In 30 seconds:
- Twitch ads hold a lot of power. We’re here to tell you why.
- What kind of Twitch ads are out there? We’re listing them and what you should use each one for.
- Your Twitch ad campaign needs to work. We’ve listed 4 essential tips to get them landing.
Twitch ads present a game-changing opportunity. Since the interactive streaming app has over 2.78 million concurrent viewers (a 31% increase from 2020), understanding how to nail your paid ads on the channel is vital. If you can use Twitch ads to your advantage now, you’ll be harnessing a rising market and getting ahead of the game.
It’s also no longer just for gamers. Twitch has expanded and now hosts so many different kinds of communities. If you’re searching for a niche, you’ll find someone streaming about it on Twitch. So think about your audience and how you can capture their attention on the platform.
Is it good to run ads on Twitch?
Twitch is becoming a powerful tool for marketers (and not just for gaming brands). Why? Here are our top reasons why you should be on it.
There’s less competition
Twitch is still a rising star in the grand arena of social media platforms. Because of this, your brand has the chance to expand its reach without too many other companies shouting over you. With fewer advertisers, there will be more trust among its users. This brings us to our next point.
Twitch builds trust
Live streaming is an authentic way of creating. Since it’s difficult to fake things or change up your appearance, it lends itself to the push for authenticity within creators and brands. Twitch users are also loyal. They tend to come back to certain streamers time and time again, generating a feeling of trust. Your brand can benefit from this trust, too, through believable, honest campaigns within appropriate streams.
It fosters community marketing
Community marketing is mighty. Why? Since the 2020 pandemic, more and more people have been turning to online communities to start conversations and build connections. This gives brands the perfect opportunity to build relationships with their customers, understand how they think and cultivate honest dialogues. Twitch is the place to do this, and ads can enhance your community marketing efforts. Read more about community marketing in our article: Brand Community: How to Skyrocket Your Brand.
Generation “Twitch” hang out here
Who are generation Twitch? This powerful age group consist mainly of Gen Z and Millenials. Why are they so important? It’s not just that these generations hold over 165 billion in spending power; they are also changing the way we approach media. Twitch is a prime example of how this is happening. More than half of young consumers say they have attended a live stream event at home.
Our own research shows that 39% of Gen Z find that ads ‘feel false or inauthentic. Perhaps that’s why they seek out real, live content to interact with. Advertising on Twitch will help you gain access to this audience. As long as you keep your ad material authentic, you’ll soon be winning them over.
What are Twitch ads?
Twitch is all about live streaming. Users can create video live streams on the app, and people can watch and become a part of actively engaged communities on the channel. Twitch ads appear before or during these live streams and can be created in various formats. “Pre-roll ads” are when they play before the live stream. “Mid-roll ads” are when they play during the live stream. These can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
There are different types of Twitch ads (more on this later), so you need to ensure you’re picking the right format for your goals.
How much do Twitch ads cost?
It varies. The cost of Twitch ads will change depending on the number of concurrent viewers, seasonality, viewer age and gender, the type of content, and viewer location. So there’s no direct answer to this question. Investopedia places the number between $2–$10 cost per impression, so this might help give you an idea.
Types of Twitch ads
There are seven types of Twitch ads available for marketers. Let’s go through them one by one:
Homepage Carousel
These ads are more applicable to creators than brands. Streamers can promote their channel on the Twitch Homepage in the form of a rotating carousel post. Users can scroll through the content here to see if something grabs their attention.
Specs: Description copy is a maximum of 250 characters.
Use it for:
Influencers can use this to extend their reach and achieve further visibility.
Homepage Headliner
This kind of ad appears behind carousel posts. They consist of three parts. Two images on either side and a middle section with the hex colour code.
Specs: 2 graphics for both sides – 450×350, with size up to 150 kb, and JPG/PNG format with layered PSD. The hex colour code (primary background colour) must be included in the file name or sampled from the template.
Use it for:
Brand awareness campaigns and product launches.
Medium Rectangle
Medium rectangle ads show up as you scroll through content on Twitch. They appear as rectangles, and the format supports animation.
Specs: Dimensions are 300×250. The maximum file size is 100kb. Supported formats: GIF, JPG, PNG. Maximum animation length is 15 secs or 3 loops.
Use it for:
Product placement, special offers and launch campaigns.
Stream Display Ad
These do what it says on the tin. Your ad will appear during a live stream at the bottom of the screen. The seamless integration of these ads makes them organic and engaging.
Specs: Dimensions are 728×90. The max file size is 100kb. The file format needs to be GIF, JPG, PNG, and the animation length is a maximum of 15 secs or 3 loops.
Use it for:
This format is pretty flexible. You can use it for engagement campaigns, brand awareness campaigns and product placements.
Streamables
Whilst someone is using a Twitch-partnered mobile game, they can opt-in to watch 30s of an unskippable live stream. They can then continue watching the stream on Twitch or continue on their original app. This means creators and brands can boost viewer traffic to their streams.
Specs: Minimum width is 250 px with dark backgrounds.
Use it for:
Creators can use it to promote their streams. Your brand can also do this to promote content on your own Twitch channel.
Super Leaderboard
A Super Leaderboard ad appears as a banner at the top of the page when users are scrolling through content. It doesn’t support videos but does support graphics like images, GIFs, and other animated assets.
Specs: Dimensions need to be 970×66. Max file size is 100kb. File formats supported are GIF, JPG, PNG. Maximum animation length is 15 secs or 3 loops.
Use it for:
Brand awareness campaigns and product placements.
Twitch Premium Video.
These are video ads that appear before or during a live stream. When they appear before, they are known as “pre-rolls” (up to 30 seconds), and when they appear during, they are known as “mid-rolls” (up to 60 seconds paid extra). “Mid-rolls” are run by creators. These are unskippable ads.
Specs: Length of up to 30 seconds. Up to 60 seconds is an extra charge. The ideal resolution is 1920×1080. The minimum bitrate is 2000 kbps, and the peak audio is -9dB. The required video file format is H.264 (MP4). The frame rate is a minimum of 24FPS to max 30FPS.
Use it for:
Most brand awareness and product campaigns. Since these ads are unskippable, you have a chance to really engage users.
How do Twitch ads work?
Twitch does not have a dedicated section for ads like TikTok, and Instagram does. Instead, you need to contact Twitch directly. They have a form on their website that brands can fill in. You’ll need to include your company details, budget and industry. Once you send the form, you’ll receive contact from the Twitch team about the best way to proceed.
Then it’s all about nailing your campaign creative, building a watertight strategy and measuring the results. So how can you ensure you’re making the most out of your Twitch campaigns?
Getting your Twitch campaign to land
So now you understand how Twitch ads work and the kind of available formats, it’s time to nail your campaigns. How? Follow these best practices to get your Twitch advertising strategy to deliver.
1. Adapt to your audience
Twitch isn’t just for gamers. It’s a place where all kinds of communities come together to connect. The kind of ad you choose to use will depend on who you’re trying to reach. Keep in mind that more than 70% of Twitch viewers are between the ages of 18 and 34, so appealing to these audiences will put you in good stead.
Your creative will need to reflect this too. Think about the goals you’re trying to hit, and remember to listen to your audience. Since Twitch is so engaging, you can do market research on the channel to see how they are communicating with influencers and each other. This will help inform your creative decisions and make an ad campaign that lands.
2. Help creators out
With mid-roll ads, you may want to give creators a helping hand. Streamers run an ad break for mid-roll ads, and doing this manually can sometimes be tricky and often leads to timing issues. This has led to some influencers looking to try and block Twitch ads. Since there are some ways to adblock Twitch content, brands need to think about doing as much as possible to aid influencers and incentivise them. Use automation tools to run campaigns for creators. This will help them and also ensure a streamlined performance.
Better yet? Let us take the technical side of things off your plate. Our social team help each campaign run smoothly, taking care of the ins and outs of channels so that you can focus on the strategic decisions.
3. Go beyond ads
Twitch is such an engaging platform thanks to the authentic creators that make it their own. So as a brand, you need to make the most of it. Ads will get you so far, but if you’re really looking to connect with audiences effectively (especially young individuals), you need to start seeing the bigger picture.
Influencer marketing works on Twitch. The most popular category on the channel is “Just Chatting”, where influencers communicate with their fans casually. This tells us that Twitch users want to engage with influencers on a personal level. So your brand needs to do the same. Find the ideal influencer for your brand and work with them to create a cohesive and authentic narrative.
How? Check out our article on Twitch Influencer Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide.
4. Test test test
Getting your Twitch campaign right is all about measuring and testing. You won’t know if something will land until you monitor it. Keep an eye on how your ads are performing to inform your next marketing decisions and increase ROI.
The aim of the game
Whatever your goal is, you can utilise Twitch ads to get there. But only if you create a controlled strategy that adjusts with data. Building that strategy can feel complicated, but if you implement the right tools and use our tips, you’ll get results.
Need help with that strategy build? We’re here. Our social team are there to take away the technicals; our creative team will get your ads gleaming, and our in-house award-winning software will inform your decisions every step of the way. Get in touch to find out how we can get your brand to the next level through Twitch marketing.
