How to Make Money on Twitch: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

You don’t need to be a professional gamer or a celebrity to earn money on Twitch. Every day, people just like you are turning their hobbies, passions, and even casual gameplay into a source of income. Twitch is a place where you can share what you enjoy, connect with people who care about the same things, and start earning from your streams.

If you’re looking to make money through streaming, you have come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything a beginner needs to know: from setting up your channel and growing an audience to exploring the different ways Twitch lets you earn. By the time you’re done, you’ll have a clear roadmap to start your Twitch journey and turn your streams into real revenue.

Understanding Twitch and How It Works

Before you start earning on Twitch, it helps to understand what the platform is and how it allows creators to make money. Twitch is a live-streaming platform where people broadcast video content in real time. While it’s best known for gaming, it’s also home to creative streams, music sessions, talk shows, and just about any hobby you can imagine.

What Makes Twitch Different

Twitch is built around community. Viewers don’t just watch, they interact with streamers through live chat, emojis, polls, and more. This interaction is what makes Twitch unique and what gives beginners a chance to grow and monetise their content.

How Twitch Monetisation Works

Twitch offers several ways for creators to earn money. Some of the main options include:

• Subscriptions: Viewers pay a monthly fee to support your channel and get perks.
• Bits and donations: Viewers can cheer with Bits or send direct donations to show support.
• Ads: Twitch runs ads on your streams, and you earn a share of the revenue.
• Sponsorships and brand deals: As your audience grows, brands may pay you to promote their products.
• Merchandise: Selling branded products directly to your audience.

How To Set Up a Twitch Account

The first step to making money on Twitch is creating a strong foundation: your account. Getting this right from the start makes it easier to attract viewers and grow your channel.

Creating Your Account

Starting is simple. Go to Twitch.tv and sign up with your email, username, and password. Choose a username that’s easy to remember, reflects your content, and feels personal. Once your account is active, verify your email to unlock all features.

Optimising Your Profile

Your profile is your first impression. Make it count:

• Profile picture and banner: Choose clear images that represent you or your brand.
• Bio: Write a short introduction about who you are and what viewers can expect from your streams.
• Panels: Add panels under your stream to highlight your social media, schedule, and donation options.

A well-organised profile shows professionalism, even if you’re just starting. It helps viewers trust your channel and increases the likelihood they’ll subscribe or donate.

Connecting Essential Accounts

Once your profile is set up, it also helps to link your social media, PayPal, or other payment accounts like your Raenest USD account early. This allows you to collect donations, receive subscriber revenue, and promote your streams across platforms. 

Once your account is set up and your profile is ready, you’re prepared to start streaming. The next step is growing your audience, which is key to turning your Twitch account into a revenue source.

Building Your Twitch Audience

Before you can make money on Twitch, you need people who show up for your streams. Unfortunately, audience growth is not about going viral overnight. It’s about being visible, consistent, and welcoming enough that viewers want to return. Here’s how to achieve that

Choose a clear focus.

As a beginner, it helps to start with a clear direction. Decide what you want to stream and who it’s for. This could be a specific game, a genre, or a type of content like art, music, or casual conversations. When viewers understand what your channel is about, they’re more likely to follow and come back.

Stream consistently

Consistency is one of the biggest growth factors on Twitch. Set a streaming schedule you can realistically maintain, even if it’s just a few times a week. Streaming at regular times helps viewers know when to find you and builds viewing habits over time.

Talk to your viewers.

Engagement matters, even when your audience is small. Greet viewers when they join, respond to messages in chat, and ask simple questions during your stream. People are more likely to stay and support a channel where they feel noticed and included.

Promote your streams Outside Twitch.

Twitch doesn’t promote new streamers automatically, so sharing your content elsewhere helps. Post stream updates on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok, and let people know when you’re going live. Short clips and highlights can also attract new viewers who discover you outside Twitch.

Be patient and improve as you go.

Audience growth takes time. Use early streams to learn what works, improve your setup, and get comfortable on camera. Every follower starts with one viewer who decided to stay.

Building your audience is the foundation of making money on Twitch. Once people enjoy watching and engaging with your streams, monetisation becomes a natural next step rather than something forced.

Ways to Make Money on Twitch

Once you’ve started building an audience, you can get into the juicy part - how to make money on Twitch. Twitch gives you several ways to earn from your streams. You don’t need to use all of them at once. Most beginners start with one or two and add more as their channel grows. Here are the ways to make money on Twitch

Twitch Affiliate Program

The Twitch Affiliate Program is the first major step toward monetisation for beginners. To qualify, you need to reach certain requirements, such as a minimum number of followers, average viewers, and streaming hours over 30 days.

Once you become an Affiliate, you unlock key earning features like subscriptions, Bits, and ads. This is how most streamers make their first income on Twitch.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions allow viewers to support your channel by paying a monthly fee. Twitch offers different subscription tiers, and each tier gives subscribers special perks like custom emotes, badges, or ad-free viewing.

As a beginner, even a small number of subscribers can make a difference. Subscriptions are often a sign that viewers enjoy your content and want to support you consistently.

Bits and donations

Bits are a built-in Twitch feature that lets viewers cheer during your stream. Each cheer contributes to your earnings and shows public support in chat.

Similarly, donations are usually handled through third-party tools like PayPal or Streamlabs. While donations are optional, they give viewers another way to support your channel directly.

Ads on Twitch

Once monetisation is enabled, Twitch may run ads on your streams. You earn a share of the ad revenue based on views. Ads typically become more effective as your audience grows, but they can still contribute to your income over time.

Sponsorships and Brand Deals

As your channel grows, brands may reach out to sponsor your streams or pay you to promote their products. This usually happens after you’ve built a loyal audience and have consistent viewership.

Sponsorships can include sponsored streams, product placements, or affiliate links shared during your broadcast.

Selling Merchandise

Some streamers create and sell merchandise like shirts, hoodies, or digital products. This works best once your audience feels connected to your brand, but it can become a strong income stream as your channel grows.

Though making money is the end goal, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to rush into every monetisation option. Start small, focus on delivering good content, and add income streams gradually as your confidence and audience increase.

How to Receive Payments from Twitch

Earning money on Twitch is exciting, but it only matters if you can actually receive your payouts. Twitch has a clear payment system, and once it’s set up properly, your earnings are paid out automatically. Here’s how to do it:

1. Qualify for monetisation

Before you can receive payments on Twitch, you need to qualify for monetisation. For the Affiliate Program, you must have at least 50 followers, stream for a total of 500 minutes in the last 30 days, broadcast on at least 7 unique days, and maintain an average of 3 or more concurrent viewers. For the Partner Program, requirements are higher: you need to stream for at least 25 hours over the last 30 days, stream on at least 12 different days, and average 75 or more concurrent viewers. Once you meet these requirements, Twitch will notify you and prompt you to complete your payout setup.

2. Complete your Payout Setup

Once you qualify for monetisation, the next step is to set up your payouts. From your Twitch dashboard, go to Account Settings > Payout. Here, you’ll need to submit your tax information and choose your preferred payment method. Completing this step early ensures there are no delays once you start earning from subscriptions, Bits, and ads.

Also read: What Nigeria’s New Tax Law Means for Freelancers and Remote Workers.

3. Choose a Payment Method

Twitch supports several payout options, depending on your location. Common methods include direct bank transfers and PayPal. If you prefer receiving payments through a bank account, you can use a Raenest USD bank account to receive your Twitch earnings. It's easy to create and works well for international payments making it easier to manage your streaming income. Create a Raenest USD account today.

Once your payment method is set up, your earnings from subscriptions, Bits, and ads are added together and tracked in your Twitch dashboard, so you can always see how much you’ve made. 

It’s important to note that Twitch does not send payments instantly. You’ll receive a payout once your balance reaches the minimum payout threshold. Payments are typically processed every month, as long as you’ve met the required amount. This means your first payout might take some time, especially as a beginner, but your earnings continue to roll over until the threshold is reached.

Tools and Tips to Maximise Your Twitch Earnings

Once you’ve set up monetisation and payouts, the next step is learning how to get more value from each stream. The right tools and habits can help you grow faster and earn more without needing a massive audience. 

Use Beginner-Friendly Streaming Software

Streaming software helps you control your broadcast, manage scenes, and add alerts. Tools like OBS Studio and Streamlabs are popular because they’re free and easy to learn. They allow you to switch scenes, add your webcam, and show alerts when someone subscribes or donates.

Add simple overlays and alerts.

Overlays help your stream look organised and professional. You don’t need anything complicated. A clean overlay, a follower alert, and a subscriber notification are enough to start. When viewers see their support acknowledged on screen, they’re more likely to interact and support your channel again.

Use Chatbots to stay engaged.

Chatbots help manage your chat while you focus on streaming. They can welcome new viewers, answer common questions, and share links to your social media or donation page. This keeps your stream active and engaging, even when your audience grows.

Stream with purpose

Go live with a goal in mind. This could be encouraging followers, promoting subscriptions, or simply increasing engagement. Mention your goals naturally during your stream so viewers know how they can support you. Additionally, use clear calls to action to help you earn without sounding pushy.

Improve one thing at a time.

You don’t need perfect equipment to make money on Twitch. Focus on improving gradually. Better audio, clearer visuals, and smoother streams all make a difference over time. Small upgrades, paired with consistency, often lead to better viewer retention and higher earnings.

Track what’s working.

Finally, use your Twitch analytics to see which streams perform best. Pay attention to peak viewers, chat activity, and subscription growth. This helps you understand what your audience enjoys and where your income is coming from.

Starting on Twitch can feel a little intimidating at first, like stepping into a room full of possibilities and in a way, that’s exactly what it is. Every time you go live, every stream you start, it’s another chance to share what you love, connect with people who care about the same things, and slowly, step by step, shape your own path. Growth doesn’t happen overnight, but with each stream, with each small interaction, you’ll notice that you’re building something bigger than just a channel: a community, a skill set, and a space where your passion can actually turn into opportunity.

Remember, just like every first step, the first stream is always the hardest, but it’s also the one that matters most. So take a deep breath, show up, stay curious, and keep trying new things. The moment you start is the moment your Twitch journey truly begins, and from there, everything else follows.