Twitch is one of the best-known streaming platforms for serious and amateur gamers alike. The platform originally started as a YouTube equivalent for watching video gameplay streams. But it may come as a surprise that many streamers earn more than the average household income through Twitch. Don’t go thinking you can just jump in and start earning the same amount. It takes more than Spectrum Internet Ultra to become a pro streamer on Twitch. But hopefully, this blog can show you how people make money on this game streaming platform. Let’s begin.
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Ways to Earn from Game Streaming
Successful Twitch streamers get paid to stream a game they play professionally. They get paid a certain amount per viewer per hour depending on the game they play. But this is just one way successful streamers make money on Twitch. Here are some of the best ways to monetize your gaming skills and start earning on streaming platforms like Twitch:
- Subscriptions
- Donations
- Bits
- Sponsorships
- Video Ads
Let’s take a more detailed look at how these help serious streamers make serious money.
Subscriptions
Twitch subscriptions are the most common way people make money on the platform. If you’re lucky, they can turn into a recurring income. As more viewers subscribe to you, the income snowballs and increases. These subscriptions end up split 50/50 between the gamer and Twitch. Monthly subscription amounts are set at either $4.99, $9.99 or $24.99. Streamers with serious fan-bases may even earn more than 50% of subscriptions.
The bad news is people can only subscribe to Twitch Partners and Affiliates. This means you need to have at least 50 million followers to become an Affiliate and earn through subscriptions. However, this does make sense since people with less than 50 million followers tend not to have too many paying subscribers. As soon as you upgrade your channel to Affiliate or Partner, the Subscribe button automatically appears on your page. You can always use third-party services like Patreon to collect subscriptions if you don’t have enough followers to become a Partner or Affiliate.
Donations
Donations are a one-off payment you can request from your viewers to support your streaming channel on Twitch. This can be as low as $1 and can exceed thousands of dollars depending on how much your viewers can contribute. There is no native way to receive donations on Twitch. However, you can always suggest that your followers donate to your channel through PayPal. Bear in mind that donations aren’t protected by Twitch because they don’t take place on the platform. Trolls have set a precedent to donate large sums only to dispute them for a refund later.
Bits
Bits are gifs or animated emojis that you can post in a chat message to a channel. But they aren’t free. Streamers buy bits through Amazon Payments with real money. Bits are a visual measure of a gamer’s support in the community. But they also help affiliates and partners earn some extra cash. They earn 1 cent on every bit used in their channel chat. So if someone had a 100 bits, they would earn $1. As a streamer, you can put limits on how many bits can show up in one chat. This helps prevent annoying chat spamming. Like subscriptions, bits only apply to Twitch Affiliates and Partners.
Sponsorships
This is a lot like how brands sponsor Instagram influencers to market their products. Twitch streamers market products or services while streaming their games. These may include food, drinks, fashion labels, and even videogames. The best thing about sponsorships is that you don’t need to be an Affiliate or Partner to get them. If you’re generating interest in the community, chances are companies and brands will reach out to you on their own. A good tip is to have a Twitch business card made which details your channel name, your name, and your contact information. This way you can professionally interact with potential sponsors.
Video Ads
Playing video ads during your streams is a good way to make some extra cash. There are two types of video ads on Twitch. Pre-roll ads run before the stream starts while mid-roll ads run during the stream. However, the payout is a bit on the low side. Twitch pays around $2 for every 100 viewers. This means only streamers with a large viewership stand to benefit. This may be why video ads are only available to Twitch Partners for now.
There are also a number of other ways to earn from streaming which include merchandise and affiliate links. But bear in mind you won’t see instant results as soon as you start streaming. It’s not a service like Spectrum cable packages where you know exactly what you’re going to get. Your earnings from stream depend on how many followers you have and how much interest you generate. It goes without saying you need to be really good at one popular game at the very least.
