From Viewers to VIPs: How Twitch Streamers Supercharge Revenue with Memberships
Many Twitch creators looking to make a sustainable living doing what they love have discovered the secret sauce: memberships. Subscription offerings are key to unlocking both cash flow and community love. By offering exclusive perks and creating a sense of belonging, streamers can create more predictability through recurring revenue, all while delighting their most loyal community members.
Fourthwall makes offering memberships easier than ever before, with one-of-a-kind integrations like Twitch sub discounts and live membership gifting, full flexibility to choose an active or passive strategy, and the control to design a members-only experience that lets your brand shine ✨
We sat down with some of our top Twitch creators to learn more about why they chose Fourthwall, how they migrated from other platforms, their perks and tiers strategy, and their best advice for fellow creators looking to launch memberships of their own.
Meet the creators
What made you decide to launch Memberships?
Jenntacles: Since Twitch has doubled down on limiting streamer revenue, I realized I needed to find more ways to supplement my income to be able to support my content outside of Twitch.
Ariel Jade: I have tried out multiple sub-content platforms, but keeping up with the major socials + one main site for sub content / merch / exclusives makes it so much easier! Plus, that 95% profit split is so helpful as a full-time creator and entrepreneur!
GMCanty: I wanted to give back to my community with exclusive learning content, and I remembered hearing this e-commerce guru, Peter Pru, say that every business should want to have the ‘Netflix Model’, meaning being able to generate subscription revenue each month. I love that we can now do this with Fourthwall. We can keep our community engaged, give them all kinds of great perks, and show our appreciation with content we create specifically for them.
shiftythrifting: I wanted a space to sell our limited-edition merch to our most dedicated fans. Memberships let me set that up with ease and even allowed me to do things I couldn't offer before, like discounts for members.
Were you using another platform for subscriptions previously?
shiftythrifting: We were using Patreon for 3+ years until their terms got weird and their payouts got smaller. While we were seeing success and a lot of our tiers stayed sold out over there, it ended up being too much work for too little money.
Jenntacles: I was using Super Follows on Twitter to provide exclusive updates and polls, so I am incredibly grateful to have those options on Fourthwall now that a lot of my community is intentionally using less Twitter.
Ariel Jade: Shotcall.gg was my prior home for sub content. I've also been on Fanhouse on and off since 2021. Even though I've made over $40,000 on Fanhouse alone in the 9 active months on the platform, the "coins" purchasing system versus a direct checkout option has created frustrations for me and my community.
GMCanty: I was using ClickFunnels. It was $97-297 per month to build sales funnels, required really advanced funnel knowledge, investments in time and money, learning new skills, and how to build membership sites on the backend of funnels. It was HARD. Fourthwall makes it so much easier – it’s more like drag and drop, plug and play, a few clicks here and there, and you’re ready to go.
How many tiers do you have? What perks do you offer?
GMCanty: I have one $5/month tier with four perks. I started with three tiers, but I’m a fan of simplicity. I figure we can always add more tiers, and it will take a lot to manage and deliver on additional value. Keeping up with all that can become overwhelming, especially if you have other things to do and focus on like I do, so we just have one tier! The perks are:
- Advance notice for merch drops
- 10% members-only discount on merch
- Members-only giveaways
- Exclusive members-only video content
Jenntacles: I only have one tier for now. My current perks are centered around my store, where the membership grants access to exclusive merch and discounts on my whole shop. There is also a member-only role in my Discord that I use for movie and game nights, as well as exclusive updates and polls that cover a wide range of things. I chose to start with one level so I could see how manageable the perks were and what areas I could improve on, then consider adding a second tier depending on demand.
shiftythrifting: I have two tiers — one that gives a physical monthly sticker reward and one that gains you access to all of our past content. Both tiers get an entry into our monthly giveaways as well. A lot of what I offer as rewards is stuff we already did but for our Discord community -- there are a ton of people who don't like the fast-paced chatroom feeling of Discord and would prefer to scroll a page. Most of the people subscribed at my base tier are just there for the alerts on my self-fulfilled merch and the 5% discount.
How did you promote your memberships and get your community excited to subscribe?
shiftythrifting: Since we had a Patreon before, we started by telling people that we were bringing a familiar favorite back in a new and better form. We offered the first month absolutely free for people to sign up and try out. I told people that our Sticker Club was coming to feel for interest and there was more demand than I originally anticipated!
GMCanty: I told them that our new memberships site offers access to exclusive content and members-only merch, plus makes it possible for me to give back to them by building a bigger and better learning environment for only $5/month. The thing I try to remember about my community is that they are my friends and family – the key is clearly explaining the value you’re providing, then making sure you deliver on that value.
Jenntacles: I was upfront with my community and let them know that relying on Twitch’s 50% sub split and 55% ad split to support myself and my content is getting harder and harder. They were totally on board.I didn't realize there was such a demand for a way to support me that didn't go through Twitch itself.
Ariel Jade: I utilize my major social media platforms and opportune moments on my live Twitch stream. I try to constantly link new content to my members page where I offer more of similar posts. I have also launched two exclusive video series just for my Fourthwall Memberships, including behind-the-scenes content from the studio while I work on songs for my debut album & my "Just a Bit Jaded" IRL vlog.
Do you use any integrations to connect Fourthwall Memberships to your Twitch channel?
Jenntacles: I offer 50% off for Twitch subs. My base is $10, so members save the cost of a Tier 1 Twitch sub. My community has also always loved gifting merch to chat, so memberships have been just as popular.
Ariel Jade: I LOVE the fact that I can offer my Twitch subs an additional discount on top of the monthly bundles! I just launched my memberships, but I will definitely be utilizing the gifting options! The gifted merch integration has worked like a dream.
GMCanty: We use gifting in every way we can. Constant merch and memberships giveaways – chat loves it!
shiftythrifting: The Twitch integrations from Fourthwall are what got me streaming again. It makes the site fun to use and I get to arrange my own giveaways.
What advice do you have for other creators looking to launch or grow their memberships?
GMCanty: First, know what your audience wants. Ask them! Then give it to them. It really is that simple. The more value you give them the more they will come back (and bring their friends). Growing your memberships is simple – promote it every time you stream, like a commercial. Every hour or so, spend 30 seconds promoting. You got this!
Jenntacles: There is no reason not to, no matter the size of your community. I found a lot of my community was more than eager to support me through Fourthwall Memberships, it was only my own insecurity that held me back from offering something like this sooner. It costs you nothing to set up and only benefits you and your supporters – they're really a win-win.
Ariel Jade: Your community has to know your page exists and they need the incentive to drop their hard-earned money! GIVE IT TO THEM. When you create a content page that is locked behind a paywall, teasing your content and sharing your link is most important. Give your audience a reason to subscribe – exclusives, how-tos, behind-the-scenes, etc.
shiftythrifting: 1) Know what your time is worth and charge accordingly; you'll end up burning yourself out if you do too much for not enough reward. 2) Always have a tier that offers a flat discount on your shop – it seriously matters! 3) Make use of the post scheduler for times you know you'll be busy or when you just want to get ahead on your content. Being able to queue up content makes my life easier.