✅ How much do small Twitch streamers make?

Wondering how much small Twitch streamers make? Gaming can be a good way to make a bit of extra cash – especially if it’s something you already love doing.

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✅ How much do Twitch streamers make?

Are you somebody with a vibrant and charismatic personality, who loves to reach out through videos? Are you a gamer, ASMRtist or musician looking to find new audiences?

Do you want to become a Twitch streamer? 

how much do twitch streamers make

Well, you’re in the right place – other than on Twitch, of course – to find out more.

A lot of people turn to Twitch as a new revenue stream for their passion. And, this can be a fantastic earner with people becoming millionaires just by live streaming.

However, there are aspects that need to be considered, first.

Things such as a niche; will it drive masses, or will there be a small viewership?

This is important because it will ultimately determine the livestream revenue turnover. 

✅ Make money from twitch

With over 2 million streamers currently using the platform to express their hobbies, talents and passions, more than 17 thousand are already making money with the Twitch Partner Program.

Want to make money by gaming through other platforms? We’ve got TEN ways to bring in some extra money through gaming, read the full post there!

So, we’re here to answer you one basic question; how much do Twitch streamers make?

But, first, we need to address some other harrowing subjects like; how does Twitch pay you?

We want you to be able to reach your full potential doing something you love, without getting into any debt along the way.

Before knowing how much streamers – or you – could make, let’s get down to how money is made through Twitch.

✅ What is Your Twitch Niche?

Since Twitch began as a streaming platform for gamers in June of 2011, it has grown and developed into a platform for all types of creators to stream their content. 

Although, despite this monumental growth, Twitch still remains heavily game orientated, with their categories being: 

  • Games
  • Tabletop RPGs
  • Special events and e-Sports
  • Food & Drinks
  • Fitness
  • Talk Shows & Podcasts
  • Craft
  • Science 
  • Music 
  • Travel & Outdoors
  • ASMR

Of course, if you came to this article after reading “How to Make Money by Gaming” then you’re sure to be heading into the Games, RPG and e-Sports sections, but there’s no need to stray from any other categories.

For example, if you enjoy streaming Unity’s Beat Saber with your Oculus Rift, then it would be in the games, music and fitness categories. 

✅ Make money from twitch

In order for Twitch streamers to make their money, they need to promote content and live stream videos that attract a large audience’s attention. Luckily with Twitch, the biggest audiences are found from game streaming. 

This is why you’ll find most Twitch streamers making considerable financial gain by live streaming their gaming experience. 

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✅ How Does Twitch Pay You?

Unlike other streaming platforms like YouTube or Facebook, Twitch relies on subscriber-fees, commissions and advertising. There’s also graphics-donations called ‘Twitch Bits’ used within chats.

Overall, there’s 7 ways Twitch Streamers can make money. However, the ways to get paid and the amount, will depend on the level of the streamer. 

A beginner to Twitch is called a “Streamer” and can only use followers and live-chat features.

Then, through growth, they are invited to upgrade to “Affiliate”. Here, channels can earn money! Eventually, a Twitch Affiliate can apply to become a “Partner” where they gain access to all types of revenue.

Firstly, there’s advertisements.

Every video will roll advert, however, because Twitch pays an average of $2 per 1000 views (with big streamers only seeing approximately 600 viewers per stream) it isn’t the biggest earner. 

how much do small twitch streamers make
twitch streaming

So, the second form of money making through Twitch is subscriptions. Viewers choose to pay a monthly subscription fee of $4.99, $9.99, or $24.99. They will no longer see adverts and will be notified of their favourite streamer’s activity.

This is the most popular money-maker as it offers secure monthly income. 

To gain a perspective, there’s TwitchTracker.com which displays streamers’ statistics. AuronPlay has over 15,000 subscribers at the time of writing and AsmonGold has over 18,000.

Multiply that by the lowest subscription package and you see their lowest average monthly bring-home (minus 50% for the Twitch fee).

✅ How much do twitch streamers make per bit

The third type is Twitch Bits. These are in-platform currencies that users buy with their subscription. They are small animated GIFs sent over live stream chats. It’s an effective way for viewers to ‘cheer’ their favourite streamers who can earn $0.01 per Bit sent. 

Fourthly, any streamer can gain sponsorship deals (as with other platforms like YouTube).

There is a simple contract between company and streamer to boost a company’s product/service within their live stream.

There will often be conditions such as not using other brands or streaming at certain times

In fifth place: donations.

People can donate any number to their favourite streamers. Twitch streamers looking to earn through donations need a profile such as PayPal which can be linked onto their Twitch ‘about’ page. 

side income planner template
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As a sixth method, Twitch streamers can use affiliate links in their ‘about’ page and live streams.

If they know their audience and what they want, they can join worldwide companies as an affiliate to promote their products, much like sponsorship deals. 

Finally, there’s selling merchandise through Twitch profiles and live streams.

These can be done through any drop-shipping sites like TeeSpring.com or RedBubble.com.

For more information about selling merchandise, check out our post, How to make money by gaming.

How Do I Become a Twitch Partner or Affiliate?

Of course, most Streamers want to become Affiliates to convert to Partner along with other higher earners. 

To go from Streamer to Affiliate, you need to have streamed for at least 8 hours across 7 different days in the last 30 days.

Not only this but you also need a minimum average of 3 viewers per stream with over 50 followers. 

When these criteria are met, a link will appear on your dashboard inviting you to become an Affiliate. Then, you’ll see your progress as you continue to climb to Partner.

As an Affiliate, you’ll have the abilities to gain subscriptions, have Twitch Bit slots, generate advertising revenue and have subscriber badges.

But, if you’re looking to become a Partner you’ll get all of this plus extra Twitch Bit slots, custom ‘cheermotes’ and a verified badge.

 twitch money

However, changing from Streamer to Affiliate is automatic, while going from Affiliate to Partner is a process of application. 

To become a Partner of Twitch, a Streamer must have had at least 25 hours of accumulated streaming time over the last 30 days with at least 12 individual days streaming.

Plus, the average viewers per stream needs to jump from 3 to at least 75. 

So, to become a Partner, you’ll need to put in time to your content and audience! This is how the most popular Twitch streamers have managed to gain their verified status.

After we take everything into consideration, we see how easy it can be for top streamers with millions of followers and many subscribers to earn thousands per month. 

Back in October of 2018, Gamer DisguisedToast talked about how Twitch allowed him to gain 1.2 million followers with 4,000 being subscribers.

Number that accumulated approximately $14,000 each month. Since then he has signed a contract with Facebook Gaming, thus leaving Twitch.

DisguisedToast said that his average monthly salary from Twitch began at $20,000. Earned through advertisements, subscription fees and donations. From there, he engaged in sponsorship deals but – as these would vary – he mentioned making around $1,000 to $10,000 per hour due to his high average of 10,000 viewers per stream. 

Unfortunately, Twitch’s terms and conditions state no earnings should be broadcast to audiences, meaning the 2018 YouTube video by DisguisedToast is the most accurate depiction of earnings for a popular Twitch streamer.

On the other side of the coin, we could ask ourselves; how much do small twitch streamers make?

At Streamer status, you’d only have access to revenue through sponsorships, donations, affiliate links and merchandise sales. However, as a Streamer, your following would not be high enough to warrant corporate engagement.

Plus, branding may not be strong enough to convince audiences to purchase merchandise. Meaning, a small streamer may earn in the region of $0 to $300 per month. 

As an Affiliate member, there’s access to advertising revenue, subscriptions and Twitch Bit donations.

But, this would depend on your audience and ability to create a brand. Looking at some Affiliate ASMRtist MaryJLeeee, she has around 160,000 followers averaging 1,175 viewers per stream.

At the rate of $2 per 1000 views mentioned above, her monthly rate won’t be too high without the other avenue streams, too.

So, there we have it. Although it can be hard to see exactly how much Twitch streamers make, it is clear that with Twitch’s various stages of profile as well as multiple revenue possibilities, it can be profitable in the long run.

We don’t recommend quitting your current job right away, as becoming a full time Twitch streamer earning high wages takes time.

As long as you enjoy what you do, keep your audience engaged, entice sponsorships, boost subscriptions and coax donations all while building a brand for yourself, you’ve got it in the bag! 

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