Can you imagine how many people dream of earning a decent income just by playing games? It is difficult to say the exact figure, but it is safe to say that there are quite a lot of such gamers.
Earning money from streaming can make this dream a reality. To do this, you need to “make friends” with such a platform as Twitch, create your own channel and conduct online broadcasts. Sounds easy, but in fact not every streamer is able to get at least 10,000 $ a month.
But if you are a master in passing games, can combine natural charisma and a great sense of humor, know how to captivate the audience, then you’re on your way to game video streaming.
Today I will tell you how to make money on Twitch, what you need and what ways to use. We’ll also talk about the highest paid streamers and how much you can earn for a regular average user.1
Features of the Twitch platform
Twitch is a well-known web platform designed for video broadcasts from different parts of the world. Streams have been held for 10 years. The main topics of the service are computer games and cybersports.
On Twitch you can not only watch live broadcasts, but also regular videos, cuts from streams.
As with any method of earning money, just so the funds will not come directly to your account. And if you heard somewhere that it is enough to just play games and the money will start dripping by itself, then I’m afraid you are deceived.
Streaming is a job like any other. Famous streamers spend 8-14 hours at the computer. What is not a full working day? Broadcasts should last at least a couple hours, and it is desirable to hold them 3-4 times a week. At the same time, you need to constantly come up with something new and interesting, so that the audience will continue to watch you.
You can only interest viewers with interesting content or your own charisma. Streaming topics can be anything: playing musical instruments, cooking, personal blogging, traveling, cinematography and much more. But video games are more in demand on Twitch.
Usually during the broadcast a gamer reacts in some special way to what is happening in the game. For example, too aggressively commenting on the actions of the opponent, shouting, throwing objects or funny jokes.
Also a mandatory element of the broadcast is communication with viewers in chat. In this case, the blogger can thank fans, respond to their attacks, tell something from life or share the secrets of the passage.
The target audience of Twitch – solvent men from 20 to 35 years old. They are on the platform more than 80%. Women not only make up a smaller part of the audience, but also do not actively sponsor streamers.
What is streaming
A stream is a live broadcast in which a presenter or a couple of presenters perform actions of interest to viewers. For example, playing games, cooking, sewing clothes or toys, discussing what happened in everyday life, etc.
A streamer is called this very host of the broadcast. Most often they act independently, without the help of other professionals, such as producers, scriptwriters or cameramen. In rare cases, a whole team works on the stream. This is mostly found in already known bloggers.
The main function of the streamer is to entertain the user. Therefore, the presenters always communicate with their audience, give them feedback, offer interesting content.
Sometimes a gamer is not necessary to play well. His character can die all the time by his own stupidity, and the audience will still watch it. In this case, you can keep the audience with a funny or unusual reaction to the death of the hero.
The streamer’s behavior also determines his popularity. The friendlier, more charismatic and literate blogger will be, the more people he will be able to attract. At the same time, the gamer should also have a broad outlook, as the topic at any time can change, dramatically changing the direction. The personality of the streamer is also very important.
The presenter has to perform several actions at once: play, insert your comments, read the chat messages from viewers and respond to them. Not everyone can do it the first time. It’s hard to be everywhere and understand everything.
But that’s not the only reason why it can be scary to go on air. Beginner streamers are afraid to say something wrong or, on the contrary, to keep silent instead of making a funny comment. Yes, this can happen, but experienced gamers advise not to be afraid to make a mistake. Over time, bloggers get used to it, skills develop and the work goes on automatic.
At the same time, whether to prepare for a broadcast or not is an individual choice of each person. If a streamer chooses to improvise, he should realize that there will be people on the Internet who know the topic better. Therefore, negative comments may appear in the comments.
Negative comments can break a novice blogger. The best way out is not to react to unreasonable comments and continue broadcasting.
Now let’s consider the classification of streamers. They can be categorized as follows.
- Communication
This is a type of broadcasts, where the streamer talks to his audience on free topics and can do almost anything. Such streams can afford already well-known bloggers who have at least a couple thousand subscribers, because they may be interested in broadcasts “about nothing”. Sometimes the presenter raises a topic and leads a discussion with the audience.
- Everyday life
Somewhat similar to the previous type, but in this case the blogger can travel and show landscapes, go to a club and film what is happening at the party, have fun in bowling and discuss his game with the audience. This type too is mostly relevant for famous personalities. But also for bloggers who started from scratch to make themselves a first-class streamer, this format is available, provided that they are charismatic and have a rich and active life.
- Entertainment
This type includes everything related to humor, music, movies, books, interviews, news, etc. Such streams can be compared to television programs. Also entertaining broadcasts can be those in which the blogger performs any tasks from viewers, most often for money. Or another option, when the streamer promises to do something for a certain amount of money.
- Teaching
It can be learning how to play musical instruments or drawing techniques, showing the process of cooking a dish, cooking tips, lessons on the correct pronunciation of words in a foreign language and much more.
- Games
And the most popular niche remains. It includes not only walkthroughs, but also review and discussion of games, revealing secrets, news of the game industry and cyber sports competitions.
What you need for the stream
If you are going to stream professionally, you need to know where to start. First of all you will need 3 things: good internet, quality equipment and attractive content.
Everything is clear with the Internet: it must be fast, so that viewers can watch the broadcast without interference.
A streamer can’t do without equipment either. At a minimum, he should have a computer, monitor, keyboard, computer mouse, webcam, headphones with a headset or microphone.
At first, when the audience is only growing, the cheapest equipment will do. The main thing that the video was visible in the process of passing the game and the face of the gamer, as well as no loud extraneous sounds.
More promoted streamers will have to shell out for a good and high-quality “hardware”. Professional gamers often buy 2 computers at once: one to play, from the second go on the air. This way it will be more convenient to pass levels and read messages from viewers.
In addition to technology, you should also pay attention to lighting. In order to have a beautiful bright picture on the screen, it is better to buy a lighting device, rather than rely on the light from the chandelier.
It is also important and the place from which the broadcast is conducted. Most streamers broadcast directly from their room, some famous bloggers rent entire studios for recording.
If the broadcast is conducted by one presenter, you can try shooting on a green background with chromakey technology. So there will be only one streamer on the screen, and the game itself will serve as a background for him.
You also need to download a program for streaming. It will transmit the image from the monitor screen to the Twitch server. There are free versions, which are more often used by beginners, and experienced streamers prefer paid premium licenses.
Streamers spend an average of 20,000 to 60,000 $ on equipment and software. The first figure is an economy option. The second is a full set of good equipment.
Now let’s talk about the element that you should definitely think about. We are talking about content.
Types of content
The content is directly related to the types of streamers I’ve already mentioned. And in this section the topics will be the same: personal streams and everyday life, entertainment, learning and games.
I want to focus on the last type of content, that is, games. This is the most popular niche not only on Twitch, but also on other streaming platforms.
Games can also be different and have their own specialization and direction, for example:
- Single-player game with process commentary.
- Multiplayer games.
- Master class demonstrations.
- Lifehacks, secrets and useful tips.
- Analysis of games of masters and famous gamers.
- Commenting on major tournaments and championships.
- News of the game industry, the hottest new products.
- Game development process.
To make it interesting for viewers to watch, you need to develop not only gaming skills, but also communication skills with the audience.
You can find out which games are the most popular now in the “View” tab on Twitch. At the moment, the first places are occupied by:
- League of Legends,
- Fortnite,
- Diablo II,
- Counter-Strike,
- Minecraft,
- Dota 2,
- Hearthstone,
- World of Warcraft.
It is important that the gamer really likes the game and understands it. The second aspect especially applies to the above popular games, because the competition among them is the highest, and to stand out, you need to show only the highest level. Therefore, I do not advise beginners to stream these games.
When choosing what kind of content to stream, take into account what you are able to do. Even if you like playing guitar, but you do it unprofessionally and constantly falsify, it’s better to choose something else for streaming.
Channel development and promotion
So, when you have a fast internet connection and the right equipment, and after you have decided on the content, the only thing left is to create your channel. This is not so difficult to do. To begin with, you need to go through the standard registration process: you need to think of a username and password, enter your e-mail.
Now you can link the account and a special program, for example, OBS or XSplit. The programs help you set up online broadcasts.
When the creation is left behind, you can start promoting the channel on Twitch. To promote the profile went as successfully as possible, you need to follow a few rules:
- To play without interruptions and hang-ups, choose only a powerful computer and high-speed internet.
- You should go live as often as possible. It is desirable to do this every day or at least at least 3 times a week. Stream should go from two hours and more.
- It is best to create a schedule of broadcasts and clearly follow it. Before the broadcasts, you can post announcements of the stream, intriguing the viewers.
- Register several profiles and access your broadcasts from them. This way you will create the illusion that someone is watching the stream, thus attracting real viewers to the screen.
- Constantly comment on your actions in the game, even if no one is watching you.
- Video titles should be catchy and memorable to attract viewers’ attention.
- Pay attention to the design of the channel. On the banner panel, which is located after the player, place links to social media accounts, payment details, brief information about yourself. Be sure to add a channel logo and a chat window.
- Record streamings with other bloggers at your level or slightly above. Collaborations help to diversify broadcasts, promote the channel and get additional subscribers.
- In addition to collaborations, you can have simple get-togethers with friends who don’t necessarily have to be streamers. By chatting with them in an easy format, you too can attract attention.
- Always interact with your viewers while being friendly and natural. Ask your subscribers about their business, make jokes, tell interesting stories, give responses to their comments, etc.
- Decide on the image that you will show on the screen. It must be catchy. If on the air will be a gray boring man with slurred speech and no sense of humor, no one will subscribe to him. Try to be very emotional, even a little crazy, or just funny and cute. Compare what subscribers like more and keep it up.
- You can play soft music that you like to create an atmosphere. But it should not drown out your voice or be in the foreground.
- Offer your audience something new. You don’t have to be “on trend” and play the most popular games. The main thing is that you know how to play and can show something special that will set you apart from the crowd of competitors.
- Thank the audience for every donation, even if it is pennies.
This was a free way to promote. If you have the desire and funds, you can try a paid alternative:
- Order advertising for your channel or a specific broadcast in communities in social networks with similar themes.
- Hold drawings and contests with prizes that will really interest viewers.
- At first, you can make a little bit of follower recruitment, since people are reluctant to subscribe to a channel that has zero subscribers. But it is important not to overdo it. First, it is fraught with a ban from the platform. And secondly, there will be a discrepancy in the number of followers and views. I advise you to scrounge no more than 20-30 subscribers.
- Offer more popular streamers working in a similar genre, for payment to promote your channel.
You can develop and promote your channel alone or in a team. Collective labor is good because one person’s shoulders bear a small burden. You can even take turns on the air. But there are disadvantages: the failure of another member of the team will concern you, there may be creative differences, earnings will have to be shared by all.
With independent activity, all the work and responsibility falls on one person, but he is free to do whatever he wants and can take all the earnings for himself
Ways to make money
I think it’s clear to everyone that each way of earning money is effective only if the channel has an impressive audience with live viewers, not scrambled ones. Therefore, if you have only 2-3 broadcasts, it is unlikely to get any profit. You must clearly understand this: first collect fans, then monetization.
Streamers are not employees. They do not have a salary. Their income is made up of deductions from advertising, sales of goods, and voluntary remittances from fans. Let’s start with the last one.
Donuts
Donations are donations sent to the idol from fans on a voluntary basis without any compulsion. This way fans can thank the streamer, support him or contribute to the development of the channel.
But people can also be motivated to send donations for selfish purposes, for example: advertising their goods or services, a reciprocal request (to wave a hand, call a name, highlight this particular fan in some way), the desire to “shine”.
Sometimes people want to insult the blogger in this way, because usually the name of the person who donated, the amount and his message are shown on the screen. So the whole audience can see the insult. But such “black” motives, fortunately, are less common than a sincere desire to help.
To customize the receipt of donations, you need to register on special services, such as Paypal or DonatePay.
For many streamers, donations are the main source of money, especially if the blogger’s audience is really big. But this is a very “floating” way of earning money. Today you managed to collect 2,000 $, tomorrow you get only 500 $, and the day after tomorrow you donated as much as 10,000 $.
If you still chose this method as the main one, then take into account the following points:
- Enable a notification that will notify you when new donations are credited. This way you won’t leave any donation unnoticed.
- Every time you receive a donation, comment on it in some way, you can even think of interesting and funny phrases in advance. Be sure to give the name or nickname of the fan.
- It happens that the fan wants to attract attention to himself and does not act very nicely. For example, sends funds, and after some time requires them back, writes to the support service and in every way shows his dissatisfaction. Or a fan by mistake sent too large an amount, for example, instead of 1 000$ donated 100 000 $. Therefore, I advise you not to withdraw all the funds at once, but wait a month or at least a couple of weeks.
- Use voting or donation goals to encourage viewers to send more. This way, they can vote for the topic of the next broadcast: whichever option will raise more money will win. A donation goal is a certain motive that motivated the streamer to raise money. Donate goals are usually shown on the screen in the form of a scale, which indicates the final amount the blogger would like to raise and the funds already received.
You can collect donations even more easily: specify your bank details in the description under the player and leave a request to drop donations to a card or e-wallet. However, this method is not very effective, because few subscribers will agree to transfer funds anonymously, because the name will not appear on the screen, and the streamer will not be able to thank them on air.
In addition, very often donations turn out to be a common fake. Bloggers send donations to themselves to motivate viewers to do the same.
Partnership with Twitch
You can make a profit without resorting to third-party resources. It is enough to become a Twitch partner to connect monetization and receive additional bonuses.
Streamers will be able to receive deductions from the display of advertising. Advertisers pay the site for placing their ads, and Twitch shares a percentage of the received amount with bloggers.
Streamers customize the commercials themselves, including the duration and frequency of the show. I advise you not to abuse the showings, otherwise you may lose viewers.
Before you become a partner of the service, you need to get affiliate status. To do this, the channel must have at least 50 subscribers, and the total time of broadcasts must exceed 500 minutes for the last month.
To make sure that all requirements are met, you can view 30-day statistics directly on the platform. But you don’t have to keep track of the indicators at all: as soon as the channel meets all the requirements of the service, the account owner will automatically receive a notification about it.
Once you become a companion, you can already get partner status. But now you have to fulfill other requirements:
- the total time of broadcasts must exceed 25 hours;
- live broadcasts were aired at least 12 days a month;
- 500 people or more subscribed to the channel;
- 75 viewers or more were present on the stream at the same time.
Also, the content broadcast live must not violate the rules of the service. This applies not only to future partners, but also to Twitch streamers in general.
There have been cases where a channel did not meet all the requirements, but still became a Twitch partner. Such an exception is made for promising channels with extremely unique content.
For a thousand views accrue about 240-260$. To earn on the built-in advertising service is difficult, because many Internet users use browser extensions or programs that block ads.
By the way, with connected monetization, you will have the opportunity to set up a system of points on the channel. Its essence is that for certain actions on your channel viewers will receive points, which they can then spend to open additional features.
Paid subscription
Paid subscriptions are another feature of the Twitch partnership. Partner streamers can highlight the perks of a paid subscription to make users want to purchase it. The benefits include:
- absence of advertisements;
- additional emoticons for chatting;
- access to unique content;
- name highlighting in the general chat;
- opportunity to participate in blogger contests and giveaways.
Depending on the type of subscription, users pay from $4.99 to $24.99. The platform gets 50% of the profits and the remaining half goes to the streamer.
Sales of games and other products
You can sell your own product as well as the product of advertisers. You can promote any kind of product: websites, cosmetics, food and drinks, computer furniture, delivery services, and more. But the greatest demand is for video games, programs, accessories and gadgets for computers.
A description of the product or service can be placed under the video, along with a link to purchase it.
This is beneficial, as fans, especially loyal fans, trust the opinion of the streamer, listen to him and buy advertised products. But there is another side of the coin: viewers may not like the advertisement, especially if it is illiterate.
It is best to use hidden advertising. Popular streamers can be paid even for the fact that they are sitting in a T-shirt with the company logo.
Or another example of hidden advertising: a blogger holds a stream, and during the break the courier brought him a delivery from the store. On the screen you can casually show the delivery man himself and his clothes with identifying marks, like Delivery Club couriers, or a glimpse of a box of food, for example, the logo of Dodo Pizza.
As you can see from the example, the product is not openly offered. There is no call to buy something. But it is worth considering that although hidden advertising is more to the liking of viewers, they will pay less for it.
You can contact the advertiser directly or use an affiliate program. Many large projects have an affiliate program. All you have to do is register on special aggregator services or on the company’s official website to get an affiliate link. It should be added to the page under the video and wait for someone to click on it and go to the site to buy something. If the purchase happens, the blogger is rewarded.
The blogger can sell anything as her products. If the channel is promoted and popular, mugs, t-shirts, mousepads and other products with the logo of the streamer’s brand are particularly well distributed.
If the channel is a creative channel, you can sell the results of the blogger’s work: paintings, training courses, books, etc.
Offline stream recordings
It is indeed possible to make money from online streaming. But this method can be improved by earning multiple times for each stream. To do this, you need to regularly post recordings of live broadcasts on your YouTube channel.
The first viewers can become followers from the channel on Twitch, who could not get to the live broadcast.
So the videos will gain their audience, and the account will gain subscribers. After a while, you can profit from monetizing YouTube. This is another source of passive income.
How much you can earn
A beginner streamer may have no income at all for the first 3-4 weeks. A minimum income of 500 to 5,000 $ may appear only after 3-6 months. With the growth of the audience will increase and profit.
On average, streamers receive 15-40 thousand rubles, but provided that they are constantly engaged in their channel. You can get much more – there is no upper limit. The main thing is to find your niche and viewers.
To withdraw funds, you need to create electronic wallets PayPal and WebMoney.
When receiving funds from donations, you need to register on special services, which I have already mentioned. These are DonationAlerts or DonatePay. The withdrawal fee is different everywhere and depends on the platform.
Highest paid streamers
The highest paid streamer gets about 5 million dollars a year. His name is Ninja and he always shows a great level of play, which attracts subscribers.
Bloggers like Shroud, TimTheTatman, DrLupo, DrDisRespect, MOONMOON_OW, AdmiralBahroo and Sodapoppin earn $2-3 million dollars a year. They also stand out for their high skills, emotional communication with the audience, unusual way of playing or behaving, discussing personal life and much more.
Pros and cons
Earning on streams, like the platform itself, has its advantages and disadvantages. I suggest to consider them.
- Opportunity to earn money from your hobbies, such as gaming, socializing on various topics, cooking, creative activities and much more.
- There are no requirements for conducting a stream. The gamer himself decides when it’s time to start and end the broadcast.
- It is possible to simultaneously test each of the ways of earning money.
- The opportunity to gain not only money, but also fame and glory.
Cons:
- For professional streaming, you can’t do without investing in equipment, channel advertising, buying new games, and much more.
- High competition on the site and in the sphere in general.
- There is a high probability of loss of motivation, if after a week of streaming viewers will be minimal or zero.
Tips for beginners
So, what beginner streamers need to know before getting started:
- Don’t be silent. Always try to keep a conversation with your viewers, comment on their posts and entertain your followers in every way possible.
- Work on your image, demeanor and speech. Add creativity and unique features to stand out among other bloggers.
- Don’t disappear for a week or longer without giving a reason or you will lose your subscribers. Get on air as often as possible, ideally every day.
- Have contests and raffles. This is something that fans really like.
- Take care to buy quality equipment.
- Experiment. Do not stop at one genre, and always try something new to keep the interest of the audience.
- Work on the design of your channel. The more attractive the appearance, the more people will want to subscribe.
- Promote your channel on social media and video hosting sites. You don’t have to pay someone to advertise. You can create your own communities or use your own social media account.
- Treat streaming as a job: make a schedule, write down interesting phrases you’re going to say, and prepare for each broadcast.
- Be honest about the purpose of collecting donations. And in subsequent broadcasts, show proof of your words. This way you will add a point or two to your credibility.
- Learn English. Foreign audience is more solvent than the Russian-speaking. Yes, and will be able to contact a large number of advertisers.
- Watch your appearance. Subscribers are attracted by well-groomed, handsome bloggers. Do not allow yourself dirt under your fingernails and greasy hair.
- Don’t go overboard with advertising. Post ads in moderation so you don’t lose followers.
- Don’t get lost if you encounter bullying and cyberbullying. If you are insulted or bullied, use your eloquence skills to respond to the offender without stooping to their level.
Conclusion
Streaming is a great opportunity to turn your hobby into a profitable activity. It is especially profitable for those bloggers who know English. But you should not treat streaming as entertainment if you want to earn a good income, exceeding the salary of an ordinary office worker.
Also do not forget about the competition, which is quite high on Twitch. You need to have charisma, be able to fall in love with the audience and put your heart into the stream to be special for your subscribers.
Choose a method of earning suitable for yourself, create and promote the channel, start getting your first profit.