Twitch Sponsorship 101: A Beginner’s Guide

Every business inquires a lot of patience and persistence, and the same goes for online platforms, like Twitch.

You probably think that you would need an already established financial stability if you want to know how to get sponsored on Twitch, but there are solutions to get sponsored without already being prosperous.

Here are the connected steps that will help you attract attention from those who will support your endeavor and help you grow on Twitch.

1. Prepare Yourself Mentally

Before actually contacting potential promoters you have to prepare yourself like you would for any job interview.

The most important thing is that you are prepared to fail multiple times before you succeed. This means that you need to learn how to be persistent and resilient.

If you wondered how to get sponsors on Twitch, the answer is actually within you.

Start from yourself and your mental preparations and then move to the other steps.

2. Think About Your Audience and Content

Before thinking about sponsorships, maybe consider first what your purpose is and how you wish to design that purpose.

Since you are reading this, you probably already have a certain insight into this, but if you feel that your goals are not compatible with your content, it is time for changes.

Your passion for what you do needs to be visible in your design and overall production of the content.

Once you are satisfied with your content presentation, you can move to the next step.

3. Think About Sponsorship in General

Twitch sponsorship is in some ways similar to all the other sponsorships.

This means that there are particular rules before you go on this journey.

When you have prepared yourself mentally and professionally, it is time to actually understand the term sponsorship.

Overall, you will need to consider your professional presentation in addition to doing what you love.

You will be looking for support of some kind, meaning a professional partner. Prepare to act appropriately and responsibly. 

You will be expected to provide advertising services for them and in exchange, their sponsorship will help you earn and help you grow the rate of your viewers.

4. Visualize Your Channel Design

Now that all the preparation steps have been completed, you have come to the practical part.

Firstly, decide how you wish to depict what you do and who your audience is.

Sometimes this means that you will have to provide some financial means so as to produce a desirable channel appealing to most viewers.

You can also do this by taking some time to appropriately and fully fulfill your Info Panel in your Profile Page.

Apart from important information about yourself, you will also put the basic information about your channel and your other social media.

This also means that you will leave enough opportunity for the sponsors to be able to contact you if necessary. If you are lucky they will contact you because they find your content appealing.

5. Prepare Your Stream Outlook

The first step is already given in the section above – fulfilling Info Panel and Twitch bio appropriately.

The second step is to provide an example of your other social media and your followers, provided you have such rapport with them.

Also, visual effects are of great importance so put some effort into the overall visual outlook or get assistance if you feel the need. For platforms like this, creativity is a must.

Provide your streamers with a set of rules for chatting. This is your opportunity to show your desire for a safer online environment.

6. Work on Your Viewers

There is a chance that your design and the number of viewers per streaming can lead you to your potential promoter.

Some of the calculations are required for that to happen, for example, more than a thousand viewers per stream.

You can do this by putting yourself out there, by way of commenting on other streamers, responding to your audience and connecting Twitch with your other social platforms.

Pay attention to the small details like greeting your viewers, chatting with them, and actually listening to what they want.

You can also try contacting other streamers and if possible make joint content in the future.

Getting more Twitch viewers is not a fast process for everyone so if you do not succeed in this there are other options, like enumerated below.

7. Start the Process of Searching

After you have taken all the previous advice into consideration, you can start searching for potential streamer sponsorships.

You can also wait for them to notice you, but that would include the possibility of your popularity already being established.

And if you are reading this, you probably need assistance in that field. Your search will also depend on your habits and items you make use of every day.

For example, if you were thinking of ‘how to get a sponsor for gaming’ and tried typing that on your browser, it would not be enough.

Evaluate where you would fit in best when advertising a product, but also evaluate which companies would work with you.

You can also compare different sponsors and see what profiles they stream similar. If profiles are similar to yours try contacting brands.

Be Smart and Choose Wisely

Naturally, it is advisable that you do not rush into contacting everyone you would wish to sponsor you.

Always start from the local brands, as it is a greater chance they will help you, unlike the mainstream popular ones.

Again, this is related to the first step- be patient and resilient. You can get multiple negative responses before you get a positive one.

When you think you have found your potential option, investigate the brand and reviews on it.

If you would not use their product, it is best not to choose that brand. The honest and loyal rapport between you and the sponsor will provide you with a longer partnership.

What to Pay Attention to When Searching for Brands

These are some of the features you will have to consider before contacting a brand:

• Whether they have a website providing you with all the information on their business
• If they have other social platforms where you will find additional information
• Whether there are evaluations of their product on the Internet
• Whether you can find the employees and their contacts

This can in fact be done within several minutes, and it will provide the overall background of their veracity and authenticity.

Bear in mind that this is done with local and smaller brands which are advisable for those who are only beginning to get sponsors.

8. Learn How to Move Through the Crowd

This step is important as far as your social media abilities are concerned. Be on as many platforms as possible.

However, do not create accounts just for the sake of them. Try to be active in all of them equally as this will show your persistence and the time you put into it.

When you are done with this, move to the brand you are trying to interest. Follow their social media and find people that are relevant in their circles.

Their recruitment employees are probably the best targets to pay attention to. You can find these people through LinkedIn, or the brand’s website.

The alternative is to contact these people through their e-mail addresses as not all of them allow direct messages on social media. This is also considered more sophisticated and professional.

9. Try Sponsorship Connection Services

If you were not to do the searching part manually and on your own, you could rely on sponsorship connection services.

These services combine information of the brand and your platform, meaning the calculations regarding your followers, streams, etc.

For some these methods are more successful, but you can always try the previous advice and this one as well.

10. Do Your Research on the Brand You Chose

Before sending the most important e-mail to the person in charge of approving your request, you have to do research on the brand.

As you have done searching for the right brand and their employees, you will have to do a small search on what their goals are.

Consider what audience they try to address and why what their products are and how you could help them in increasing their selling rates. 

11. Think About Your Overall Approach

Regarding the step where you put effort into finding the right person to contact, you have to be careful of the ways you are addressing people.

You should find phone numbers as it is the most authentic way to address someone or you can contact them electronically.

Moreover, try not to overwhelm the person you found. Do not write them constantly as this can ruin the impression you leave.

Patience is the key. Even when they respond to your message, converse with them in a normal manner. Try not to talk solely about business.

Again, you are not looking immediately for sponsors for Twitch streamers, but people from that field that will notify you.

Everything will depend on your approach and on the person you contacted.

It is only logical that you encounter those who subjectively evaluate your work and deny your proposal on the basis of their likening.

On the other hand, you will have to contact a lot of employees until you get to the one who is in charge of actually helping you. This leads us to the next step.

12. Present Your Proposal to Sponsors Properly

When contemplating on how to get a gaming sponsorship you will have to observe numerous aspects. But, once you succeed in this everything will continue in a smooth course.

After following the previous steps, you will have the chance of addressing someone in charge of evaluating whether you are a worthy candidate.

Properly presenting your work entails being precise, brief, and clear. Do not stray from your objective, focus on the overall goal.

Present what you do and how you could help the specific brand is becoming even better than they are. Try to compliment them without appearing too eager and fake.

After all, you chose them because of a reason. Think about that reason and let it motivate you.

This is the point where it all depends on whether you will convince your targeted sponsors.

What to Do

• Firstly, present yourself very briefly but also consider what words would best describe your work and ambitions, in case they do not know who you are.
• Secondly, give them a reason why you chose them for sponsorship, among other potential Twitch sponsorships.
• Also, describe your audience and possibly their positive reviews on the brand you are trying to win over, provided you conversed with your audience.
• Finally, if you have a good bond with your viewers, or if you have a good amount of viewers, these are the points you wish to accentuate to the sponsors.

These steps will make your proposal appear more professional and to the point. Yet, if you are not careful you can also make mistakes like in the next paragraph.

What Not to Do

If you do the opposite of the above-stated advice, or simply begin with those points and then elaborate more on them, you could end up being rejected or ignored.

• The first step is to be modest but also show present your work and the effort you put in daily.
• Do not elaborate in detail about this otherwise, you will lose their attention in the first sentence.
• Additionally, you should give them a reason why you both should become partners, not a reason why they would be grateful to sponsor you.
• The center of the proposal should not be your success, even if that is your main objective.
• When you describe your audience, do not provide them with fake stories about how they adore the brand’s products. Try to be subtle and concise.
• Lastly, try not to appear excessively professional. As is the case with all the previous steps, try to be moderate and reasonable. You are addressing people after all, not computers.

13. Think about Quality, Not Quantity

This is just a reminder that you will be addressing real people, so do not only think about the numbers.

Your popularity and high viewer rates will not always be the reason why they will choose someone.

For sponsors, it is important to see your willingness to grow and develop and to see your true characteristics which are always available on your other social platforms.

14. Think About Terms of the Contract

If you are reading this section it means that you are on your way to sign a proper contract or you simply wish to prepare yourself on time.

Either way, it is good to be aware of where to pay attention to most.

Obviously, a lot will depend on the company you are trying to start a business with. Not all the contracts will look the same.

However, some points are the same for all the streamer-sponsor agreements.

These entail the regulations on the amount you will receive, details regarding this, but also on the frequency of advertising their products.

If you are not prepared for such an endeavor, maybe try consulting someone who is good in the legal field.

In this way, you will not be fooled by the sponsor, or it will simply be easier for both sides to agree on all the regulations.

This is yet again related to the starting point regarding your attitude. Respect yourself, but also have reasonable standards.

15. When Is It Time to Sign the Contract

When you come to the last point of your attempt to prosper on Twitch with the help of sponsors, you will have to sign a contract.

It is important that you do this, as many sponsors can disregard regulations that would be in the contract because your partnership is not official.

Even if you personally know someone, it is better to make it official.

Keep in mind that you as a streamer also have your rights, but also certain duties to fulfill.

Be responsible and advertise the product on other social media as well, as this part of your job needs to grow too.

Conclusion

As you have gathered from the various stated points, several preparations take place before you actually manage to sign a contract.

Prepare yourself mentally and visualize your agendas as you will need to sort out all the points before addressing potential sponsors.

Once that is completed, you need to prepare your profile and content while searching for sponsors willing to help you increase viewers.

Remember to stay persistent and true to yourself.