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Twitch.tv is a top streaming platform known for its interactive content creation and live engagement. Originally popularized for its live gaming playthroughs, Twitch has since diversified into categories to incorporate music streaming, e-sports tournaments, talk shows, cooking streams, and even news outlets.
The platform allows streamers to easily broadcast content while fostering communities and engaging in fan interactions built around these niche interests during the livestreams.
With over 240 million monthly active users, Twitch remains a dominant force in the livestreaming industry, evolving continually with new features like "Twitch Prime" integrations, "Twitch Affiliates," and interactive tools that enhance user experience and strengthen community connections.
In this article, you’ll discover how to build a Twitch campaign from scratch, covering everything from selecting the right influencers to tracking performance and engagement metrics with a few softwares and tools.
Audience is the main keypoint to a successful twitch campaign. Twitch’s audience is composed of 70% Millennials and Gen Z, meaning a Twitch campaign will primarily target individuals between the ages of 18 and 34. The users are also mostly males, but gender within the streamers can vary widely.
An interesting statistic provided by Amazon is that 65% of Twitch viewers cannot be reached through traditional social media marketing. This makes the platform highly effective if your interest is to target niche and specific audiences.
When analyzing the top streams on Twitch, we can see the audience primarily engages with content related to politics, sports, video games (especially first-person shooters and RPGs), and chatting with influencers. But its core is still videogames.
As mentioned before, Twitch is a platform that has a specific audience, composed mostly on 25-34 year-olds with determined behaviours and interests. Depending on your brand and product Twitch enables you to reach a highly accurate target audience by focusing on specific niches and communities based on interests, personalities, and relationships. You need to understand how your product can integrate naturally with the platform.
This livestreaming service, which has been on the rise for years, enables brands, streamers and products to foster dynamic interactions with audiences for increased engagement. Craving conection and personalized recommendations and feeds, it has proven that livestreaming increases the interactions significantly, up to the point where other platforms now want to include livestreaming and other forms of interaction in real time, like TikTok’s lives.
Monitor your campaign performance live, allowing for real-time adjustments and insights. Because all Twitch’s content is live, another aspect of Twitch campaigns is that you need to be monitoring the stream in real time to ensure the information given is accurate, everything’s working properly and to anticipate on possible’s threat’s and uncomfortable situations related to your brand.
Utilize unique and innovative functionalities and features tailored for Twitch campaigns. Twitch was a pioneer in livestreaming and engaging functionalities linked to chat to streamer interaction. The platform provides special add-ons and tools that enhance the streaming experience and foster stronger connections within these communities. For example, during live streams, viewers can interact through a dynamic chat feature that supports messages, emojis, personalized stickers, and other interactive elements.
Capitalize on the latest marketing trends, such as short-video formats, while maintaining strong community connections.Another functionality is that Twitch was the innovator with the clipping trend. Because streams are usually long, followers were able to clip specific short seconds or minutes of the video while it was live to save a special or funny memorable moment. This makes content that is really easy to share, repost and save.
Boost marketing efforts through Twitch’s Affiliate Program, which enhances ads and marketing visibility. For a streamer to start earning money on twitch, they must be part of Twitch’s affiliate or Partner programme and they must align with some requirements. This feeds from streamers reaching a minimum payout requirement that comes from running ads on stream, bits and subscriptions, and paid sponsorships. This means that streamers are constantly on the lookout for brands to partner with.
In this chapter, we will walk you through the essential steps for implementing a successful marketing campaign, including understanding your audience, setting clear goals, and selecting the right streamers. Here is the complete walkthrough:
Takeaway: Every goal you set for a Twitch campaign should align with a broader marketing strategy and correlate with your brand as a whole. Real success on Twitch depends on adapting to its distinct community dynamics, including its humor, memes, and interactive chat culture. In those terms, the ultimate objective that will determine if your campaign succeeds is whether you were able to create a community and foster genuine connections with audiences.
There’s a really fine line between introducing a product that will integrate organically and naturally into Twitch’s way of working. Research if Twitch is the platform for your brand and truly understand your product, what necessity it satisfies for streamers, gamers, and communities on the platform. It is highly recommended by Reddit users to understand customer needs and refine your message by providing context.
Takeaway: Research your product’s fit with Twitch’s audience and ensure your product and brand require a specific target that can be reached through Twitch. As mentioned before, measure how in-depth you want to integrate your product with the platform’s culture.
Brands collaborate with streamers to feature their products or services during a live stream. This can include product showcases, brand mentions, unboxings or live demonstrations. In these cases, Streamers must disclose they include paid content on their stream:
Example: When Ubisoft launched Skull and Bones, had a bunch of streamers play the game dressed as pirates.
Streamers promote a brand’s products using trackable affiliate links, earning commissions based on sales or conversions. Similar to how it works on other platforms, they include the links on their Twitch bio and chat.
Example: Gaming peripheral company Razer runs an affiliate program where Twitch streamers can share custom links to Razer products and earn commissions based on the sales they generate.
Giveaways and contests encourage viewers to participate in raffles or challenges in exchange for branded rewards, most usually codes for discounts and free pack games. To participate in a giveaway or contest, the audience must be active in chat by sending a specific emote or writing a specific word to be considered. It can happen during a portion of the whole stream.
Example: Logitech G often collaborates with Twitch streamers to host giveaways for gaming accessories like keyboards and headsets. As mentioned before, they ask viewers to follow, subscribe, or engage in chat for a chance to win.
Subtle brand integration within a streamer's content, such as using branded equipment, wearing sponsor merchandise, or displaying products in the background. This way, they get named as a company who gifts products to streamers because they know that streamers get asked all the time about their setup and their equipment. Usually, streamers have a special part in their bio for recommending setup and gaming-related products they love and usually use.
Example: Elgato, a company specializing in streaming equipment, provides streamers with their products (like capture cards and stream decks), ensuring organic visibility without hard-sell promotions.
Brands host large-scale gaming tournaments, interactive Q&A sessions, or exclusive live events with Twitch influencers. Usually these events last 2-3 days and include another form of campaigns mentioned above, like giveaways and competitions. These events are special because they convey interest based on a single game/theme and it’s open to all Twitch, having a special section on their website to show the event.
Example: KFC partnered with Twitch to host PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Event, where four selected top streamers competed in PUBG to win prizes, plus the audience who used the special emote had a chance to win a free bucket.
Combining both paid ads and influencer marketing can yield powerful results when done strategically. Here are some scenarios when it makes sense to integrate both:
Takeaway: Each advertising option given in this chapter has its own strengths, depending on the campaign objectives you determine. For example, sponsored streams provide direct product exposure, but the audience may find it a bit too obvious and get annoyed by it. After all, you’re changing their favorite influencer’s stream schedule. On the other hand, affiliate programs tap into the influencer’s existing trust with their audience and are not specific to Twitch. Giveaways can boost engagement and awareness, and product placements allow for organic brand integration.
As with any general influencer campaign, the key is to conduct an in-depth investigation of the streamers to ensure they align with your brand’s message and mission. We have a complete guide on how to find the ideal influencers to work with. To do this, we recommend considering the existing categories for streamers on Twitch:
Just based on views, there are three metrics to take into account when selecting the streamers:
Takeaway: We focus on views because, in general, live content on Twitch sees significant variation, with views and followers being highly susceptible to external factors such as holidays, hours, and time zones. Another important aspect to consider is that Twitch uses three metrics to determine a streamer’s size: followers, subscribers, and views. Having a large number of followers does not automatically translate to high views, as views can fluctuate due to these external influences. Therefore, it’s crucial to take all three metrics into account when choosing an influencer for a campaign.
Measuring a Twitch campaign’s results involves tracking key performance metrics. In Twtich, these also include chat interactions, click-through rates, and audience growth. But, according to our research, there are another 5 key metrics that impact ROI. Utilizing internal and external tools help brands monitor performance in real time, ensuring data-driven decisions for future optimizations.
Adding to the metrics of viewership we’ve mentioned before like ACV, CCV and Viewer-hours, you can also track the campaign in these areas:
Chat activity is a key indicator of engagement and interactivity within your Twitch streams. This metric tracks all interactions that happened in chat (tmessages, emotes, and mentions), reflecting how actively your viewers are participating in your broadcast. Analyzing feedback and comments can also be a very valuable tool.
This analytic measures how effective your links are in driving traffic. Not particular with Twitch but common in Influencer Marketing in general. Specifically used if you're promoting products, services, or affiliate links.
The conversion rate measures the percentage of viewers who take a specific and desired action. This metric is essential for evaluating the ROI of your Twitch campaigns and understanding how effectively you're turning viewership into tangible business results. It’s directly related to how effective your call-to-action is.
How often your brand, product, or campaign is discussed across Twitch, including in-stream chats and social media platforms after or during your campaing. This metric is a valuable indicator of buzz and awareness. Valuable to understand in which context is your brand getting mentions.
Engagement rate in Twitch measures the level of interaction your content generates live. It includes likes, shares, comments, and other forms of engagement. It highly depends on the streamer that you’ve partnered with or the type of stream you’ve proposed.
Ad impressions indicate how many times your ad was displayed in total, while completion rate shows the percentage of viewers who watched the ad to completion. This is specially useful when ads can be skipped and to evaluate the audience’s interest on their streamer. These metrics need to be evaluated together for a bigger picture.
Takeaway: We think it’s important to include conversations and social listening about your brand to completely understand the audience’s opinion about your campaign -and your brand- being on Twitch. These metrics help to reveal not just how many people are watching, but how engaged they are and whether they’re taking action. With this information, brands can make data-driven adjustments to drive better results. It’s always a reminder that successful Twitch campaigns are built on meaningful interactions, not just numbers.
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For Twitch, we suggest the following key tools to help brands identify and track Twitch influencers:
Influencer Hero is an advanced influencer marketing platform that helps brands connect with the right Twitch streamers for effective campaigns. It streamlines the entire process, from discovering influencers to tracking campaign performance. With a vast database of content creators, Influencer Hero offers a data-driven approach to identifying influencers, tracking performance, and optimizing collaborations to maximize ROI.
Twitch’s built-in analytics tool provides insights into your channel’s performance, audience behavior, and engagement. Twitch Analytics is a free tool for streamers and brands offering insights into channel performance, including viewership trends, audience demographics, and engagement metrics. It helps users track their content’s success and refine strategies based on real-time data. Premium versions offer more advanced features, making it valuable for both individual creators and brands looking to assess the impact of their campaigns.
TwitchTracker is a data analytics platform designed to track and analyze Twitch channel performance. It provides real-time insights into streamer activity, viewer trends, and historical performance metrics. This tool is essential for brands looking to evaluate potential Twitch influencers before launching a campaign.
Upfluence is an influencer marketing platform that helps brands discover, analyze, and manage Twitch influencer partnerships. It offers a robust database of influencers, AI-powered insights, and end-to-end campaign management tools.
Stream Hatchet is a paid analytics platform for agencies, brands, and professional streamers. It provides detailed data on Twitch performance, such as viewer interactions, revenue, and audience growth, and enables competitive benchmarking. Stream Hatchet is ideal for long-term campaign tracking, helping brands evaluate the success of influencer partnerships and optimize future strategies.
SulleyGnome is a free analytics tool for streamers and brands to monitor Twitch performance. It tracks key metrics like viewership, channel growth, and engagement, and provides a ranking system to compare influencers. While basic data is free, premium features unlock more in-depth reports. It’s useful for identifying top-performing streamers and analyzing competitor performance.
YouTube is Twitch's primary competitor in the streaming space, making it crucial to compare their pricing models when setting a budget for an influencer campaign. We've created this benchmark to help you easily compare YouTube's streaming and revenue processes with those of Twitch.
Six years ago, Old Spice launched its own Twitch channel to host 24 influencers in a gameshow called The Foam Zone Game Show. The event, which lasted 6hs each day, featured an obstacle course and was livestreamed over two days. Throughout the show, viewers participated by voting for which team would move to the next round and engaged with strategies like hashtags and comment banners at the bottom of the screen; meaning that every comment appeared a few seconds in the livestream. In total, Old Spice gained 31.8K followers on Twitch, and the event garnered a total of 16.3K views.
Four years ago, the popular fast food franchise partnered with five streamers to boost their sales through the Uber Eats app. Over the course of a week, they scheduled individual streams with each influencer, where they featured a special menu tailored to the influencers' personalities and preferences. For example, Tfue’s “Tfue Meal” included Minute Maid Light, french fries, and chicken nuggets, while XChocobars’ “XChocobars Meal” offered Diet Coke, french fries, and one of the franchise's signature burgers. Viewers who ordered these meals were entered into a giveaway for prizes like a gaming chair, water bottle, hoodie, and more. The 30-minute promotional ad garnered over 10K views on Twitch alone and helped the brand gain 107.5K new followers on their channel.
Ninja, the most-followed streamer on Twitch with over 19.2M followers, is famous for his expertise in Fortnite and his constant Red Bull consumption. In 2018, Red Bull officially partnered with Ninja, producing a series of highlight articles and memes that resonated with his community. They also provided him with a custom outfit to wear after every game victory. Additionally, Red Bull announced the "Rise Till Dawn" competition, a Fortnite Battle Royale duo tournament held in Chicago, where 100 teams competed for the chance to defeat Ninja's own team. As more streamers were revealed for the event in the lead-up, tickets sold out in mere minutes. Of course, the livestream was hosted on Ninja’s channel as well, increasing visibility to a massive audience.
Twitch has proven to be a powerful marketing tool, offering an unprecedented opportunity to engage with a highly interactive and niche audience. Its features, ranging from dynamic chats to customized rewards, enable brands to build deep connections with streamers’ communities while driving engagement in real time. The platform’s ability to target specific interests and offer innovative campaign options, like polls, predictions, and custom events, sets it apart from traditional marketing channels.
However, success on Twitch requires careful experimentation and innovation while maintaining authenticity. It's important to tailor your strategy to fit both the community culture and the unique aspects of the platform, ensuring your brand seamlessly integrates into the influencer’s content.
For long-term success in Twitch campaign marketing, be sure to research and select streamers who align with your brand’s mission. Regularly monitor the campaign in real time, utilize Twitch's tools to enhance engagement, and provide the influencer with all the necessary creative assets. By adapting to the dynamic nature of the platform and remaining flexible, you can establish a strong, lasting presence in the Twitch community.
The cost of an influencer campaign on both platforms is influenced by factors such as the influencer's audience size, engagement rate, content quality, and niche relevance. Additionally, the duration and complexity of the campaign, as well as the platform's specific advertising rates, play significant roles in determining overall costs.
Twitch primarily attracts a younger, gaming-centric audience, while YouTube has a broader demographic range, including various age groups and interests. Understanding these differences is crucial for tailoring content and setting a budget that aligns with the target audience's preferences and behaviors.
Engagement rates can vary significantly between platforms. Twitch often sees higher real-time interaction during live streams, whereas YouTube's engagement is more spread out over time through views, likes, and comments on videos. These engagement patterns should be considered when allocating budget to maximize campaign effectiveness.
Yes, both platforms offer tools to assist in estimating campaign costs. For instance, Google Ads provides a Budget Simulator to help forecast the impact of different budget levels on campaign performance. Similarly, Twitch offers analytics tools that can help assess potential reach and engagement, aiding in budget planning.
Live streaming on Twitch often requires real-time interaction and can lead to higher engagement rates, potentially justifying a higher budget allocation. In contrast, YouTube's pre-recorded videos allow for longer content lifespan and can continue to generate views over time, which may influence the budget distribution between the two platforms.
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