Last Updated on 08/26/2021 by Dean
This is a comprehensive guide on how to make money on Twitch with Affiliate Marketing.
💰 This article is part of our how to make money on Twitch series.
Affiliate Marketing is a great way to make extra money on Twitch, without putting in a whole lot of effort.
Now I’m going to be real: you won’t get rich from this (unless you have a massive audience) but it’s free and easy to set up so why not do it?
Navigate this guide:
- Affiliate Programs for Twitch Streamers
- How to sign up to Amazon Associates
- How to add affiliate links to Twitch
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate Marketing is an arrangement between you and an online retailer/brand. You promote their product and receive commissions for doing so.
Essentially, you are promoting products that you use yourself (for example your streamer equipment) and get paid for doing so.
How does Affiliate Marketing work?
The way Affiliate Marketing works is pretty straight-forward:
You sign up to an Affiliate Network/Program, fill in your details, preferred payment method, and so forth and you’re good to go.
Once signed up, you’ll have access to your affiliate dashboard and be able to generate Affiliate Links which you can place in your Twitch description (and YouTube description).
For every purchase that is made through your link, you’ll receive a commission on that purchase!
What is the difference between Affiliate Programs and Sponsorships?
Sponsorships are contracts between a brand and a streamer where the streamer is getting a lot of benefits such as brand products, monetary compensation, AND oftentimes they receive affiliate commissions on top.
Affiliate Programs, on the other hand, are much simpler than that. They allow a streamer to promote a brand’s products, and receive commissions in return.
The big difference between the two is exclusivity. Unless you are a big streamer, brands won’t be lining up to sponsor you. Affiliate Marketing is available to a wide range of streamers, big and small.
👉 Learn more about how How to make money on Twitch through Sponsorships.
Affiliate Programs for Twitch Streamers
The following are the four commonly uses Affiliate Programs by Twitch streamers.
Amazon Associates
Oftentimes, Twitch streamers will list their equipment in their Twitch bio attached to an Amazon Affiliatelink.
3% commission
✔️ Small streamer friendly
G-FUEL Affiliate
G-FUEL is popular among medium to big streamers. These creators can make a pretty penny through their discount code as G-FUEL is already quite popular in the space.
10% commission
❌ Small streamer friendly
Corsair Affiliate
Corsair offers a tiered affiliate program to streamers. You can work your way up and gain more benefits as you grow as a streamer.
10% commission
✔️ Small streamer friendly
Razer Affiliate
Razer has a tiered affiliate program that is up to everyone, even those with zero viewers.
Warning: Razer requires you to have at least one piece of Razer equipment AND you have to add the #razerstreamer to your stream title.
3 – 10% commission
✔️ Small streamer friendly
How to sign up to Amazon Associates As a Twitch Streamer
Signing up to Amazon Associates is quick and only takes about 5 minutes.
- Sign up here
- Follow the steps and fill in your personal info
- Where it prompts for your website enter your twitch URL like so: https://www.twitch.tv/pokimane
- Where it asks you what your website is about, fill in the following (or similar):
This is a Twitch channel where I stream video game content daily. My viewers frequently ask me which equipment I use to operate my stream and I would like to promote them through Amazon Affiliate links.
How to set up Affiliate Links in your Twitch bio
👉 Use a graphic
Credit: Aydan
Many affiliate programs (e.g. Corsair, G-FUEL) will give you banners/graphics that you can simply place in your Twitch bio.
If they don’t have a graphic, you can create one yourself or commission an artist from Fiverr to create one for you.
👉 Use Amazon Blacksmith
Amazon Blacksmith is a free extension that you can download for your Twitch channel like so:
> Creator dashboard > Extensions > Amazon Blacksmith
Once installed, you’ll be able to add your own cards.
Cards have a title and contain a list of items.
Here’s an example of Symfuhny’s Blacksmith Widget as featured in his Twitch bio.
You can add your own equipment using this widget and receive commissions from purchases!
Affiliate Programs you should avoid ❌
Some programs will require you to purchase a product before you can become an affiliate for their brand, in this case, you are being played.
It will take you a while before you make the money back from that investment through affiliate links, especially if you’re a smaller streamer.
Always stick to Affiliate Programs that aren’t going to take advantage of you.
Caution: always read the fine print!
When signing up to an Affiliate Program, you are signing a contract. Make sure you are aware of everything that’s inside the contract, before you sign it.
Some Affiliate Programs will have requirements that you won’t like. An example is Razer, which requires you to have #razerstreamer in the title simply for being their affiliate.