What a wild world we live in these days. Kim Kardashian is making a million dollars per sponsored post on social media and kids are making millions of dollars a year live streaming video games on the internet.
Imagine that. If I told you this would be possible ten years ago you would have looked at me like I had two heads. Times have changed. A lot. The internet is now creating so many insane opportunities for the early adaptors and creators that know how to leverage it.
One of the industries that is blowing up in popularity and opportunity is video games. The gammer community is huge worldwide and people are lining up to watch popular “gamers” live stream online. They usually do this via YouTube or Twitch. All they do is play video games and million of people tune in to watch the action.
There are gamers making millions of dollars just in ad revenue alone. Then you add in sponsorships, prize money from tournaments, etc. – and you quickly stack up the cash.
How did this even become a thing?
The internet is to thank. It all started when some gamers started to post video content to YouTube. They would record themselves playing video games for hours at a time and voice-over, giving tips and insights.
Players were drawn to this and from there some mega gamers were born, accumulating millions of followers that tuned in every time they were online playing.
It’s highly lucrative.
The ad revenue these gamers are pulling in from YouTube and Twitch is impressive and a great living for most, but it’s the endorsement deals, partnerships and sponsorships that really pay out.
These companies are paying to access their following. Audiences of millions that tune in religiously and follow every move are priceless. It’s very hard to get that kind of attention any other way, and brands know this, so they are opening up the checkbook for this attention.
Sponsorship money is abundant.
There are some big endorsement deals happening. Companies are rushing to sponsor events, individual gamers, teams and organizations, etc. There are so many ways they are getting in front of this audience.
Companies like GGServers to major brands like Red Bull are lining up to get involved. They all want a piece of the action. If a gamer is streaming for hours a day and has millions of followers, and if they are wearing a hat of a sponsor, that impression value is something that cannot be achieved any other way at the cost.
While the figures might sound high, for what the companies are receiving in terms of exposure it’s actually low.
The reach available gives players the chance to grow fast.
Smart gamers are taking full advantage of social media. They are cross promoting, growing their Twitch stream, Instagram following, TikTok followers, Snapchat followers, etc.
This strategy gives them a huge reach across multiple channels, which is something that is highly attractive from a branding perspective.
There are gamers that are growing by 100K per month with ease, opening up more doors and opportunities along the way.
