Do you follow a lot of streamers but don’t know how to donate on Twitch to show your support? Thankfully, doing so is fairly simple and you don’t need too much. Here’s the quickest and easiest way to donate to your favorite Twitch streamers.
What Is Twitch?
Before we talk about how to donate to Twitch, we must first understand what Twitch is. What is Twitch? It is a streaming platform established in 2011 that allows almost anyone to stream any kind of content live. The categories are varied and wide-reaching, ranging from games to art to cooking and even simply live Q&A sessions.
Initially, the service was meant to be a spinoff of Justin. tv with the platform making gaming the top priority. However, as the platform grew and branched out, it rebranded and became Twitch Interactive in 2014. Amazon then later acquired the service seeing its growth and potential.
Nowadays, Twitch is known to be one of the most lucrative and successful platforms for video-based content creators. Anyone can post and host live streams on the service as long as your content meets the platform’s terms and requirements. Moreover, the platform provides built-in ways for content creators to monetize their work through ads, donations, and more.
What Are Twitch Donations?
If you’ve been wondering about how to make money on Twitch, then you’re not alone. Tons of potential streamers and curious viewers ask the same question. Unlike YouTube which mainly offers ad revenue, Twitch has several built-in options on the platform. Twitch donations are one such method that streamers can utilize.
You can usually find Twitch donation pages on a streamer’s channel when you scroll down. Streamers often use third-party donation websites or link their PayPal accounts directly to let you donate. These are the most direct way you can support a streamer as Twitch won’t take a cut from donations earned.
However, they do sometimes have caveats as those third-party pages might charge fees. Moreover, donations are taxable sources of income so streamers need to take that into account as well.
Twitch Donations vs Subscriptions
Before getting into how to donate on Twitch, let’s talk about subscriptions. After all, they’re also one monetary means you can support Twitch streamers. With that said, what are Twitch subscriptions and how are they different from donations?
Firstly, let’s clear up a few potential misunderstandings between following and subscribing to a streamer. Following is kind of like YouTube’s subscription button. It just means you’re following that streamer and can receive notifications for when they stream.
On the other hand, subscriptions cost money – around $4.99 to $24.99, depending on the tier. Subscriptions are different from following the streamer because subscriptions get you privileges.
For example, subscribers can obtain and use special emotes, exclusive chat features, and watch without ads. Sometimes, you can even gain access to subscriber-exclusive content. It’s a great way to support streamers, but do note that Twitch takes a percentage from subscriptions.
What is the difference between subscriptions and Twitch donations? Firstly, Twitch donations are usually one-off things viewers can do to support streamers. They give a one-time amount according to what they want through the streamer’s donation button. Alternatively, they can also donate in-app Twitch Bits to do the trick.
On the other hand, Twitch subscriptions are a more steady source of income for the streamer. That’s because subscriptions are usually recurring (although you could also subscribe a month at a time). Moreover, subscriptions come with something like a status symbol within a streamer’s community as they provide more privileges.
Twitch Donations vs Twitch Bits And Cheers
Some streamers haven’t set up donations on their profile but that doesn’t mean subscriptions are your only means of support. That’s because you can easily use Cheers instead through the use of Twitch Bits. This is another great way to support your favorite streamer financially if you’re not comfortable donating through external sites.
What are bits on Twitch? Simply put, it is the platform’s in-app currency. You can purchase bits directly from Twitch and choose which streamers to use them on. Each bit costs about one Penny, with 100 bits costing $1.40. However, do note that there’s a markup for this, as donating 100 Bits only gives the streamer $1.
If you want to donate your bits to someone, you can do so through a “Cheer.” This action inputs a special animated emote in the chat to get people’s attention. Sometimes, donors are also ranked based on how many bits they’ve given. More often than not, however, more casual viewers usually only donate 100 bits at a time. They also stagger and randomize those numbers to stand out as the streamer announces their thanks.
Twitch Donations vs Affiliate Links
Affiliate links are an easy way streamers can earn money on the platform without setting up too much. They don’t even need to be sponsored or be a Twitch affiliate to do so. All they’ll need to set up is the affiliate link itself. Afterward, they can simply copy and paste the URL to their channel and the rest is history.
These affiliate links typically lead to a third-party merchant website where viewers can purchase various things at a discount. If it’s from a Twitch streamer, the items you find here will usually be related to their content. For example, a video game-related streamer might offer affiliate links for gaming equipment.
Once you use a streamer’s affiliate link, you can buy something with a 10-15% discount. The streamer also gets a small cut from the transaction, allowing them to earn passively. It’s not exactly a donation but it’s certainly a decent way to earn some extra cash.
How To Donate On Twitch?
Now that you know the differences between the various Twitch, you might be wondering how to donate on Twitch. There are a couple of different requirements and ways you can go about it. Without further ado, let’s dive into it.
Requirements
Want to know how to donate on the Twitch app to support your favorite streamers? Here are a couple of requirements you might need to be aware of before you get started.
Firstly, if you’re going to donate through subscriptions or cheers, you’re going to need a Twitch account. You can register fairly easily through the platform’s website or app anytime. It costs nothing and only asks for a few of your key personal information.
Can you donate in the Twitch app? Yes, as long as you have the means to pay. Subscriptions usually require either credit card or PayPal credentials to complete the transaction. Twitch Cheers also simply requires Twitch Bits, which courses transactions via Amazon Payments or PayPal.
Note that if you can’t find the donation, subscription, or cheers buttons, it doesn’t mean something’s wrong with your account. It might be that the streamer hasn’t set anything up regarding donations. They might not have met the affiliate requirements yet so subscriptions and cheers aren’t yet allowed.
How To Donate On Twitch Through Donation Links?
Wondering about how to donate money on Twitch? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do just that.
- Launch the Twitch app or go to the website
- Navigate to the streamer’s channel
- Scroll down until you find the streamer’s donation button
- Note: if the donate button doesn’t exist, then the streamer might not have Twitch donations set up
- Enter your donation amount and other details and hit “Donate”
- Complete the payment details and hit “Complete”
How To Donate On Twitch Using Cheers?
A lot of Twitch streamers use PayPal links to earn donations on their channel. However, this doesn’t mean a PayPal account is necessary just for you to donate to your favorite streamers. Using cheers is a reliable method how to donate on Twitch without PayPal. Here’s how to donate on Twitch using Cheers:
- Go to a live stream on the Twitch streamer’s profile
- Open the chatbox and click the “Bits” icon (diamond-like icon)
- Select the cheer to emote you want to send along with your cheer
- Choose the number of bits you want to cheer
- Note: you can select a default option or edit the message and customize the number of bits
- Hit “Send”
How To Donate On Twitch Using Subscriptions?
Want to dive deeper into the streamer’s community and content? Here’s how to donate on Twitch through subscriptions:
- Go to the streamer’s profile page
- Click the “Subscribe” button at the upper-right of a video
- Browse through the different tiers and select the “Subscribe” button next to the one you want
- Enter your card or PayPal details
- Note: you can hit “More Methods” to browse other payment types or subscribe for longer periods
How To Donate On Twitch By Gifting Subs?
If you’re already a subscriber, you can also give subscriptions to other followers. Simply click the “Gift a Sub” button that was once in the place of the “Subscribe” button. You can choose the number of subs you want to give by selecting a preset or inputting a number.
How To Receive Donations On Twitch For Streamers?
Requirements
Now that you know how to donate on Twitch, perhaps you’d want to find out how to set donations up yourself. Thankfully, Twitch support via donations can come from many different sources as there are numerous third-party platforms out there. However, one thing is required regardless of your chosen method and that is having an external platform.
This could be as simple as a PayPal account where donors can send their money. It’s one of the most common platforms Twitch streamers use to pool donations. To do this, you might have to set up a PayPal.me link to streamline everything. On the other hand, you can also use third-party platforms like Streamlabs.
For a Twitch streamer to be qualified for subscriptions, ads, and bits, they have to first become a Twitch affiliate. They can hit this milestone by meeting the following requirements:
- Having 50 followers
- Hitting 500 minutes of broadcast time within the past 30 days
- Broadcast in seven distinguished days
- Have an average of at least 3 simultaneous viewers
How To Set Up Donations?
Unsure about how to add a donate button on Twitch? It’s easy. All you need to do is follow these steps to get started:
- Go to your channel
- Hit “Edit Panels”
- Click the Plus (+) button
- Input the Panel Title and Description fields and type in your PayPal.me the link in the description
How To Set Up Cheering?
- Go to the Partner Settings tab on your dashboard
- Scroll down until you see the “Bits & Cheering” area
- Hit “Enable Cheering with Bits”
- Set your Cheering configurations
Afterward, you should be able to receive bits on your Twitch channel. Every time it happens, you should see a special audio-visual cue to alert you as you stream.
Alternatively, you can also simply type a command using your keyboard to send bits faster. What is the command to donate on Twitch? Simply type the word “cheer” and the number of bits you want to send. For example, you can type “cheer500” to donate 500 bits.
Why You Should Donate On Twitch?
Now that you know how to donate on Twitch, you might be wondering why you should do so. Are there any benefits to donating to streamers?
Firstly, donations are a great way to show your appreciation to your favorite content creators. It lets them know that their content is worth paying for. In addition, donations help keep creators financially secure and ensure that they’ll keep creating the same content long-term. After all, streaming takes time and effort so if it doesn’t earn them income, it makes less sense to continue.
On Twitch specifically, sometimes donating, giving cheers, and subscribing/gifting subs can get attention. It’s one way to get the streamer to read your message live. Moreover, cheering and subscribing to streamers’ channels also give you certain perks. For example, sometimes these can give you access to exclusive emotes and sub-only chats.
Donate To Your Favorite Streamers On Twitch
Learning how to donate on Twitch is a fairly straightforward process. All you need to do is know which type of donation you want to give and prepare all the requirements. You’ll need a Twitch account and an online payment service (usually a MasterCard/Visa card, PayPal, or Amazon Pay). Afterward, it’s pretty simple as long as you hit the right buttons.
