How to Make Money Streaming

For many people, building a career from live streaming is the goal. It takes an enormous amount of time and a deep commitment to creating engaging content and it’s fair to want to be compensated for that effort. It is possible to get there, but you’ll need some help along the way. Remember, live streaming should be something you do for the love of it before anything else. You won’t become famous overnight, and that is okay.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through ways to monetize your content, from creating a Streamlabs Tip page to navigating sponsorships.

Jump Ahead to Ways to Earn:

• Streamlabs Tip Page
• Subscriptions (by platform)
• Promote Your Own Products or Services
• Sell Merch
• Streamlabs Ultra Affiliate Program
• Amazon Associates (and other affiliate programs)
• Create Exclusive Content
• Advertisements
• Sponsorships

Streamlabs Tip Page

Setting up a Streamlabs Tip page is one of the easiest and most effective ways to start earning money from your live streams. Streamlabs supports multiple payment processors, including PayPal, and best of all—creating a tip page is completely free, with no cuts taken from your earnings outside of standard processing fees by payment processors (we don’t take a cut).

A Tip page allows your audience to support you directly, making it a great monetization tool regardless of your streaming platform. Whether you’re on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, or TikTok, it’s as simple as sharing your tip link with your viewers.

You can customize your tip page to fit your brand, set donation minimums, choose your currency, and even adjust the messages or filters. You can even set up monthly tipping and allow your audience to support you on a recurring basis, creating more stability with your streaming income. Want to get started? Check out this full guide on setting up your Streamlabs Tip page and start earning today.

Subscriptions

In some ways, subscriptions offer a more reliable income stream compared to tips or donations, making them essential for streamers looking to grow.

Let’s explore the differences between subscription models on the most popular live streaming platforms, along with some perks you can offer to keep your supporters subscribed.

Subscriptions Breakdown by Platform

Below are some of the subscriber perks for each platform.

Twitch Subscriber Perks

• Ad-Free Viewing: Subscribers avoid most ads.
• Sub-Badges & Emotes: Unlock custom badges and emotes that reflect your brand.
• Sub-Only Chat/Streams: Offer exclusive streams and chat access to subscribers.

Facebook Fan Subscription Perks

• Exclusive Content: Share private posts, videos, and behind-the-scenes content.
• Supporter-Only Polls/Q&As: Engage with your fans directly.
• Discounts & Early Access: Offer exclusive discounts or early access to merch and events.

YouTube Channel Membership Perks

• Members-Only Content: Exclusive videos, posts, live streams, and live chat access.
• Custom Badges & Emojis: Help members stand out in comments and chats.
• Tiered Perks: Offer different perks at various membership levels, with higher tiers building on lower-tier benefits.

TikTok LIVE Subscription Perks

• Exclusive Subscriber Badges: Display custom badges next to subscribers' names in your TikTok LIVE chat.
• Exclusive Chat: Create a subscriber-only chat during TikTok LIVE sessions for a more intimate engagement with your most loyal followers.
• Personalized Interactions: Offer special shoutouts, thank-yous, or exclusive content directly during live streams for subscribers.

Kick Subscription Perks

Kick offers a creator-friendly subscription model with an 95/5 revenue split, meaning streamers keep 95% of their subscription earnings, one of the highest splits in the industry. Here are a few key points about Kick's subscription benefits:

• Cost and Revenue Split: Kick subscriptions start at $4.99, with a 95% cut going directly to the streamer, making it one of the best platforms for maximizing earnings from subscriptions.
• Requirements: Currently, Kick does not require affiliate or partner status to start earning from subscriptions, making it accessible for new and growing creators.
• Subscriber Perks: Kick streamers can offer standard subscription benefits like badges and emotes to incentivize support from their followers.

Each platform offers unique ways to engage and reward your most loyal viewers. Subscriptions are a powerful tool to build a steady revenue stream while deepening your connection with your audience.

Products and Services

While tips and subscriptions are key ways for viewers to support content creators, there are plenty of additional ways to generate income.

To further boost your income, consider offering physical products or services related to your content. This could include merch (more on that below), exclusive digital goods, or even coaching sessions. Just be sure to adhere to your platform’s guidelines for selling products, and always focus on delivering value beyond just entertainment.

Open a Merch Store

Adding a merch store is a great way to increase your revenue and strengthen your brand. It allows your fans to purchase custom apparel and rep your brand in real life.

Creating a Streamlabs Merch Store makes it easy to set up an online storefront in just minutes, completely free. You can design and sell items like t-shirts, mugs, and hoodies, while Streamlabs handles the printing, packing, and global shipping.

Looking to maximize sales? Check out our blog for learning how to set up your own merch store step by step.

Streamlabs Ultra Affiliate Program

If you’re a content creator aiming to generate income by recommending valuable tools, the revamped Streamlabs Ultra Affiliate Program is here to support you. By sharing Streamlabs Ultra with your community, you can earn $10 per monthly subscription and $20 per annual subscription. This guide covers everything you need to know to get started with Streamlabs Ultra Affiliate program, including how to join, access affiliate links, track your performance, and set up payments.

Whether you’re a new or existing affiliate, follow our step-by-step guide to make the most of this program. For additional details, visit our blog or reach out to [email protected] with questions.

Amazon Associates

If you stream on Twitch, your viewers may be interested in the gear you use or something else that you may have shown on stream that you just happened to grab on Amazon.

With the Amazon Associates program, you can share products you like with your community. When someone purchases a product you recommended, you'll earn some revenue. Click here for more information about the program.

Create Exclusive Content

If you have an established community, consider offering exclusive content to deepen your connection with your audience. Platforms like Patreon make this easy by allowing you to offer customized membership perks. Common benefits include exclusive live streams, private community forums, direct messaging with fans, gated video content, and more.

With Patreon, you can tailor the experience to provide value to your most dedicated supporters, helping you build a sustainable income while strengthening your community.

Advertisements

Running ads is a great way to monetize your streams without requiring direct spending from your viewers. However, each platform has specific requirements:

• Twitch: To earn ad revenue, you need to be a Twitch Affiliate or Partner. Twitch offers pre-roll, mid-roll, and picture-in-picture ads. You can disable pre-roll ads for new viewers by running regular ad breaks, ideally during natural breaks in your stream to keep engagement high.
• YouTube: You’ll need to join the YouTube Partner Program to run ads, which requires 1,000 subscribers, 4,000 watch hours (or 10M Shorts views in the past 90 days), and a linked AdSense account. YouTube offers skippable, non-skippable, bumper, and overlay ads.
• Facebook: To qualify for in-stream ads, your page must have 10,000+ followers and 30,000 1-minute views on videos over 3 minutes long. Facebook offers pre-roll, mid-roll, and image ads to monetize long-form content.
• TikTok: To run ads on TikTok, join the TikTok Creator Fund or use TikTok's ad platform. TikTok ads include in-feed video ads, branded hashtags, and branded effects. Given TikTok’s highly engaged audience, short, relevant ads can be effective without disrupting content flow.

Best Practices for Running Ads

• Run ads during natural breaks in your stream (e.g., restroom breaks) to retain viewers.
• Announce upcoming ads to prepare your audience.
• Avoid pre-rolls if possible, and consider running ads at regular intervals, like once an hour.
• Adjust your ad frequency based on audience feedback to avoid losing viewers.

Sponsorships

Sponsorships are a powerful way to monetize your stream, offering opportunities to partner with brands relevant to your content. These partnerships can range from promoting products to offering discount codes or affiliate links to your audience.

Here are three tips to help you land sponsorships:

• Grow Your Audience: Brands look for streamers with engaged and active communities.
• Stay Consistent: Maintain a consistent streaming schedule and brand to show reliability.
• Show Value: Highlight your unique reach, content, and engagement when pitching to potential sponsors.

For more detailed tips, check out our blog on pitching brands for sponsorships.

Monetizing your live stream can take many forms, from tips and subscriptions to sponsorships, merchandise, and ads. By offering value to your audience and exploring various revenue streams, you can turn your passion into a sustainable income.