What is Twitch?

Before we get into how you can discover a whole new audience on Twitch, we should first explain what Twitch.tv is.

Twitch is the worlds leading streaming site, with over 73% of the streaming market. The site has experienced incredible growth in recent years, causing it to be purchased by Amazon. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitch saw a huge jump in both viewers and streamers. According to Twitch Tracker:

• Twitch saw a huge spike in concurrent viewers, going from 1.26 million in 2019 to 2.93 million in 2021

• Monthly broadcasters more than doubled, jumping from 3.64 million in 2019 to 9.71 million in 2020

• Twitch users have watched over 373 BILLION minutes of content in 2021 so far, up 37.6% over 2020

At first glance, you may think Twitch is just another video site like YouTube. While it’s true you can watch on-demand content on certain streamer’s channels, it’s much more than that. Twitch is a platform built on real-time engagement. Content creators can have ongoing, personal interactions with their community. While there is more room for error than YouTube as it’s done live (mostly), it offers a level of audience connection that is unrivalled.

The biggest thing, Twitch isn’t just about gaming! In the past few years, the platform has seen more and more non-gaming streams pop up with users streaming Dungeons and Dragons games, podcasts, art, and even cooking. So whether you’re looking for someone making pasta in their kitchen or searching for a person playing a game you love, you’ll find them on Twitch!

Streamers 101

The core of Twitch is the streamers that are on the platform. Just like YouTube, you need users who will produce the content that draws in viewers. While at a high level they may look the same, Streamers vary from content creators on Youtube in a few ways, specifically:

• A deeper connection with viewers - While there are definitely YouTube creators who have deep connections with their communities, streamers are front and center chatting with their viewers every time they stream. This results in a stronger bond between both the creator and the viewer.

• Sponsors are handled differently - How a creator handles or activates with a sponsor varies from person to person, but in general, how sponsorships look to viewers is far different than YouTube. Rather than an edited segment featuring sponsor mentions, it could be having products in their background, logos on the screen, or discussing the sponsor at points during the stream.

• A majority of them have YouTube channels! - It’s not a sure thing, but many Twitch streamers will also create YouTube content, whether it’s exclusive short-form content, highlights from streamers, or full-length video of previous casts.

Opportunities on Twitch

So now that you have a sense of what Twitch is, the differences it has to YouTube, and what streamers, It’s time to discover some of the opportunities on Twitch. Whether your marketing budget is six figures or you’re trying to keep it organic, there are a few ways of taking advantage of the platform, including:

• Create an account for the brand and engage with the community

  • With a Twitch account, you can jump in and interact with users across the platform. A great way to get started is to stream popular games on your channel.

  • You can also use your account to join other streams and chat. You can find folks who are playing games or have had an interest in your brand in the past. If you have access to social listening, you can even find streamers who’ve talked about your brand and engage with them.

• Sponsoring a streamer

  • If there is a streamer who’s a fan of your brand, aligns with your values, or is just a joy to watch, you can reach out and connect with them to work out a sponsorship.

  • While each streamer handles a sponsorship differently, some general examples are sponsored streams where the brand is in the forefront, ongoing sponsorship where the brand is part of the streamer’s layout/description, and product features. There are endless possibilities to what it can look like. The best thing is to chat with your streamer and see what they are interested in!

• Twitch Ads

  • Twitch has several ways you can reach large numbers of viewers if you work with their internal teams. Like most content platforms, Twitch features ad placements for streamers who are part of their affiliate and partner programs.

  • Additionally, Twitch provides an opportunity to work with their certified Twitch Partners. One example of this program is having multiple large streamers include your brand logo on their stream, hit on key messages during their streams, and even showcase provided products.

This barely scratches the surface of what you can do on the Twitch platform. There’s so much potential on the platform from sponsored events, raids, and so much more. The only limit on the platform is that of your team, clients, and partners’ imaginations.

Measuring Success

Like every campaign on other platforms, your KPI’s and how you measure success will vary based on what you set out to achieve. You can look at many stats on Twitch, but for brands taking their first steps onto the platform, here are some key metrics to keep in mind.

• Concurrents - The total number of users viewing a stream at a given time

  • This can also show average concurrent viewers over multiple streams or the highest number in a single stream.

• Unique Views - The total number of unique accounts/profiles/devices that viewed the stream

  • Think of views and unique views like impressions and reach on other platforms.

• Chat Messages - Total number of messages posted in chat during a given stream

  • While not a make-or-break factor, chat messages are a good way of seeing how engaged the community is with the streamer.

Potential Risks

The part you’ve probably been asking about. What are the potential risks of Twitch? What are some things to be cautious of? Every platform has a risk, and Twitch is no different. Here are a few things you should keep in mind and how to tackle them:

• Moderation - As Twitch is a live platform and has a chat function, some people will enter a stream’s chat and post rude, offensive language or links to NSFW websites.

  • Streamers combat this in several ways, including having active moderators who can delete, mute, and ban users. Additional bots can limit the posting of links or the use of certain words within the chat.

• Live Video - Unlike YouTube, most of the streams are done live, so they benefit from chat interaction. The downside to this is all of the potential issues with live videos, such as technical difficulties or human error.

  • Most long-time streamers know their setups and can tackle errors, but sometimes things happen and result in shorter or delayed streams. If streams are delayed or have to be moved to another time, be understanding with the streamer, they aren’t a fan of it either.

• Unexpected incidents - With content being live, there is more of a chance where unexpected things can happen, such as emotional outbursts, accidental statements, or things appearing on stream that are unexpected.

  • This may be something you consider a big issue, but most streamers take the platform seriously as it’s their lively hood and source of income. They don’t want to jeopardize it or the sponsors they work with. Just be sure that the streamers you are working with fit your brand, and you have an open dialogue with them.

Don’t let these stop you from activating on the platform. Every social site on the internet has potential risks; be sure your team has done the research and have an open dialogue with the partners you work with. The rewards far outweigh the risk; as long as you’re prepared, you’ll be ready for anything!