Learning and knowing how to make money on Twitch has always seemed like a cushy, dream job, but it’s a little more than that.
As a streamer, whether this is on Twitch, Mixer, or Facebook Gaming, you’re earning a living by blasting an audience with unique and engaging content and knowing how to make money on Twitch will require you to wear many hats:
- An apt entertainer
- A (semi) skilled player
- An insightful marketer
Perhaps you will never be as big as Tyler “Ninjas” Blevins, but this doesn’t mean you won’t be able to make money as a streamer or shouldn’t try to aspire to the virtues that make great Twitch streamers.
It’s so temptingly easy to launch your own career, hardly needing more than a decent streaming camera and proper mic that seldom cost a fortune.
Here are all you need to know if you wish to pursue streaming and want all the perks that come along with it.
Twitch Affiliate Program
You can almost right away start making money on Twitch by opting into the Twitch Affiliate program as the requirements are fairly easy to obtain. All you need to do is have 50 followers, have at least 3 concurrent viewers (average), and stream 500 minutes on 7 different days (approx 70 minutes for each of those 7 days) within the past 30 days. It sounds like a lot but once you get some initial momentum going it should be fairly easy to be able to apply and make money from the Twitch Affiliate Program.
Once you’re in the Twitch Affiliate Program it all boils down to the same age-old formula – provide value to your viewers and build an audience who will be happy to subscribe to your channel by paying a fee, choosing from several options:
- $4.99
- $9.99
- $24.99
- Twitch Prime Subscription (Free)
Once you have the subscribers – make them ‘cheer’ for you and engage. Your next goal as a Twitch streamer is to have your subscribers snap up the virtual cheer goodies known as Bits. Bits can be bought from Twitch and used in your channel as a token of appreciation, with a little share of the Bits cost going straight to your wallet. A great way to start making money on Twitch.
Lastly, Twitch affiliates can also offer in-game goodies on their stream for which they will get 5% of the revenue – a fair slice of the pie.
Learn more about how to make money from the Twitch Affiliate Program here.
Twitch Partner Program
When business is booming and Twitch is ready to make more money with you, Twitch will offer you a Partnership program. A sizable audience prompts the Amazon-owned giant to lay even better terms, more customization options, and additional streams of revenue so you can make money on Twitch and perhaps even upgrade your gaming rig. Here’s the deal:
Once again, your subscribers will be able to choose from several subscription fees, purchase Bits and shower you in the digital accolades. You will also finally be able to start running ads on your streams and see your overall profit grow incrementally.
If there is one neat trick about Twitch, that’s customization. As a Twitch Partner, you can provide your followers with quite a few ways to make their stay at your channel far more entertaining by using:
- Custom Emoticons
- Custom Chat Badges
- Verified User Badges
- Custom Bit Badges
- Cheermotes
The list goes on as Twitch finds new ways to improve upon the synergies between content creators and viewers tuning in to share a laugh or learn from the top streamers on Twitch.
Learn more about how to make money from the Twitch Partner Program here.
Donations – Making It Fun to Give Money Away
Parting viewers and their money is an acquired skill but you’re here to make money on Twitch as a streamer so you should definitely be mastering this skill as this is exactly how to make money on Twitch.
It turns out that in the constantly buzzing Twitch channels, it’s not at all difficult to make sympathetic streamers throw you a token of their gratitude and appreciation in the form of hard currency.
Donations are easy to fetch as long as you give people something back to enjoy. Make the process of donating fun.
A robotic announcer can read the names of your benefactors but be sure to only have this feature on donations above $3, adding a bit of appeal to your pitch.
Sponsorships – A Deal That Pays Off
Twitch affiliates and partners will invariably need quite the sizable chunk of viewers tuning in to watch their livestreams in order to keep the money rolling in, but there are other ways to fetch a profit.
Knowledge is power as the popular saying goes. Pair that with a bit of charm and you can get yourself a sponsorship.
Sponsorship’s are a fantastic way to get goodies and make money as a streamer. Companies are willing to pay up-and-coming streamers a bit to review or use their products on stream. As long as you have a steady audience, be that even 50 viewers, that’s alright, and you can still find quite a few companies willing to spare some money or streaming gear that you can use.
The better a reviewer you are, the more traffic you will drive. Not everyone is the boisterous type of streamer, and that’s alright as long as you know how to approach a subject with authority and confidence.
Don’t wait for the sponsors to find you, find them yourself!
It will take you a bit of research. Brands like G Fuel for example are relatively small but are in the process of actively building up their brand footprint. This could work greatly in your benefit to get a sponsorship. You could also even try one of the larger brands like Logitech and perhaps they will send you a bunch of a gear that you are exclusively to use on your stream.
How to actually hunt down your own sponsors?
Just keep your ear to the ground. Read the news, follow Reddit, go through your Twitter or contact them directly through their website or Facebook page/Twitter.
YouTube Highlights
Content is king they say, and they are correct. YouTube has perhaps a slightly less demanding nature and when it comes to earning a living this way, most of the work is done offline.
You can monetize on ads revenue by singling out your best content and creating highlights of the noteworthy moments of your livestream, keeping the money flowing. Of course, you will also need to realize that you will need a rather more demanding video editing skill set to execute this properly. A skill you can probably master over at Udemy for a couple of bucks.
In most cases, the ads that appear on your videos will lead to crowdfunding and merchandising websites, so think about how to make your content sweet and beautiful.
Everyone wants to be PewDiePie nor Logan Paul, when it comes to the amount of revenue that you would like to generate. Making this much money may not happen while trying to copy their formulas, though.
Even the top YouTube streamers are constantly looking into new ways to keep their audience entertained, and some even pay for making the occasional faux pas.
Whatever platform you choose in the end, you will have to find your own unique signature style.
Something to tell your viewers that you are you and that you are worth their while. The spotlight is back on you.
A gaming lover from a very young age, Justin has always had a keen eye for building his own computers or racing sims so that he can race his identical twin (and usually lose at the actual race).
Justin in the founder of BeStreamer and sees it as a free resource to help all gamers around the world
