When the pandemic struck, the roads became deserted, but live streaming platforms were swarming with people seeking social interactions. While YouTube and Facebook saw a surge in video content, Twitch broke the charts with gamers and non-gamers flocking to the platform to live stream. For passionate streamers, it means an opportunity to do something they love while also making money on Twitch.
It is reported that some Twitch streamers made as much as $10 million worth of their content. If you are also a streamer wondering how to cash in on the live streaming wave everyone else seems to be riding, this guide is just for you.
In this detailed blog, we will tell you all about Twitch users and how they are monetizing their streams.
Types Of Twitch Users
Twitch has more than 15 million daily active users, and they can broadly be divided into the following three categories:
- Everyday Twitch users
They are also (lovingly) known as lurkers. While they love spending time on the platform watching their favorite streamers play games or talk, they are not really looking to make money on Twitch. However, they are the most important part of the platform because they are the audience serious streamers are catering to. But if they want to monetize their streaming love, they will need to work a lot harder and build a following themselves.
- Twitch Affiliates
Affiliates are mid-level streamers who have monetization on their mind and are working towards making the most out of their streams. They have met the basic criteria of having 50 followers and at least three viewers every time they stream, consistent every month. Affiliates can make use of the opportunities Twitch provides to monetize their streams.
- Twitch Partners
They are the star streamers, the best on the platform. Serious about their gaming passion, they have built their presence on the platform to an influencer status with millions of following and multiple brand deals. Twitch has dedicated its Partner program for such accounts, which is exclusive and comes with myriad opportunities to make money through their Twitch streams.
Ways To Make Money On Twitch
Many monetization opportunities exist on the Twitch platform. The options are open to any Twitch user, provided they have a decent viewership willing to watch their content for a long time. So, no matter where you are in your streaming career, knowing options available to you can help kickstart your money-making journey on Twitch.
Income sources available to everybody
The following Twitch money-making possibilities are potentially available to any Twitch user. These are mostly “off-platform” ways to make money that aren’t directly linked to the Twitch platform. Of course, most will be effective for well-known Twitch streamers with an engaged following.
1. Affiliate Links
Many people make money on Twitch via affiliate marketing. But note that this is different from Twitch’s Affiliate Program.
Many Twitch streamers join an affiliate network that sells gaming-related merchandise. If someone purchases something after clicking on an affiliate link on a streamer’s Twitch page, the broadcaster will receive a percentage of the money spent on the company’s website. Amazon, the leader in affiliate marketing, extends the same ease to Twitch streamers who want to market an Amazon product and earn commissions.
2. Selling Customized Merchandise
You can sell your custom-made products on Twitch to your fans. But of course, you must have a dedicated fan base willing to buy from you and promote your brand merch during streams. Once you reach that level where this becomes a viable option, it is as easy as setting up an online store and linking to it from your Twitch website. You can then share it on social media and direct your followers to your online store.
3. Donations
You can ask for donations from viewers who enjoy your content to make it even better. On your page itself, you can make a direct request for donations. To do so, you’ll need to create a connection through PayPal, Stripe, or another online payment processing system. Then, in your stream, you can make donation requests and provide the payment information. You can set a donation goal and keep track of your progress. This serves as a motivator for your supporters to cheer you on.
4. Sponsorship
If a brand believes they have a natural affinity with a streamer’s audience, sponsoring the streamer and engaging in influencer marketing makes sense. Twitch sponsorship can help any brand that sells a product to “gamer-type customers.” This covers companies that sell computers, game consoles, phones, accessories, website hosting, food, drinks, takeout, fashion, music, and other specialties, in addition to gaming enterprises.
Sponsorship transactions are done outside of Twitch. However, brands will typically partner with broadcasters who impact their followers’ decision-making, as with all influencer marketing.
5. Tournament Winnings
This option is specifically for streamers who are avid gamers who love competing or playing in teams. The money is dependent on you winning the game. This can be a fantastic option for professional gamers, but not so much for average players. Smaller players may earn money by participating in ESL or MLG GameBattles competitions, broadcasting their bouts live for their Twitch audience.
Income sources available to Twitch Affiliates and Partners only
The Twitch Affiliate Program is the Twitch platform’s way of acknowledging top-rated players’ efforts and talent as their community grows. The program helps eligible streamers realize their goal of making a livelihood doing what they love. Twitch Affiliates can begin earning money on Twitch while building their audience and working for the coveted Twitch Partner position.
1. Twitch Bits
Twitch Bits are essentially micro-donations from Twitch users. They either use Amazon Payments or PayPal to pay for them. Bits are a form of virtual currency that gamers may use to “spend” on the websites of their choice. Twitch pays one penny every Bit used on its channels to their Affiliates and Partners.
A StreamLabs Tip Jar widget can also be added to your stream. As viewers utilize Bits on your channel, this image of an empty glass fills up. This encourages your followers to “fill up” your glass with more Bits.
2. Twitch Subscriptions
Streamers can earn a regular income via Twitch Subscriptions. You can invite your subscribers to pay $US4.99, $9.99, or $24.99 each month to subscribe to your channel. Twitch and the streamer split the money they collect 50/50.
A “Subscribe” button will display on your page as soon as you join as an Affiliate or Partner. Streamers can set up alerts to urge gamers to sign up for their services. These are notifications that appear on your screens when someone has purchased (or renewed) a membership to your channel.
3. Game sales
Twitch affiliates can also profit from the sale of games or in-game stuff. When streamers play a game on Twitch that is for sale or has in-game items for sale, a purchase offer shows below the video window on the channel page. Affiliates receive a 5% income share of all purchases made through their channel pages. Viewers who purchase will receive a Twitch Crate for any purchase of $4.99 or more, in addition to supporting Affiliates.
Income sources available to Twitch Partners only
Unlike the Affiliate program, Twitch Partnership is an invitation-only program. However, you can begin the process by requesting that they consider you. Twitch partners have access to several additional tools and benefits that regular streamers and even affiliates do not. This serves as a great option for Partners to make money on Twitch.
1. Selling Games, In-Game Items, and T-Shirts
Twitch Partners can use their pages to sell games and in-game goods. You may get up to a 5% cut of the profits. If a Partner plays a game that Twitch sells or has in-game items to sell, a sales box displays below the video screen on their website. You will receive 5% of the revenue if one of your viewers clicks on the box and purchases. This is completely automated and does not require any input from the Partner.
Although the sales box is visible on the pages of all streams that play relevant games, only Partners receive a percentage of the proceeds. T-shirts can also be sold at the official Twitch t-shirt store by partners.
2. Video Ads
Twitch Partners have the option of running advertisements on their streams. They can choose how often ads run, as long as there is at least an eight-minute gap between commercials and the duration of the ads (from 30 seconds to 3 minutes). Twitch and its partners split advertising income. Twitch pays you more money if they get a good amount from advertisers.
Also, Twitch will pay you a fixed CPM (cost per 1000 views), typically ranging between $1 and $2. The CPM fluctuates depending on the season. Gaming companies are willing to pay extra for ads during specific periods of the year, such as during the holidays or when a new product is released.
How Much Does A Small Streamer Make On Twitch?
Whether you’re a partner or an affiliate, you can make money, but how much you make depends on your audience. There are streamers, for example, who have an average of 50 viewers, are partners, and generate $300 each month. However, an affiliate streamer with an average of 100 viewers who do not match the qualifications to be a partner for X reason may still earn more revenue than a Partner streamer.
The point is that earnings might fluctuate, and because Twitch only pays you if you earn more than $100 per month or carry it forward, it’s possible that one month you don’t earn anything, and the next month you get $500.
However, an affiliate streamer with an average of 100 viewers and 30 paid subscribers (or with the prime subscription) who streams daily gets roughly $150-200 per month based only on Twitch income. If he is consistent, creates daily content, and works with brands, a small streamer with a Twitch monetization of $200 per month, plus donations and brand sponsorship, can generate $500-1000 per month.
Measuring Your Success on Twitch
It’s important to keep track of your Twitch channel’s stats to see what’s working and what isn’t, and make adjustments as needed.
Analytics allow you to track your progress toward achieving Affiliate and Partner status. As an aspiring influencer, it’s critical to check your numbers daily to understand what your audience likes and what they ignore.
Twitch Analytics on Your Dashboard
You can get free analytics for your Twitch channel on the Twitch Dashboard.
Keep track of your progress toward Affiliate and Partner status with your Twitch Channel Analytics. The following is some of the essential information you’ll see about these advancements:
- The total amount of time you’ve spent streaming
- The average number of people who watch each of your streams
- The days you’ve been live-streaming
You can modify the range to any 30-day period you want to analyze.
Third-Party Twitch Analysis Tools
There are various other analytics tools for your Twitch channel that can help you track additional metrics. Some of them are free and can give information on gained followers, followers per hour, peak viewers, views per hour, and much more are all available. You can see if these numbers are rising or declining at a glance. You also get access to a variety of graphs and tables to analyze the performance of your Twitch channel.
Get Inspired By Twitch’s Highest-Paid Streamers
Some of the Twitch data was recently leaked in bulk, revealing which streamers were paid the most by the company. The report includes information on how much Twitch has paid streamers since August 2019. Streamers’ earnings from sources outside Twitch, such as merchandising, YouTube revenue, sponsorships, and external donations, are excluded. Despite this constraint, the list shows that Twitch has paid more than $1 million to 81 Twitch streamers since August 2019.
Some of the accounts are:
- CriticalRole – $9.6 million
- xQcOW – $8.4 million
- summit1g – $5.8 million
- Tfue – $5.2 million
- NICKMERCS – $5 million
- ludwig – $3.2 million
- TimTheTatman – $3.2 million
- Altoar – $3 million
- auronplay – $3 million
- LIRIK – $2.9 million
- __unknown__ – $2.8 million
- Gaules – $2.8 million
- HasanAbi – $2.8 million
- Asmongold – $2.5 million
- loltyler1 – $2.4 million
- RanbooLive – $2.4 million
- MontanaBlack88 – $2.3 million
- ibai – $2.3 million
- Castro_1021 – $2.3 million
- MOONMOON – $2.2 million
- TheRealKnossi – $2.1 million
- moistcr1tikal – $2 million
- Mizkif – $2 million
- CohhCarnage – $2 million
- shroud – $2 million
In conclusion, Influencers can profit from live streaming by collecting tips from viewers, securing paid relationships with brands, selling products, or charging viewers a subscription or channel membership fee.
In recent years, influencers have begun to use the gaming industry to generate revenue through their content. Gamers have traditionally favored YouTube, but content creators have started to shift to Twitch, a far cooler area where influencer marketing firms have their sights set.
One of the ways of making money on Twitch is getting connected to the right brand. Atisfyre makes this immensely easy for you through its AI-based platform. The algorithm ensures that you get jobs that fit your niche, industry, and target audience without the hassles of negotiating deals and contracts with brands. Which in turn allows you to do the thing you do best – create engaging content! No matter your niche, you can start bagging the best work.
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