How much to charge for a sponsorship: rates for streamers and creators

The formula for a sponsored stream

Most streamer pricing starts from one line of arithmetic:

average concurrent viewers × sponsored hours × rate per viewer-hour

Average viewers comes from your Twitch analytics over the last 30 to 90 days. Sponsored hours is how long the brand is on screen or in conversation, not how long you stream. The rate per viewer-hour is what you adjust. A commonly cited starting point is around $1, lower for a light mention, higher for a full integration.

For example, a streamer averaging 350 viewers who plays a sponsor’s game for two hours at $1 per viewer-hour starts at $700.

Adjusting the rate

Move your rate per viewer-hour up or down for:

• Effort. A banner and a chat command is light. Playing their game, demoing their product or reading a script is heavy. Charge more as the integration takes over the stream.
• Niche. Audiences that are hard to reach, such as PC hardware, finance, software or a specific language market, are worth more per viewer than broad entertainment.
• Engagement. An active chat that asks about the product is worth more than a large, quiet audience. Show it in your media kit.
• Timing. Game launches and product release days are worth a premium. So are your best time slots.

Pricing short videos and clips

Videos are priced from average views, as a price per thousand views (CPM). Take your average over the last 10 to 20 videos, divide by 1,000, and multiply by the CPM you settle on.

For example, if your recent videos average 60,000 views and you settle on $20 per thousand, a dedicated video starts at $1,200. The right CPM depends on your niche, your engagement and what brands have already paid you, so treat your first quotes as experiments and raise the number when brands accept without negotiating.

Integrated mentions inside a normal video cost less than a dedicated video. Clips from a sponsored stream are often sold as part of a bundle rather than one by one.

What to charge extra for

• Usage rights. If the brand wants to run your content as an ad or post it on its own channels, that is a separate fee, usually priced per month of use.
• Exclusivity. Agreeing not to work with competitors for a period costs you future deals. Price it.
• Rush timelines. Content needed within a few days.
• Extra revisions. Include one round of changes, charge for more.
• Raw footage or VODs. Files beyond the finished deliverable.

Packages beat price lists

Instead of a long rate card, offer three packages in your media kit:

1. A single deliverable, such as one sponsored stream.
2. A bundle, such as a stream plus three clips. Price it below the sum of its parts.
3. A partnership: a monthly stream and clips over three months, for brands that want repetition.

The bundle is usually the one brands book, so mark it as such. See how a cozy streamer does it in the media kit examples.

Negotiating without underselling

• Ask for the budget before quoting. Brands often have a fixed amount per creator.
• If the budget is lower than your rate, reduce the deliverables, not the price: one hour instead of two, two clips instead of three.
• Send prices as “starting at” in your media kit so there is room to scope up.
• Keep a record of every quote and what was accepted. After a few deals, your real rate becomes obvious.

Questions