How To Get Sponsors For Your YouTube | Twitch Gaming Channel 2019

ow to go about getting sponsored as a gamer for your YouTube or Twitch is a simple yet difficult process.

The simple part is just applying, the difficult part is building up your resume, so to speak that will have sponsors interested in your application.

Now before we begin, I want to explain that there is a difference between a sponsorship and an affiliate program.

Let’s go over that briefly before going any further.

Also, be sure to read our sponsorship tips found towards the end of this article.

Sponsorship Vs Affiliate: What’s The Difference Between Them

The difference between these use to be black & white, however nowadays these are starting to come together as one in a way, which leaves some grey area.

Sponsorship: This is usually where a company is paying you to show that you’re using their products.

Example: At an eSports tournament a gamer will probably be wearing a ‘Brand Random Name’ shirt & hat.

Sponsorship pay is usually a set amount per month or however long the contract is for, but they usually require a certain amount of something, like you should be streaming 3 days a week or putting out this many videos, something along those lines.

Affiliate Program: An affiliate program is a much more popular system nowadays, especially online.

With an affiliate program, you earn an amount through however much product is sold through people clicking on your affiliate link & making purchases to whatever site/product you’re promoting.

See our list of top gamer affiliate programs.

Example: The same gamer mentioned above has a Twitch channel that he displays a list of products he uses; these products contain his personal affiliate link code which generates him $ each time they buy after clicking his link.

Grey Area: A lot of brands are starting to offer both, where they pay you for mentioning their brand through a sponsorship but also give you an affiliate link as well. This is usually the best case scenario for the gamer as the sponsorship usually guarantees a certain amount with the affiliate link purchases, acting more like a bonus so to speak.

This is a general setup for most brands but any company can set up their pay system however they want to, just be sure to read through their site to see what they offer.

Where To Look For Video Gamer Sponsors

If you’ve got a really popular channel, then the brands are usually approaching you.

However, for the other 99% of gamers, you’ll have to hunt them down yourself.

Before you start looking, there are somethings you’ll want to go ahead & get ready.

This is stuff like:

  • Traffics Numbers
  • Average Amount Of Viewers
  • What Country Most Of Your Viewers Are From
  • How Many Subscribers You Have
  • Social Media Followers

You may not need all of that information, it just depends on how strict the brand is on its application process.

Here’s an example of a fairly simple starting point application from GamerSupps.GG

Now, this is usually just a starting point to weed out a lot of people who don’t have the numbers to consider.

If you do, then the next phase could be something like them watching one of your streams or videos & so on, maybe even an actual interview.

This is just for sponsors in general, I’m not sure of the actual process for GamerSupps.

What Are The Minimum Requirements To Become A Sponsored Gamer

The requirements in which companies set for their sponsorships are completely up to them so there is no one size fits all answer here.

There are also different types of gamers that will get sponsored so getting a sponsorship isn’t always about how popular you are, viewer-wise (but it sure helps!).

By that I mean you can have someone who is just a great personality that attracts tons of viewers on Twitch who gets sponsored.

Then there is another person who is an eSports gamer that doesn’t really stream much but participates in tournaments, who could also get sponsored by the same company.

For the most part, companies want to sell as much of their product as possible, so getting as much exposure to potential customers is where most a main focus will be when they select the people they want to sponsor.

Can You Still Make Money From Gaming Without Being Sponsored?

best gaming affiliate programs

Absolutely, the percentage of gamers who are actually sponsored is insanely low.

This is where the affiliate program comes into play, which I mentioned about what this is above in this article.

Becoming an affiliate as a gamer is much easier than becoming sponsored.

The requirements are much lower (if any) because really if you don’t produce any sort of sales for them then they just don’t pay you, neither party really loses anything.

Aside from that, a lot of your income as a gamer will come from YouTube, Twitch or both.

I’m working on a guide for how to go about earning money from these two platforms in a separate article.

The most underestimated way of making income, especially when live streaming is donations.

I’ve been in Twitch streams where the user maybe has 20-30 max viewers at a time & still make a few hundred bucks a month because he has some loyal/generous followers.

So always be sure to set up your donation button, sooner rather than later.

Tips For Getting A Gaming Sponsorship

Let’s say your viewer/subscribers numbers are looking good, what steps can you take to help give yourself a better chance of getting a sponsorship over another gamer?

Note: These are just general tips, some companies may not care about these things but it’s nice to have them taken care of just in case.

Essentially look at it like a job interview because in a way it is.

Watch Your Social Media

Pay attention to what you’re posting on your social media channels, even if it’s not directly connected with your channel. Doing a background check on you to find that you’re constantly starting flame wars, posting inappropriate images, or just general stuff you probably wouldn’t want a boss to see.

Be Aware Of How You Look

Before I start, I’m not saying getting dressed up like you’re going into work.

Actually, it’s probably easy to give an example.

Try to avoid wearing a shirt that has inappropriate stuff on it (words or images).

Also, try to keep your gaming area looking good, I don’t necessarily mean clean, but maybe not keep your bong sitting on your computer desk while you’re streaming.

Pick Your Music Wisely

Using music dropping the f-bomb every other word can certainly be a deterrence for some sponsors to want to have you representing them.

Also, look into playing copyright free music. This is more for keeping you out of trouble Twitch/YouTube but some Sponsors may actually look at stuff like that.

Keep Control Of Your Chat/Comments

I really don’t know how much of a factor this would be but I figured to include it anyway.

I know you can’t determine who comes into your stream or watching your videos but you can control your chat/comments.

Try to have some good mods or have a system in place where trolls can’t post links, spam or really cause too much of an issue on your channels.

Make Connections With Other Gamers Who Stream or Upload Videos

This tip actually is more important than just helping you get a sponsorship but it can also be a huge way for you to gain more exposure to your channel.

If you have some buddies who you see are sponsored by a company, just ask them how difficult was it to get accepted.

If they think your content is good enough then they might put in a good word for you.

Don’t Wait For The Sponsor To Come To You

There’s only probably a handful of sponsors actually scanning through YouTube or Twitch to find gamers to sponsor.

Those sponsors that are actively searching will usually be looking at the top tier channels in terms of numbers.

This doesn’t mean that the small to mid-level gamers can’t get in on the sponsorship action but it will just take a little more effort on your end to find the opportunities.

I’m currently working on an article listing potential gamer sponsors so you can use that as a resource for applying.

There will, of course, be tons more not on that list, that it will take you scouring the internet to see if you can find some that will be a good fit for you.

Be Active & Consistent

Have a certain schedule for when you stream or being consistent to where you at least upload 1 video ever 2 weeks can look good to sponsors.

This lets them get an idea of what to expect in terms of potential viewer numbers they may get out of sponsoring you & also shows you’re reliable.

The last thing sponsors would want to do is give someone a sponsorship then that person goes ghost, only to pop up every now & again.

Don’t Just Go With The Flow

Just because you see a lot of company’s sponsor League of Legends players doesn’t mean that you have to play LoL to get a sponsorship.

The main thing sponsors are looking for is getting eyes on their products.

For example, let’s say you did decide to play LoL.

Instead of being an eSports level player, you’re a bronze level player who is fun to watch rage whenever you get killed.

Find your niche in the video game community & try to focus on getting as much exposure from it as you can.

Be Ready For Rejection

Most likely, getting sponsored is not going to happen on your first few attempts or maybe not even in your first 100.

My only advice is don’t take rejection personally & try to have thick skin.

The upside is at least the rejection from a sponsor will be much less harsh than it would be from a girl turning you down for a date, some chicks can be ruthless!

Anyways, even if you get rejected almost all sponsors will let you reapply again, (some require a certain timeframe before you resubmit)

Just keep grinding away at this & growing your channels like you would if you were leveling up in game.

Be Realistic…

Understand that this isn’t going to happen overnight or maybe not even within a year.

There’s a timeframe in between the excitement of just starting out & when you start earning money where you doubt whether or not if this is all just a waste of time.

Many people hit this stage & it’s usually where a lot of people throw in the towel or keep pushing.

Alas, We Have Come To The End…

Alright ladies & gents, I’m going to wrap up this article here.

I think this article has gone from a how to get sponsored as a video gamer on Twitch or YouTube into a full-on guide.

There was actually a lot more I could have added, especially in the tips section but I’ll hold off for now.

If this article has helped you and you would like me to add more tips into this section, then just leave a comment on this article.

Also, if there are any video game sponsors reading this that are accepting applications then just leave a comment below of which company you’re with & where people can go to apply.

I do have an idea in the works to interview sponsored gamers to see how long it took them to get that sponsorship, how they went about getting it & if they have any tips for others who don’t yet have one.

Not sure when this article, will be coming out as it takes a time finding people willing to participate & then getting their response back.

So since there is a lot of outside factors I don’t want to give any sort of ETA but just wanted to mention that this is something I’m working on because I know this could be a good push forward for those struggling.