Twitch, a video streaming, and live video gaming platform, has experienced massive growth over the last few years. Even non-gamers are watching gamers live streams for entertainment. But can you make money from Twitch?
Twitch has become a huge platform for gamers and content creators to earn money. Twitch streamers with about a 100-viewer average make about $200 in ad revenue from every 100 subscribers. However, it isn’t as easy as just logging on and earning money. Making money on Twitch is a long-term, slow-burn project. But with enough dedication, it’s possible to make a solid living.
Twitch’s slogan is “Broadcast Yourself”, and that’s exactly what millions of gamers do every day. Twitch has become the go-to destination for anyone who wants to stream or watch other people play video games. Whether you’re looking for a way to unwind after a long day at work or want to show off your skills, Twitch can be a fun and potentially lucrative place to spend your time.
There are many different ways to make money on Twitch, but it can be difficult for streamers to gauge which methods are worth their time. Many assume that subscriptions and donations will be the best way to generate revenue, but that doesn’t hold for every streamer. I’m going to show you some of the best ways to make money on Twitch even as a complete beginner.
Twitch Business Ideas: Best Ways To Make Money On Twitch
Twitch has over 100 million unique visitors per month, with more than 2 million unique creators each month broadcasting live streams that run the gamut from games like Fortnite and League of Legends, to Minecraft tutorials, cooking shows, and even art classes.
Its popularity has convinced Amazon to buy the company for a whopping 1 billion dollars. While some streamers have made millions on the platform, many others have yet to build an audience large enough to earn an income.
If you’re still struggling to make your first $200, Here are 10 ideas you can make money on Twitch in 2023.
1. Subscriptions
For those looking to create their stream and make money from their content, subscriptions can be a great way to monetize your content.
Subscriptions are an excellent way to generate revenue on Twitch. Viewers pay a monthly fee (between $4.99 and $24.99) in exchange for special perks that you offer, such as ad-free viewing, access to exclusive chat emotes, or other rewards you choose to offer.
This is the simplest way to monetize your following. You can set up subscriptions to charge viewers a certain amount of money per month in exchange for subscription perks, such as exclusive emotes (emoji), badges, or access to subscriber-only chat rooms. You can also create special video content that only subscribers can watch.
2. Channel Memberships
Twitch is an excellent platform to earn money. The gaming website offers a variety of ways to make money on Twitch, and one of the most popular methods is through channel memberships and donations.
Viewers can subscribe to your channel for $4.99 per month with channel memberships. This gives them access to exclusive emotes, badges, and chat colors. You’ll receive 50% of the membership amount each time a viewer signs up with your affiliate link.
However, they must remain subscribed for at least 30 days, or you won’t receive the commission. In addition, viewers must maintain their membership for 60 days before you’ll receive payment for that member’s subscription.
Note that You can’t directly link to someone else’s channel from your channel. You can only give a link to your channel.
3. Donations
Collecting donations is another easy way to make money on Twitch. Anyone can now give money to their favorite streamers via Paypal, Patreon, or Amazon Payments.
While donations don’t always guarantee revenue, they are a great way for your fans to support you financially if they enjoy what you do. Setting up donations is relatively easy using platforms such as Streamlabs and PayPal.
The Twitch community has responded very well to the feature so far. Because all donations are anonymous (only the streamer and a select group of moderators know who made what donation), people feel comfortable giving more money than they would if they were charged with using their credit cards directly on the site.
4. Advertising On Your Streams
Twitch is a great place to reach a wide audience of people and build your brand. It’s also a great place to earn an income from doing what you love.
One of the most common ways for people to make money on Twitch is through advertising. This entails displaying banner ads, video ads, and other content that you can use to generate revenue.
The exact amount of money you can make with Twitch will depend on several factors, including your follower count and the sponsor’s rate card. If you’re having a hard time getting advert offers, you can reach out to other gaming brands that you love to get a good offer from them.
5. Sponsorship/Twitch Influencer Marketing
Twitch sponsorships are the most common form of large revenue streams for influencers. Sponsorships can range from free products to cold hard cash.
If you’re a streamer with a decent audience, then you have an opportunity to be sponsored by a product or service. It’s quite simple to get sponsored. All you need is to contact one of the many companies that sponsor Twitch gamers and ask if they would like to sponsor you.
Companies such as Corsair and Logitech will often sponsor gamers who play games related to their products. For example, if you’re a streamer that plays mostly first-person shooters, then Corsair or Logitech would be ideal sponsors because they make great gaming keyboards and mice.
The more people who subscribe to your channel, the higher the chances of becoming a partner with a more prominent brand. This is because brands usually want to work with streamers who already have a large following to ensure they can make back the money they invest into advertising on the streamer’s channel.
6. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money on Twitch.
Affiliate Marketing is getting paid a commission any time someone uses your affiliate link and makes a purchase. The item bought does not have to be the same as the item linked to getting a commission so that you can promote products in different categories for the same affiliate program.
As the creator, you become a Twitch affiliate, which means that you receive 5% of all channel subscriptions, game sales, and ad revenue. A Twitch affiliate program also allows you to receive up to 20% of the sale, depending on the game.
To become an Affiliate or Partner, you will need to have at least 50 followers and an average of 3 or more concurrent viewers. Additionally, Affiliates are required to stream on at least 12 different days in the last 30 days and have an average of at least 500 total minutes broadcast in the last 30 days. Partners are required to stream on at least 12 different days in the last 30 days and have an average of at least 25 total minutes broadcast in the last 30 days.
If your Twitch channel is still new and you’re having a hard time becoming an affiliate, you can sign up for other affiliate programs in the gaming niche and promote their offers on your channel/streams.
7. Selling Twitch Merchandise
Selling Twitch merchandise is an interesting way to make some money on Twitch. You can make and sell things like hats, t-shirts, hoodies, posters, tapestries, and other accessories featuring your branding.
Designing and selling your brand of Twitch merchandise works best for streamers who have dedicated fans that like to support and follow them. These fans are more likely to buy your branded merchandise than people who are just familiar with you on the platform.
You can set up a merch store using platforms like Teespring or Spreadshop. They provide you with templates that you can customize with your branding and design. Once you have a design, they’ll take care of the manufacturing and shipping while taking their cut from the profits.
8. Selling Game Keys & Trading Cards
Selling game keys is another popular way for non-partnered Twitch streamers to make money. Selling game keys is the best way to make money on Twitch without a large following.
Whether you do this on your website or via a third party, it can be a great way to make money. You can promote the keys by mentioning that you have them for sale during your stream or by linking to the page in your Twitch profile.
There are thousands of games out there and gamers love to get their hands on them. You can sell game keys, in-game virtual items, or in-game currency that has been earned legitimately through your Twitch channel.
The only downside to this method is that these keys are often useless and end up sitting there in your inventory or your email inbox unused.
If selling game keys isn’t your forte, you can try selling trading cards on Twitch, eBay, or some other auction site. My personal favorite is selling CS: GO skins. This is the safest way because you’re selling an item that’s worth money regardless of whether people want to use it.
Twitch may look like an intimidating platform, but it’s quite accessible. You don’t need a high-end gaming computer or thousands of followers to start making money by selling game keys, skins, or trading cards.
9. Selling Products on Amazon
Millions of people make a full-time living selling on Amazon, and I’m one of them! If you have merchandise to sell on Twitch, you can also list them on Amazon and begin making money faster.
If you want to sell products on Amazon, you should know that the most popular way is to use Fulfilment by Amazon. This is a service offered by Amazon where they ship your products and handle the customer service and returns.
Amazon has several options for selling products. You can sell individual units of a product or multiple units. For example, if you have 1000 T-shirts and want to sell them, you can either sell one at a time or in bulk. If you are selling in bulk, you will be given a unique link where customers can buy your product; this link is unique to your account.
The other option is to list the product yourself on Amazon’s website. You price the product and handle customer support, and you will also collect any payments for your products. However, Amazon will charge you 15% + VAT tax for using their service; there is no option to avoid paying this fee.
10. Host Live Events
If you are popular on Twitch, you should host live events.
One of the easiest ways to make money on Twitch is by hosting live events. While this method is slightly different than streaming, it can still be a great way to engage with your community and get paid while doing it. Plus, all of the products and services you need are usually free.
Many broadcasters host live events for their viewers, including meet-and-greets, game launch parties, and music concerts. You could even partner up with other Twitch broadcasters for a multi-channel event.
Even if you don’t have a large following, you can host your tournaments and charge entry fees. It’s an excellent way to make money and build a community in the gaming space.
While some people may only think of streaming on Twitch as a hobby or a way to make a little extra cash each month, others have been able to turn it into a lucrative full-time job.
Twitch streamers make money in a variety of different ways, with some bringing in over $100k per month! Of course, this amount isn’t going to be made overnight or without a lot of hard work; however, once you start building your channel up it can become an extremely profitable side hustle or even a career opportunity.
If you don’t have a large following, don’t fret. All of these tips can help you boost your audience and your earnings on Twitch (or any other streaming site). The key is to plan and cultivate a unique personality, not just to hope that everything will work out in the end.
These are the best ways to make money on Twitch as a gamer with little or no marketing knowledge.