Do you want to make money playing video games?
Live streaming your gameplay on Twitch might be an option for you.
Although it’s unlikely you’ll become a top streamer and earn millions of dollars, you could turn your love of gaming into a viable side hustle.
Discover how to make money on Twitch.
Table of Contents
What is Twitch
Twitch is a live-streaming platform owned by Amazon.
Although the platform is best known for gaming, it includes a popular “just chatting” category with content from nearly every niche, from casual conversation to outdoor adventures.
The platform allows passionate people to make money showcasing what they love.
How Twitch Streamers Make Money
Twitch offers streamers a wide array of revenue streams, including:
- Subscriptions (subs)
- Ad Share
- Cheers
- In-Stream Add-ons
- Affiliate sales
- Donations
- Brand Partnerships
You must become a Twitch affiliate to earn via subs, ad share, cheers, and in-stream ad-ons, but anyone can earn via affiliate sales, donations, and brand partnerships.
Subs
Fans pay Twitch streamers for their content via subs. Twitch offers three subscription levels, costing fans $5 to $25. The streamer gets half.
Most fans subscribe at the lowest level, meaning streamers earn approximately $2.5 per sub per month.
Most Twitch streamers earn the majority of their money via subs.
Ad Share
Twitch plays ads, both before (pre-roll ads) and during streams. Affiliates earn a revenue share for all ads played during their content.
Cheers
Viewers can cheer streamers on with bits at any time during the stream. Each bit is worth 80% of one cent.
In-Stream Add-Ons
Many streamers offer fun add-ons like sound effects that viewers can engage with during a show. Although some are free, streamers can charge viewers bits to participate, earning a little extra income each stream.
Affiliate Sales
Streamers can promote products on air, and if a viewer clicks their link to purchase the product, the streamer earns a commission. Twitch affiliates can connect their Amazon account directly to their streaming page to make it easier, but non-affiliates can drop their links in the chat.
Donations
All streamers can set up a donation overlay box on their stream. Viewers can click the button to donate directly to a streamer via PayPal.
Watch this video to learn how to set up your donation box:
Brand Partnerships
Once you build a following on Twitch, you can earn money via brand partnerships. Companies pay Twitch streamers to promote their gear, games, hardware, and more.
How To Make Money on Twitch
Understanding the methods for making money on Twitch is the easy part.
Making money on Twitch is far more challenging.
Monetizing your stream will take work, but here’s what you need to do to be successful.
Start Your Stream
The first step to achieving anything is starting. Hook your console up to Twitch and start your stream.
You will not earn money online until you make that first terrifying leap.
When you first start, you’ll be a “small streamer.”
Do Small Twitch Streamers Make Money?
Although it’s possible to make money as a small streamer just starting, it’s improbable.
Most streamers will only make money once they reach affiliate status.
How Do Beginners Make Money on Twitch?
Unlikely doesn’t mean impossible, and there are a few things the newest and smallest streamers can do to make some money.
Set up your donation jar and join the Amazon affiliate program. Talk about the products you love on air, and drop your links in the chat.
Explore small companies you love that also offer affiliate programs. Many won’t accept beginners, but some do.
Remember, as a small streamer, you probably won’t have enough viewers to earn money, but it never hurts to get started.
Become a Twitch Affiliate
Now that you’ve taken that epic first step and put yourself out there, you must work to become a Twitch affiliate.
Some streamers will tell you not to become an affiliate because the terms give Twitch exclusive ownership rights to the content for the first 24 hours and disallow streaming to multiple platforms at once.
I think the benefits outweigh the cost. It’s a lot harder to earn money on Twitch if you’re not an affiliate, and it’s a lot harder to become a partner on other streaming platforms.
How To Achieve Affiliate Status
Twitch offers an easy, straightforward path to affiliation. You must:
- Gain 50 followers
- Maintain an average of 3 concurrent viewers
- Stream for 8 hours in 30 days
- Steam on 7 unique days in 30 days
Getting those fifty followers and three viewers is more challenging than it seems.
If you aren’t an affiliate yet, check out our ultimate guide to becoming one. It will help you achieve affiliate status quickly to move on to growing your stream and making money.
How Do Twitch Affiliates Make Money?
Twitch affiliates receive money from subs, cheers, bits, and a share of the ad revenue from pre-roll display ads.
They can also earn money from donations and affiliate marketing, but now that fans can cheer and give bits, they are less likely to donate.
Let’s be honest, though.
You will not make money on Twitch if you only have an average of three viewers. Increasing your viewer count is crucial to success as a streamer.
Attract Viewers
More viewers means more engagement, opportunities for bits, cheers, hype trains, eyeballs on your affiliate links, and potential subscribers. When asking how to make money on Twitch, the real answer is attracting viewers to your stream.
Unfortunately, building your viewership is the hardest part of streaming.
Don’t despair. We’ve uncovered 40 proven strategies for growing your Twitch stream that will help you attract viewers and build engagement.
If you follow these practices, you will grow your Twitch audience.
How Many Views Do You Need to Make Money on Twitch?
If you need viewers to make money, the next logical question is, “How many viewers?”
It’s not that simple.
You need an average of three concurrent viewers to become an affiliate and even think about earning money on Twitch.
Next, you need to reach the payout threshold of $100. If all of your viewers subscribe and cheer all the time, you will get to that threshold faster and with fewer viewers.
If you don’t have any subscribers and none of your viewers ever cheer, you will only make your share of ad revenue, meaning it will take more viewers and more time to reach that first payment threshold.
The more viewers you have, the more likely people will sub and cheer.
Build Your Brand
The most successful streamers put a lot of effort into building their brands. It’s an evolving process that may take some time to figure out, and that’s okay.
Decide what you want to be known for and how you want your audience to see you. Consider what makes you different than other streamers or content creators. These three items are crucial components of your brand.
Branding transcends Twitch. You must also promote yourself on social media and create an email list. Show companies looking for streamer partners why you would be the ideal fit, both on Twitch and outside of it.
Become a Twitch Partner
Over 7 million people stream on Twitch, and only a tiny handful become partners.
To achieve Twitch partner status, you must maintain an average of 75 viewers, a massive undertaking. It takes most successful streamers years of brand building to accomplish this feat.
Partners also must go through a comprehensive application process with Twitch. Although Twitch is secretive about the process, they look at factors like how engaged the chat is, the number of sustained subs, and the projected growth before approving any given streamer for partnership.
Partners are more likely to receive brand sponsorship opportunities and make full-time income streaming.
How Much Money Do Twitch Streamers Make?
Big-time streamers can make millions of dollars, but most people won’t make that much.
Here’s an in-depth look at how much money you can expect to make streaming at various levels.
Make Money Gaming
Many people turn to Twitch to make money playing video games. Twitch is only one of many ways to turn your love of video games into cash.
If you’re looking for pocket change, consider Mistplay, an app that pays you to play your favorite mobile games.
Grab our free printable for various other ways to make money playing games.
Making Money on Twitch
The concept of making money on Twitch is simple, but it’s a lot more challenging to earn a living than it seems.
However, hard doesn’t mean impossible. If you’re motivated, dedicated, and willing to put in the work, you can monetize your stream and earn money on Twitch.