If you’re a longtime gamer, you know that the internet has transformed in terms of gaming content. The popularity of game streaming has skyrocketed in recent years, leading to the rise of some of the most notable content creators.
Ways on How to Become a Twitch Partner: Complete Guide to a Twitch Partnership
Ever heard of Ninja, Shroud, or Valkyrie? They and many others amassed their insane followings through a streaming site called Twitch.
Twitch was launched way back in 2011, long before the boom of esports and gaming consumer culture. It grew its monthly user base more than tenfold in just years and has now become one of the top streaming platforms to date. In fact, some of its most popular streams have reached over 4 million views at a time!
Now, those numbers might seem astronomical, but they’re not unrealistic—Twitch currently has more than 15 million daily active users. Therefore, if you play video games and are looking to get paid this way, that’s a glimpse of the potential market you could be entering.
If you can create quality gaming content and have the personality/skills required, you could be looking at a lucrative way to make money playing video games.
Read on to learn more about how to make money on Twitch by becoming a partner.
How to Become a Twitch Partner in 2021
Make Money Gaming on Twitch
You’re here because you want to know how to become a Twitch Partner down the road and amass a following. If you want an overview of how to partner with Twitch, you’re in the right place.
In fact, most of the streamers you’ve viewed on Twitch are officially Twitch Partners. There are two Twitch partnership levels, with one being quickly achievable and the other taking a bit more effort to reach. The first-level program is Twitch Affiliates, and the second is Twitch Partners.
Next, I’ll get into these levels and explain what you need to do to become an official Twitch partner.
What is a Twitch Affiliate?
The first level on the path to making money playing video games is gaining Twitch Affiliate status. This milestone is simpler to achieve than Twitch Partner, as its requirements are a little bit more relaxed. Becoming a Twitch Affiliate still takes a bit of work, but this is your first goal if you’re not already one.
Being a Twitch Affiliate basically means that you can start monetizing your Twitch streams. There are many benefits to becoming a Twitch Affiliate, so we’ll describe them here.
Once you make Affiliate status, you can start earning Bits from your stream viewers, basically the Twitch currency. These Bits can be redeemed for real money, or you can reuse them to donate to your own favorite streamers. If you’re looking to make money on Twitch, Bits are what you’ll be working for as an Affiliate.
If any of your viewers purchase a game through a link on your channel, you’ll also receive a percentage of the money spent—a great way to earn money playing video games!
Twitch Affiliate Requirements
Before you can become a Twitch Partner, you’ll have to meet a few Affiliate requirements first. So, what is the complete path to Affiliate Twitch?
Here’s a detailed overview of how to get Twitch Affiliate status.
First, you’ll need just 50 followers. This shouldn’t be super hard to do if you’re producing quality content and know how to market yourself. You’ll need at least 3 regular viewers as well over a month.
If you regularly stream, at least 7 days per month for 500 minutes altogether, you will qualify for the Twitch Affiliate program. Simple! Then, you can move on to become a Twitch Partner.
What is a Twitch Partner?
So, now that you know all about the first step, you might be wondering about your next moves. In this section, we’ll tell you all about how to partner with Twitch and what it means to do so.
A Twitch Partner is basically the top tier in terms of monetized streaming, as partners enjoy all the benefits of Twitch Affiliates and many more. It’s much harder to become a Twitch Partner, but the rewards are great.
Here’s an overview of what you’ll get in addition to Affiliate benefits as a Twitch Partner:
- Become Verified on the platform (with a badge!).
- You’ll be more involved in which ads go on your Twitch channel.
- Access more fun Emotes.
- Twitch will stop charging you payout fees.
- The site will store your VOD for 60 days, up from 14 as an Affiliate.
- Your viewers will be able to access better transcoding and download quality.
- Gain more focused support from Twitch’s help features.
While the monetary benefits mostly depend on the number of viewers you have, the fact that Twitch will help you out with payout fees and ad selection could mean serious money.
After all, if you have more say in which ads are displayed on your channel, you’ll have a better chance of showing ads for products your viewers might actually interact with. The more clicks, the more commissions you’ll make.
Twitch Partner Requirements
So, how do you become a Twitch Partner? Do the Twitch Partner requirements increase a lot from Affiliate requirements? We’re here to answer any questions you may have about achieving Partner status.
Let’s now get into an overview of the milestones you need to achieve to partner with Twitch.
The first component on the Path to Partner status is the frequency that you stream. In the previous echelon, you’d need only 7 days of streaming. To become a Twitch Partner, you’ll have to up that to 12 unique days.
Over the course of those streaming days (or more, if you’re doing this full-time), you’ll have to stream for at least 25 hours. This may seem like a lot, but over 30 days, it’s definitely achievable.
Perhaps the hardest requirement to become a Twitch Partner is that you’ll have to average at least 75 viewers per stream. This is the difficult part, as the viewers would all have to be watching on the Twitch platform. This means that those viewers can’t be watching your stream through a third-party site or host.
Luckily, if you’ve been a Twitch Affiliate for a while, this goal might not be too hard to reach. If you’ve been consistently streaming and have built a following, Twitch Partner status should be within reach!
Why should you become a Twitch Partner?
There are many reasons to become a Twitch Partner. It’s not all about the money, either—there is a great status that comes with achieving this milestone in your streaming career. If you’re a Partner, it gets easier from there to build audiences, make money, and collaborate with other Twitch Partners.
There’s a community aspect to it, and that Verified badge will actually end up attracting a lot of new followers. After all, most people see this badge and assume that you’re creating content that should be high-quality. When viewers come in with this mentality, your content will get more positive visibility and exponentially grow.
Of course, once you make Twitch Partner, you’ll still have to work hard, but success should come to a lot easier in some departments. Overall, it’s a huge incentive for streamers to get Twitch Partner status.
Plus, with all these benefits, you could do a full-time job out of the thing you love most—gaming! Who wouldn’t want that?
How hard is it to make Twitch Partner?
Now, for some people, Twitch Partner’s requirements don’t seem that daunting—after all, most Twitch Partners have been Affiliates for a long time before applying. Ergo, they have had a while to build up a viewer base and technically qualify.
However, it can actually be a pretty lengthy endeavor for some, regardless of their qualifications. While Twitch Affiliate status is more of an automatic and low barrier-to-entry process, aspiring Twitch Partners have to apply for a membership like they would for a job.
Essentially, the requirements are just the tip of the iceberg, as you’ll then have to submit an application and go through Twitch’s screening process. Ultimately, they’ll have the final say in whether you can make Twitch Partner that time around.
Sometimes, it can take people more than 2 attempts before they are eventually approved for Twitch Partner status. So, it’s not exactly a walk in the park, but if you’re persistent enough (and qualified), you should keep working on getting accepted.
In the next section, we’ll give you a few pointers on how to give yourself the best chance to get Twitch Partner approval. Hopefully, you’ll get it the first time you apply!
There is no reachable limit on how many times you can apply, so if it doesn’t happen the first time, do not give up.
How can I boost my chances of getting approved?
Now that you know the entire process, it might seem a bit daunting. However, there are a couple of guidelines and tips to follow if you want to boost your chances of scoring that Partner status. Luckily, there are at least a few aspects of your Twitch streaming career that could help you go the distance.
Evolve your content over time
If you’re a game streamer and want to become a Twitch partner someday, you’ll need a few observational skills to make sure your content stays relevant. These skills revolve around analyzing game trends, figuring out what’s hot, and choosing the best persona to meet your primary audience.
Over time, popular games fade in and out, and audience numbers will fluctuate accordingly. So, as long as you can stay on top of these areas and research, you should always know what to produce next. You must find a balance between competitive strategy and producing content you love. Trust us—audiences can tell when you’re not enjoying what you’re doing. Choose games that you love to play but are also popular to make Twitch Partner.
Engage with your fans
This is one of the most important aspects of streaming in general and any job where you have a follower base. Cultivate a community with your audience!
If your viewers feel like they are part of a pack and that you are genuinely grateful for their patronage, they are much more inclined to become repeat viewers. And, you already know that repeat viewers are the essential key to Twitch Partnership.
The best way to do this is to engage with your fans through your Twitch chat, thanking people for watching and donating, etc. You can hold contests, have fans on to play with you sometimes, and more. The possibilities for engagement are almost endless, and through this, you can build a base of loyal, supportive fans.
Learn from the pros
You should always keep in mind that the people at the top are usually there for a reason. Popular Twitch streamers have more than just the X-Factor. If you want to get to their level, you’ll want to analyze what they do that works and what they do that doesn’t.
There’s no shame in taking tips from people that have been doing this for years. After all, success takes hard work and certain tactics you can only learn if you observe others closely.
Watch these popular streamers or streamers you like, and you can take pointers from them to include in your own content.
Wrap-up
So, we hope this article gave you a complete guide on becoming a Twitch Partner. Of course, there are many layers to the process of achieving this title. But, if you have the right gaming skills, personality, perseverance, and maybe a little bit of luck, you’ll be a Twitch Partner in no time.
As a Twitch Partner, you’ll gain access to many features that will inevitably help you make money playing video games—the ultimate dream.
If you’re trying to get Twitch Partner and have some questions or comments, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below. We’d be happy to answer any of your questions and give you a little extra guidance.
Thanks for reading this article, and we wish you success on your Twitch journey!
