How to Monetize Twitch

Twitch is one of the most popular live streaming platforms in the world, in demand among both beginners and experienced streamers. Here they not only share their content, but also earn on it. From our article, you will learn how to make money on Twitch and what amounts you can count on this service.

Twitch is a popular online video streaming service with a huge audience. It was introduced in 2011 as an offshoot of the Justin.tv platform. Owned by Amazon's subsidiary, Twitch Interactive. The main part of the audience of the service is young people (representatives of the age category 18–34 years old make up almost 70%). More than half of them are men.

Every day, users watch about 71 million hours of various video content here. Those who did not have time to watch the live broadcast can find the video here in its entirety or in the format of cutting individual fragments. Most often, streams are dedicated to gaming content: eSports and computer games. The service has channels dedicated to other topics: cinema, music, cooking, and so on, but there are much fewer of them.

Can you make money on Twitch? Of course yes. Now we will tell you how to do it. 

Only those users who have signed a partnership agreement with the service by choosing one of the programs can monetize their content on Twitch. When users of this service are asked «How do you make money on Twitch», they usually answer that they use one of two cooperation programs:

Twitch Affiliate is a program of affiliate marketing that gives streamers the status of an affiliate and provides them with access to several content monetization tools (donations, integrated advertising and paid subscriptions), functionality for voting or polls, as well as the ability to show replay streams. The terms of cooperation under this program are detailed in the user's personal account.

To become an affiliate, streamers must meet a number of requirements. In the last 30 days, they should have the following activity indicators of Twitch account:

Twitch Partner is a program that gives a streamer the status of a partner, gives the opportunity to keep a record of broadcasts for 60 days (for the rest, the period is limited to 2 weeks) and create streamer teams (squads). In addition, a check mark appears next to the name of the channel, confirming reality, and more personalized emoji in chat. As a bonus, you can count on the extraordinary help of technical support specialists – they respond to partners faster.

The level of requirements for a partner is higher than for a companion. To apply for this status, the user must have the following indicators for the last 30 days:

An important point: even if all the Twitch monetization requirements are met, this does not guarantee that the user will receive partner status. Each application is considered individually by the service staff.

Regardless of which cooperation programs the users choose, they will have to sign an additional agreement. We recommend that you carefully read its terms and conditions before you sign it and start streaming. For example, here are some of the interesting moments:

If Twitch streamers violate any rules of this agreement, Twitch may refuse to pay the funds they have earned and even block the channel. Therefore, before signing up to participate in an affiliate program, you should meticulously study the document with the conditions and think about whether you can comply with all these nuances.

How Twitch streamers make money? The first step towards making money on Twitch is to work on building your audience. If no one watches your streams, you won't get a cent. Let's say you have already done this, and your channel has acquired a certain number of subscribers. In this case, you can proceed to the consideration of ways to earn money.

How to make money Twitch streaming? The following methods are suitable for monetizing content on the Twitch platform:

A paid channel subscription is the main way to Twitch monetization. And the viewers express their support for the streamer they like in this way. Those who issued it are entitled to special privileges: a set of unique emojis, access to a chat with other subscribers, and more.

To encourage users to purchase Twitch subscriptions, it is recommended to tell them about its benefits:

Viewers can choose from three monthly subscription plans. As an example, here are the prices for the United States (in different countries they may differ):

Under the terms of the partnership agreement, Twitch keeps 50% of the profits for itself, and gives the other half to the streamer. Suppose all subscribers have chosen the minimum tariff. How much money can you make with Twitch in this case? Then the owner of the channel will be able to earn per month:

On Twitch, you can sell almost any product that is not prohibited by law: websites, cosmetics, drinks, food, furniture, as well as provide delivery services and earn money from it. The most popular categories are: software, video games, various computer devices and gadgets. Gaming products sell best: games and equipment designed for them, virtual items, gift certificates. Dota 2, CS:GO, Fortnite, League of Legends and World of Warcraft are traditionally the most popular for in-game purchases.

When you as a partner play a game that is available for purchase on Twitch, the system will automatically place a sale window under the stream. By clicking on it, the viewers can make a purchase. In this case, the streamer will receive 5% of the amount that they spent.

How to get monetized on Twitch other than that? Many top streamers sell their own merch. For example, the Couriway tweeter's account contains a link to an online store with clothing that has the symbols of his brand (hoodies, t-shirts). And one more example: Lili_Pupp's profile has a banner leading to an online store with her merchandise. All sales proceeds go to them personally.

Any streamer who has the status of an affiliate or partner has the right to connect banner advertising on the channel and thus monetize Twitch. With its help, you can trade not only real goods, but also virtual items.

There are 2 ways to connect an advertising banner:

Users with Twitch Affiliate and Partner status can make money streaming from integrated advertising. To launch it, you just need to click the "Start Ads" button in your personal profile. However, there is a caution: the service will decide for itself what to advertise on the channel. The streamer can only choose the duration of the commercial – from 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes.

Earnings from such advertising directly depends on views. More views mean more income. Therefore, it is almost impossible to answer the question of how much exactly you can get. It is only known that the amount of income from embedded advertising is significantly affected by the popularity of the streamers and the number of their subscribers.

Newcomers to Twitch are unlikely to be able to make money on merchandise – for this, you need to first gain popularity. How to make money with streaming for new active users? They are encouraged to pay attention to sponsorship. Advertisers track streamers with a sufficient number of viewers, contact them and offer to say a few words about their product during the live stream, backing up the story with a link to a resource where it can be purchased. By the way, it is not necessary to wait until you are contacted regarding advertising. You can play ahead of the curve – contact a company that, from your point of view, can become a potential advertiser, and offer cooperation to its representative.

The best option for Twitch is hidden advertising. For example, a well-known streamer can even be paid for simply being in the frame in a T-shirt that has the advertiser's logo on it. Another covert promotion option: during the broadcast, the streamers leave the room to meet the courier who brought them groceries from the store or food from the catering establishment. They then appear in the frame for a few seconds with a delivery worker, casually displaying the symbolism of the courier uniform (for example, Uber Eats) or the logo on the food box (for example, Pizza Hut). Thus, the user does not openly advertise and does not call for a purchase. Such advertising is perceived by viewers much better than direct advertising, but they pay less for it.

Placing recordings of broadcasts from Twitch on YouTube video hosting can become a source of additional passive income for the streamer. How many subscribers do you need to make money on Twitch? As soon as you dial 1000 subscribers there, YouTube itself will offer to monetize the content. The first followers here are most often Twitch channel subscribers who, for various reasons, did not have time to watch the live broadcast.

Please note that a recorded stream will not be released to YouTube until 24 hours after it ends on Twitch. This is a strict rule of cooperation with the platform, which must not be violated in any way.

One of the most widely practiced Twitch monetization options is affiliate links. The earning scheme is simple: the streamers take an affiliate link to the product from the company and publish it on the channel. Just pay for accommodation, of course, no one will. To be rewarded, the viewer must click on it and make a purchase. The amount of payment is, as a rule, from 5% to 30% of the cost of the advertised product.

Amazon Associates is an Amazon “affiliate” that newcomers to Twitch can use for a minimum starting affiliate income. Under its terms, the streamers can mention Amazon products during the broadcast and publish links in their account. If a viewer buys an advertised product, the channel owner will receive an agreed percentage of its value.

One of the additional Twitch offers for earning is donations. Each streamer who has registered on Twitch can “attach” a service for donations (voluntary financial assistance) to the channel. Spectators at will and opportunities send money there. After accumulating a certain amount, it can be withdrawn to your bank account through a convenient payment system.

Among the most popular donation services are:

If you do not trust third-party services, there is an alternative way to accept donations – placing the details of an electronic wallet or a bank card in the description of your channel. But in this case, you will lose integration with Twitch, you will not be able to find out which viewers dropped the donation, and, accordingly, thank they. Usually people dislike to donate anonymously, so choosing this method, you should not count on significant amounts.

It is difficult to say how much you can actually earn on donations. Since these are voluntary donations, you basically have to rely on your own charisma and luck. For several months, not a single cent may come at all, and then one day someone will take and transfer a couple of tens of thousands of dollars. Here’s a prime example: in April 2021, Twitch streamer Cameron Ferguson was donated $85,000.

The range of possible earnings on the Twitch affiliate program is expansive: from $50 to over $1000 per month. Its size is influenced by many factors: the frequency of streaming, the subject of broadcasts, the number of subscribers and their level of activity, as well as the charisma of the channel's author. Sometimes solid donations can come in, after a successful stream, the number of people who want to subscribe to the channel can jump sharply. To get a more or less concrete picture of earnings, you can use a special service – the Twitch money calculator.

The highest-paid Twitch streamer on the top Twitch streamers is American Tyler Blevins (nickname Ninja). With over 11 million subscribers, he earns about $5 million a year. Streamers with the nicknames Shroud, Sodapoppin, TimTheTatman, AdmiralBahroo, DrLupo, MOONMOON_OW and DrDisRespect earn between $2 million and $3 million annually. What is the secret of their success? They are characterized by gaming professionalism, emotional communication with the audience, an atypical manner of playing or behavior, lyrical digressions during the broadcast with a discussion of moments from personal life, and more.

Not every user of the Twitch platform who plays computer games well can become a famous streamer. To make a name for yourself, you need to be not only charismatic, but also the best of the best in your field, constantly generate unique content that millions of people want to watch, and also be able to keep a conversation with your subscribers. For such a person, Twitch may well become a good platform for making money.

At the same time, everyone can monetize Twitch because the service provides many effective tools for making money on the platform. Some provide direct income (for example, paid subscriptions and donations), others provide indirect income (sales of goods and earnings on advertising). Proper use of them will help bring the channel to a new level, increase its recognition and, accordingly, increase earnings.

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