Twitch Ads: How They Work and How to Run Them

Since its launch in 2011, Twitch has steadily gained several game streamers and viewers. The unique experience of watching content creators live as they play and interacting with them in real-time was such a hit.

The platform has since then expanded to include streams of other endeavors and topics such as music, arts and crafts, esports, and food, among others. This expansion of interests has led to the further growth of its user base.

As 2022 arrived, the number of active monthly users has reached over 140 million. Twitch has undeniably become the leading game and live streaming site in the world. 

And when you’re finished read through our other Twitch guides: 

• How to Add a Webcam to Twitch Studio
• How to Block Ads on Twitch
• Complete Guide on How to Gift Subs on Twitch

Why advertise on Twitch?

A subsidiary of the multinational tech company Amazon, Twitch is one of its successful ventures in the live streaming service. For advertisers, this spells as a ticket to their success, as well. Here are compelling reasons to place your brand on the site.

The most popular game streaming site

Twitch has an average of 30 million daily visitors. Of this number, 70% are aged 16 to 34. This age group is the popular target market of most brands today.

Among the site visitors, there are almost 3 million concurrent viewers per day. This amounts to about 71 million hours of daily watch time. A good-sized audience that avidly watches for hours a day is a great target for ads.

Now, who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Viewers trust the streamers they follow

From the daily interactions of content creators and their viewers, they have formed a strong online gaming community. This close relationship is the building block that advertisers can bank on.

Millions of viewers idolize Twitch streamers. They try to mimic what gaming PC and paraphernalia the gamers use. They even try to follow streamers’ daily schedules and practice habits to become as good as them.

So, when streamers endorse a product, their viewers associate their fondness for the streamer with the product they are seeing. Thus, they are likely to trust and subscribe to that brand. In fact, 76% of viewers appreciate brands that support streamers.

Monitor your ad performance

Twitch has an integrated analytics product called Moat. It lets you measure your stats in real-time. You can also track ROI on SureStream ads using the service.

Having your numbers updated in real-time lets you see your visibility through your ads as they happen. It also filters invalid traffic or those fraudulent clicks that shouldn’t count towards your ad-served numbers. It also lets you know how many people skipped and how many finished viewing your ads.

With tons of marketing tools and info right at your fingertips, advertisers will not want for more. 

How do ads work on Twitch?

There are many places that marketers can put their ads on the site. It can either be on the main Twitch page or the live streams of channels.

Affiliates or Partners on Twitch get the chance to earn income from featuring ads on their stream. The channel owner has the choice of when to inject ads throughout their show.

There are various types of ads that marketers may choose from. Select any of these Twitch ads to satisfy your campaign goals.

Homepage Headliner

This is a static horizontal banner found at the top of the Twitch main landing page, which makes it prime placement. The banner can have your brand images on either end.

Specs:

• format: JPG or PNG
• size: 450×350 pixels, 150 KB max file size

Homepage Carousel

This is a tile ad in a rotating carousel found on Twitch’s main page.

Specs:

• format: JPG
• size: 280×156 pixels, 10 KB max file size
• description text: 250 characters max

Super Leaderboard

This is the usual horizontal banner image found on top of the screen.

Specs:

• format: animated image (15-second animation or three loops)
• size: 970 x 66 pixels

Medium Rectangle

This image ad appears in between video thumbnails as users browse through content on the Twitch site.

Specs:

• format: JPG, PNG, GIF (can be animated like the Super Leaderboard ads)
• size: 300×250 pixels, 100 KB max file size

Desktop Video ads

These are video ads that are shown on live streams that are watched using a desktop computer.

Specs:

• (pre-roll) 30 seconds of video that can’t be skipped
• (mid-roll only) 60 seconds long
• can use third-party events tracking (clicks, impressions, completes, quartiles)

Mobile Video ads

These are video ads that are presented to users who are watching via the Twitch mobile app.

Specs:

• (pre-roll) 30 seconds of unskippable video
• (mid-roll only) 60 seconds long

Cross-Screen Video

These are video ads that are served on both desktop and mobile versions of Twitch.

Specs:

• (pre-roll) 30 seconds of unskippable video (Premium video)
• (mid-roll only) 60 seconds long
• can use third-party events tracking (clicks, impressions, completes, quartiles)

SureStream

This is one of the best types of advertisement on the platform. Instead of having the ad play as a layer, the video ad is integrated into the live stream itself. This makes it unskippable and impervious to third-party apps that block Twitch ads.

Specs:

• (pre-roll) 30 seconds of unskippable video
• (mid-roll only) 60 seconds long
• a clickable link that redirects to your web page

Multiplayer Ads

This is an experimental interactive video ad type that is still in the closed beta stage. Viewers are presented with a video and a real-time poll that they can vote in. Twitch rewards the creators with Bits for every vote counted. 

How much do Twitch Ads cost?

There are many ad types and factors that vary the cost of advertising on Twitch. Some would just peg it at $2–$10 per impression.

The best way to get an estimate is to contact a Twitch representative for a quote based on your goals. 

How to run Twitch Ads: Best practices

Advertisements aren’t always well-received. They usually interrupt the shows that people are watching.

However, ads do give people some time for a bathroom break or a quick cup of coffee. So, it’s not all that bad. Also, some techniques can be applied to make ads palatable. Here are some of them:

Study the different ad types

There are various ad types on Twitch to choose from. Don’t just spend your money loosely and run everything.

Select the ones that will deliver your message well to your target audience. This way, you only spend for impressions that will probably get your future customers.

Target your audience

A large portion of the population of users is aged 16 to 34. You can still narrow down your target age group to better get the market for your products. You can also filter based on gender and location.

Targeting the right audience assures that you get viewers who are most likely to purchase your products and/or support your brand.

Add all the important information

Ads can be ineffective if people can’t see your brand name or product. If it’s an event you’re pushing, then don’t forget the date. Even the smallest detail is very important.

Sometimes, withholding full information, like in teasers, is a great stunt to pull. However, too little info can discourage your audience, too.

Learn to balance which info to include and which to withhold for the next batch of ads in your campaign.

Be relevant

The best way to get brand recall is to stay relevant. Create ads that are up-to-date on the latest trends. Your brand will appear hip and cool in the eyes of your audience. They will definitely not forget your brand and product then.

Partner with streamers

Directly partnering with popular streamers is another great way of promoting your brand. The content creator can include your product links on their channel page and give live shoutouts to your brand. It’s a more seamless integration of your brand into the community.

Follow Twitch advertising guidelines and policies

Some rules should be followed strictly. Check out the link for the dos and don’ts when advertising on Twitch.

Also, respect the communities that are fostered on Twitch. They are the foundation of the platform and as such, should be well cared for. Always keep them in mind when creating your ad campaigns.

Time ad breaks correctly

As for streamers, it is also important to let your audience know when an ad break is coming up. An interval of 15 minutes of streaming is recommended between commercial breaks.

Streamers can set 1-3 minutes of ads per break. Start with 1-minute breaks because 3 minutes of ads can be too much.

Use ad automation tools

Bots can be programmed to set ad breaks, or the task can be delegated to loyal followers. This way, the streamer can focus on creating content. 

Conclusion

With millions of avid live viewers and influencers on the platform, it is a very ripe playground for the marketing world. Just don’t forget to follow the best practices to provide undisrupted entertainment on Twitch.