3 Best Platforms That Pay Content Creators

If you want to make money while doing something you love, you need to know about these three platforms that pay content creators.

Playing video games is fun — but getting paid to play them is even more exciting! If you can find a way to turn your gaming hobby into a side gig or even a full-fledged career, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to enjoying your life in a whole new way.

Part of the ability to find success as a content creator is knowing which platforms have the potential to financially support your creative endeavors. You want to choose an option that gives you visibility, allows you to create the content you want, and pays you well while you do it.

Here is our list of the three best platforms that pay content creators and how you can get started creating content today!

What Does It Mean To “Monetize”?

Before diving into the best platforms that pay content creators, let's talk briefly about what it actually means to monetize your account. While there isn’t a standard definition of what it takes to monetize your account — every platform has its own rules and regulations — the basic concept is the same.

Monetizing just means that you’re making money on every view that your content gets, as well as through other opportunities. One other important factor to consider with monetization — although it’s not a very exciting one to talk about — is taxes.

The money that you make while playing video games on a streaming platform is subject to being taxed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). While the amount of money you can make before it becomes “taxable income” will vary depending on the state you live in and your specific tax bracket, it’s up to you to look into what that cut-off is and make sure that you’re complying accordingly.

With that in mind, let’s look at the platforms with the most earning potential and how they pay their content creators.

1. Twitch

Twitch is probably the most well-known of all the streaming platforms. If you’re a member of the gaming community — whether you like to play or watch —  you’ve likely at least visited the website to get some new ideas or peruse a few streams.

Twitch beta launched its streaming service in 2011 and has steadily built followers and content creators ever since. In fact, some of the latest statistics show that the platform likely has more than 35 million unique visitors every month — that’s a lot of people tuning in!

This popularity, and the immense number of people who visit the website, is a big part of why Twitch is considered one of the best platforms for content creators. If you are willing to put in the work (and yes, even game streaming and content creation is “work”), you have the potential to accrue thousands of followers and make a living doing something you love to do.

There are two ways to make money on Twitch: becoming a Twitch Affiliate or a Twitch Partner.

To become a Twitch Affiliate, you have to have streamed live for at least 500 minutes over seven separate days in the previous month, have at least three or more people watching your stream at the same time, and have at least 50 followers.

Twitch Partners take the commitment to their channel even further, demonstrating a desire to act as a role model, have a much larger viewership, and complete the platform’s “Path to Partner” criteria.

Both monetization tiers allow you to make money in a variety of different ways on the platform. These include selling subscriptions (subs), having viewers purchase Bits to morally and financially “cheer” you on, posting ads, or even working as an Amazon Associate by linking products from your channel.

2. YouTube

Twitch and YouTube are often neck and neck in the streaming platform wars. While Twitch is often known specifically for its video gaming streams (although it does so much more than that), YouTube has developed a massive following because of its huge range of diverse content. It’s amazing how far YouTube has come since its creation in 2005; there are even entire television series that are YouTube-exclusive now.  

When you’re ready to start your journey toward the monetization process, you can apply for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). You have to agree to the platform’s Terms of Service (TOS), Community Guidelines, and Google AdSense program policies.

While there are much stricter markers you have to meet to be accepted into the YPP (including having at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours over the previous year), there is also the potential to make a significant amount of money if you’re dedicated enough.  

Like Twitch, YouTube monetization involves making money on paid subscribers (subs) to your channel. You can also sell your brand merchandise and join YouTube BrandConnect, which connects creators and brands together to form partnerships that work for everyone. And with billions of people heading to YouTube every year, if you put in the work, the whole world is at your fingertips.

3. TikTok

Although TikTok isn’t a traditional streaming platform, it’s still an excellent way to get your name out there as a content creator. While you can’t upload or live stream a multi-hour play-through of your favorite Call of Duty game, you can make bite-sized pieces of your greatest hits to invite people to follow you on a more gamer-specific platform like Twitch or YouTube.

The key with TikTok, more than any of the other platforms that pay content creators, is that you have to be able to capture your viewer's attention quickly — often in less than three minutes.

That means you need to have an eye for editing and the ability to search through sometimes hours of content to find your highlights. It’s much harder than it sounds and can often get tedious, even if you absolutely love gaming.

Instead, try AI-powered software like Powder’s AI highlighting tool for Creators. Our smart AI can effortlessly comb through hours of streaming footage to find winning moments and stitch them together into an easily shareable montage. You can turn a stream that’s several hours long into more than 10 clips in a few clicks. Plus, you can switch between vertical and horizontal formatting with the click of a button, making content creation that much easier.

Although the content you’ll use or create for TikTok is shorter than what you’d upload on Twitch or YouTube, the potential for monetization is just as significant. In fact, because TikTok is one of the hottest platforms out there right now, getting in while it’s still raking in the views is one of the best ways to cement your channel.

The way to make money on TikTok is by applying for the TikTok Creator Fund, which is expected to pay out over a billion dollars in the next three years. However, the ability to apply for that Fund is fairly strict — you must have at least 10,000 followers, at least 100,000 video views (over the previous month), and post only your own original content.

Don’t Feel Like You Have To Choose Just One

While we’ve discussed the best platforms that pay content creators, we also want to make sure that you understand something crucial: Making money as a content creator involves diversifying your platforms. Each of the three platforms we mentioned offers a slightly different way to gain and entertain viewers (and eventual subscribers), so having a channel on each of them is key.

In order to create a brand for yourself, you’ll want to keep what you share on each of these platforms unique but tie them together with a specific vision for the type of content you’re creating. Spend some time thinking about this before you start your channels so that you can approach everything cohesively.

Adding in other social media accounts, like Instagram, Discord, or Twitter, can also help you stay connected with your viewers and subscribers in a different way. Creating fascinating, interesting content in a consistent fashion is obviously important, but you also have to engage with your viewers and make sure they feel heard and appreciated.

The Bottom Line

Gaming is a fun hobby, but being able to earn money while doing something you love to do is next level. When you look into the best platforms that pay content creators and discover how many options for monetization you have out there, you can make the right decision for where to host your streams.

Powder can help, too. Our AI software will automatically clip your most epic moments so that you can focus on what you really want to do — play your favorite games.

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💡Learn more about Powder at our website or join our Discord, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn communities!