Twitch, acquired by Amazon in 2014, is one of the world’s leading livestreaming platforms. It’s also an excellent way to earn an income from streaming content. Like on YouTube, you’ll find creators steaming various types of content on Twitch, including gaming, music, art, sports and food.
While you might not become a millionaire on Twitch, you can make decent money, and you don’t need to build a large audience to start earning. Here is how to make money on Twitch, whether you’re an avid gamer, guitarist, food critic or another type of creator.
Twitch Creator Levels
Everyone who joins Twitch is considered a Creator. As you build an audience and reach specific achievements, you can achieve additional Twitch levels that can increase your income potential.
Streamer
You can begin streaming and earning as soon as you join Twitch, although you probably won’t make much as a Streamer. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much work to meet the requirements to advance to becoming a Twitch Affiliate. The Affiliate level is where you can really increase your earning potential.
Affiliate
At the Affiliate level, you can begin making money with three Twitch Affiliate features: subscriptions, Twitch bits and ad revenue. To earn Affiliate status, you have to achieve the following:
- Have 50+ followers
- Broadcast a total of eight hours over a 30-day period across seven unique days
- Have an average of three or more viewers per stream
Partner
To become eligible to apply for the Partner Program, you don’t need more followers than the 50+ that helped you become an Affiliate. Still, you do need to meet the following other requirements:
- Broadcast a total of 25 hours over a 30-day period across 12 unique days
- Have an average of 75 or more viewers per stream
A Twitch Affiliate who meets all requirements to become a Partner must apply to join the Partner Program. Not everyone is accepted. Twitch Partners do not get any additional earning features, but they can get more exposure, which means more revenue.
How To Make Money on Twitch as a Streamer
Everyone starts with little to no audience. Don’t let that discourage you from considering streaming as a side hustle and possibly streaming your way to a full-time income. As your audience grows, your earnings will increase. Here are some ways you can make money on Twitch as a Streamer.
Donations
If you have a PayPal or PeachPay account, you can create a Donate button and add it to your channel. Anyone who likes your content can easily click over to your PayPal or PeachPay account and donate to you.
Amazon Associates
Sign up with Amazon Associates, and you can earn by linking to specific Amazon products from your channel. If someone goes through one of your links to make a qualifying purchase, you receive a commission.
Selling Your Own Products
You can add links to your own products from your Twitch channel if you have an online store. You can get new viewers on both sites if you also promote your Twitch channel on your online store.
How To Make Money as a Twitch Affiliate
When you gain Twitch Affiliate status, you can begin earning with subscriptions, ad revenue and Twitch bits. Here is an overview of how you can make money using these features.
Subscriptions
You can earn 50% of every subscription someone buys to your channel. Subscription options range from $4.99 to $24.99.
You can incentivize your subscribers to pick more expensive tiers by offering subscriber only perks.
Ad Revenue
As an Affiliate, you get a share of the revenue generated from any ads running on your channel.
Twitch is currently updating the terms of the revenue share with Affiliates. Previously, Creators earned a fixed payout for every 1,000 ad views. The platform is moving to a percentage-based model that pays Affiliates and Partners 55% of the net ad revenue from their channel.
Twitch Bits
Bits are a form of virtual currency that viewers can buy to cheer on their favorite streamers. It is the same as donating but uses virtual currency rather than actual money.
As an Affiliate, you only earn a maximum of one cent per bit you receive, but it can add up.
How To Make Money as a Twitch Partner
As a Twitch Partner, you don’t get access to any additional ways to earn on the platform, but you likely will get more exposure, enabling you to make more than at the Affiliate level. Twitch Partners also have a better chance of getting brand sponsorships and endorsement deals since they can get more exposure on the platform than other Creators.
Partners also receive other perks, such as video-on-demand features, access to Partner-only opportunities and priority tech support.
Takeaway
When first starting out on Twitch, you should worry more about how to create great content for Twitch rather than how to make money. Once you build a small following and become an Affiliate Creator, you can start focusing on making money.
It will take time to build up a following, but if you stick with it, your hard work should eventually pay off. Even if you never apply for the Twitch Partner program, you can use the platform to create a lucrative side gig or work your way to a full-time income.
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FAQ
Here are some quick answers to popular questions about earning money as a Twitch streamer.- How much do Twitch streamers make?
- Twitch earnings are different for every streamer. However, those at the Affiliate level can earn money in several ways, including subscriptions, ad revenue and Twitch bits.
- How do I get paid from Twitch?
- You can earn money on Twitch through donations, subscriptions, ad revenue and Twitch bits. You must qualify to become a Twitch Affiliate to earn from most of these features.
- How many followers do you need on Twitch to make money?
- You need a minimum of 50 followers and must meet other broadcast requirements to move up to the Affiliate level, where you can earn through subscriptions and ad revenue. You do not need any followers to accept donations on Twitch.
- Is it worth being a Twitch Affiliate?
- Creating a lucrative Twitch channel can take a lot of work, but it can be a good side hustle for earning extra cash if you can build a loyal following.
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