Thousands of Twitch streamers have one goal—becoming a Twitch Partner to get that holy grail of a checkmark next to their name and thereby ascending into the higher ranks of the streamer pecking order. Well, bookmark this page, because you’re going to want to come back to this to remind yourself of how you should really be orienting your goals if you’re looking to succeed.
Twitch Partners, don’t make a lot of money
There is a common misconception that Twitch partners are raking in big money. Now, there are certainly some Twitch Partners that stream from a corner room in their 10,000 square foot mansion. However, for every one of those, there are hundreds of partners that can’t even pull in an hourly wage of societies’ lowest-paid workers. Would you be surprised to learn that many aren’t even making the $100 twitch payout per month? There are even Twitch Affiliates that are outpacing partners in both viewership and revenue. So, if you’re thinking that Twitch Partner is the magic money bullet, it’s time to start reframing how you think about and approach Twitch as a tool for your goals.
What are you going to do when there is no Twitch
Take notice of the changing online landscapes. Twitch is at constant risk of losing its clout over the game streaming race. Don’t make the mistake of assuming it’s here to stay just because it outlasted the likes of Mixer. Both Facebook Gaming and Youtube Gaming are eyeing this market and they aren’t showing signs of letting up. Not to mention the constant swirl of rumors that come and go of new contenders stepping onto the field.
What does this mean?
This means that the general consensus is that Twitch has not locked down the live streaming market. This means, if you are throwing all your eggs into Twitch’s basket, you will go down with Twitch when or if this happens. Even large streamers like Ninja and Shroud couldn’t take half of their massive audiences with them when they signed onto Mixer contracts.
What should you be focusing on instead of becoming a Twitch Partner?
You should be focusing on your brand and how you can reach your community on an individual level. This can be done multiple ways.
- Creating a YouTube channel that provides entertainment value or useful content to your community
- Host game nights or tournaments in your discord
- Encourage your community to follow your alternative social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit
- Gather an email list so that you can keep in touch
- Create a website that adds value to your community
- Make a TikTok (I know y’all still struggling with this notion)
Now don’t confuse this, you should become a Twitch Partner
So many of the things said in this article might be confusing because now I’m saying you should become a Twitch Partner. It’s true, you should, it should just be a small box you check off on the side at some point. It’s true that partners often strike deals that are better than affiliate, however, you’re going to want to bring more to the table than a 75 viewer average. Remember, most of those people were already on the website anyway. Take a close look at your channel analytics and if you see most of your views coming from Twitch itself, then you are completely reliant on Twitch. This puts a smaller streamer at a severe disadvantage if they are trying to strike up a deal when becoming a partner. This is the core reason why meeting the minimum partner requirements should not be your main focus.
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