Engagement Metrics Explained

Learn how ChatStats.live calculates and interprets engagement metrics for your Twitch community.

Key Engagement Metrics

Total Messages

The total number of messages sent in your chat during a specific time period (usually monthly on ChatStats.live). This includes all user messages but can exclude bot messages if you've enabled the bot filter.

What's Good: Higher is generally better, but quality matters more than quantity. A chat with 10,000 meaningful messages is better than 50,000 spam messages.

Unique Chatters

The number of different users who sent at least one message during the time period. This shows your community size and reach.

What's Good: More unique chatters indicates a broader engaged audience. Compare this to your follower count to see what % of followers are actually active.

Messages Per Chatter

Average number of messages per unique chatter. Calculated as: Total Messages ÷ Unique Chatters

What's Good: 100-250 messages per chatter is typical. Very high numbers might indicate spam or a few very active users. Very low numbers might indicate many lurkers or one-time chatters.

Chat Rate (Messages/Minute)

How many messages are sent per minute during your streams. This gives a sense of chat activity and pace.

Benchmarks:

<1 msg/min: Very slow, easy to read everything
1-5 msg/min: Steady conversation
5-15 msg/min: Active chat
15-30 msg/min: Fast-paced
>30 msg/min: Very fast, difficult to follow

Try the Chat Rate Calculator

Top Chatters Ranking

Top chatters are ranked by total message count during the period. On ChatStats.live, you can see:

Rank: Their position in your chat (1 = most active)
Message Count: Total messages they sent
Highlights: Mods and VIPs are highlighted (Pro tier)

Emote Usage (Pro Tier)

For Pro subscribers, ChatStats.live tracks your custom Twitch emotes:

Total Uses: How many times each emote was used
Usage Trend: Whether emotes are becoming more or less popular

Popular emotes indicate strong community identity and can help you understand what resonates with your audience.

Understanding Your Stats

Is more engagement always better?

Not necessarily! The "best" engagement depends on your stream style:

High-energy streams: Fast chat (15+ msg/min) can be great
Chill/Cozy streams: Slower chat (1-5 msg/min) allows deeper conversation
Educational content: Moderate chat (5-10 msg/min) balances questions and teaching

How do I improve engagement?

Here are proven strategies:

Ask questions and encourage responses
Acknowledge new chatters by name
Create channel point rewards that encourage chat
Play games that involve chat participation
Maintain a welcoming, inclusive environment
Stream consistently at the same times

What if my stats are declining?

Monthly fluctuations are normal! Consider:

Seasonal changes (summer, holidays, back-to-school)
Game changes (new games take time to build audience)
Stream schedule changes
Competing events (big tournaments, game releases)

Look at 3-6 month trends rather than month-to-month changes.

Remember: Engagement metrics are tools to understand your community, not a competition. Focus on fostering genuine connections rather than chasing numbers.