You love gaming? Then you will want to learn how to make money with Twitch.
You might have heard that Twitch streamers who are most followed make an astounding seven-figure income. This is especially true for Tyler Blevins (AKA “Ninja”), who earned $1,000,000 for just a few hours of gaming during EA’s Apex Legends launch.
This is the best way to make a few bucks with your streams.
You might still be wondering how Twitch streamers earn their money. How can you make money on Twitch and how do you get it?
This guide will show you the 10 ways to stream money. Keep watching until the end for tips on building an audience on Twitch.
Let’s get started.
How do Twitch streamers make money?
Twitch streamers make money through viewer donations, crowdfunded subscriptions and ‘Twitch bits’ (another form for viewer donation). They also make money through ads, brand sponsorships , affiliate Marketing and merchandise sales. Some Twitch streamers make money through YouTube videos and crowdfunding via Patreon.
- Donations
- YouTube
- Patreon
- Affiliate marketing
- Sponsorships by brands
- Merchandise
- Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Twitch Bits
- Game sales
- Ad revenue
What Does Twitch Pay?
If your account balance exceeds $100, Twitch will pay you every 15-day.
How to make money on Twitch without being a partner
Let me be clear: It can be very difficult to make money streaming on Twitch if you are just starting.
You can’t make any money through subscriptions, Twitch Bits or game sales until you are a Twitch Partner or Affiliate. It’s almost impossible to make money with merchandise or sponsorships unless you have a large following.
There are four ways to start making money on Twitch, even if you’re not a Partner.
- Donations
- Patreon
- YouTube
- Affiliate marketing
Let’s take a closer glance at each one.
Donations
Twitch users love to donate money or ‘tips” to their favorite streamers. You can accept donations via a third-party service, even though Twitch Bits can only be accepted by Affiliates and Partners.
Start collecting donations by adding a button to your channel that says “Donate”. This button can be used with services such as PayPal or Streamlabs.
Two main ways viewers can donate are:
- In the ‘About Me” section of your profile, add a donation panel.
- Promote your donation link in chat with a service such as Nightbot, Moobot.
In-stream services can also be used to encourage viewers to donate.
If you are a musician for example, you might be able to take donations of songs. You could also offer to let your armor fall for a short time if you are a first-person shooter gamer to make it more exciting.
YouTube
It’s easy to make a little extra money by uploading your best streams to YouTube channels.
You could upload, for example, game compilations or interesting or funny clips taken from your streams.
It can be difficult to make a living on YouTube, just like Twitch. Uploading videos to YouTube is a great way of attracting new viewers to your Twitch streams.
Why?
Twitch does not offer streamers many options to attract new viewers. YouTube offers extensive search capabilities, related video suggestions and personal recommendations to viewers.
All top Twitch streamers share their videos on YouTube regularly. For example, Ludwig Ahgren is a popular Twitch streamer and posts a new YouTube clip every day.
Patreon
It can be difficult to figure out how to make money with Twitch if you don’t have many followers. Unless you are an Affiliate, Twitch subscriptions can’t be taken advantage of.
If you have some regular viewers who enjoy your streams, you might be able to incentivize them by asking them to donate money each month to you on Patreon for the opportunity to earn rewards from what you create.
You could, for example, offer patrons exclusive video content or share top gaming tips.
Your Twitch profile description should include a link to your Patreon account. You can also promote your Patreon rewards during streams.
Affiliate Marketing
You can also earn money on Twitch by sharing affiliate links, which is not to be confused for becoming a Twitch Associate.
Affiliate Marketing consists of the promotion of offers online and getting a commission or fee for everything you sell.
It sounds pretty great, right?
Amazon Associates affiliate marketing is the most popular way streamers make money. You can link to Amazon products and receive a cut of all purchases made by your viewers.
Other popular affiliate programs with Twitch streamers are Play Asia, and LootCrate.
To start with Amazon set up the Amazon Blacksmith extension. This extension is used by many Twitch streamers to promote the gear they use.
Promote your affiliate links on your social media pages, in chat with a chatbot and during streams to increase your income.
How to make money on Twitch by having a regular audience
It’ll be much easier to make money on Twitch once you have a loyal audience. You can also make some extra cash in two other ways.
- Sponsorships by brands
- Merchandise
Brand sponsorships
To land sponsorship deals, you don’t have to be a Twitch Partner or Affiliate. However, it would be helpful to have a large audience that brands want to reach.
Twitch users can also promote all kinds of products and brands, from fashion brands and gaming hardware to beverages and musical instruments.
Brands usually reach out to streamers that they are interested in working with. However, there is nothing stopping you pitching brands directly.
You might also be interested in services that facilitate sponsorship deals between brands, streamers, and other entities such as PowerSpike or HelloGamers.
Merchandise
If you have a loyal fan base, you might sell merchandise to them, like mugs and stickers.
For example, Ninja is a popular streamer who sells branded hoodies.
Set up a Shopify store to sell your brand merchandise. You can also use a print on-demand app such as Printify, Printful. You can also make money by dropshipping certain items.
To create designs, or to hire a designer through a platform such as Fiverr and Upwork, use a tool such Hatchful.
How to become an affiliate on Twitch
To become an Twitch Affiliate you must meet certain criteria:
- Minimum 50 followers
- Broadcast 500 minutes in total over the past 30 days
- Broadcast on at least 7 distinct days
- A minimum of three viewers concurrently
You can also become a Twitch affiliate and get access to three additional ways of monetizing your site:
- Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Twitch bits
- Game sales
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Twitch allows you to subscribe to your favorite Affiliates to get exclusive perks and a monthly payment.
Subscription perks typically include exclusive chat rooms and subscriber-only streams as well as unique emoticons and merchandise discounts.
There are three subscription levels available: $4.99 to $9.99 per month, $24.99 to $24.99 per year.
The best part? Twitch Affiliates receive 50% of this monthly income, with Twitch receiving the remaining half. Subscriptions are often the most reliable and stable source of income for streamers.
Twitch Bits
You can accept donations through Twitch once you become a Twitch Affiliate. These donations will be in the form Twitch bits.
You can earn Bits by watching ads and filling out surveys. Viewers can also purchase Bits. Bits are available in a variety of sizes and colors.
Bits are basically virtual tips or cheers that viewers give streamers when they like the stream and support the creator.
Twitch Affiliates earn $0.01 per bit they receive. Although it may not seem like much, this can add up as your viewership grows.
Game Sales
You can make money selling games through Twitch affiliates.
You can stream yourself playing any game in the Twitch shop. Your profile will then automatically show a button called “Buy Now” that allows viewers access to the game and add-ons.
Twitch Affiliates get 5% on all game sales through their channel. Make sure you promote the games that you love!
How to make money on Twitch with a partner
You can apply to join the Twitch Partner Program if you are a top-performing Twitch affiliate.
Twitch Partners enjoy all the same benefits and opportunities as Affiliates with the added bonus of a share in the ad revenue they generate from their streams.
Twitch Ads
Twitch shows pre-roll ads before viewers can join streams. Partners can also trigger mid-roll ads in a stream at any time they wish — many Partners will show ads while they are taking a break, or when they grab something to eat.
What is the average earnings of Twitch streamers from ads?
Twitch advertisements typically have a value between $0.002 to $0.01 per view, depending on many factors such as:
- Number of simultaneous viewers
- Viewers’ geolocations
- Viewers’ ages and genders
- Game being streamed
- Seasonality (e.g., ads are usually more valuable during holidays)
This is how much it would cost to make $7 if you had 1,000 viewers and earned $0.007.
Ads aren’t usually the most lucrative way to make money on Twitch. However, if you have a lot of viewers, it can add up.
How to build an audience on Twitch
It’s simple to make money with Twitch if you want to be successful.
Let’s be real: It takes a lot of work and time. Even then, success is not guaranteed.
How can you create a Twitch community and increase your viewership? These are the top four best practices.
- Find Your Niche
You need to be different from the rest in order to attract attention. Look for ways that you can create a niche for your business.
Perhaps you’ve become an expert in a game that is becoming increasingly popular. Maybe you aren’t the most skilled gamer but you have witty and entertaining ideas.
- You can build a following on other social media accounts
Twitch is a much more limited social media platform than many. There are very few options to promote your streams. To build an audience, you should explore other platforms.
Build your YouTube audience or Grow an Instagram following. You can then promote your Twitch streams and your followers.
Take Real Summit1g — He often shares stream highlights via his Instagram account.
- Network with other streamers
It’s a great way of generating new opportunities by networking with other talented streamers.
If you interact with other streamers and participate in their chats, they may visit your channel and possibly follow you.
You can also make friends with other streamers and plug their channels. This will allow you to cross-pollinate and attract new viewers.
- Engage Viewers
You have the opportunity to convert any new viewer to a true fan by encouraging them to subscribe to your stream and promoting it to their friends.
Engage them in all you can.
Ask viewers questions, reply to chat comments, make jokes, and ultimately create entertaining content that will get viewers to tune-in regularly.
Summary: Making Money with Twitch
It’s not easy to make money on Twitch. It is possible to make some extra money with your streams if you work hard and are dedicated over time.
Here are 10 ways you can make money on Twitch.
- Third-party services such as PayPal or DonorBox can be used to collect donations.
- YouTube allows you to create and share streaming clips in order to make money with YouTube ads
- Incentivize viewers to become’Patrons‘ through offering rewards
- Promoting affiliate links can help you earn more
- To make money with influencer Marketing, partner with brands
- Sell print on-demand merchandise
- Subscribe to Twitch and grow your subscriber base
- Encourage your viewers to give you Twitch Bits
- To make money with game sales, promote games
- If you are a Partner, you can collect money from Twitch ads
If you are looking for ways to make money streaming on Twitch then keep in mind that the top streamers often create content on other platforms in order to increase their viewership. They work hard to make entertaining streams and build communities.