a moment to reset and vibe with her stream.
"Whether we getting mad or frustrated, maybe I'm annoyed or maybe I'm in a really good mood, but we just all dance and have a good time and the chat just spams emotes. It's my favourite thing to do on stream, just blast the song 'Heroes'," said Onoez.
Onoez is clearly appreciative of her situation and her generous community who have shown incredible support, especially over the last month. One viewer even went so far as to donate 100 subs, 10 times in a row. However, despite her sub count now well over 1,000, Onoez is just happy to know people choose to spend their time with her.
"Time is the most precious you know, money is replaceable, but time is the most precious and I can't give you your time back. So the fact that people spend their days with me for multiple hours a day means more to me than money ever will."
