How to Make Money on Twitch: 9 Ways to Get Paid Live Streaming

Live video is one of the most popular forms of online entertainment. It’s an opportunity for viewers to watch and interact with their favorite gamers, musicians, and content creators in real time.

Of all the streaming platforms on the web, Twitch stands out with an impressive 7.94M streamers worldwide. The best part? Anyone can join Twitch, build a community, and start monetizing their content.

But how do you make money on Twitch?

Once you have an established audience, you can become a Twitch affiliate and start earning through monetization features like Twitch subscriptions, virtual currency (known as bits), and ads. But if you’re just starting out, it might take time to unlock these features.

In the meantime, there are other ways to make money on Twitch, including donations, affiliate marketing, and selling your own merch. So, let’s go over the options together. Whether you’re an experienced Twitch streamer, a casual gamer, or simply interested in how to make money from home, you’ll find everything you need to know in this article.

What is Twitch?

Twitch started out as a live streaming platform for gaming but now provides almost any form of entertainment: music, cooking, sports, or even just chatting. It’s a platform where anyone with a Twitch account can start streaming their activities, interact with their Twitch audience in real-time through chat, and build a following. At its core, Twitch fosters a supportive community where streamers and viewers connect over shared interests.

How to make money on Twitch

If you’re ready to start a Twitch channel and find yourself wondering how to make money on Twitch, below we’ve gathered 9 ways you can get paid live streaming.

1. Build stable income streams

Even more than on other platforms, Twitch users are active, engaged participants who are eager to show support for creators. In fact, 84% believe backing Twitch streamers is an important part of the platform experience. But how do you turn audience engagement into monetary support?

Patreon

To start, you can incentivize your Twitch audience to support you with a monthly payment through Patreon, and offer exclusive content in return. Many smaller Twitch streamers choose Patreon to build a reliable recurring income and to bypass the 50% cut that Twitch takes from subscription revenue (more on that later). For example, user Spicysushi uses Patreon to make money outside Twitch, citing that the platform takes a large cut of the revenue.

Streamlabs Monthly Tipping Service

If Streamlabs is your streaming software, you can use their monthly tipping feature.

With it, viewers can set up recurring tips to support their favorite Twitch streamers. For content creators, an alert pop ups whenever a tip is made.

Source: Fextralife / Streamlabs

2. Collect donations

There are many third-party app integrations you can use to collect donations. For example, Donorbox is a popular web app used by many Twitch streamers. One of its advantages is the added security—you have to verify your information before starting to accept donations, ensuring peace of mind for anyone choosing to support you.

Paypal donation button

Having a PayPal donation button is a common and easy way to encourage donations directly to your channel. But keep in mind that PayPal takes a portion of the donation—2.9% of the total for each domestic transaction and a fixed fee of $0.30.

Cryptocurrency

If you want to accept donations without PayPal, cryptocurrency is a good alternative. Most streamers use Bitcoin, Dogecoin, or Ethereum and link directly to a digital wallet on their channel. That way you can bypass using a third-party app and paying their fees.

3. Sell merch

Once you’re getting an average of 40–50 loyal viewers per stream, it’s time to consider selling custom merch. This is a chance for your devoted fans to show they’re a part of your community both online and offline, and for you to make extra money. Plus, merch repping your brand gives you great exposure.

Learn More: 50 Surprisingly Creative Merch Ideas + Examples

To get started, think of the items you like to buy and look to other Twitch streamers for inspiration. For example, Lilypichu, one of the top female streamers on Twitch, has her own clothing line that consists of t-shirts and hoodies in pastel tones.

Source: lilypichu.com

Print-on-demand

It’s easy to start selling your own merch with print-on-demand. You don’t have to worry about investing in inventory upfront or having leftover stock that doesn’t sell—the product is only made once someone makes a purchase.

Print-on-demand allows you to design a variety of products from custom t-shirts and beanies to phone cases and mugs. With providers like Printful, you can design products for free, and the product fulfillment and shipping will be taken care of.

4. Promote your favorite products with affiliate links

Many streamers, especially gamers, make money on Twitch by teaming up with brands and adding affiliate links for viewers to make a purchase with a discount. Typically, this means promoting headsets, cameras, gaming chairs, or other equipment during your stream.

Find out how to Start Affiliate Marketing in 5 Steps.

This partnership is different from a Twitch affiliate program—you don’t need to be a Twitch partner to start promoting products with affiliate links. Check out affiliate marketing platforms like Rakuten and Shareasale to connect with your favorite brands and build relevant brand partnerships. You can also become a Printful affiliate partner and get 10% from every order made by customers you refer. 

Get Started with the Amazon Associates Program

The Amazon Associates program is another way to earn referral revenue by linking specific products from Amazon to your page. As a streamer, you receive a commission for any purchases your viewers make on Amazon when they use your links. 

Try creating an Amazon wish list to share the gear you use for your stream setup (lighting, camera, mic), or gather a list of all your favorite video games. To make it easier for your audience to purchase the products you promote, you can even add custom clickable buttons.

Source: Twitch

5. Collaborate with brands

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to be a top-tier content creator to start brand collaborations. Recently, brands have been eyeing micro-influencers to get their products in front of the right people. This is especially true when it comes to capturing the attention of younger consumers who are dedicated to the platform. When you’re loyal to a streamer, you usually trust their recommendations.

Promoting a brand

There are tons of different ways you can collaborate with brands apart from offering product discounts. You can earn by hosting unboxing Twitch streams, giveaways, or brand shout-outs. You can also use product placements and announce new product launches. Typically, brands will have a promotion format in mind, but that still leaves room for creativity on your streams and socials.

Sponsorships

If you have a large following, getting a brand sponsorship can bring in big revenue. You can earn anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000 per hour if you have an average of 10,000 viewers. 

Sponsorships can also get you good deals for live appearances. But before agreeing to a brand sponsorship, be sure it’s the right fit for your brand and resonates with your audience.

For example, gaming superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins hosted a New Year’s Eve stream that was sponsored by Domino’s pizza. This event featured guest star appearances, and it was a chance for viewers to win Domino’s gift cards, gaming gear, and Ninja merch.

Source: Gamesquare

6. Become a Twitch affiliate

Once you have an established audience, you can join the Twitch Affiliate Program and unlock monetization features for your streams. 

How to become a Twitch affiliate

To qualify for the Twitch Affiliate program, you need to:

• reach 50 followers

• stream for 8 hours

• stream on 7 different days

• reach an average of 3 viewers per stream

When your Twitch channel becomes eligible, you’ll receive an invitation via email and a notification on your Twitch dashboard to start monetizing your channel. This automatically adds a subscribe option to your channel. Subscriptions are different from follows—anyone can become a follower for free, but subscriptions are a paid feature.

Subscriptions and Twitch bits

Subscriptions allow viewers to pay a monthly fee to support your channel on a recurring basis. There are three Twitch subscription tiers available: $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99 per month. Twitch affiliates earn 50% of the share, while the other 50% go to Twitch. Subscribers get access to custom emotes, exclusive chat rooms, subscriber badges, and other benefits you can add.

Source: Kitboga / Twitch

Twitch affiliates can also earn money through Twitch bits which act as micro-donations. You receive $0.01 for every bit used to cheer in the chat. 

Twitch bits give viewers perks like voting in polls, using animated emoticons (Cheermotes), or getting recognition. You can display a list of the top weekly or monthly cheerers on your channel to recognize your top supporters.

Source: Twitch

Run ads

Affiliates can also earn money by running ads. As your viewership increases, advertising revenue from Twitch ads will go up as well. Ad breaks can be between 30 seconds and three minutes long, and the income depends on how many viewers see the ad—the bigger the audience, the more you earn. You’ll need to run at least 3 minutes of ads per hour to unlock 55% net ad revenue share according to the Ads Incentive program.

7. Become a Twitch Partner

Twitch streamers who’ve been affiliates for some time and have grown a big audience should start eyeing the coveted Twitch Partner status. 

The Twitch Partner program provides access to more tools like subscriber streams, custom cheermotes, stream delays, etc. Getting a Twitch partner status is a sign that you’ve grown your viewership to a point where you’re a highly valued member of the Twitch community. 

How to become a Twitch Partner

To qualify for the Twitch Partner program you need to demonstrate a large, engaged following and complete the Path to Partner achievements:

• streamed for 25 hours

• streamed on 12 different days

• an average of 75 viewers at the same time

These achievements apply for a 30-day period. Nevertheless, becoming eligible does not guarantee Partner status and is invitation-only.

Subscription revenue and ads

Twitch partners with a large following can expect subscriptions to make up most of their revenue. The more subscribers you have, the bigger the revenue. And with the Partner Plus program, partners get to keep up to 70% of the net subscription revenue.

Partner-only opportunities

Twitch Partners sign exclusivity agreements with the platform. In turn, they enjoy access to partner-only promotional opportunities like Partners Spotlights and Panels, Meet & Greets with fans, Streamer Zones, and lots more. These are fun ways to interact with your audience off-stream and can help secure endorsement deals and better brand sponsorships.

8. Post your Twitch content on YouTube

In a recent announcement, Twitch has relaxed its simulcasting policies by allowing most creators to multistream on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

Posting your live content both on Twitch and your YouTube channel ensures you can reach a wider audience and offers another way of monetizing your stream. Alternatively, you can share highlights and post-stream clips on YouTube for those who missed the live stream on Twitch.

Ad revenue perks

Many Twitch streamers also choose to post on YouTube to earn money through video ads. Running ads on your YouTube videos can significantly boost your earnings, as YouTube offers a 55/45 ad revenue split in favor of creators. In contrast, Twitch starts out at a 50/50 split, and increases to 70/30 only for the top-tier streamers.

Learn More: How to Make Money on YouTube with a Small Channel

9. Monetize your expertise by coaching others

If you’re an experienced gamer, streamer, or content creator on Twitch, one way to monetize your skills is by offering coaching services to other Twitch creators. Many aspiring streamers are eager to learn from someone who’s already found success.

For coaching, it’s best to specialize in a particular area of expertise, whether it’s helping others grow their Twitch channel, open up a Patreon account, or master graphic design. A niche will help you attract the right people who’d be interested in your coaching services. 

How much money can you make on Twitch?

Twitch offers several ways to earn money, with subscriptions being one of the most common. Affiliates and Partners can offer three subscription tiers: $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99, and typically take home 50% of the revenue.

To give you a clearer picture, here’s an estimate of what streamers can earn based on their average viewership, according to industry insights:

- 5–10 average viewers: $50–$200 per month

- 50 average viewers: $500–$750 per month

- 100 average viewers: $1,000–$1,500 per month

- 1,000 average viewers: $5,000 per month

- 10,000 average viewers: $30,000 per month

If your goal is to earn a steady income as a content creator or professional gamer, growing your Twitch channel is a great place to start. While increasing your viewership is key for boosting income, other factors like higher-tier subscribers, donations, and sponsorships have a big impact on how much you earn.

How to build an audience on Twitch

If you’re just getting started, it can take some time to figure out how to make money on Twitch. So it’s important to not lose sight of what will help you get there—growing your audience.

The first thing you should know is that young adults (18–34 year olds) make up 70% of all Twitch users. Knowing who is tuning in and why can help you anticipate what your viewers are looking for. 

Once you know your audience, it’s important to start building a community. Start by connecting with like-minded people who’ll enjoy your live streams and be fun to hang with when you’re streaming. That way, you’re creating a welcoming vibe for viewers, and they’ll want to join again.

Community building is a two-way conversation

Popular Twitch streamers are good entertainers whose commentary and conversation with viewers keep it fun. To keep the interaction flowing, monitor the chat, do shoutouts during the stream, respond to requests, ask questions, and listen to feedback.

Your viewers sometimes will be content creators themselves so engage with other channels, especially smaller streamers in a similar niche. Be active on Twitch chat and on other social media channels to maintain a presence.

Be consistent

Have a set schedule of upload times for your Twitch streams that viewers can rely on and build their day around. Find times that work for you (late evening, lunchtime, etc.) so you’re more likely to stream regularly. Let people know about your schedule—post it on your stream and social media accounts. Twitch’s Schedule tool is a handy way to remind viewers when they can see you live, set a reminder, and be notified once you’re online.

Personal branding

Your brand should be unique, relate to your content, and convey something you’re passionate about. Is your channel about a specific game? Do you have a character in mind that you want to build your channel around? Picking just one thing will help you create an original brand and make you stand out.

Having a thing you’re known for can also help you create personalized merch. For example, the streamer Nickmercs has built his personal brand around his fitness, competitive gaming, and his community, the “MFAM” (Mercs Family).

Nickmercs sells items like MFAM-branded apparel, hats, and accessories. His merch resonates with fans who connect with his personality and the community feel of the Mercs Family, making it a successful product line.

Source: MFAM

If you’re curious about selling your own merch, it’s easy to set up an online store and use an on-demand service like Printful to take care of production.

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