Everyone loves a glimpse into the real life of their favorite creators. Even better if it’s coupled with a good real-time interaction. Content creators are the celebrities of the social media world, after all. 

And what better way to do this than through live streaming? This is probably one of the main reasons live streaming platforms like Twitch as well as YouTube Live and Facebook Live gained popularity. Users get to interact with their favorite streamers, while the creators get to feel the love and get paid. 

In 2022, a new contender for Twitch entered the market in the form of Kick. Let’s discover what the Kick streaming platform is and how you can earn money on it. 

What is the Kick Streaming Platform?

Kick is a streaming platform just like Twitch that allows creators to stream a variety of things. Other users can participate in these live streams, subscribe to creators’ channels, and even tip them. The platform currently has upwards of 900k+ streamers.

The Kick streaming platform was founded by Bijan Tehrani and Edward Craven, owners of an online casino website Stake.com that was banned from being streamed on Twitch due to the platform’s anti-gambling policy. So, they created their own streaming service that allowed gambling streams. 

Kick allows creators to stream the following:

• Games, including esports tournaments
• Everyday content like “a day in the life of” videos, cooking streams, travel content, and so on
• ASMR
• Music and dance
• Gambling, which is strictly 18+
• Creative live streams, including arts and crafts, programming, painting, etc.
• Miscellaneous content like watch parties, sleep streams, and more

While Kick is a bit lenient regarding NSFW content, it strictly doesn’t allow pornography. It also has guidelines against violence, drugs, botting, doxxing, copyright infringement, fraud, and discrimination.

How Much Does Kick Pay Its Streamers?

Kick is one of the most generous platforms when it comes to creator payouts. It only takes a 5% commission from streamers, letting them keep a whopping 95% of their earnings! Moreover, streamers get to keep 100% of any tips (which are known as ‘kicks’) they receive. 

In contrast to this, Twitch takes a 50% cut, while YouTube takes 30%. 

How To Earn Money on The Kick Streaming Platform

The first obvious step to earning money on Kick is to get good at streaming. Once you lock that down, here are some ways in which you can pad your bank account.

1. Join Kick’s Affiliate Program and Set Up Subscriptions

To become a Kick affiliate, you need to satisfy certain conditions:

• Have a minimum of 75 followers
• Have at least 5 hours (or 500 minutes) of streaming under your belt

Once you meet this criteria, you become eligible to join Kick’s affiliate program. Once you achieve affiliate status, you can activate the Subscribe button on your profile and start charging people for subscribing to your channel for exclusive content. 

Let’s say you have 500 subscribers and charge $5 for a monthly subscription. You will get to take away $2375 per month, which amounts to 95% of your total earnings. 

In addition to exclusive content, subscribers also have the opportunity of gaining special chat status, sub emoties, or badges. 

2. Join Kick’s Creator Incentive Program

Kick’s Creator Incentive Program aims to compensate streamers with revenue for every individual stream in addition to the 95/5 subscription revenue split. This means that, unlike other platforms where the number of followers and engagement you have dictate your payout, Kick will pay you simply for the time and effort you dedicate towards your streams. 

Source.

However, there are certain eligibility criteria that you need to meet before you can apply, and acceptance isn’t guaranteed. 

• A minimum of 1500 followers
• A verified Kick channel
• Kick channel profile properly set up, complete with an “About” section as well as links to other social media 
• An average of 100 live concurrent viewerships in the past 30 days
• 50 hours of streaming in the past 30 days
• 15 days of unique streaming in the past 30 days
• A minimum of 25 active subs in the past 30 days
• 500 unique chatters in the past 30 days
• 3 VODs in the past 30 days

3. Through Virtual Gifts

Kick has this neat little feature that lets viewers purchase virtual gifts (such as stickers and animations) to creators during live streams if they find them entertaining. You get to take away a share of the revenue earned through these gifts. 

4. By Selling Your Branded Merchandise

You’ve probably seen some content creators on YouTube or Twitch creating their own merchandise i.e. items that contain the creator’s brand. You don’t need a ton of followers to get started with selling your own merch; just a loyal fanbase is enough. 

Your merch could be anything from t-shirts and hoodies to jewelry, keychains, and even hats. Tell your viewers about your merch during your live streams and include a link for them to purchase the products. 

5. Via Sponsored Content

Sponsored content just refers to getting paid by brands in exchange for promoting their products or services. But before you partner up with a brand, make sure their products align with your Kick channel. For instance, if you have a cooking channel, it makes more sense to promote kitchen products or food and drink brands. 

Another thing to keep in mind is to promote these products naturally as part of your live stream instead of making it obvious that it’s an ad. 

6. By Advertising Banner Ads On Your Profile

Unlike Twitch or youTube, Kick doesn’t really allow for advertisements other than banner ads. This means no in-video ads that you can show to earn money, but we are optimistic that, as the platform grows, Kick will introduce other ad opportunities for content creators. However, for now, you can take advantage of the banner ads and use it to make some money. 

7. Through Affiliate Marketing

When you sign up as an affiliate marketer for a brand, you receive a special code or link. You need to advertise that product and encourage your viewers to purchase using your code/ link. When they do so, you get a commission for every purchase made through your code/ link. 

Live streams are a great way to promote your affiliate products, especially after you start getting a lot of views. Just plug in the link and ask viewers to check out the product. Again, it will be more beneficial if you promote products that align with your channel’s niche. 

8. Through Fan Donations

That’s right. Aside from subscribing to your channel and giving you virtual gifts, fans can also donate money to you directly. Don’t hesitate to prompt your viewers to give you a little tip if they liked your content. This is also a great way to make some money if you aren’t eligible to activate subscriptions yet. 

Well, there you have it! 8 different ways to make money on the new Kick streaming platform. Remember that in order to monetize your Kick channel, you need to stream quality content, promote your channel on other social media platforms, network with other streamers, engage with your viewers, and, most of all, be patient.