Gaming Influencing: Available Monetization Avenues
Do you have a passion for gaming, sports betting or the casino? It is possible for you to monetize the passion. There are several avenues to earn while playing your favorite games with ease, and you can create a sustainable career. However, like any other influencer or content creation job, you need a combination of a clear audience, consistency and professionalism that attracts both audience and brands to your passion. Let’s explore ways you can monetize your gaming content.
Ad Revenue from Streaming Games
You can make cash from having ads placed on platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Monetization on the sites is tied to having a dedicated audience. You can attract and retain a dedicated audience by doing several things around gaming, including streaming, offering gaming advice, and doing giveaways. For example, you could talk about safe choices in the online gambling environment, stream your favorite slots or table games, or give detailed strategy formation for poker. You can always vary your content to take care of different interests.
Options for Revenue
- Subscriptions
This is one of the most stable income sources. On platforms like Twitch and YouTube, viewers can pay a recurring monthly fee for a subscription. In return, they get perks like custom emotes, ad-free viewing, and special badges. The revenue is split between the creator and the platform. You will make cash as long as these subscriptions are active.
- Ad Revenue
You can earn money from ads that run before or during your videos and live streams. This revenue is based on a CPM (Cost Per Mille, or cost per thousand views) model. Brands pay your streaming platforms to have your audience see ads while watching your content. While ad revenue can be huge for large channels, it’s often a secondary income stream for creators. So, do not wholly rely on this income stream.
- Bits and Donations
Your viewers can give you one-time or recurring donations directly through payment platforms like PayPal. On Twitch, there is a native currency called ‘Bits’ that users donate to their favorite content creators. This source of income is quite significant, as most viewers donate to have their messages highlighted during the streaming session.
- Affiliate Marketing
You can promote products you use during your gaming or any other product that you think your audience may be interested in and get a commission through a code. The advantage with this type of income is that you can start with a few viewers, even when not eligible for larger sponsorship deals.
Sponsorships and Brand Deals
Once you have gained a significant audience, you can consider looking for sponsors or getting into agreements with brands. Sponsorships offer a more direct, lucrative source of income. Brands are willing to spend more to have a longer airtime in your streams and other content.
What Do Brands Look For?
For you to get these deals, you must get a few things right. Here are some of the things that brands look out for.
- High engagement rate: Your audience should be interacting with your content in comments, likes, sharing and asking questions. Such an audience is more likely to take action based on your recommendations than silent viewers.
- Consistent brand persona: Your voice should be consistent so that your audience has a specific perception of the brand. For example, dun, bold or even outgoing. The persona must align with the ideals of the interested brands.
- Past performance: Brands would want to see how you have performed in the past if you have had similar deals. Alternatively, they may want to see your viewership metrics.
- A well-crafted media kit: Brands will also check your media kit and see if you have a well-defined audience and specific prices for your different content types. Here are common sponsorship avenues that you can pursue.
Flat Fee Deals
Brands pay a set amount for a specific piece of content. This content could be a dedicated video review, a series of social media posts, or a few sponsored segments during a live stream. These are not just mentions but segments that run for several minutes.
Performance-Based Deals
Some sponsors offer a flat fee plus a bonus based on performance metrics. These metrics can include viewership, clicks, or sales generated using a unique link or code. These deals can bring in significant amounts if you have rapid growth or a large viewership currently.
Selling Merchandise
Selling branded merchandise is a popular way for influencers to give back to their community while creating a new revenue stream. If you have a group of adoring viewers, they would be willing to spend some cash to have items from your shop, including clothing, smart gadgets and house items. Here are some avenues that you can pursue.
Print-on-Demand Services
Most influencers selling merchandise go for this route. They pick services like Printful or Gelato to handle the production, printing, and shipping of products like T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs. This model requires no upfront cost or inventory management from the creator, as items are only made when an order is placed.
Unique Designs
The most successful merch often features inside jokes, catchphrases, or original artwork that is meaningful to the influencer’s community. Creating products that are unique and relevant to the audience creates a brand culture that resonates with the audience.
Tournaments
While tournaments are not a primary source of income, they can offer a major boost in earnings and propel creators to a professional career with high wins. For example, skilled gamers can join esports with huge prize money and hope for a win. Additionally, many professional esports players receive a regular salary from their team or organization, in addition to any prize money they win.
Consider combining various income-generating avenues for your gaming content. This ensures you have some good cash streaming in at any given time. You should also be consistent and find ways to keep your audience engaged. This way, you are sure they will help you monetize and scale your income.
