Twitch streamers often start their journey with desires to feel motivated, recognized, and eventually rewarded for their efforts. The first step towards achieving these goals is to attract an engaged audience that will watch them play video games.
Yet, gamers need to aim for much more than just increasing engagement, as earning money is what every Twitch streamer should aim for.
So, over the past few years, we have witnessed an interesting symbiosis between Twitch and TikTok, which, if combined correctly, can help streamers monetize their long hours of gaming. Here is all you need to know about how gamers can combine Twitch and TikTok to generate more income.
Climbing the Ranks on Twitch
The first step streamers on Twitch must take to start generating income is to accumulate a following list. There are two different programs that can help streamers monetize their gaming – Twitch Affiliates and Twitch Partners, with the former being the lower level. To become an affiliate, a streamer must:
- Have an audience of at least 50 followers
- Have a 3-viewers-per-stream average
- Stream for at least eight hours in the past month and seven days in the same period.
Then, for a streamer to become a partner, they must have at least 12 unique streams and 25 hours of streaming. The average audience must be 75 viewers. This is the bare minimum, but ultimately, gamers can join the Partner scheme by invitation.
Sources of Income on Twitch
There are a few streams of income gamers can use on Twitch, regardless of whether they are in the Affiliate or Partners sector:
- Subscriptions: Viewers can pay $4.99 to subscribe to a certain channel. The money is split 50/50 between the streamer and Twitch. For subscriptions, Twitch allows users to pay with cards, Twitch gift cards, PayPal and more. However, it doesn’t accept IDEAL that work perfectly for casino transactions, for example. iDEAL payments are easy to use, and you don’t have to provide your payment details to the gaming platform if you want to make a minimum deposit. As streaming continues to grow, offering more flexible payment options like iDEAL could help platforms like Twitch better serve their international audience.
- Twitch Bits: Small donations paid by Amazon payments. Every gamer will get $0.01 for every Bit that someone uses to cheer.
- Advertisements: Any gamer can choose to run ads on their stream and share the revenue with Twitch. The platform allows gamers to choose the length of the ads and how often they air.
- Selling games and in-game items: Only Partners can sell games and items on their page. If a sale is made, 5% of the revenue goes to the Partner.
TikTok – The Secret Weapon for Twitch Streamers
Twitch offers a solid way for gamers to earn revenue, but why settle for that much? Gamers have now recognized the potential of TikTok to promote their streams and earn even more money.
TikTok is not just a platform where you can find funny dance videos and clips. There are some estimates that say that over half of its users identify as gamers, so naturally, TikTok is the perfect platform for gaming content.
It won’t be rocket science to say that TikTok is an attention behemoth. Therefore, it can be essential for broader success for gamers on Twitch.
Twitch itself seems to have recognized how both platforms can benefit from each other. There is a so-called “Clip Editor” which allows streamers edit clips and converts them to portrait mode. CapCut is another editor that is a bit more advanced.
TikTok, on the other hand, has already added a feature that allows users to upload videos directly from Twitch.
Moreover, TikTok also has a unique recommendation algorithm called #foryoupage. It ensures that gamers’ content reaches the right audience and helps with exposure. That way, TikTok offers a great way for gamers to accumulate organic growth.
The platform’s emphasis on short-term videos makes it easier for gamers to experiment with various formats and see what works with users.
By sharing Twitch highlights on TikTok, gamers can reach a whole new audience that seeks gaming content and consequently increase revenue through Twitch subscriptions.
It’s also a far more reliable way to earn steady income compared to gambling streams. While many people believe online gambling is a quick way to make money, the reality is quite different. Even with different bonuses, long-term profitability is not guaranteed. Success in gambling takes deep knowledge, strict discipline, and a high tolerance for risk.
That’s why more content creators are turning to platforms like Twitch and TikTok to monetize their passion. By consistently creating and sharing content, especially short clips that capture exciting gaming moments, gamers can grow their community and earn through subscriptions, Bits, and brand partnerships.
Dual Live Streaming
There is also the possibility for gamers to stream on both TikTok and Twitch simultaneously. Through this option, they can get a powerful way to maximize their reach and interact with fans on both platforms. Here is how dual streaming can be set up:
- Preparation: For starters, streamers must use a multi-platform streaming software that supports multiple channel broadcasting.
- TikTok requirements: TikTok requires users to have at least 1,000 followers to go live
- Customization: Now, streamers need to use separate scenes for both platforms in the streaming software. TikTok is vertical and Twitch is horizontal, so they must adjust the layout and overlays.
- Engagement: Now comes the crucial part. Streamers must know how to interact with viewers on both platforms.
- Performance: By interacting and ensuring the stream is of the highest quality, streamers can significantly expand their reach, which can lead to more revenue across both channels.
Through simultaneous streaming, gamers can build a cross-platform community and introduce gaming content to a wider audience.
The Perfect Blend
Gamers perceive Twitch as the best platform where they can allow viewers to see all gaming unscripted moments happen in real time. Through it, all viewers will have the “had to be there” feeling. On the other hand, TikTok is ideal for creating highlights or simply emphasise those unforgettable moments.
By being able to curate Twitch highlights and feeding them to a wide TikTok gaming community, streamers have every chance of making serious money through their gaming.
Streamers just need to stay consistent and tenacious. Posting a couple of gaming TikToks per day for a few months almost guarantees success. Of course, a bit of creativity and uniqueness are always required with these short videos, after which, TikTok’s advanced algorithm will do the rest and help Twitch gamers increase their revenues.