Some people make great money via YouTube and have even gone so far as to make it their full-time job. This is rare and can take years of hard work, so don’t expect a quick payout.
Know your audience. If you are targeting videogame players directly, speak or write as though you are talking to players. If you are targeting parents of videogame players, use language that explains games clearly to a novice.
When reaching out to companies, use formal language, and always be polite. Give them links to your site or channel, and explain how many page views or video views you receive on a monthly basis. These numbers are important in determining how effective you would be as a means of advertisement.
Use discretion when choosing online ads for your site. Although most people do not mind a few ads, being overwhelmed by ads on both sidebars, as well as pop-ups and mid-text ads may discourage viewers from visiting your site in the future. If your site seems cluttered or difficult to read, scale down on your ads.
If you’re streaming on one computer, you’ll want a PC with a 4-12 core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a graphics card that supports DirectX 10. If you’re streaming on a dedicated streaming PC and gaming on a separate computer, the streaming computer does not need a good video card, but does need to have a video capture card. A good gaming/streaming PC will cost anywhere from $1,000-$3,000. To stream at a decent quality, you’ll want an upload speed of 2-5 MB/s and a download speed of 40-100 MB/s. You can do a speed test on your internet connection to see what your current speeds are. [13] X Research source
Mixer is easier to set up, is more interactive, and has a lower latency, or lag, than it’s competitors. [15] X Research source Twitch has great monetization options but a much larger audience. This makes it easier to get lost as a new streamer amongst all the competition. [16] X Research source YouTube Gaming has a large potential audience and is easy to set up but you cannot start monetizing your stream until you have at least 10,000 views. [17] X Research source
Open Broadcaster Software and Lightstream are both free to use. Using a webcam isn’t necessary but may bring new viewers to your stream.
Keep an eye on the chat for your stream and respond to questions that people ask you. Most streamers are either really good at games or have an entertaining and fun personality. For example, Dr. Disrespect is an online streamer who dresses up in a costume and puts on a tough-guy persona. This makes his stream a high-octane experience that’s also entertaining and funny.
You can set up alerts live on your stream using software like Streamlabs. You can also configure the alerts to display a live message on the stream every time someone donates. Instead of calling the money donations, you can refer to them as tips.
For instance, you could say something like “I have 300 subscribers and mainly cater to kids ages 7-10. There’s a lot of potential in this age range because they are trying to get into gaming for the first time and will ask their parents to buy your equipment if I promote it. " Most companies will have information about sponsorships on their website. Look at popular streamers and see what their sponsors are. Then, go to their websites to find an email address that you can contact. If you have a lot of viewers, subscribers, or influence, companies will be willing to give you better benefits. Typically you’ll need anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 followers to get sponsored, but there are instances where you may get sponsored with less. Companies that offer sponsorships to streamers include Corsair, Razer, and G2A.
Encourage your viewers to subscribe to you so that you can continue coming out with content. Subscriber income could be anywhere from $3 - $10 per subscriber depending on the platform and subscriber level.
Keep in mind that this may sometimes interrupt people’s viewing experience with an ad. To enable ads on YouTube Gaming, sign up for Adsense in your YouTube Partner settings. Then, go into the monetization settings to enable ads and choose the type of ads that are shown on your stream. You’ll need at least 10,000 views on your stream before you can do this. [23] X Research source To run ads on Twitch, apply for their Partner program. Once you’re accepted, navigate to your dashboard to determine the length and frequency of ads on your channel. To become a partner, you’ll need to produce regular content and have regularly engaged viewers. [24] X Research source You must have 2,000 followers, and stream 12-15 hours each month to qualify for partnership status on Mixer. Once you’re a partner, you can enable ads on your dashboard. [25] X Research source
If you like shooting guns, you may like shooting games like Overwatch, Fortnite, or Call of Duty. If you’re into strategy, you may enjoy strategy games like Starcraft 2 or League of Legends. It’s easier to become pro if you train in a game that you’re already good at.
With any competitive game, it’s important to get live person vs. person practice so you get used to playing against other players. Take 5-10 minute breaks every 1-2 hours if you’re gaming for a long period of time. Scrims are high-level practice sessions with people that are just as good or better than you. Most gamers spend thousands of hours playing before they become pro.
Top teams like Team Liquid, Dignitas, and Cloud9 regularly come out with YouTube content.
Companies like Intel, Comcast, and Redbull all host tournaments for different games. [30] X Research source The biggest and most popular gaming tournaments include the Fortnite Skirmish Series, The International, and WESG.
As a signed professional gamer, you’ll be required to participate in advertisements, promotional material, and tournaments. You can also contact other players or gaming organizations to see if they would be interested in signing you. If you’re really great at the game, professional teams will see you as an asset and will reach out to you.
Your professional team who help you find different brand sponsorships. As a sponsor, you may be required to have ads on your stream or participate in advertisements.
A college degree isn’t required to get a job as a game tester but can often help. Game testers salary differs based on the company and your experience.
People will typically look at your game stats to see whether you’re good enough to hire. Gaming coaches typically make anywhere from $10-$15 per hour.
If you aren’t particularly good at a game and don’t want to stream, you can create video content or a podcast instead of live-streaming or being a professional gamer. Be charismatic and engaging and talk about topics or make videos that are currently trending to attract the most viewers or listeners.
Most gaming writers work remotely. It helps if you create gaming-related content before applying to the job.
