It all starts with Becoming a Twitch Affiliate or Partner
If you want to become a successful broadcaster on Twitch and start monetizing your channel
then you are first going to need to join Twitch's affiliate or partner programs. Once you've
achieved this status, you will become a valued member of an elite streaming community that
makes up just a small percentage of the platform's broadcasters. Let's go over some of the requirements
that you'll need to reach this level.
First is the Twitch affiliate program, which is the lower tier of paid streaming on Twitch.To
be eligible for the Twitch affiliate program you'll need to have logged at least 500 minutes
of broadcast time in the last 30 days. You'll also need to have broadcasted for at least
7 unique days in the last 30 days. But you can't just be broadcasting to an empty audience.
You'll have to have had at least 3 concurrent viewers in the last 30 days, and a total of
at least 50 followers.
Within a few weeks of your channel becoming eligible for the program, you’ll be invited
via email and in the Notification area in the upper right corner of twitch.tv.
To become a Twitch partner, which is considerably more exclusive, you’ll need even stronger
stats. You'll need to have broadcasted for at least 25 hours and on at least 12 unique
days in the last 30 days. Additionally, you'll need to have had at least 75 average viewers
in the last 30 days.
Completing these requirements doesn't mean that you are automatically granted Partner
status. After your eligibility for the program has been confirmed, you’ll see an 'Apply'
button on your achievements dashboard. After applying, Twitch will typically get back to
you within 7 business days, giving their decision based on your application.
Keep in mind that not everyone receives Partner or Affiliate status even if they did meet
all of the requirements for eligibility. At times it can take more than just one attempt
to get accepted into these programs, because Twitch looks at more than just the numbers
and stats. Figuring out why Twitch is hesitant to accept your application is a big part of
taking your channel to the next level, so just consider it a learning experience. So
if you get denied, don't take it personally, but keep building that audience and prove
to Twitch that you’re a valuable partner to them.
Of course, this means the key ingredient to earning money on Twitch is building a twitch
following.
Becoming a successful monetized broadcaster on Twitch isn't an easy task. It takes consistency
to build an audience. You'll want to do things like find your niche and establish your slant
if you're going to build a base of loyal followers who tune in every day to watch your broadcast.
But first things first. If you want to build your following, you'll need to treat Twitch
just like any other real business. If you keep this in mind, you'll already be one step
ahead of most streamers on the platform.
Twitch has somewhere between 2 and 3 million monthly broadcasters. That's a ton of streams
that you’ll be competing with for viewership. Standing out in this crowded pool of gamers
can be a difficult endeavor, especially since you'll be at the very bottom of the category
that you choose to stream on when you first get started.
At first, very few viewers will even see your stream. If they do happen to stumble across
it, you want them to be intrigued enough by your content to check it out. Be honest with
yourself. If you came across your stream, would you actually be interested in clicking
on it?
So if you want to get noticed, you'll have to be unique. It's important to view your
stream from the perspective of your audience. Why would they want to watch your stream?
If you can answer that question, then you're already off to a pretty good start.
But let’s dive further here and talk about how to find your niche and separate yourself
from the crowd.
There are three specific qualities that help Twitch streamers stand out and build a following.
First, if the streamer is an extremely skilled gamer and in the top 1% of skills for their
preferred game. Nobody wants to watch someone that doesn't know what they are doing. They
want to learn from the best, so it's kind of a given that they would be attracted to
these kinds of streamers. If you’re really good at a certain game, start with that one.
Second, if the streamer has ties to other big-name streamers and they often play together.
It's always good to have friends in high places, and it never hurts to piggyback off the success
of an already established streamer to help grow your audience numbers. If you have connections,
take advantage of them! Finally, tee streamer has a specific niche
that provides unique entertainment to viewers. This is probably one of the most important
ones, and also the one that most new Twitch streamers will be relying on, so let’s dig
a little deeper. To find your niche and your unique entertainment
value, you’re going to have to really reflect and consider your specific interests and passions.
Try making a list of your top 5 interests and hobbies. From there you can ask yourself
a few questions. For one, how do you spend your downtime? What kind of YouTube channels
or Podcasts are you subscribed to? Or what are some areas where you are really good at
being creative and solving problems?
Of course, most streamers would agree that gaming is a main interest. While that's totally
acceptable, try to think of at least a few other interests to add to your list that can
differentiate your personality and streams.
Then, think about how you can combine these interests when creating engaging content on
your Twitch stream. For example, if you love cooking, consider creating a Twitch stream
showing you whipping up your favorite meals and sharing those recipes. If you're a talented
celebrity impressionist, why not create a stream where you use your impressions to chat
with your teammates? Really, the options are endless, but the trick is finding which one
best suits your abilities, interests and personality.
As long as you are providing something unique or improving on what other streams are already
offering, you’ll start gaining traction and growing a following.
Once that following grows large enough, you can gain eligibility to monetize on Twitch
and finally start marking money.
At this point, there are several different ways to start earning money on Twitch.
The first, largest and most consistent source of earning money on twitch is through subscriptions.
Subscriptions
Twitch viewers can opt for one of three different subscription levels ranging from $4.99 to
$24.99 a month.
When you're just getting started as a streamer you split the income from a subscriber 50/50
with Twitch. As you become a more popular broadcaster with more subscribers and gain
partner status, however, you can negotiate to earn a larger percentage of that profit.
In some cases, once you've climbed up the ranks you can potentially pocket 100% of that
income.
As I mentioned, one of the best things about subscriptions is that its recurring monthly
income. You're earning a percentage of that revenue each month, which means that eventually,
you can rely on that monthly income to replace what would be a paycheck that you could get
elsewhere.
Next is Bit Donations.
When you're first getting started, the most common way to earn revenue is through bit
donations from your viewers. Bits are Twitch's in-platform virtual currency that viewers
can buy and redeem to use 'Cheer' emotes on their favorite streamer's chat feed.
When 'Bit Gems' are used in your chat room by your subscribers, Twitch will pay you $0.01
per bit. You can also create your very own custom emoji called 'Cheermotes' which work
in a similar way but look a bit different. This feature however is only available to
Twitch partners, which is another incentive to aim for that higher partnership tier.
Up next is Advertising Revenue.
According to one report, the average Twitch broadcaster makes $250 for every 100 subscribers
that they have just in ad revenue alone. Keep in mind, ads are reserved only for Twitch
partners, so you won't immediately have this revenue source available to you right out
of the gate. You'll have to work your way up to this level.
But when you get there, Twitch offers two main kinds of ads; pre-roll or display ads.
These are ads placed on the Twitch platform by advertisers, and Twitch will pay you a
cut of the revenue for getting eyeballs on the platform. For every 1,000 views of your
ad, you'll earn a base rate. But you should know that ad revenue has been decreasing in
recent years due to the prevalence of ad blockers. You can always address this issue directly,
however, by tactfully asking your subscribers to turn off their adblockers while watching
your stream.
Next is Paid Livestreams and Sponsorships
Once you've grown your subscribers and have an active audience base, you can begin to
develop relationships with companies looking to market their products and services. By
doing this, you can get sponsored by a company to promote things on your stream. This may
include wearing their merch, playing their game or using a certain mouse and keyboard.
These are really powerful opportunities for small and large streamers alike, because brands
know that a streamer’s personality can drive even more sales than a generic ad. If you
connect with a brand and enjoy their products, these could be lucrative long-term relationships
to nurture and maintain. Next Affiliate Marketing, which is one that
even small streamers can do without Twitch monetization eligibility.
Affiliate Marketing is when you share products and services with your viewers through unique
links or discount codes. When your viewers make a purchase for a product or service using
your affiliate details, you’ll get a commission on that sale.
For example, if you really love the mouse that you use while PC gaming then you potentially
could work out a deal with the manufacturer where they will give you a coupon code to
share with your followers. Whenever someone buys that mouse using your code, then the
mouse manufacturer will give you a percentage of the profit.
This is great for smaller streamers because you can make money outside of Twitch, and
you may even be able to negotiate affiliate deals that pay you pretty generously.
Last is Joining An Esports Organization
If you’ve been showing off your skills and catching the attention of an established eSports
team, you could potentially get signed and get a nice payday in the process. Granted,
this is easier said than done, but if you are skilled enough you can potentially earn
a full-time income just by doing what you love. Don't expect an eSports organization
to immediately reach out to you with an opportunity though. Only the best of the best get invited
to join their ranks, so you'll have to show off your chops first and earn a decent-sized
following of subscribers. In addition to having that dedicated following, you’ll want to
prove your gaming prowess by competing in tournaments and earning accolades.
So here’s The Truth About How To Make Money On Twitch.
It’s not going to be an overnight payday. It takes a lot of time, hard work, and dedication
to become a successful Twitch broadcaster. It all starts with finding your niche and
building an audience, which could require months of experimenting and streaming to just
a few people at a time. You may not even earn a cent until a year or more into streaming.
But if streaming games is your passion, playing video games really can be a full time job
thanks to Twitch. Just be ready to commit.
If you’ve got any ideas for growing on Twitch or any better side hustles, drop us a comment
below. Or if you’re looking for some easier money, be sure to check out this video for
some mobile apps that will pay you for doing practically nothing, it’s actually pretty
unbelievable. But thanks for watching, and we’ll see you in the next video!