Twitch Affiliate Requirements: Affiliate with Twitch to Grow Your Brand

Meeting all Twitch affiliate requirements is the first step towards making a career out of content creation. Opening a Twitch account and growing your following is a marathon, not a sprint. There are highs, lows, and checkpoints along the way. The more you excel, the more heads you turn in the crowd on your way to the finish line.

The ultimate goal of any Twitch streamer is winning Twitch Partnership status. Buying Twitch viewers might help with that. However, there are some other crucial checkpoints on the path to joining the Twitch Partner Program. The most important of which is becoming a Twitch Affiliate.

What is a Twitch Affiliate? How do you become a Twitch Affiliate? What can help you gain Twitch Affiliation faster?

Here’s everything you need to know about how to become a Twitch Affiliate:

Twitch Affiliate: What Does It Mean?

To reward serious streamers with recognition and money-making opportunities, Twitch sets before all Twitch Creators the opportunity to unlock achievements within the video streaming platform. The first achievement a streamer can attain is joining the Twitch Affiliate Program.

“The Twitch Affiliate Program puts qualified streamers one step closer toward the dream of making a living from their passions. Twitch Affiliates can start earning income on Twitch while they build their audience,” explains Twitch.

Reaching Affiliate status is free and open to all streamers who meet the four requirements. With diligence, high-quality content, and the right tools, any Twitch Creator can become a Twitch Affiliate and enjoy the financial opportunities that come with it.

What are the perks of being a Twitch Affiliate?

Affiliate With Twitch For Subscription Bonuses

Before you become a Twitch Affiliate, you can gain followers on Twitch, but viewers will not have the option of subscribing to your channel. Once you become an Affiliate, you can happily accept subscriptions and therefore make money.

With each subscription your channel gets, you earn 50% of the subscription fee, while the other half goes to Twitch. Alternatively, subscribers can use their Prime Gaming subscription to subscribe to you, in which case Amazon pays for your half of the subscription.

Subscribing is the primary way your fans can support you on Twitch. They can choose from three subscription tiers, each of which comes at a different price.

The three monthly Twitch subscription tiers include:

• Tier 1 - $4.99/month
• Tier 2 - $9.99/month
• Tier 3 - $24.99/month

While generating revenue from subscriptions may start slow, the more you grow your channel as an Affiliate, the more earning potential you’ll have. By the time you become a Twitch Partner, you’ll likely be making a decent chunk of change each month from subscriptions alone.

Another perk of being a Twitch Affiliate is earning Twitch Bits.

Twitch TV Affiliate Bits

The Twitch.tv platform uses its own currency known as Twitch Bits. All Twitch users can buy Twitch Bits and use them to cheer on their favorite streamers. In turn, streamers who collect Twitch Bits from viewers can cash them in for real money, usually at 1 cent per Bit.

One cent may not seem like a lot, but when you have an enthusiastic audience who loves your stream, they may send you bits by the hundreds, or even thousands.

Sometimes, live viewers get competitive, trying to prove who is the biggest fan by sending the most Bits. There’s even an optional leaderboard to record who is the biggest Twitch Bit spender.

“Bits are a virtual good that your viewers can use to Cheer in chat to show support, celebrate moments, and amplify their voice. When a viewer Cheers, animated Bit gem emotes,  Cheermotes (animated versions of popular emotes)...appear in Chat,” says Twitch.

Twitch Bits present an excellent opportunity for Affiliates to make a bit of extra income and feel the love from their audience.

Making game sales is another way Affiliates can earn cash.

Earn on Twitch with Game Sales

Once you reach Affiliate status, you can start earning from game sales on your channel. If you live stream a game that Twitch sells, you can display a link in your channel’s page and at the bottom of your stream, inviting your viewers to purchase the game themselves through Twitch.

Each time one of your viewers clicks the link and buys your game on Twitch, you get 5% of the sale revenue. The key is making your game look so fun that your viewers want to try it. Don’t forget to let them know that buying the game through the link on your channel is another great way to support you.

Of course, this perk caters to streamers playing a game on Twitch, so if you’re streaming non-video game content, this may not be much of a bonus.

All in all, the perks of becoming a Twitch Affiliate are worthwhile and open the door to further growth. Now that you know how to make money on Twitch when you gain Affiliation, you need to know the Twitch Affiliate requirements.  

Requirement For Twitch Affiliate

There are four main criteria Twitch requires of your channel to be eligible for Affiliation. All four criteria must be met simultaneously to qualify.

Reach 50 Followers.

Gaining followers is essential to growing your channel and reaching Affiliate status. You can get more Twitch followers organically through social media, networking, and other means, or you can supplement growth by using a Twitch followers service. However, when using a free or paid service to get more Twitch followers, beware of methods that conflict with Twitch terms of service, such as using Twitch follow bots. Using follow bots can put your account at risk of suspension. Make sure your 50 followers are real humans.

Stream for 8 hours.

To gain Affiliate status, you need to live stream for a little over 8 hours (at least 500 minutes) within the last 30 days. To reach this goal, create a streaming schedule in your Creator Dashboard and stick to it.

Stream on 7 different days.

You must stream on 7 unique broadcast days within the last 30 days to be eligible for becoming a Twitch Affiliate. It doesn’t matter if your content consistently features the same game or you stream for different times each day. Just make sure you stream on 7 separate days to tick the box on this criteria.

Have an average of 3 viewers.

Before you become an Affiliate, you have to attract enough viewership. Twitch requires Affiliate candidates to average at least 3 concurrent viewers on your channel within 30 days. That means that at any given time, your channel has 3 or more simultaneous viewers. Viewers include those watching your channel with or without a Twitch account.

Become a Twitch Affiliate

Conveniently, Twitch will track your progress for you on the path to becoming an Affiliate. Once you qualify to become an Affiliate, Twitch will notify you.

Twitch explains, “Qualified streamers will be invited via email, notification, and an announcement in their dashboard. Invitations will continue to be sent out on a rolling basis as new streamers qualify for the program. Once a streamer has been invited, a new section will appear on their Settings tab that allows them to register for the Affiliate Program and enable Bits!”

To see where you are in your progress toward Affiliation, click on your profile picture and hit Creator Dashboard in the drop-down menu. From the Creator Dashboard, open Insights > Achievements in the left-hand navigation bar.

From there, click on Path to Affiliate, and you’ll see how far you’ve come and what you still need to work on to qualify for Affiliation. You’ll also see the start date for the current 30 days and when it will end.

INSERT IMAGE: Twitch Path to Affiliate Achievement

Once you are eligible, Twitch will let you know within a few weeks and guide you through the onboarding process. You do not have to sign up or apply for Twitch Affiliation.

How Does it Compare to Being a Twitch Partner?

Reaching Affiliate status will give your channel the boost it needs to start monetizing and keep growing. Still, gaining Twitch Affiliation boils down to a critical stepping stone to Partnership. What makes Partnership so important?

Here’s a comparison of being a Twitch Affiliate vs. Partner:

For more information on the perks of Twitch Affiliation vs. Partnership, see Twitch’s guide to Joining the Affiliate Program.

What can you do today to become a Twitch Affiliate faster?

Tips to Becoming a Twitch Affiliate

Becoming a Twitch Affiliate won’t happen overnight. Reaching Affiliate status takes time and perseverance, but the payoff makes it worthwhile.

Between subscriptions, Twitch Bits, and game sales, you can start earning money on Twitch as an Affiliate and get closer to your gaming goals.

With your channel’s future in view, here are two key things you can do to reach the four criteria for joining the Twitch Affiliate Program.

Put in the Hours

For one, nothing can replace putting in solid streaming hours. To start growing your audience, you have to have something to show them.

Establishing a schedule and then sticking to it is crucial. A schedule will not only keep you on track and help you commit to streaming at certain times, but it will also create consistency on your channel, helping your growing fanbase know what to expect. Map out your time wisely to stream the 500-minute requirement within 30 days.

Remember, while quantity is important, don’t skimp on quality. If you’re going to gain a real following, your channel has to be worth watching. From the start, take the steps you need to produce high-quality video. Even small details, like cleaning up your streaming space, can contribute to better viewer experience and help build loyalty in your fans.

The more you put into the channel, the more likely you will get a nice Twitch Affiliate payout, meaning you have more of a chance of making money on Twitch.

Get the Followers

Secondly, growing on Twitch is all about gaining followers. The best thing you can do to gain followers on Twitch is to network with your community. So, find your peers and establish connections. Interact with your audience and try to engage as much as you can with fellow streamers and viewers.

As a word of caution, when participating in chats on other channels, be friendly and considerate. The more likable you are, the more likely others are to have an interest in your channel. Avoid shameless self-promotion. Aim at creating a sense of camaraderie with competitors, and be a good sport.

Don’t forget to keep up with maintaining your social media accounts, as social media platforms are a valuable arena for networking with your potential fans and followers. Make regular, well-thought-out posts, and then reply to any comments you get. Let your social media followers know how to find you on Twitch.

Use TwitchGainz.com

Jumpstart the process of becoming a Twitch affiliate by using Twitch Gainz. You can gain real Twitch followers without any robots in the mix.

The process is simple:

1. Create an account using your Twitch login
2. Purchase or earn GEMS, the platform’s currency
3. Offer GEMS to other user in exchange for them following you or viewing your stream
4. That’s it! Sit back and watch your channel grow.

If you want more information on how it works, visit TwitchGainz.com.

With Twitch Gainz, you can choose from a variety of free and paid Twitch followers services. Investing in your Twitch channel will help you build your audience and start reaching your goals faster.

Start growing your channel by signing up on the Twitch Gainz website.