The Best 9 Ways To Make Money Streaming Live

Learn the best suggestions for monetizing your live videos and earning revenue from live streaming.

Getting paid to live stream takes time, energy, and content that makes people want to watch you. The people who have become wealthy by streaming are a very small minority. On Twitch, for example, the top 1,000 channels receive fifty-three percent of all viewing time. Big streamers can make between $3,000 and $6,000 per month, but small streamers (who have fewer than 100 viewers) earn anywhere from $50 to $1,500 per month. How much you can make depends significantly on how many sources of income you have, as streamers can earn money from donations, merch, and affiliate programs as well.

Twitch has more than two million channels, but if you’re ready to put in the work — a lot of it — you can make money by streaming too.

This list highlights nine strategies to generate income from live streaming — from the most common and easiest to implement to the more complex and unorthodox.

1. Live shopping

Live shopping, also known as live stream shopping or shoppable live streaming, combines the best of e-commerce, social media, and live video. Live shopping videos are live streams that promote and sell products or services to viewers. They’re similar to regular streams but with added features that allow viewers to purchase the products or services they see in-stream.

You can make shoppable live streams whether you’re a brand with products to sell or a content creator who curates products from multiple brands. When it comes to where you stream your shopping videos, you have three options:

• Social media apps with live shopping features: YouTube and TikTok both rolled out live shopping features in 2022.
• Dedicated live shopping platforms: Platforms like TalkShopLive, ShopShops, Amazon Live, Buywith, and Popshop offer apps or web-based live streaming with shopping capabilities. Their primary function is live stream shopping, and all of them have features that let streamers list specific products or services.
• Your own e-commerce store: If you have an online store, you can directly connect it to Restream. You have complete control over the products or services you feature on your live stream — you can add any URL as a QR code that appears on-screen during your stream. It makes bringing your products to your viewers easier than ever, regardless of where they are.

2. Donations or tips from fans

If you want a sign that your live hobby/side gig/career in streaming is moving in the right direction, wait until you receive your first donation or tip. It feels so satisfying when you realize that someone, somewhere, is appreciating what you do enough to send you a few bucks.

Most live streaming platforms and websites allow you to make money by letting viewers send you donations or tips. They typically have integrated services or even their own virtual “gifts” or “currencies” viewers can use for the transaction.

Here’s a breakdown of the donation/tip systems on the major platforms:

• YouTube’s primary tipping service is Super Chat. Viewers can use tips to pin messages in your channel’s chat window, making them more noticeable. YouTube also allows users to purchase chat animations called Super Stickers, and you get a cut of every purchase.
• Twitch allows viewers to “cheer” using Bits, the platform’s virtual currency. If you’re a Twitch affiliate or partner, you get around $0.01 for every Bit viewers use when cheering. The viewers get to write a message that appears along with a special type of emote Twitch calls a Cheermote.
• Facebook’s tipping service revolves around Stars, a type of virtual good viewers can buy and send to you, giving you $0.01 per Star. You need to be part of Facebook’s Level Up program to enable Stars. Facebook also supports fundraising charitable donations for U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations.

When you receive a tip, remember to give a shoutout to the person who gave it. If the tip comes with a message or a question during a live AMA (Ask Me Anything), it’s a good idea to prioritize it over other questions.

If you don’t want to use the tipping system within the streaming platform — or you don’t meet the requirements to use it — you can use a third-party platform. Some of the most common ones for streamers are:

• StreamElements for one-time donations and tips. This platform integrates easily with Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, and Trovo, and it offers various payment options.
• Patreon for recurring donations/subscriptions. With the ability to allow patrons to set monthly pledges, Patreon is the closest you can get to a subscription system without going through a streaming platform’s program.
• GoFundMe or Kickstarter for project-based funding. If you have a project to complete and you’re looking for funding, set up pages on these sites and use your live streams to promote them.

If you stream with Restream, you can easily add a Patreon or GoFundMe link as a QR code that you can display as an overlay on your stream.

For most of these services, you need to consider creating special rewards and content for those who support you. Decide carefully which content goes behind the paywall and which remains free, though. You can’t keep all your great stuff locked behind a subscription; some of it has to stay free to attract new viewers.

3. Paid subscriptions from viewers

Getting an occasional tip from your viewers is great, but regular payments are better. These payments will typically net you a few dollars each, but if you can get enough of them, they add up. You’ll need to meet certain requirements to enable this type of support, as platforms reserve it for members of their content creator programs.

Here’s an overview of recurring payment features on the major platforms:

• YouTube has a channel membership program that allows users to subscribe to its channels with monthly payments. To open your YouTube channel (where you group your videos) to this opportunity, you need to be in the YouTube Partner Program and meet additional eligibility requirements.
• Twitch has a paid subscription program that lets you earn from paid subscriptions if you’re an Affiliate or Partner. Your viewers get one subscription for free through Twitch Prime, or they can pay for them using PayPal, Amazon Pay, or credit cards.
• Facebook Gaming extended its Fan Subscriptions feature to Level Up gaming content creators. You must achieve a certain number of returning weekly viewers, and the feature is only available in certain regions.

If the platform allows it, you should make content that’s exclusive to your subscribers. It’s a nice way to show your most loyal viewers that you appreciate their support. Also, consider giving a shoutout to people when they subscribe and a mention on their subscription anniversaries.

You can also use third-party services like Patreon to set up recurring payments or subscriptions from fans.

4. Revenue from ads

Advertising revenue powers half the internet, including Google services and Facebook. Why not you too? If you join the right streaming platform or social network, you can start earning some decent ad money.

When you start broadcasting live videos on a specific platform, like YouTube or Facebook, you’ll be able to take advantage of their advertising programs. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of in-stream ads that are typically available:

• Pre-roll ads: These ads play as soon as a viewer clicks on your stream. They must view the ad before they can start watching your content.
• Mid-roll ads: Mid-roll ads play in the middle of your live stream. Your stream continues in a smaller window while the ad takes up most of the screen.
• Display and overlay ads: These types of ads usually pop up as banners or small cards on top of your stream.

If you want to generate revenue with ads, join these platforms:

• YouTube offers pre-roll and mid-roll ads, as well as display and overlay ads.
• Facebook offers mid-roll ads if you meet the viewership volume criteria.
• Twitch offers in-stream ads, as well as display and native ad opportunities.

Advertising in live streaming is a hot topic and a regular cause of controversy. Try to exercise as much control as you can over the ads displayed during your streams or on your channel. Also, remember that viewers can use ad-blocking software to prevent some ads from displaying. Therefore, relying on ads as the sole method to monetize your live streaming might not be the best idea.

5. Brand deals and sponsorships

Brand deals and sponsorships are another way you can earn money while streaming by engaging with companies in a mutually beneficial arrangement. If you have a large following on streaming platforms, brands will reach out to you with offers. If they don’t, you can reach out to them.

When dealing with brands, it pays to be professional and detail-oriented. You make money when brands agree to pay you. You’ll need to negotiate every part of the deal, to be 100% sure you’re on the same page regarding your commitment.

Some of the ways you can make money include:

• Sponsorships, where entire streams are sponsored by a brand.
• Banners and other forms of ads you can display during your streams or on your channel or profile page.
• Sponsored content, like when a game developer pays you to play their game.

Your audience is what will get a brand’s attention. You should have a decent amount of viewers and a clear understanding of who they are, their interests, and the types of problems they want solved. Be wary of cutting deals that make you seem like a sellout. Your audiences may not like that, and if you lose your audience, you lose the sponsors.

6. Affiliate programs

With membership in an affiliate program, you can earn a commission whenever a customer clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase. Sometimes you don’t even have to post a link, because all you need is a promo or coupon code viewers can use when they shop at the place you’re promoting. The link or code is provided to you after you join the affiliate program.

In the past, you had to place the affiliate link or the code in your stream description. You might also mention the coupon code a few times during the stream. Now, you can add your affiliate link as a QR code when you go live with Restream. Your audience doesn’t have to go searching for the product link; they can scan with their phone directly from your live stream.

Keep in mind that unless the streaming platform has a deal with the affiliate program, the platform isn’t benefiting from your affiliate sales. So keep your content to the point and make the products or services you recommend relevant to your topic.

If you are unsure where to start, give the Restream Referral Program a try. You can earn up to a 30% recurring commission on every subscription that comes from your link.

7. Create and sell your own merch

Merchandise is an important revenue stream for many people who broadcast live video content. Streaming platforms have recognized this and provide users with plenty of advice, offering them some truly useful tools to help boost merch sales.

Even with these tools, however, you’ll still have plenty to figure out on your own if you decide to sell merch. What type of merchandise do you want to sell? T-shirts, mugs, and plush toys are all suitable choices. You can also sell digital products, such as music or e-books.

You’ll need to consider the design, production, inventory, and shipping of your merch as well. There are a few ways you can do this, including:

• Building your own online store. Handle production, keep inventory, and arrange shipping all by yourself.
• Overseeing the design but letting one of the platform-approved merch companies produce, store, and ship the merch for a cut of the profits.
• Partnering with retailers that allow you to take advantage of special opportunities on select platforms, such as the YouTube Merch shelf.

Each of these solutions offers different profit margins and requires different levels of involvement. Whatever you choose, you can easily tie your merchandise business to your live streaming by adding your product links as QR codes to your broadcast. You can even display an image of the product and the price along with the QR code.

8. Develop pay-per-view content

Producing live content and selling tickets for it has become hugely popular. It’s not just gaming content that gets live audiences. People with all sorts of hobbies and interests are turning to live streams to learn and exchange opinions with like-minded individuals. If you can create content that’s appealing to these viewers, you can make money by selling tickets to your live stream.

First, you need to create content that people will want to pay to watch. It should have some level of exclusivity or a way to stand out from content that is already available for free. You also need to use a platform that allows you to sell tickets to live streams. Services like Streamtick allow you to sell admission to live broadcasts on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter as well. With killer content and a ticketing service, you have everything you need to develop pay-per-view content.

9. Coach/train/offer tutorials

Share your expertise through live seminars, workshops, or tutorials. If that sounds too academic for your taste, consider becoming someone’s mentor, coach, or tutor. As long as you have the skills or knowledge other people want to learn, you can earn money from sharing your expertise, and live streaming can help.

A common format is spending one-on-one time with someone who is paying for lessons or coaching sessions, helping them achieve their goals. For example, you could offer multiple one-on-one tutorials each month to those who pledge your highest tier of support on Patreon. You can also do one-off transactions.

Many streaming platforms are evolving in a way that benefits this revenue model. An increasing number are allowing co-streaming, for example, which is perfect for coaching someone on playing a video game. As platforms improve their overall quality, the dreaded lag time is disappearing, making it easier to communicate through chats. Plus, some platforms allow call-ins. With the right combination of platform and service, you could start critiquing people’s in-game builds, showing them new skills or even preparing them for jobs.