Say what you will about the merits of the Twitch Partner and Twitch Affiliate programs, the fact of the matter is that a big draw for new streamers is the ability to finally monetize their streams. While the requirements to get there are quite clear, people are often surprised to find out how hard it actually is to meet them.
- Four metrics must be hit within a 30 day rolling period
- All of the requirements must be met at the same time, it’s not enough to meet them at some point during the time period.
- An approval is usually given a few days after the requirements have been met.
Once a streamer has been approved, they can turn on the monetization features and start seeing returns on their streams. If you’re looking for more breakdowns and news like this, make sure to check out TwitchTV, where we cover topics beyond the daily Twitch.
What Are the Exact Requirements for Twitch Affiliates?
Rather than setting a bar individually and then being able to reach it over time, Twitch sets four requirements that all need to be met in the same rolling 30 day period. Failing to meet one means that progress won’t be made toward the others, even if they’ve been reached.
Those requirements are:
- 50 followers
- 500 broadcast minutes
- 7 unique broadcast days
- average of 3 concurrent viewers
All of those reset if not met within that 30 day period, which is why a consistent effort toward all of them is more important than an occasional spike in activity.
How Long Does It Typically Take to Reach Twitch Affiliate?
Due to variability in how fast followers and viewers build up and the frequency of streaming, there’s a pretty large range of how long it takes to get Twitch Affiliate status. Many people reach it in 1-3 months, but it’s not unheard of for it to take longer.
Things that affect timing are:
- How many hours a week do you stream?
- Are you actively promoting streams outside of Twitch?
- How competitive is your chosen game/category?
- How engaging is your content?
There are streamers who consider the first few weeks the “numbers game”. They see success faster because they stream consistently and actively promote outside of Twitch. Others take a more lazy approach and stream sporadically.
How can you track your progress toward Twitch affiliate?
You can see your progress toward affiliate status in your creator dashboard. This is only shown to you once you are eligible to work towards affiliate status.
How do you see your progress:
- Open your creator dashboard
- Find the achievements section
- Find your progress toward the Twitch affiliate requirements.
- What happens after you reach all the requirements
Once you meet all 4 requirements, Twitch says they will send you an invite to affiliate status within a few business days. Keep in mind, this is not always instant. Once you get the invite, you need to complete the tax and payment info interview in order to use the monetization features on Twitch. This can be accessed via your creator dashboard.
What Can You Do To Reach Twitch Affiliate Faster?
To hit the benchmarks consistently and reliably usually takes more time than people expect. The key is usually consistency. Establishing a time when you stream can help create a habit for you and your viewers.
Other things you can do:
- Stream at times viewers are more likely to be free to watch.
- Let your followers know when you are about to go live and when you are currently going live.
- Be active in chat to reward viewers for following you and for watching for a long time.
- Raid or collaborate with streamers of the same size for exposure.
While this may not increase your viewer or follower count, it may help to bring in a small audience and once you have a small audience, it helps to snowball into further growth. This is usually when things start picking up toward reaching Twitch Affiliate.
Conclusion: Twitch Affiliate
The goal is to hit four specific benchmarks consistently and reliably in a 30 day period. Once done, you can apply for Twitch Affiliate and if approved, use the monetization tools right away. TwitchTV has other streaming related guides and tips.
FAQs: Twitch Affiliate
Q: Can you lose Affiliate status after earning it?
Yes, extended inactivity can affect eligibility for monetization and can therefore result in the loss of Affiliate status. Twitch generally doesn’t revoke Affiliate status for short breaks, but long periods of inactivity can ultimately lead to the loss of status.
Q: Is Twitch Affiliate the same as Twitch Partner?
No, Partner status is a higher status with additional benefits and more rigorous and less publicly communicated requirements.
Q: Do all four Affiliate requirements need to happen in the same month?
Yes, all four requirements must be met in the same 30-day rolling window.
Q: Can you apply for Affiliate status manually?
No, Twitch will extend an invitation once all four requirements are met and there is no way to manually apply for Affiliate status.
Q: Does the streaming category affect Affiliate approval?
No, requirements are the same regardless of category and streamed content. Hitting viewer benchmarks is generally easier in some categories than others.
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