Get the steps for setting up your account, and learn how to go live on Twitch so you can start earning money playing games.
If you’re into video games, you likely know Twitch’s impact on the gaming industry. Around 103,000 streams are happening on the platform at any given time.
Many Twitch streamers dream of making money from their passion for sharing their hobbies and talents with a dedicated audience.
With this kind of competition, it could be a hard market to crack.
Here’s how to get paid on Twitch and some tips and tricks to build an engaged audience. Read on!
Yes, you can. You can monetize your Twitch account to profit from subscriptions, ads, and Twitch Bits.
Other aspects of your Twitch account can also be profitable, as you’ll see below.
Twitch is like other social media platforms, and streamers are content creators.
Learning how to become a content creator and engaging your audience is vital for monetizing your presence on the platform.
Many factors influence money-making on Twitch, primarily how many viewers you have and your monetization methods.
Being part of either the Twitch Affiliate Program or the Twitch Partner Program is the initial requirement.
That said, most streamers diversify their income sources to earn extra money, which includes selling merchandise and accepting brand sponsorships.
You should stream regularly and offer high-quality content to stand out among other streamers within your niche.
Learning how to become a streamer and an effective social media manager can help.
Twitch streamers make money from various sources, from advertising revenue and brand sponsorships to personal merchandise and subscriptions.
That makes giving an exact average difficult, as each Twitch channel operates differently.
Still, successful accounts can make upward of tens of thousands of dollars. A small-time Twitch account, in contrast, might struggle with getting past the $100 minimum payout threshold.
The October 2021 Twitch leak showed us how much the most established streamers make and other pertinent information regarding average salaries.
Full-time Twitch streamers can make from $3,000 to $6,500 monthly.
Streamers recognized as the top 100 make $32,850 monthly via ad revenue, Twitch Bits, and subscriptions alone at the minimum.
Those in the top 10,000 make a minimum of $904 monthly.
Still, Twitch has millions of users, so getting to the top 10,000 isn’t easy, as most small streamers earn less than $100 per month.
Twitch has seen countless millionaire streamers dabbling in many art forms, from video gaming to cosplaying.
According to the 2021 leak, the richest Twitch streamer is the group CriticalRole—voice actors who stream their Dungeons and Dragons games—with a payout of $9,626,712.16 for August 2019 through October 2021.
Yes, it’s not Ninja; he ranked 46th on the list with a payout of $1,378,791.48.
No one knows precisely how much the richest Twitch streamers make in 2023, but other notable figures include Shroud and xQc.
Yes, advertisements on Twitch streams are one of their most important income sources.
As affiliates or partners, streamers earn money from ads on their channels. How much they earn depends on many factors, primarily their number of viewers and the promotion duration.
There’s a catch: Twitch stream views alone won’t guarantee an income source.
In most cases, you’ll need to be a Twitch affiliate or partner before making money from your views. The only way to earn money without either program is through donations.
If you’re an affiliate/partner, you can earn money through ads, subscriptions, bits, and sponsorships.
You get paid an amount depending on your views with ads, but you need and have an established audience and a regular streaming schedule.
From Influence Marketing Hub’s Twitch Money Calculator, 1,000 Views/Day with an engagement rate of 50% amounts to a media value of $1.29 to $2.14.
Using the same tool and engagement rate as before, 5,000 views on Twitch should return from $6.43 to $10.72.
You don’t need followers to get money from donations. However, every other way to earn money on Twitch is locked behind the affiliate and partner program.
They have some requirements, among them is having at least 50 followers.
Learning how to become a digital marketer to grow your account can help.
You can’t just up and make money on Twitch; you must have several things ready before. They are:
Twitch offers an affiliate program to qualified streamers. With it, you can monetize your channel as you build your audience and work towards becoming a Twitch partner.
Twitch affiliates earn money from Twitch Bits, subscriptions, donations, and ads.
Here’s how to become a Twitch affiliate in detail. But in short, the criteria you need to meet:
Once you’re in, you’ll be invited via e-mail and in the notification area in the upper right corner of the website.
The Twitch Partner Program is designed for serious broadcasters. Unlike the Affiliate Program, streamers must apply to become a partner.
You can learn more about the partnership program here.
Some requirements are having an established and steadily growing audience, streaming at least 5 hours on 12 different days in the last 30 days, and having an average of 75 viewers or more.
As a partner, you’re an echelon above affiliates, and you’ll receive more benefits, from better channel customization options to priority support.
Let’s show you how other Twitch streamers make money on the platform:
Ad revenue is one of the few ways Twitch affiliates and partners can earn money on the platform.
The platform pays streamers according to the Cost Per Thousand (CPM) model, which is a fixed rate for every 1,000 views of an ad on their channel.
The rate depends on several factors, including the ad type, the time of the year, and the viewer’s location.
Twitch also offers special programs and features for streamers to increase their revenue and improve their viewers’ experience; you’re not always bound to the CPM model.
We’re talking about the Ads Incentive Program (AIP) that offers fixed payouts for partners who agree to stream for a certain amount of hours with a specific ad density per month.
Then there’s the percentage-based revenue model that pays streamers 55% of the revenue for each ad that runs on their stream instead of a fixed CPM.
While the AIP is optional for Twitch affiliate channels, the percentage model is available for partners only.
Ad revenue depends on the viewers’ engagement, the steamer’s location, and the number of ads. CreditDonkey’s article suggests that most streamers make around $3.5 per 1,000 Views.
Influence Marketing Hub’s Money Calculator proposes a smaller payout: with an engagement rate of 50%, streamers earn from $1.29 to $2.14 per 1,000 views.
It’s effortless. You can focus on streaming once you configure ad breaks on your dashboard and let Twitch handle the rest.
The payouts increase with your number of viewers and subscribers; you can make thousands from ad revenue alone.
Bits are a virtual currency Twitch users can buy on the platform and use to cheer for their favorite streamers, displaying a custom message on the stream.
You can create custom cheer notes for your fans if you’re a partner.
Viewers must buy Bits from the Twitch store, starting at $1.40 for 100 bits and going up to 25,000 bits for $308.
They also have other user-oriented benefits, such as unlocking emotes and badges.
You earn $1 for every 100 Bits spent to cheer you on. That makes each Bit worth $0.01.
You can earn a lot of extra income effortlessly if you have many followers you never fail to entertain.
Twitch subscriptions allow those who pay a monthly fee to access exclusive benefits like emotes, badges, and ad-free viewing while supporting you.
They come in tiers, and you can customize the perks they offer.
For example, a 1st tier could offer subscriber badges, while higher tiers could include customized emotes and exclusive content for your dedicated Twitch audience.
You gain a cut from every subscriber you have.
Twitch offers three tiers of subscriptions:
Twitch users also can subscribe to their favorite streamers using Amazon’s Prime Gaming service.
While Twitch generally pays affiliates and partners in a 50/50 split for each subscription, some other costs are deducted before the payout.
You can learn more about the Local Subscription Policy by clicking here. Twitch subscription prices are also adjusted to the cost of living of a subscriber’s country.
In other words, you’ll have to amass a large following from countries with a higher quality of life to make the most from subscriptions.
With this in mind, an estimate of how much Twitch pays per subscription in each tier in the U.S. would be:
Subscriptions pay well, but you must work hard toward creating content that can attract people willing to support you.
You can make thousands of dollars a month from subscribers alone.
You have to be influential for a brand to sponsor you.
Aside from having a large following on Twitch and other social media accounts, your content must align with the brand’s values. You also promote its goods for your fans to buy.
Learning how to become an effective affiliate marketer, an Instagram influencer, and famous on TikTok can help you achieve this goal.
You must abide by a brand’s terms once you sign with them, as contracts can last multiple years.
Expect to be required to host tournaments, participate in competitions, wear their attire, advertise their products, and produce content for their social media channels.
It depends on the brand. According to Youreshape, Red Bull pays Ninja $350,000 a year.
Depending on your performance and popularity, you can earn from $10,000 to $1,000,000 a year or more as a brand ambassador.
Still, brands don’t publicly disclose how much they pay their signees; we can only estimate from their overall earnings.
You have the potential to earn more money than you can spend in a lifetime.
You can sell merchandise with your brand name if you’re popular on Twitch (or any other social media platform). T-shirts and hoodies are popular options.
There’s a catch: you’ll need to know how to start an online business. Merchandise sales aren’t part of Twitch’s monetization programs, but they’re a way for you to capitalize on your fame.
There are many platforms you can rely on, from eBay to Shopify. Most streamers resort to Shopify thanks to its user-friendliness and integration capabilities.
We have a complete guide if you don’t know how the platform works: how to sell on Shopify.
Too many factors come into play to give you an exact number. You’ll have to invest money to launch your store, create designs, and stock it.
Then, people must buy your merch, meaning you’ll likely need to spend money on advertising and shipping.
You’ll likely be left with anywhere from a few hundred a month to several thousand.
Despite requiring effort, you can earn money passively if you delegate the design process to a freelancer and the stocking process to a trusted friend or relative.
You also get to have fans wearing clothes with your brand name.
Donations are the final notable way of earning money from Twitch. It’s straightforward: viewers who like your content and wish to support you send you money.
Bits are the official donation system of Twitch, but Streamlabs is a third-party service that offers a seamless way for streamers to receive donations, and they can link it to their account.
PayPal and Patreon are alternatives, but remember that the former’s fees are high.
It all depends on the quality of your content and your followers. A realistic estimate would be around a few hundred a month if you’re an average streamer.
You don’t have to take any extra steps to receive donations other than focusing on your streams’ quality.
Twitch pays its streamers in four ways. They are:
Each of these payment methods has fees for U.S. and non-U.S. residents. You can view them here.
Many reasons make streaming on Twitch an excellent side hustle. Let’s look at some of them.
Streaming on Twitch isn’t a walk in the park. Before diving into it, consider the following setbacks you may face:
Follow these steps if you’re ready to turn your passion for streaming your hobbies into a full-time job.
You must get a decent console or gaming laptop/desktop to stream your games or activity.
In the latter’s case, you can use Can I Run It to benchmark various games and see if your rig can handle them.
You should also buy a good microphone and webcam. Finally, consider suitable streaming software. OBS Studio is popular among streamers, but OWN3D Pro is also worth trying.
Figure out what you want to do. Are you into gaming? Are you into a niche, such as cosplaying?
Nothing is easy at first, but gauging your skills and creating an appropriate plan of action that aligns with your goals and capabilities can help you avoid creative block and frustrations.
Create an account on Twitch.tv to begin your journey. Signing up is as easy as:
You’ll need to configure OBS (or any other streaming software) before you can start streaming on Windows/macOS/Linux.
First, link your Twitch account to OBS. That’s Settings > Stream > Twitch > Connect Account.
Then, configure your OBS settings. That’s base and output resolutions, encoder, video bitrate, etc. Find settings that conform to your computer specifications.
Configure your audio next. Get the correct source for desktop audio and mic/auxiliary audio.
Next, configure your scene and sources. These enable you to enable or disable elements during the streaming session. For more details, check out our “How to Become a Streamer” guide.
Log in to Twitch on your browser to Link your chat to OBS. That’s Twitch > Channel > Chat > Chat Settings > Popout Chat. Copy the URL.
Paste it into OBS > Docks > Custom Browser Docks
Setting up your schedule helps people know when to come back. You can do this on your profile.
Let your friends or followers on your other social media accounts know when you’ll start streaming. Tell them to spread the word.
Create a schedule and stick to it, one that can ensure your friends’ presence. Other viewers will come your way if you can hook up a few.
Indulge in your favorite activity, launch OBS, and click “Start streaming.”
Come up with creative ideas and engage your audience.
People love to be included in whatever you’re doing; converse with your followers, listen to their ideas, and always bring something new.
Twitch is a social media platform. Learn how to market yourself effectively to attract an even larger audience.
Don’t stick to Twitch either; spread out to other platforms. Create an Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter account to interact with your fans more closely.
Archive your streams on YouTube. Announce what you’re up to and ensure to host tournaments or events your followers can participate in.
Twitch will invite you to become an affiliate once you have a decent follower base and activity level. This doesn’t mean you’re done; you’re just getting started.
Now, you can earn money from your content, and how much you’ll earn depends on the monetization method and the related factors.
These are a few things to consider if you’re looking to start a career streaming on Twitch.
Following these tips can help you grow faster and build a tightly-knit community.
You won’t grow as rapidly otherwise. It’s best to have a Twitter, an Instagram, and a YouTube account to complement your Twitch channel.
Twitter is best used to tell people what’s on your mind and plans, Instagram is more personal, and YouTube is great for archiving streams and posting highlights.
You can’t cash in on the same tropes forever; you’ll stagnate. Playing the same video game will only get you so far (unless you’re a professional).
The same applies to other hobbies. Always try to freshen the streaming experience for your viewers by trying out new things.
Popular streamers regularly host tournaments, challenges, giveaways, and events their audience can participate in because they know it’s a way for them to enjoy their content and stick around. Try that out.
Twitch pays its affiliates and partners on or around the 15th of every month, but your balance must exceed $50 for most payment methods or $100 wire transfers. You can check your payout history and status in your payout dashboard.
No, they get paid on or around the 15th of every month.
Consider the following options if you’re not into streaming.
Streaming on Twitch can be a profitable side hustle, but you’ll need to remain motivated and dedicated for many months or years before it can replace your job.
You’ll earn money through ad revenue, subscriptions, Bits, and donations as an affiliate or partner.
Once you’re famous enough, you can capitalize on your brand name with merchandise or seek opportunities for sponsorships.
Our guide explains how Twitch works and how streamers make money so you’d know where to get started.
Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below and share this if you’ve learned something new!
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