How to earn money on Twitch: streaming, 2023, subscribers

In addition to being an enjoyable hobby, Twitch can become a source of regularly income if you are prepared to invest your time. If you are looking at how to monetize your Twitch account, in this article we will break down how to do just that.

What is Twitch?

If you are looking for how to monetize your Twitch, surely you already know what it is, but if you are looking to generate an additional income and you don't know what Twitch is, it is a streaming platform that is used, above all, to broadcast video game games live. However, its growth (the platform has more than 17.5 million daily active users) has made room for other themes, so that different types of profiles can currently be found among users, which has made it grow. interest in monetizing the content.

As we already mentioned, the most popular streams on Twitch are those related to video games, however, there are many topics that are addressed in them:

• Live video game matches and gameplay
• Musical programs
• Talk shows and interviews
• Sports
• eSports
• Food and drink programs
• TV shows

Content creators

In addition to being a spectator, since the platform is free to access, anyone can become a streamer within it. If you are a streamer, you create content, therefore you are a content creator and that is how you can monetize on this platform that belongs to Amazon.

There are three levels of content creator:

• Streamer: Anyone who streams content on Twitch, more casually and as a hobby.
• Affiliate: it is the upper level where users are more advanced due to the time they dedicate to the platform (+8 hours of transmission per month).
• Partner: The most professional streamers can become a Twitch Partner with many additional benefits.

How do you make money on Twitch?

The main ways to earn money on Twitch are:

• Subscribers
• Donations
• Advertising on the channel
• Sponsorship agreements
• Membership
• Partners
• Use of external platforms

1. Subscribers

This is the most stable form and the main source of income for the most important or well-known streamers since the user makes a paid subscription to a channel that could be viewed for free. If you wonder why pay for something that can be seen for free, here we mention some of the advantages that only subscribers have.

• They don't see advertising.
• They interact easier with the streamer (some streamers only allow interaction with the paying public).
• They can use the channel's own stickers.

Streamers who have less than 10,000 viewers per month receive 50% of the subscriptions, the other half goes to the platform. But if the streamer exceeds 10,000 viewers per month, they can negotiate 70/30%. This is an example of what a streamer earns for a given number of subscribers:

• 100 subscriptions → $250
• 500 subscribers → $1250
• 1,000 subscribers → $2,500

Remember that to receive money from your subscribers you have to meet certain requirements:

• Have a minimum of 50 followers.
• Have an average of 3 viewers per live.
• Have streamed at least 8 hours on 7 different days over the last 30 days.

2. Donations

Here in donations there are two options:

• The first is the most classic. As a content creator on Twitch, you can modify your "About" page by adding a button to receive donations. In this way, all donations go to the streamer. It would be something like a tip.
• The second is bits, which are used for Cheering, the way viewers show their support in a streamer's chat. Bits are virtual items that can be purchased on Twitch. The procedure is the next:

1. A user buys Bits, Twitch's virtual currency with which viewers can donate to content creators.
2. These bits can be sent in the form of Cheers, a kind of animated emoticons to show support for streamers, partners or affiliates in a thank you mode.
3. The bits received can be exchanged for money and users can purchase them via Amazon or PayPal.

3. Advertising on the channel

Another way to monetize a Twitch channel is through ads. In this case, the income will depend on the number of viewers who see the advertisement.

Ideally, start with one minute of advertising per hour of broadcast, as this is a very short break that won't bother viewers too much. Depending on your acceptance, the time may be increased to three minutes. The streamer must notify the public when or how often there will be a break (the streamer has control over this). We don't recommend concentrating your ads at the beginning or end, as this is when they tend to have the least audience. (Remember that subscribers to a channel do not see advertising since they pay for not having interruptions).

Ad revenue on Twitch is made based on the number of people who see the ad, and the rate is approximately $0.25 to $1.50 per 1,000 people who have seen the ad. If you are a streamer you have the option to control when to show the ads and their frequency, it is best to present the public with the advertising as a pause or rest in the transmission.

To offer streamers greater economic stability, Twitch has launched a kind of flat rate that consists of the following: for those who broadcast live for at least 40 hours a month and introduce minutes of advertising every hour, they can receive a payment that is between 500 and 1,000 dollars a month.

You can also link to specific products on your page and you will receive a commission for every qualifying purchase your viewers make on Amazon through your links.

4. Sponsorship agreements

There are brands that are looking for content creators to talk about their products or services, even to test them live, which is another way to earn money through Twitch. The ideal is to find a sponsorship that fits with the theme of the channel and with the values that are transmitted through it.

5. Membership

Twitch has a very interesting affiliate program, which is usually the step prior to becoming a partner. To be a Twitch affiliate and earn money through this platform, it is necessary to meet a series of requirements:

• Have at least 50 followers.
• Have broadcast at least 500 minutes in the last 30 days.
• Have streamed at least 7 unique days in the last 30 days.
• Have achieved at least an average of 3 simultaneous viewers in the last 30 days.

6. Partners

The Twitch Partner program is intended for streamers "committed" to a sizable community, who, in addition to monetizing their videos, will be able to opt for other advantages on their channel, such as customizing the advertising control panel, creating exclusive access to special promotions, in addition, partner subscribers will be able to choose between three different payment methods, which can make the number of subscribers grow. You can also extend the storage of videos for 60 days.

To enter the Twitch Partner program, you must meet more demanding requirements compared to those of affiliates, but it is the best way to monetize a channel on this platform. These requirements are:

• Have broadcast a minimum of 25 hours in the last 30 days.
• Streams must be on at least 12 different days.
• Have an average of 75 viewers per streaming.

7. Use of external platforms

And finally, another way to earn money streaming with Twitch is by joining this platform to other external ones, such as streamlots and streamion.

Through streamloots you can create decks of interactive cards, which can make a live performance much more dynamic. These types of cards are used to get the creator to do a certain action. The letters are sold by chests and any user can use them within a direct, since it is enough to raise it for it to become effective. Special cards can also be created for specific dates, such as Halloween, Christmas or Valentine's Day.

Streamion is an alternative to earning money through ads without being a partner, since this platform automatically introduces advertising into the channel. In addition, as we already said, the streamer can choose the frequency with which the ads will appear, as well as their duration.

What is the new payment threshold on Twitch?

Until now, the platform maintained a minimum payment threshold of $100, which means that content creators could get paid for their videos when they reached that figure, and not before. As of July 15, 2022, the Twitch payment threshold becomes $50, half.

How much money is earned on Twitch per subscriber?

To know how much you earn on Twitch per subscriber, it is important to distinguish between various levels of subscriptions. As the level increases, benefits such as badges or emotes increase, and so does its price:

• Level 1 subscription → $4.99 per month
• Level 2 subscription → $9.99 per month
• Level 3 subscription → $24.99 per month

Subscription for being Amazon Prime → 1 free subscription per month to the streamer of your choice, equivalent to level 1
As we already said, the platform keeps 50% for each subscription, although some major streamers such as Ibai, Elrubius or Auronplay receive up to 70%. Small streamers, with 50-100 subscribers, could earn between $250-500 per month or more, depending on the level of their subscriptions.

How to see your income on Twitch?

On Twitch, you can see how much money you earn through the payment history of the control panel and the channel analytics page.

Payment history

Channel analysis

On the channel analytics page you can get a complete view of your Twitch earnings statistics, as well as other relevant information about your viewers and broadcast activity. This panel shows data for the last 30 days by default, but you can use the date picker to view data for other periods.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of monetizing a Twitch channel?

One of the main advantages of Twitch is that monetizing content is relatively easy, especially compared to other platforms like YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. In addition, all users who connect to Twitch do so with the idea of watching content live, something that does not happen in other social networks where the content is much more varied. Another of the advantages of being on Twitch is that initially this platform was born to broadcast video game games live, but little by little other themes have made their way onto the platform. So there are topics where there might not be much competition and therefore standing out may be easier. 

As for the disadvantages of monetizing a Twitch channel, we could mention the necessity to stream regularly and respect a minium amount of hours of monthly broadcasting. In addition, these hours must be spread over a minium number of days. You must also offer very good content that is different from the crowd, especially in topics with a lot of competition.