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Over the years, brands have shifted their marketing and advertising budgets from traditional media like TV commercials and billboards to content creators/influencers. “Why?” you may ask. Content creators (Twitch Streamers included) promoting their products and services to their respective audiences has proven to be one of the best ways for brands to get huge returns on their investments. Instead of hiring a whole production crew who may create stellar content that people will never engage with, brands are instead pouring their resources into content creators who have built authentic audiences that trust their opinions and will move on their calls to action.
Contrary to belief, you don’t need to be a Twitch streamer with millions of followers to get sponsored—you just have to read this blog post to learn how to approach brands. Though many people may think content creation and influencer marketing are becoming oversaturated, the truth is that viewers will always be looking for recommendations from people they trust. That means there are more than enough sponsored content opportunities to go around. Below, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about getting sponsored on Twitch.
Before Approaching a Brand for a Sponsorship
Before hitting send on that pitch email (more to come), you must ensure that you and your Twitch Channel are ready to approach a brand for sponsorship. Ahead, we’ve created a quick checklist of things to consider before shooting your shot.
Create Quality Content
Gone are the days when brands hyper-analyze your followers and following count to determine if they’ll work with you. Now more than ever, brands are looking for creators that can create professional-quality content. Though having a sizable audience may work to your advantage, it’s not the end all be all. Coming with quality content can be the ultimate conversation starter once you decide to approach a brand for a sponsorship.
Build a Strong Brand and Community
As briefly mentioned, brands love sponsoring Twitch Streamers who have built an authentic following, aka a community that loves and appreciates their honest recommendations. When creating content (sponsored or not), ensure you’re keeping your audience in mind by delivering value with everything you post.
Outside of your Twitch Community, you also want to have a presence on social media. Make sure your brand is cohesive and consistent across multiple platforms to build credibility and show brands that you conduct your Twitch streaming and content creation as a serious business. Show it’s not a hobby that you’re likely to drop at any moment.
Remain Consistent
Spoiler: almost anything related to growing as a Twitch streamer points back to being consistent—that means getting sponsored on Twitch. Consistently create content that you and your audience love. Brands will notice and appreciate your work efforts. Most importantly, this can lead to long-term partnerships vs. one-off sponsorships (which should be your ultimate goal if you want to create a steady stream of income from streaming on Twitch).
Get Comfortable with Hearing “No”
Many creators take rejection hard after inquiring about a brand sponsorship. However, we’re here to tell you that it shouldn’t stop you from continuously pitching brands. Many things may factor into why a brand is unable or unwilling to sponsor you (i.e., budget constraints, focus on specific campaigns, etc.). A brand saying no to sponsoring your Twitch is no indication that you’re a “bad” creator—it just wasn’t the right opportunity, and a better fit is on the way so long as you stay consistent (keyword alert).
How to Find Twitch Sponsorship Opportunities
When you’re a smaller creator, chances are brands aren’t flooding your inbox with sponsorship opportunities. Instead, you have to do a lot of the leg work, make the right connections, and create the opportunities for yourself. If you’re unsure where to start looking for sponsors, we’ve found a few avenues to help you on your journey.
Pitch Brands You Know and Love
The number one rule for any sponsorship is only aligning with brands, products, and services you genuinely care about. Your Twitch viewers will surely be able to tell if you’ve taken on a sponsorship just for the money or because you’re promoting something you genuinely love (and think they would too).
On the flip side, brands love sponsoring Twitch streamers who are already advocates of their products and services. This can give you major brownies points when reaching out (more on that later).
Engage with Brands on Social Media
Whether you believe it or not, brands pay close attention to the creators that follow them on social media. Whether it’s mentioning them in your posts, engaging with their content, or simply keeping up with what they’re doing, getting familiar with brands on social media can be a step in the right direction as far as Twitch sponsorship opportunities are concerned.
Get Comfortable Cold Pitching
We know we just encouraged you to engage with brands you’re interested in working with on social media. However, you should direct any business communication via email. It may be tempting to slide in a brand’s DM but finding the correct contact and reaching out via email is the best way to initiate the collaboration conversation. You can find the right person by chatting with people in the streaming community, on LinkedIn (with titles such as Marketing Manager, Influencer Partnership Manager, for example), or by DMing the brand to ask for the correct contact as a last resort and bringing the conversation offline from there.
Some things you should include in your pitch email:
- A brief intro about who you are as a creator and what you do on Twitch.
- A quick overview of your audience—include information such as your audience size, demographics, and the type of content they engage with most (and, of course, makes sense to the brand you’re pitching).
- How you’d like to work together. If you have a specific piece of content planned that you think would be great to include the brand in, let them know.
- A quick thank you to close out your email.
Influencer Marketing/Sponsorship Platforms
Nowadays, there’s a thing for everything, including platforms specifically made to connect content creators with brands for sponsorship. Many of these platforms do it all, from inquiry to receiving payment. Below are a few that you should consider if you’re serious about getting sponsored on Twitch.
Powerspike
This completely free platform is an excellent resource for connecting creators like you with brands for paid sponsored opportunities. You can apply for available sponsorship opportunities and keep track of the status of each. FYI, if you are already using Streamlabs to live stream, you can get Powerspike in our app store so you can stream and find sponsorships in one convenient place—(read more about it here).
Hellogamers
Gamers listen up—this sponsorship platform was made just for you. Hellogamers’ main goal is to help gamers of all levels become marketable to brands so they can score sponsorships and grow their fanbase in the process. Signing up for this platform is a no-brainer if you’re interested in growing your gaming career.
In addition to helping you land brand deals and sponsorships, Pillar allows you to create a customizable shoppable website to promote your favorite products to your audience. There's a waitlist to join, but if you're a Streamlabs Ultra member (more information here), you can gain exclusive access and skip the "line."
Chat with Other Twitch Streamers
One of the best ways to learn how to get sponsored on Twitch is to talk to other streamers. If you’re already connecting and collaborating with other influencers (as you should according to this article), you know that networking with your peers can be beneficial for growing your brand. Make time to speak with your peers to understand better what brands are sponsoring Twitch streamers and to get advice from those with first-hand experience.
While landing a brand sponsorship on Twitch or any streaming platform may seem like a one-in-a-million opportunity, it’s possible if you have clarity on how your content aligns with a brand and can pitch it in a way that a brand can’t resist. Remember to pay it forward by sharing this post with a fellow Twitch streamer that may be looking to navigate sponsorships.