So if you are wondering what the first payout for a Twitch affiliate looks like, I am going to give you the break down of what my very first Twitch payout looked like when I became a Twitch affiliate and I am going to show you how long it took me to get there! If you have any questions, drop a comment on any of my socials, join the Auxilium Entertainment discord, or come by my Twitch streams!
I can almost guarantee that when you decided to be a twitch streamer and start your streaming career, the first question you had was "How much do Twitch streamers make?" or "What does the first payout on Twitch look like?"
Although searching for the "top twitch streamers pay in 2022" can be pretty easy, it can be difficult to get a direct answer on the small streamer's twitch payouts. I know when I first got started, there were only 2-3 twitch streamers that gave me an accurate representation on what that first payout can be. Pay can be a pretty personal topic of conversation.
Another reason the question of "how much a twitch streamer makes" is a difficult question to answer, is because not every Twitch payout looks the same! It is important to take this information as guidance only. Do not compare yourself to other streamers, and please do not ever get discouraged about the topic of pay. Remind yourself daily that you are proud of yourself and how far you have come and continue to grow in your Twitch streaming career. Being a Twitch affiliate is an amazing accomplishment and I know you will be so excited to get that first paycheck, no matter the amount that first paycheck shows!
When Twitch calculated how much your payout check will reflect, there are a bunch of factors that go into deciding that final number. Twitch has a "Where does my revenue come from?" section that will break down the total revenue during the selected time period. The total estimated revenue will be based on the amount of people watching the ads during stream, how often your ads play, how long each ad is, how many people subscribe during that time, the amount of bits people cheer, and any other applications (like Sound Alerts) people use during your stream.
Every month, your total estimated revenue will fluctuate. If you notice a fluctuation in your Twitch estimated revenue, that is perfectly normal and it happens to EVERY streamer!
Some months you will notice your numbers are great and sometimes other months your numbers will be slower. It is important to remember that no matter what those numbers reflect, YOU DID IT and you are here chasing your dreams. That is a pretty big deal if I do say so myself!
Once you go to your twitch channel, you will click your profile picture on the top right of your twitch home screen, and then you will click the "creator dashboard". On the left side of the screen, under your creator dashboard links, you will click the "Insights" tab and then click your "Channel Analytics".
LET'S CHECK OUT MY FIRST TWITCH PAYOUT
On the channel analytics page, you will see dates that you are currently viewing on the chart. When you are accessing your own Twitch earnings, make sure to change the dates to reflect the time period you would like to look at.
My very first Twitch affiliate stream took place on August 11, 2021. When I go to my analytics page, to figure out what I made for my first payout, I will change the starting date to August 11, 2021. My very first Twitch payout was deposited in December, so I would change the ending date to November 30th, 2021 to get the most accurate number.
NOTE: The number shown under your channel analytics is an estimate only. The final number will be included with the copy of your check stub that can be viewed under the "Payout History" section. The estimated revenue when I made my YouTube video "FIRST TWITCH PAYOUT | How Much Money Do Small Streamers Make On Twitch | First Affiliate Payout" was $168.69 and today as I am writing this blog, the estimate reflected is $173.51. For those 112 days, I streamed for 168 Hours and 12 minutes, got 53 subscribers (I believe my birthday stream fell between this time period), and received 698 followers (all thanks to TikTok - get on social media to promote your streams!). My final Twitch payout was a grand total of $164.40 and that was deposited into my account on December 14th, 2021.
What Is The Twitch Payout Schedule?
When I first started streaming on Twitch, I had a lot of people tell me that the Twitch payout was from the 12th to the 12th. I have no idea where that information came from, but I quickly learned that was incorrect information. Twitch payout occurs once a month for
Twitch affiliates. The pay period starts on the 1st of the month and ends on the last day of the month. Once Twitch looks over your estimated revenue, your check is written and deposited into the payment account you set up when you started the Twitch affiliate program. Depending on your bank, your payout could be received any time between the 12th-15th following the month you hit the threshold. At the time of creating my YouTube vlog, the Twitch payout threshold was $100 minimum, but at the time of writing this blog, the Twitch payout threshold changed to $50 minimum for most locations. Unfortunately, I do not see this new Twitch threshold reflected for US streamers at the time of writing this on October 1, 2022.
How Do You Earn Money On Twitch?
The Breakdown Of My First Twitch Payout
Let's check out the break down of my first Twitch payout. Remember, the break down of your Twitch payout will always be an estimate and the number can fluctuate slightly.
As a Twitch affiliate, one of the most popular ways to earn money is through Twitch subscriptions. What is a Twitch Subscription you may be asking? Well, a subscription on Twitch is a program that allows a viewer to purchase monthly to support the streamer and allow for the subscriber to enjoy ad-free content. A viewer may also gift subs to the streamer by giving other followers in the community a free month subscription to also enjoy ad-free viewing. Subscribers may also get access to new emotes to showcase in chats! On my first Twitch payout, I made $22.17 in paid subs, $80.33 in gifted subs, and $21.80 in Prime subs (Prime subs are free subscriptions that come with being an Amazon Prime member).
Between August and December 2021, I also earned $14.11 from "Cheering". Cheering on Twitch is another way for a viewer to show appreciation to the streamer. Viewers can buy something called "Bits" to gift the streamer. This is Twitch's version of monetary tips or donations that can be purchased through the Twitch platform. Every bit equals one US penny.
Ad revenue is another way to earn money on Twitch. Viewers who are not subscribe may have ads appear during the live stream, and for every ad that is watched, the streamer makes a small amount off of that ad. Viewing ads may get frustrating at times, but remember this is the best way to support the streamer for free if you are not currently subbed. The ad revenue I earned for this payout was $13.50. Please remember, do not take that ad revenue for granted! It may seem like a little amount per ads, but it does add up quickly! Make sure you are running ads during your stream!
If you look at the chart, you will also see revenue coming from "extensions". The extension I run on my streams is Sound Alerts (and I will cover this feature in another blog post). The sound alerts are integrated with your Twitch streams and allows your chat to interact by playing loud or funny sounds during your streams. You can set the price of those sound alerts to cost channel points or bits. Using bits for the sound alerts will be how you make the revenue shown under the "extensions".
YOU CAN DO THIS!
Now that you have an idea of what to expect when it comes to streaming on Twitch, it is time to get started or continue rocking out that amazing content! We all have to start somewhere, and the best part about reading this means that YOU TOOK THE FIRST STEP TO MAKING YOUR STREAM DREAM COME TRUE! So, if no one told you this yet today, I want you to know I am proud of you!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask! If you want to catch me on stream one day, feel free to drop a follow and come say hey! I am passionate about helping other people do what they love to do, and I would be more than happy to help guide you through your journey!
If you are looking for a new community to game with, network with, or just hang out with, we invite you to come join our community discord Auxilium Entertainment! Our discord server welcomes everyone and specializes in hobby gaming, content creation, and streamers big or small! We hope you feel just at home here!
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