How to Make Money on Twitch?

Richard Bennett

Oct 14, 2024• Proven solutions

Being a professional broadcaster is not just about being really good at playing your favorite game. It takes months, sometimes even years to build a channel that attracts millions of daily visitors, so being patient and consistent is the first step toward the status some of the greatest gamers of this decade enjoy.

Running a successful Twitch channel demands some entrepreneurial spirit, inventiveness, originality and a lot of hard work, so don't get discouraged if at first, your streams don't reach a large audience. In this article we are going to take a look at some of the methods of earning money on Twitch, so let's dive into the world of professional streaming.

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Making Money on Twitch as a Newbie

Being a rookie is never easy, especially on a platform that already has 2.2 million users on a monthly basis. Newcomers face a fierce competition, but that doesn't mean earning money from streaming is impossible in the early stages of your career. It may take a little time, but persistence will eventually pay off.

1. Donations

Twitch users can support their favorite gamers by donating a certain amount of money to them. You can add a Donate button to your channel through PayPal or some other app like TwitchAlerts or StreamTip.

However, adding a PayPal while the number of people who regularly follows your streams is relatively low may not produce great results. Instead of asking viewers for donations you should strive to provide them with high-quality entertainment because that is the best way to receive regular financial support from your fans.

2. Gaming Related Goods

As your Twitch channel grows your name and logo will become more recognizable. This presents an opportunity to develop a brand and sell anything from t-shirts to laptop cases. There are quite a few places on the Internet where you can sell your merchandise so if you have a loyal fan base this may be an excellent way of making extra profits

3. Brand Promotions

Twitch is a home to one of the largest gaming audiences on the Internet, which means that companies that produce software, hardware, chairs, microphones or headphones can all be your potential affiliate partners. Don't confuse the affiliate partnerships with the Twitch Affiliate program, because they have nothing in common.

Although putting products in front of audiences sounds like a great deal, these types of partnerships are hard to come by. Companies rarely reach out to streamers and ask them to use their products during streams so even though the promotion of brands can be a source of income for streamers, it isn't easy to find a company that offers affiliate partnerships.

Generating Profits through a Twitch Affiliate Program

A little over a year ago, Twitch has launched the Affiliate Program that offers more opportunities to earn money from streaming. You cannot apply for this program, and the only way to become a Twitch Affiliate is to meet all the necessary requirements for receiving an invitation. You'll need to have at least 50 followers, more than eight hours of broadcast time, seven different broadcasting days and an average of three viewers per stream, all within a 30-day window.

In July 2018 there were more than 200.000 Twitch Affiliates and although this is still a relatively low percentage of streamers, these numbers show that getting an invitation to the program is far from impossible. The Twitch Affiliate status opens up some opportunities to earn money while streaming.

1. Bits

The virtual cheers or Bits are virtual goods that can be purchased by viewers and used to show support to gamers. Bits make chats more fun since they come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. A hundred Bits costs $1.40, and a Twitch Affiliate earn a cent for each Bit that was used in the chat on their stream.

2. Subscriptions

As the popularity of your Twitch channel grows, each new subscriber becomes a source of income. A monthly subscription grants access to special features such as private chat rooms, merchandise discounts, and emoticons. The prices range from $4.99 to $9.99 and $24.99, so fans can select the option that best fits their needs. Streamers split the earnings with Twitch from each new subscription 50/50, although in some cases, gamers receive more than a half of the money from a subscription.

3. Selling Video Games

If you are playing games that are available in the Twitch store, a Buy Now button will be displayed on your channel during a stream. The viewers can buy a game directly from your channel, and each time a game is purchased you'll receive 5% of the game's price. Besides the game sales, Twitch Affiliates also earn money from game add-ons and all other purchases that were made through their channel.

Earning Money as a Twitch Partner

At the moment, there are roughly 30.000 Twitch Partners, which shows that making it to the top tier of broadcasters on Twitch is not an easy thing to do. In order to be eligible to apply for a Partnership, you'll have to meet certain requirements, including streaming at least three times a week.

When you gain the partner status you'll have all of the above-mentioned methods of stream monetization at your disposal, but you'll also be able to include ads into your streams. Twitch offers around $2 per 1000 views of an ad that's why your channel has to attract quite a lot of traffic so ads can become profitable.

AdBlocker and other similar apps can easily block ads which can make earning steady revenue from ads a bit complicated. Moreover, including too many ads in a stream can be irritating so it may take a little planning to find the best way to incorporate ads into your streams. Twitch Partners also have a good chance of receiving sponsorships from companies as well as a number of other opportunities to earn money from streaming on Twitch.

A Few Tips for Making Money on Twitch

In addition to advanced gaming skills, you must also have awe-inspiring marketing skills if earning money from streaming is your goal. The amount of money you'll be able to make on a monthly basis is directly related to the size of the audience your streams attract. All of the most popular gamers on the platform started small and they patiently built their audience through the years.

Finding your niche and producing new content regularly will help you create a loyal fan base, but if you want your channel to continue growing then you should promote it through social media channels. Sometimes the best promotion you can get comes from fellow broadcasters, so try to become a well-known member of the Twitch community by showing support for gamers you admire. Working hard and being patient are perhaps the most important factors that will ensure your success as a broadcaster on Twitch.

Conclusion

Although there are numerous ways to monetize your broadcasts, earning an income from streaming is still far from easy. The important thing is not to get discouraged and to constantly produce more content because sooner or later your broadcasts will become profitable. Did you find these monetization methods helpful? Leave a comment and let us know.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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