How Does the Twitch Affiliate Payout Work?

You’ll want to become a Twitch Partner if you want to transform your Twitch channel into an active and engaged community. This is how you get paid ads, unique emotes, badges, and other customization tools. In other words, forming a partnership is the only way to create the kind of brand that draws new viewers by the dozen.

However, to become a Partner, you must first achieve Affiliate status.

Twitch Affiliate vs Twitch Partner

how does twitch affiliate payout work logo

In general, Twitch Partners will earn more than Affiliates. Although there are definitely exceptions, those that have achieved Partner status provide more entertainment value and have more audiences than Affiliates. Partners are usually able to secure better partnerships with advertisers as they have more audiences and a large community.

How Much Do Twitch Affiliates Make?

Twitch Affiliates make money from Bits, subscriptions, and ads. The amount they receive will differ from one streamer to the next. Most streamers will receive bits and subs from 5-15% of their total viewers (anywhere from 50% -125% of their concurrent viewers).

A first Twitch payment for a streamer is usually between $100 and $150. It usually takes longer to collect the first payment than it does to receive subsequent payments. Streamers usually receive between $100 and $1,000 per payment before they become Partners. Active Partners usually receive $500 or more a month, depending on their content and the size of their audience.

Subscription Tiers

how does twitch affiliate payout work subscription tier

Acceptance into the affiliate program enables viewers to subscribe to your channel as well. There are three paid tiers, priced at $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99, which provide the viewer with additional features. These features include ad-free streams, slow mode immunity, access to sub-only chat, a variety of custom channel emotes, and a custom chat badge.

In addition to the paid subscription plans, there is one more service available as part of Amazon’s Twitch partnership. This is the Twitch Prime subscription, which allows a viewer to subscribe to one channel every month for $4.99 at no cost.

For affiliates, the primary benefit of subscriptions is the revenue share of 50%. This makes your payouts approximately:

  • Tier 1 and Twitch Prime Subs: $2.50 payout
  • Tier 2 sub: $5.00 payout
  • Tier 3 sub: $12.50 payout

These payments will occur every month, assuming the subscription remains active.

Game Sales and In-Game Items

how does twitch affiliate payout work in game item

Affiliates can also make money by selling games or in-game items. Any game played on an affiliate’s stream that is available for purchase via Twitch will have a purchase link displayed on the channel tab, underneath the video window. If a viewer clicks on this link and purchases a title or in-game item, you will receive a commission of 5%.

Donations

All Twitch streamers can accept donations on their streams, regardless of affiliate status, but they are worth mentioning as they often make up a significant proportion of streaming income.

Twitch does not profit from your donations. You only have to pay certain PayPal transaction fees, app service fees, or currency conversion fees.

Donations are usually set up by connecting a PayPal account to your Twitch channel and then putting a button in the overview of your Twitch profile. To entice their viewers to donate or help their channel, some streamers chose to provide additional rewards for donations.

Other Revenue Streams

As an affiliate, you can also earn money by creating your own additional revenue sources. Sponsored streams and affiliate links for stores can be added to your Twitch channel page. Any sponsorship agreements are negotiated directly between you as a streamer and any partners you find.

According to one creator, the payment for a sponsored stream or video can range from 1c per hour per viewer to $1 per hour per viewer. Payments can vary depending on the company and how well their target audience suits the demographics of your channel.

Keep in mind that any material that is supported or endorsed in any way must be clearly labeled as such. All paid streams must be explicitly declared, and other partnership programs, such as gaming partnerships that provide codes to content creators, may have their own declaration rules.

Payment Threshold

Twitch has a payment threshold in effect, which ensures you will not be paid if your earnings fall below $100 per month. It will carry over into the next period, and if you reach the $100 mark, a bonus will be designated for the next pay period.

How Does Twitch Pay You?

Twitch will pay you if you enter your tax details on the site and agree to the Twitch Affiliate agreement. Twitch will pay you using one of the following methods when you hit a payout level of $100 or more:

  • Direct deposit/ACH
  • PayPal
  • Wire Transfer
  • Check

You may also opt to put the payments on hold until you are ready to collect them.

How Many Twitch Followers Do you Need to Make Money?

how does twitch affiliate payout work streaming

Although there is no magic number of followers at which you will begin making money, the real response is your concurrent viewers. It is very normal to pick up 1-2 subs and a few bits per stream if you have an average of 15-20 viewers for the length of the stream. These subs will add up as your channel grows, and you will eventually make a respectable side income.

Other Recommendations for Aspiring Twitch Affiliates

Now that you understand Twitch’s various programs and what you need to do to achieve Affiliate status, you’re probably wondering where to begin your journey. Perhaps you can stream more often or gain a few more subscribers this month.

Of course, learning — and adhering to — all of the various rules and regulations involved is an important part of becoming a good streamer. Part of that entails being acquainted with Twitch music rules as well as other copyright laws. It’s not the most exciting topic, but you’ll want to protect yourself and your content from DMCA violations (a.k.a. copyright claims).

This is the type of legal subject that can be perplexing, but music copyright has been a hot topic for Twitch and other content development sites in the last year.

You’ll also want to pay close attention to audio quality. Many streamers understand the importance of selecting the right game for their audience, which may mean finding something popular or something specific to the niche you’re most interested in.

However, sound quality is very important to listeners. You don’t need a $2,000 studio mic, but investing in something other than your AirPods will help keep new viewers on your channel.

After all, that is the only way to convert visitors into subscribers. And this is a critical strategy for achieving Affiliate status — and, eventually, becoming a successful Twitch Partner.

We will be happy to hear your thoughts

Leave a reply

Pro Cash Affiliates