Making Money on Twitch: 11 Easy ways to make money on Twitch

In recent years, Twitch has become more than just a platform for gamers to share their gaming experiences. It has developed into a profitable place for content creators of all kinds to show their talents as well as build a thriving community. With millions of viewers listening daily, Twitch offers many opportunities for individuals to monetize their content and turn their passion into something that makes them money from the comfort of their homes. In this article, we will look at some ways of making money on Twitch.

An Insightful Glimpse – Making Money on Twitch

What is Twitch?

Welcome to Twitch, where live streaming occupies the main stage! With an impressive 30 million daily active users, Twitch is your access to real-time video. It’s about sharing your experience as it unfolds and connecting with your audience in an instant.

But Twitch isn’t just about gaming – it has a variety of communities featuring everything from cooking classes to coding sessions, art exhibitions to quiet ASMR content. There is something for everyone here, and the possibilities are endless.

Can You Make Money on Twitch

When it comes to making money, Twitch offers many ways for streamers to make money. How much money you earn as a Twitch streamer depends on your popularity, as the most subscribed streamers have made themselves a small fortune off of streaming on Twitch. As a content creator, you can find success through three main ways:

The number of views you get
Subscriptions
Other revenue streams.

As a rookie streamer, it will take time to build an audience in order to monetize your content, but it’s a place where anyone with a little bit of luck on their side and a camera can find success.

How Much Do Twitch Streamers Earn from Subscriptions?

For the streamers, their subscriptions are the main source of income. The creators get to keep 50% of each subscription fee and the other 50% goes to Twitch itself.

For the viewers, there are different subscription options, these options range from £3.99/month to £19.99/month. There are also different tiers and each one offers different benefits to customers. Viewers can also enjoy a 10% to 15% discount when they pay in advance for months.

One important thing you need to know is that streamers can only offer subscriptions once they have “Twitch Affiliate” or “Partner status”. Once that’s done, subscriptions become an important source of generating revenue this allows the creators to earn a portion of each subscriber’s monthly revenue while offering benefits to their loyal supporters.

Twitch Affiliate vs. Partner – Understanding the Differences

When it comes to monetizing your channel on Twitch and start making money, you have two main options:

Become a Twitch Affiliate
Become a Twitch Partner.

Both of these platforms allow you to make money through

Advertising
Bits
Subscriptions

But there are some differences between them.

Feature	Twitch Affiliate	Twitch Partner
Requirements	–Streamed for at least 500 minutes in the past 30 days, –Streamed on at least 7 unique days in the past 30 days –Reached an average of 3 viewers per stream during the past 30 days –At least 50 followers	–Streamed for at least 25 hours in the past 30 days –Streamed on at least 12 unique days in the past 30 days –Reached an average of 75 viewers per stream during the past 30 days, –At least 50 followers
Custom Emotes	This is Limited to a few customs emotes for subscribers	This has access to more custom emotes for subscribers
Badges	This has basic badges for subscribers	This has animated badges for subscribers
Support	Standard support	Priority support
Promotions	This has limited promotion opportunities	This has more promotions on Twitch’s Partner Spotlight, Partner Panels, etc.

In order to become a Twitch Affiliate, you need to:

You need to have at least 50 followers
You need to stream for at least 8 hours in the last 30 days
You need to stream on at least 7 different days in the last 30 days
You also need to maintain an average of 3 daily viewers or more over the last 30 days

On the other hand, to become a Twitch Partner you need to:

Stream for at least 25 hours in the last 30 days
Stream on at least 12 different days in the last 30 days
Maintain an average of 75 daily viewers or more over the last 30 days
Have at least 50 followers

How to Make Money on Twitch – The Different Ways

Below are some of the most popular ways of making money on Twitch

1. Twitch Bits

Making Money on Twitch with Twitch Bits – Everything You Need to Know

Twitch bits act as a virtual currency on the Twitch platform as it allows the viewers to fund any streamer of their choice. Viewers can buy these bits and then gift them to streamers during live broadcasts. As a Twitch affiliate or partner, you have the ability to activate bit donations on your channel which provides you with another way to make money.

If the viewers want to support a streamer using bits all they have to do is to use the “cheer” feature that is in the Twitch chat. This allows them to donate a specific number of bits as well as a personalized message. Streamers often include audio as well as video content to acknowledge and recognize the viewers who have contributed bits this creates a sense of community and appreciation amongst their supporters.

Moreover, streamers can improve the interaction with the viewers by working with leaderboards that show the top-bit donors on their channels. These leaderboards show the generosity of the viewers as well as encourage others to contribute this creates a friendly competition among contributors.

The streamers can give special rewards for individuals who provide a significant number of bits this could be exclusive access to individual streams or personal shoutouts during broadcasts.

2. Sponsorships on Twitch

Making Money on Twitch with Sponsorships:

As your audience grows on Twitch you will have more sponsorship opportunities which will create new ways for making money on Twitch. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need millions of followers or viewers to attract brands. What matters most is how well the sponsored product of the brand will align with your content as well as your engaged audience.

Sponsorships can take different forms depending on the preferences of the streamer and brand. This can include:

Mentioning products in your streams
Including brand logos in your content
Adding links to brands in your channel description, etc.

Moreover, by adding sponsorships to affiliate marketing programs, you can increase the process of making money on Twitch by providing valuable exposure to partner brands.

3. Donations on Twitch

Making Money on Twitch with Donations:

Accepting donations on Twitch is another way to make money, especially if you don’t yet qualify for Twitch Affiliate or Partner status. You can add a PayPal donation button to your channel description and get donations directly from your viewers. Unlike Twitch Bits, where the platform takes a cut, you get the full amount donated through PayPal. While contributors may not have special badges in chats like Bits, you can acknowledge their generosity in your livestream and even set up a leaderboard to identify top contributors.

4. Twitch subscribers

Making Money through Twitch Subscribers:

Affiliates and partners can get paid subscribers this is another great way to make money on Twitch. The viewers pay a monthly fee to get benefits like subscriber badges, custom emotes, and ad-free viewing. There are three levels of membership, each offering additional benefits.

At Tier 1 the subscribers get basic benefits
At Tier 2 they get additional benefits
Tier 3 gives the most comprehensive package of benefits

Typically, streamers hire freelancers to create unique emotes for their subscribers which improves the viewing experience. Moreover, viewers can gift others, and Amazon Prime members get a free monthly subscription option.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Making Money on Twitch with Affiliate Marketing:

Many Twitch streamers make money through affiliate marketing which is the practice of promoting products or services and earning a commission on every sale you make through your unique affiliate links. Subscribing to affiliate networks like Awin and impact.com gives you access to a wide range of brands as well as promotions. The types of products you support should match your content, such as gaming consoles for video game streamers.

6. Twitch Ads

Making Money through Twitch Ads:

Twitch Affiliates and Partners are offered the opportunity to make money from ads that run on their channels. These ads are displayed in the live stream for viewers, except for those who pay this ensures they have an uninterrupted viewing experience, which motivates them to contribute more.

As a streamer, you have the freedom to decide when and how long mid-roll ads are played this allows you to add them to your content seamlessly as it is important to keep a balance to avoid overwhelming the audience with an excessive amount of advertising.

Making money from ads on Twitch can change depending on a number of factors, such as viewer engagement and the duration of the ad.

On average, Twitch streamers can earn anywhere from $0.25 to $3 per 1000 ad views. But these figures are approximate and subject to change based on many factors such as:

Audience size
Time of day
Type of content streamed, etc.

Moreover, Twitch affiliates and partners may have access to ad revenue-sharing agreements, which can have an impact on the revenue that comes from advertising.

7. Patreon subscribers

Making Money on Twitch with Patreon subscribers:

Starting a Patreon page requires extra effort but offers an excellent opportunity to stretch your money beyond Twitch. This approach is especially useful if you don’t yet qualify for affiliate or partner programs, as it allows you to find more viewers and make money.

On Patreon, you can provide exclusive content, share tips, and other insights, or provide access to Patreon-exclusive Discord channels if your community uses Discord. By offering unique benefits as well as incentives, you can attract visitors who are ready to support your content on Twitch.

8. Making Money Through YouTube Ad Revenue

Making Money on Twitch through YouTube Ad Revenue:

Spreading your content beyond Twitch can help you make more money. You can turn your Twitch streams into videos on YouTube. For example, you can create a short video of the best moments from your streams into a YouTube short video. These short videos show you the most interesting and engaging parts of the stream, which can attract new viewers who don’t watch the stream but like the short video clips, as right now the most popular form of videos are the ones that range from 8-60 seconds.

Another idea is to do a tutorial on how to play games on Twitch. These tutorials can give your viewers tips and tricks. This not only gives you more content but also allows you to make money from ads on YouTube.

You can hire someone from a website like Upwork or any other freelancing platform to help you in several ways such as:

Edit videos for platforms like TikTok or Instagram.
Create attractive thumbnails for your YouTube videos, even short videos.
Do graphic designing.

This helps you reach more people as well as grow your audience, which will help you speed up the process of making money on Twitch or with your Twitch content.

9. Selling Merchandise

Making Money on Twitch by Selling Merchandise:

As your Twitch community grows you should start considering creating your own merchandise to keep in touch with your loyal followers. A channel on Twitch usually gains popularity through community engagement as well as offering branded content that makes your supporters feel more connected to your channel.

When you are designing your merchandise, you can use your channel logo or incorporate an inside joke within your community. However, it is important not to view the merch as merely a means of making immediate profit. You also need to make sure the products you offer are high in quality and something you would personally wear. Maintaining the trust and satisfaction of your supporters should always be a priority.

10. Participating in Tournament

Making Money on Twitch by Winning Tournaments:

If you’ve become an expert on a particular video game after spending hours streaming it, you may want to consider entering a competition. While the larger events are geared toward professional esports players, there are plenty of smaller tournaments that welcome streamers.

You can participate in these tournaments individually or as part of a team, teaming up with other streamers, for example. Advertising your participation in the contest can generate interesting news for your community, and if you perform well, it can even attract new people.

11. Gifts from Viewers

Making Money on Twitch by receiving gifts:

While this is not a direct way to make money on Twitch, receiving gifts from your viewers can still be worthwhile. Some plugins allow viewers to send you physical items, which can save you money on purchases.

For example, Throne allows you to create an Amazon Wishlist where viewers can buy you gifts. Alternatively, services like Treat Streams let sponsors order food to be delivered to you.

Bottom Line to Making Money on Twitch

We have discussed many ways of making money on Twitch. From donations and getting Twitch bits to finding customers and securing sponsorships, other than the many ways through which streamers can make money on the platform, we discussed the importance of spreading your sources of income through affiliate marketing, merchandise sales, etc. By engaging you’re your community, creating valuable content, and using different monetization strategies, you as a streamer or even a complete beginner can increase your earning potential on Twitch.