Do Twitch Affiliates Make Money From Ads?
Yes, Twitch Affiliates can earn money from ads, no matter the size of their audience. As your viewership grows, so does your potential to earn more revenue through ads. Both Affiliates and Partners on Twitch have the ability to generate income from ad breaks, and the more viewers who watch your ads, the more you'll earn.
Ad breaks on Twitch can range from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, and your earnings depend on how many viewers watch the ads. To learn more about how ads work and best practices for running them, you can check out the Twitch Creator Camp.
Here are some essential tips for running ads effectively as a Twitch Affiliate:
Tips for Running Ads
- Inform Your Community About Upcoming Ads: It’s important to let your viewers know when an ad break is about to happen, whether you run ads manually or use automated tools. If you use an auto-ad tool, it’s a good practice to mention on your page how often and for how long the ads will run.
- Avoid Running Ads Only at the Start or End of the Stream: Running all your ads at the beginning (front-loading) usually results in fewer people watching them, as many viewers are still joining the stream. This can also be frustrating for viewers who just finished watching pre-roll ads. On the other hand, back-loading ads—playing them all toward the end of your stream—also tends to result in lower revenue because fewer viewers stick around till the end.
- Start with 1 Minute of Ads Per Hour: To ease your community into ad breaks, start by running 1 minute of ads per hour. You can place ad breaks between game sessions or during natural pauses in your stream. Over time, you can build up to running 3 minutes of ads per hour for higher revenue.
- Run Multiple Short Ad Breaks: It’s often more effective to run multiple short ad breaks (1-2 minutes each) rather than one long session. This helps keep your viewers more engaged and less likely to feel disrupted.
- Automate or Delegate Ad Breaks: Managing ad breaks while creating content can be tough. Tools like Nightbot or Moobot can automatically run ads for you. Alternatively, if you have moderators, you can delegate the task of running ads to them, so you can focus on your stream.
- Space Out Ad Breaks by at Least 15 Minutes: Avoid running ads too close together, as this can negatively impact your viewers' experience. It’s recommended to wait at least 15 minutes between ad breaks. This helps maintain viewer engagement while reaching your target number of ads per hour.
Set Up Your Ad Schedule
Twitch’s Ads Manager tool is designed to help streamers schedule ads without needing to run them manually. It simplifies the process, so you can focus on your content while still ensuring you meet your ad revenue goals. For more information on how to set up and use the Ads Manager, check out the official Twitch Ads Manager guide.
With a thoughtful approach to running ads, Twitch Affiliates can increase their ad revenue while keeping viewers happy and engaged.