How to Get Twitch Sponsorships

As Twitch streamers grow their following, they will be in a better position to monetize their channel. But how can Twitch streamers get sponsorships for their channel without having a massive following? The good news is, it's easier to do than you think.

We outline how growing Twitch streamers can get sponsorship opportunities no matter how big their following is, and what to do to find the right sponsor for a long-lasting and lucrative relationship.

What is a Twitch Sponsorship?

Twitch is a live streaming platform that has not only become one of the top streaming apps for gaming but one of the top streaming apps, period. While Twitch is a platform used primarily by gamers, it is also used for music, talk shows, and other lifestyle streamers. The types of companies willing to sponsor Twitch streamers can depend on the stream content.

A Twitch sponsorship is a partnership between a Twitch streamer and a company. The company pays the streamer to promote their product or service on their Twitch channel.

Sponsored content can appear in Twitch streams in several ways. Here are some common ways that Twitch streamers can work with brands to make money:

1. Affiliate links in descriptions
2. Mention of products during the stream
3. Sales banners in videos
4. Displaying logos
5. Product giveaways

Common companies that work with Twitch streamers

There are several common types of companies that want to sponsor Twitch streams. Because Twitch is used primarily for gaming, sponsorships often revolve around gaming; streams will often be asked to promote new and upcoming games, gaming apparel, and other gaming products like chairs and controllers. However, every Twitch channel is different, and as a result, products to promote may vary based on the content created.

You don’t need a massive following on Twitch to get sponsored

Contrary to what you might think, you don’t need a big viewer count to get a Twitch channel sponsored. You can get sponsored as a small but growing streamer. Getting small sponsorships can help you get the resources and capital needed to grow your Twitch channel at a quicker rate.

What to do to get sponsored

For Twitch streamers still growing their following, one of the toughest parts of finding sponsors is getting noticed by companies. While growing your following, use these tips as a guide to help you get noticed by companies looking to sponsor Twitch streamers:

Stream quality content

The number one way to gain a good following is to stream great content. While this takes a lot of work to do, focusing on quality content puts you in a position to get sponsorship opportunities. In addition, creating quality content can help engage your follower base while attracting new subscribers to your channel and building up your average viewer count. Quality content will ultimately improve your chances of getting noticed by sponsors.

Interact with your viewers

With Twitch, you can chat on your stream with viewers; you should use your live stream chat to better engage with your viewers.

Make your channel look presentable

To get a sponsorship, focus on the full user experience. Start by updating your Twitch channel and focus on creating quality content for your streams. Make sure to:

• Update your info and bio sections
• Make quality graphics

Be active on social accounts

It’s not just about the Twitch channel - social media matters as well! Promoting and engaging with users on social platforms can be an indicator of your reach.

By posting engaging content that shows your personality both on and off stream, you can further engage with your audience while reaching new audiences and expanding your reach online. The number of likes and comments can help sell a sponsor and build a case to work with a sponsor moving forward. Consider focusing your presence on the following social platforms.

• Twitter - many streamers have a Twitter account.
• YouTube - consider exporting your Twitch streams and uploading them to YouTube to build your channel.
• Instagram - consider adding short video clips as posts or stories
• TikTok - similar to Instagram, TikTok is great for posting short video clips.
• Facebook - set up a fan page (if you haven’t already) and post your content.

Having a sound Twitch social media strategy can help you improve your online presence, engage with followers, and, most importantly, attract potential sponsors.

Get positive feedback

As with any business, positive feedback will affect your ability to get sponsorships; potential sponsors will look for positive responses from your fans. As a Twitch Streamer, if your channel is viewed positively by your subscribers, followers, and sponsors, it will only help when speaking with sponsors.

Finding the right sponsor for your Twitch stream (and why it’s important)

Part of finding a sponsor is finding the right fit for your brand. For a sponsorship to be successful, the partnership needs to be the right fit. To find the right sponsor, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is the brand trustworthy?
2. Do you think their product/service is a good idea?
3. Would you recommend or personally endorse the product?
4. Does the product/service or company go against your beliefs or personal brand?

These defining questions should provide you clarity on whether the sponsorship opportunity is the right fit. It’s important to find a Twitch sponsor who is the right fit for your channel. Finding the right fit can lead to a long and fruitful relationship where both parties are benefiting.

Pitching sponsors

When there’s mutual interest with a potential sponsor, you should focus on pitching the sponsor. Chances are, the sponsor has a decent understanding of your Twitch stream, but this is your chance to connect with them and pitch them on why your Twitch channel is worthy of being sponsored and how a potential sponsorship could work.

1. Make it clear that you’re looking to be sponsored by the company. Affirm this with the sponsor.
2. Make it clear you know their product and brand inside and out.
3. Identify the proper marketing objectives the brand may have. Provide the sponsor with an understanding of your brand principles and values.
4. Know your audience. In terms of what a potential sponsor wants, are they trying to reach a gamer audience? A millennial audience? Do they want to increase sales of a new product?
5. Value - what kind of value does your Twitch stream provide for a sponsor?
6. Performance - know the current and historical growth of your Twitch channel. Keep track of things like average viewer count, subscriber count, and social media likes and comments

Work out the terms of the sponsorship

When you’ve both agreed that the fit is good and that you'd like to move forward, the final step is to create the terms of the sponsorship.

Ultimately, the sponsor will come back with an offer for a certain amount of money, based on the information provided in your pitch.

The terms of the Twitch Sponsorship should cover these considerations:

1. Compensation amount: How much you’re going to get paid by a sponsor
2. Payment frequency: How often will you be paid (weekly, monthly, or one-time deal)
3. Ad frequency: How often the sponsorship is going to occur on a Twitch stream

Featured Twitch streamer

DannyDorito23 is a variety streamer and content creator for ElevateGG. He has amassed 215k followers on his Twitch channel. Learn more about Danny and his Twitch channel below:

Personal brand: Danny is a variety streamer but mostly streams first-person shooter games. He served in the military before becoming a streamer.

Promotion: Danny has cultivated a massive following on TikTok in a short amount of time, totaling over 3 million followers and 103 million likes for his content. While TikTok is his main promotion tactic, he also has a YouTube Channel of 130,000 followers and hosts the Creators Unite podcast!

Sponsorships: Danny is sponsored by GFUEL Energy, a powered gaming and e-sports energy drink, and promotes on TikTok videos and YouTube videos. He runs a TikTok campaign where he creatively mixes different flavors of GFUEL and rates them with a 1-10 score. On YouTube, Danny does product reviews of different flavors of G-Fuel. He also offers a 10-30% discount on GFUEL using code “DannyD”.

You can view his Twitch Channel here.

In closing

While there are many success stories like DannyDoritos23, you don’t need to have a massive following for your Twitch stream to get sponsored! As a small but growing Twitch streamer, you can get compensated for the value you bring to a sponsor to promote their product or service. Sponsorships allow you to reinvest in your channel and continue to grow your following.