Adding the one route that has actually worked for me, since it is a bit different from searching by genre 🎮
Search the platform for the specific game yours sits next to, not the category. Filter to streams from the last week or two, then skip anyone over about 5K followers. That gives you people who already chose to play this exact thing recently, which is a much stronger signal than a genre tag.
Then, instead of a DM or a cold email, take the X/Twitter handle the streamer links from their own Twitch About panel and reply to something they posted about that stream. It is public, it costs them nothing to ignore, and it does not burn the contact if they are not interested. The business email is worth keeping for a second, warmer ask once they know your name.
Honest caveat so nobody takes this as a proven funnel: I have only run it on two channels so far and neither has replied yet. Fresh and small beats big and relevant, is the theory.
Has anyone here actually compared the routes — public reply, DM, or business email — on which one gets answered?