The most effective way to become a Twitch affiliate is to create high quality content which viewers will continue tuning in to watch, you can also greatly increase your channels exposure by promoting your channel on as many social media platforms as possible such as; YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, etc. Asking family or friends to watch your stream will give you the initial 2-3 viewers which can help the growth of the channel in the early days.
What will be covered in this guide?
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- what is Twitch affiliate and what are the benefits?
- what are the requirements to become a Twitch affiliate?
- How to become a Twitch affiliate fast.
What is a Twitch affiliate?
First what exactly is a Twitch affiliate and what are the benefits?
Twitch affiliate status is awarded to streamers who have an active enough channel that Twitch can begin to monetize and start earning the streamer an income.
Earning an income as a Twitch affiliate can be done in these following ways;
Subscriptions
Twitch Affiliates have a subscription button enabled on their channel which allows viewers to subscribe to the channel and start earning a monthly income.
Cheering (with Bits) / Donations
Twitch Affiliates can start accepting donations/Cheers from viewers in the form of Bits (see here the conversion rate of Bits to USD).
Advertising Revenue
Twitch Affiliates earn a share of the revenue generated from any adverts which are played on their channel.
Being a Twitch affiliate shows Twitch that the streamer is serious about streaming and is the first step towards becoming a Twitch Partner.
What are the requirements to become a Twitch affiliate?
The requirements to be eligible for Twitch Affiliate status are simple and generally speaking fairly quick to achieve, technically you can be eligible for Affiliate status in as little as 7 days, however, if done correctly it should only take a couple of weeks to be eligible.
The requirements to be eligible for Twitch affiliate status are;
- At least 500 total minutes live streamed within the last 30 days
- At least 7 unique days live streamed within the last 30 days
- An average of 3 concurrent viewers or more in live streams over the last 30 days
- At least 50 followers
After every stream you do that is at least one hour long, you will get an e-mail letting you know how close you are to meeting all four requirements to become an affiliate.
How to become a Twitch affiliate fast
So we have already covered the requirements for being eligible for Twitch affiliate status, now i’m going to cover the steps you should be following in order become an affiliate as soon as possible.
if you follow these these guidlines, you will definitely increase your chances of reaching Twitch Affiliate status sooner rather than later.
Create Your Channel With The Goal Of Expanding
If your goal is to make money off your Twitch channel then you want to treat it like a business. When people start a new business, most people have an idea of what they will do to help their business reach more customers. The first thing you should do before your first stream is to make sure you have everything you need to produce the best streams possible. The quality of your streams has to be as good as you can make them. You also have to research the best settings that your equipment can handle and you also have to make sure you have the best equipment possible. If you do both of those things then you don’t have to worry about your first streams looking amateurish. There are other things you will need to look out for.
Creating A Brand
Where do you want to go with your channel? What will be unique about your channel that will separate you from other streamers? what can you offer that other channels aren’t. Think about that when you create your user name on Twitch. People usually have a logo that people see during their streams next to or under the game screen. You can also keep this in mind when you create your accounts on other websites that you will be using to promote your Twitch streams.
Make Your Channel Stand Out Visually
After you have a general idea of what your brand is about, you can either create your logo, profile banner, your overlays, the image that is displayed when you aren’t streaming, notifications, badges and emotes although you can’t use emotes until you are accepted as an affiliate. Even after you become an affiliate, emotes will have to be approved by Twitch before they can be used.
Having The Required Machines And Programs.
No one wants to watch a stream that has a low resolution. You also need a strong and fast internet connection to stream. Regardless of what hardware and software you use to stream on Twitch, Understand how that equipment and those programs work. You also want a microphone that will pick up your voice easily and a camera that will display you.
Depending on what program you use to stream, you can switch between different scenes. This comes in handy when you want to stream multiple things but you don’t want to set everything up one at a time when you switch to something different. If you do it that way, this would cause breaks which will cause your audience to find entertainment elsewhere instead of watching and waiting for the next item to be set up so they can see it. Everything you stream including gameplay and your appearance needs to look clear and smooth. Make sure your overlays are in the correct place which is good for separating you from everyone else and could start up conversations. You want your audio and video timed up correctly so one isn’t ahead of the other. Experiment with a green screen to change up your background and take constructive criticism to make your streams better over time.
Don’t Leave Your Profile Blank
On Twitch, you can fill out a profile and it’s a great way for viewers to get to know whom they enjoy watching. With your profile, you can let your viewers know who you are away from Twitch, what content people will see when you stream and why you choose to stream. If you have other profiles on websites like Facebook and Twitter, you can link those and if it’s possible, let people know what you will be streaming on different days and times. You can even plan special streams once you reach a certain number of followers or subscribers.
Think of your profile as the sales pitch for your network. Why should people change up their viewing habits to watch you? Your profile will be the first attempt to attract new viewers.
Which Viewers Are You Trying To Attract?
What you plan to stream at first may not bring in the audience you are hoping for. If certain games aren’t working to attract people, you might start playing different games especially if your viewers aren’t interested in what you choose to play at first. You also want to promote something you know how to do well and something you’re good at. It’s got to be different from what other people are offering. Also if you play video games, don’t play the same games everyone else is playing. If you find a popular game that many streamers aren’t playing, that could help you build a bigger audience.
Don’t Stream Content On A Whim
Decide in advance what games you will be streaming and what you will talk about with viewers who stop by to watch your stream. If you aren’t going to stream yourself playing video games then decide what you will be streaming.
Schedule Out Your First Eight Streams
Plan out the first eight streams. As you play games and get an audience during the week if you are streaming every day, you can promote the streams you have planned for the rest of the week as well as the stream that you will do if you reach a certain amount of subscribers.
Once you become an affiliate, you can deliver on that special stream that was the reward to your viewers for sticking around. This could be looked at as the eighth night of streaming or you could hold off on this stream until Twitch approves your first emote. If you decide to wait until your first emote is approved, you can do something else as your eighth stream.
When you celebrate your affiliate status, let viewers know ahead of time when that will be. If people are enjoying watching your stream then they may come back for the celebration stream. If people see you have become an affiliate then they may start donating which could be another source of income.
Give Offers To Your Fans And Welcome Opinions
If you choose, while you are trying to become an affiliate, give viewers directions where they can check plans for your future emotes. Let them voice their opinion ion which ones they like best. Not only does this help viewers feel comfortable interacting with the streamer but this will help when you start offering subscriptions. Let your audience decide what they want as rewards and accommodate them if it’s possible.
The same thing will get old after a while. Try to get other people to show up on your stream whether it be friends you know personally or content creators you know online. Get creative with what you title your streams and listen to what people have to say about those stream names. Become an affiliate on Twitch is only the first step. However, you want to attract the biggest following you possibly can. You should keep that in mind when you start from the beginning.
When you make a schedule, arrive at the time you said you would. If you show people that you will be ready to start streaming at the time you said, they will feel comfortable working their schedule around the time you said you would stream because they know you will be there and they will be more likely to subscribe.
Remember that what you title your stream is important. When you are trying to get at least three viewers every stream, you have to use a title that will interest people in watching what you are doing. When you choose a movie to watch, the first thing you see about the movie is the title.
Stream Every Day At First If You Can
It is recommended to stream every day for the first week if it’s possible. However, that is a quick way to burn out if you try to keep that going for a long time. Remember that when you start streaming, you are trying to achieve a goal. When people start dropping by, let them know things won’t continue this way in the future. That’s why you should plan out when you will regularly stream and come up with a schedule.
Streaming every day of the week at first will not be easy. It’s best to do this if you are on vacation from school or work, or you have a lot of free time coming up. If you do this when your schedule is light, that’s when you can plan how to attract people to your stream. The next day before you stream again, find out when you had the highest attendance so you know what time of day you should stream when you make a schedule. Remember these streams mean nothing if you are not keeping track of how many people are attracted to what you’re doing.
If streaming every day is not possible but you don’t want to wait to try and become an affiliate, then you can plan out each stream and modify the times of the day as you see results. Also, keep in mind not to sacrifice real-life responsibilities just to stream.
Research What Is Bringing In Viewers
If you stream video games, pay attention to how many viewers are showing up to watch you play that game. Also, pay attention to how many people are watching your replays to see if that game is generating interest after you have gone offline. As you realize what games are attracting viewers and what games aren’t, you can choose which games to present more often.
How To Have People Keep Coming Back
Let people know what you are trying to achieve and see if you can start with support from people you know personally. Let people you friend on Facebook, Twitter, and other websites when you are starting a stream. You need at least three viewers for every stream if you want to become an affiliate.
Strangers are more likely to stay once they discover you if your chat is lively during your stream. If you have a huge following from a different website, try to get those fans to support you on Twitch. This can help you start with higher numbers than you did if you tried to build a fan base from scratch.
Join Other People Who Are Streaming
If you don’t have people that can join your stream in real life, why not stream with other people who are already streaming? If you play online games, let the other players know that you are streaming. As you find people who stream similar things that you do, you can learn the strategies that have worked for them and apply those same strategies yourself. Offer other people advice if they ask because it’s free promotion as you answer questions from streamers that want to know.
Also, visit streams that are around your size and engage in conversations without promoting your Twitch channel. Ask the streamer questions like a normal audience member. If someone asks questions that aren’t personal that you know the answer to, answer those questions. If you know secrets or tips of a game being played, put them up in the chat and people may end up visiting your channel if you know what you are talking about.
When you are done streaming, you can raid a channel or host a different channel. Only host the channels of streamers that you enjoy and other streamers may return the favor. This is how people learn about you. If you host a different streamer then their fans might check you out the next time you go live. You have to stick around on the stream for at least 20 minutes to build relationships with these fans.
Let Viewers Feel Like They Are Part Of The Show
Viewers are more likely to watch you if they feel like they are welcome to join in your game or activity in some way. If you promote this fact in the title of your stream then people are more likely to stop by. If someone wants to join your game, let them know that they must follow the channel before you let them join. Once you acquire several followers, you can do this again when you are trying to earn paid subscribers. Some people will help other streamers. Those people are more likely to advise if you ask. You can also have a goal appear on screen so people see it without you having to tell them what you are trying to accomplish.
New Followers On Social Media Means More Followers On Twitch
When you are trying to find more people that will be interested in your stream, consider joining groups that have to do with what you stream. Be honest with what you are doing and ask for advice. Offer your opinion to people who are doing the same thing. Networking can lead you to stream with people you didn’t know before you started joining Facebook groups.
If other streamers host your content, show appreciation to their Twitter handle. This is how smaller channels can help each other gain popularity because of their followers like you respecting a streamer on Twitter, they may check your stream out. Also, give thanks to your viewers for watching and let them know what channel you raided in case they want to follow it themselves.
Don’t Give Up Too Easily And Show Enthusiasm
It’s easier to get people to do what you want when they are happy. No one wants to be around somebody that has a miserable attitude. Have an outgoing personality and continue to talk even if nobody is talking in the chat. If you present a lot of energy then it will be appealing for viewers to join. When people do talk in the chat, respond to them and try to start conversations with them. Don’t treat your stream like it’s not important when it comes to what you stream Even risk venturing out of your comfort zone to see if you find something that is appealing to many people.
If you start streaming on Twitch, make sure it’s something you want to do even if you don’t make money at it. Pandering and acting arrogant is turns off to viewers but being confident is fine. It’s important to recognize the line separating arrogance and confidence. If you’re not bringing in something that people want to help grow, that’s your problem. No one owes you anything including subscriptions on Twitch and following you on Twitch. Besides that, have fun as you try to build a huge fan base as you stream online.
