By Enric Llonch, on 10 June 2022
Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, has become one of the best platforms for streaming. It currently has more than 17.5 million daily active users, which has led more and more companies to design marketing strategies on Twitch. However, despite its growing success, this platform still generates many questions, such as whether or not you can really make money on it.
In this article, we’ll explain how you can make money from streaming through Twitch monetization.
How to Monetize Your Twitch Channel
Twitch is a streaming platform that is mainly used to broadcast live video games. Its growth, however, has led to a variety of users adopting the platform, which has increased the interest in monetizing content. But, how can you monetize Twitch?
Enable Bits
Bits is one of the most popular ways to monetize a Twitch channel. It is a kind of currency used within the platform that users can use to get and send Cheers, Cheermotes or custom Cheermotes in content creator chats, which would be emoticons, animated emoticons and custom emoticons respectively. For each emoticon sent, the creator of the emoticon receives an economic compensation, specifically $0.01.
The bits can also be used inside some extensions, so every time a user uses it inside any of them, its creator will receive 80% of that $0.01 and 20% will be for the extension developer.
The best thing about this monetization method is that it is fully managed by Twitch, so it is very convenient and safe, especially for those channels with millions of subscribers.
Encourage Subscribers on Your Channel
For a content creator, it is essential to get subscribers, as they are the biggest source of support for the channel. Of course, you have to understand that the subscription has a monthly cost for the viewer. So, subscribers should receive a number of exclusive benefits, such as viewing the content without ads or access to personalized Cheermotes.
There are also gift subscriptions, which are subscriptions that a viewer gives to another viewer to have exclusive access to the channel. Offering this type of subscription is also a way to thank your followers for their support and, at the same time, to grow your channel.
Become an Amazon Affiliate
Twitch is a platform owned by Amazon, so one of the best ways to monetize the channel is by recommending Amazon products.
If you take advantage of a broadcast to recommend and link to Amazon items that are related to the channel’s theme, Twitch can become a very good source of income, especially if you have a high number of subscribers and viewers. You don't have to meet any kind of requirement to become an Amazon affiliate, you just need to talk about the product on your live stream and provide the corresponding link.
Put Ads in Your Streamings
Another way to monetize a Twitch channel is through ads. In this case, your income will depend on the number of viewers who see the advertisement.
The idea is to start with one minute of advertising per hour of transmission since this is a very short pause that won’t bother viewers too much. Depending on how users react, this time can be increased to up to three minutes. Of course, the audience must know when or how often there will be a pause, so we recommend letting them know upfront.
The most important thing is to consider advertising as a short pause in the broadcast, so the duration and frequency of your live stream should be carefully considered. We don’t recommend putting on a stream for less than 15 minutes. Additionally, try not to concentrate the ads at the beginning or at the end, since this is when they tend to have less of an audience.
Get Sponsorships
There are brands looking for content creators to talk about their products or services and even test them live. The idea is to find a sponsorship that fits with the theme and values of the channel.
Remember that when it comes to sponsorships, it is not about accepting them for the sake of accepting them. Assess whether you can talk about that product or service in a natural way. You should also assess if the conditions offered by the company are fair.
Be Part of the Twitch Affiliate Program
Twitch has a very interesting affiliate program, which is usually the previous step to becoming a partner. To become an affiliate on Twitch and earn money through this platform, it is necessary to meet a series of requirements:
To have streamed a minimum of 8 hours on 7 different days over the last 30 days.
Have at least 50 followers.
Have an average of 3 viewers per transmission.
These requirements are not very demanding or difficult to meet, so almost any content creator who regularly uses the platform can meet them. As an affiliate, it is already possible to earn money through subscriptions and bit sales and you can also promote products. What you can't do is earn income through advertising, because for that you need to be a partner.
The Twitch Partners Program
To enter the Twitch Partner program, you must meet more demanding requirements compared to affiliates, but it is the best way to monetize a channel on this platform. These requirements are:
Have streamed a minimum of 25 hours in the last 30 days.
The live streams must be on at least 12 different days.
Have an average of 75 viewers per stream.
If these requirements are met, a partner application can be submitted and will be reviewed very carefully. This means that meeting the requirements does not guarantee entry into the program. The program has numerous advantages for the streamer, including the ability to earn revenue through advertisements, channel customization, and exclusive access to special promotions. In addition, subscribers can choose between three different payment methods.
Use External Platforms
Finally, another way to make money streaming with Twitch is by linking this platform to external ones, such as Streamloots and Streamion.
Streamloots
With Streamloots, you can create interactive decks of cards, which can make a live stream much more dynamic. These types of cards are used to get the creator to do a certain action. The cards are sold in chests and any user can use them within a live show. Special cards can also be created for specific dates, such as Halloween, Christmas, or Valentine's Day.
Streamion
Streamion is an alternative to earning money through advertisements without being a partner. It introduces automated ads to the platform. In addition, the streamer can choose the frequency with which the ads appear, as well as their duration.
Twitch: Advantages and Disadvantages of Monetizing Your Channel
One of the main advantages of Twitch is that monetizing content is relatively simple, especially compared to other platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook. In addition, all users on Twitch are on it to watch live streams. This typically does not happen on other social networks where the content is much more varied.
Another advantage of being on Twitch is that initially this platform was born to broadcast live video games, but gradually other topics have emerged on it. There are topics where there might not be too much competition, so standing out could be easier.
However, Twitch also has its disadvantages. One of them is the obligation to stream a minimum number of monthly hours to make an income. In addition, these hours must be spread over a minimum number of days. It is also necessary to offer different content from the rest, especially for topics with a lot of competition. Without doing this, getting subscribers and making money becomes very difficult.
To conclude, Twitch is a platform that can be monetized in many different ways. However, it requires regular live streams and content that is good enough to make viewers pay for it.
