Twitch is a growing social network (12% of overall users are already using it according to the 2021 report by IAB). It is the social network with the highest intensity of use (1hr 40mim daily average use), and it is replacing tradicional TV within younger audiences who see in the platform a streaming service with infinite channels and content. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that brands are already looking for ways to be a part of it. Today we will be taking a look at one of the ways to do that: creating promotions and giveaways.
In this article we will go over several considerations you should bear in mind when creating your promotion or giveaway on Twitch.
Twitch’s terms and conditions regarding promotions
Before launching a promotion or giveaway in a social network, brands should check which rules and regulations apply and what sort of actions are allowed. Every social network has its specific rules and brands should be aware of them if they don’t want to face a reputation crisis or setbacks when launching the campaign. Always be aware of Twitch’s terms and conditions when carrying out a promotion or giveaway.
In summary, Twitch’s terms and conditions require the following from brands wishing to launch promotions through their own channels or in collaboration with content creators:
- Comply with the legal regulations concerning promotions and giveaways in the countries where they take place.
- Clearly state who’s the organizer or brand promoter and accept full responsibility for their actions.
- Clearly state that Twitch is not linked to the promotion. The promotion text must include the following text: “This promotion belongs to (your name here). Twitch does not sponsor or endorse this promotion and therefore is not liable for it”.
As a platform aiming to launch promotions and giveaways, we recommend that you always draft and show the terms and conditions. This will help you be transparent and adequately manage any doubt or difficulty that may arise during the promotion. You can get a free Terms and Conditions template from our website as well as a URL to host it.
Objectives of launching a promotion or giveaway in Twitch.
Ask a streamer why do a giveaway among the channel’s audience and you will get a straightforward answer: a giveaway helps to increase followers and/or subscribers as well as to generate engagement and loyalty among the community.
As a brand you can use your own channel or collaborate with a streamer and organize a giveaway or promotion to achieve objectives such as:
- Gather data on the channel’s audience
- Increase brand awareness on the sponsored or collaborating channel.
- Generate community engagement.
These objectives might be achieved depending on the kind of promotion and the requirements to participate. Generally speaking, Twitch is a media platform, same as a TV channel or Social Network. Hence, advertising promotions, giveaways and contests through its streaming channels is but one more marketing strategy such as advertisements and sponsorships.
Options to run a contest or giveaway in Twitch
If you take a look at this platform you will come to realize that a giveaway can have many different dynamics. We will be focusing on those that are the most transparent and clear for the brand, the streamer and the participants; as well as those most aligned to the marketing objective.
Giveaway among the participants of the channel’s chatroom
It’s one of the most popular formats and it is usually bot-generated, a common tool among streamers used to optimize the channel’s engagement and management. Most popular bots allow organizing a giveaway among active spectators during the streaming and offer some filters such as being a subscriber, frequent users, using a keyword, etc. It is usually communicated through a scheduled message in the chat.
Bots are commonly used to draw one or more winners that are watching the live stream, it doesn’t store users’ information and the giveaway cannot be carried out later in time. It takes place in real time among active users.
A giveaway among chat participants is recommended for simple actions, with no logistical complications to deliver the prize since the winners draft and prize delivery are mostly done manually. Below you can find an example of an event that Adidas organized by creating a channel with athletes chatting and introducing a new product. Among the actions in the event there was a giveaway in which the chat members participated by commenting with the designated hashtag.
Giveaway among a Twitch channel subscribers
If you are aiming to reward all the subscribers of the channel, it is in your best interest to extend the promotion for several hours or days so participants can subscribe and enter the giveaway. In this case you will need a tool that is not conditioned to live streaming.
In this case it is best to use a bot that informs the channel subscribers that a monthly giveaway is taking place. At the end of this time period, the channel’s administrator has to download the excel or csv subscribers list and use the list giveaway to pick a random winner. This allows the organizers to prove that the promotion has been carried out automatically and transparently.
Giveaway with registry form
One of the most valuable benefits for brands is to collect potential clients’ contact details. Twitch is becoming an interesting channel to gather younger audiences’ data or users interested in specific topics. Consequently, as a brand, you can pursue collaborations with streamers with related audiences and organize a giveaway with registry form and other actions that allow you to gather their contact details.
How does it work? What’s important here is communication. The giveaway, contest or game can be easily configured by the brand with Easypromos’ apps. Every promotion has its own URL, which can be used to promote it in the chat as well as an extension in the streamer’s panel incorporated in the “about” section.
The giveaway or contest may be active only during the streaming but it can also be extended for several days and generate a higher participation. With Easypromos you can request participants to login with their Twitch account to enter the giveaway, which allows you to make the giveaway exclusive to those who are frequent users of this social network. You can also showcase the follow button on the Twitch accounts and provide a full giveaway experience within this platform.
Try this DEMO for an Entry Form Giveaway with Twitch user Login and if you find it useful download the template to your account.
Do you want to make this activity more fun? Add a game to the registry form so participants win a prize based on their score. If your aim is to gather contact details for the audience of a specific channel, any of the Easypromos’ game apps will do the job. Customize the game with a theme, your brand or your products, and users will provide their contact details to register their points and show up in the ranking. This modality allows you to give prizes based on scores, top ranked players at the end of the contest, weekly prizes, etc.
How can you motivate your channel’s followers to register for the giveaway? Use Easypromos’ add-ons to showcase your promotion on your Twitch channel’s feed, show the prize and incite users to register.
- Easypromos Campaigns add-on provides a link to the promotion in the About section of the Twitch channel. You can configure the banner’s text, background and colors and it works as the gateway to attract new Twitch users.
- Easypromos Leaderboard add-on allows you to show your game’s scoreboard in your channel’s “about” section. The banner has a standard size and the top 100 ranked can be viewed with a scroll-down. You can also add a link to a new page to view the full ranking.
Have you set up a game to engage your followers and obtain their data? If you feature the ranking on your channel’s feed you will incentivize other users to participate and try to make it into the top-10 ranking.
Do you want to do a live trial on how Easypromos’ promotions look like on Twitch? Join out demo channel on Twitch.
How to run a transparent giveaway on Twitch
Many Twitch channels organize giveaways with the aforementioned objectives and, although promotions are mainly organized by brands or companies, on this particular platform they are usually carried out by influencers, streamers and gamers. In this respect, a contest or giveaway on Twitch is similar to those on Tik Tok. The brand will promote these actions together with influencers and tiktokers who share a common audience.
What characteristics should this giveaway have to be up to the brand’s standards?
- Written and visible rules. It is highly recommended that the terms and conditions for the promotion are posted and accessible on a url. This will let all participants know what the prizes are and the rules and requirements to participate. It also states when and how winners will be picked, and the grounds for disqualification. This free tool provides you with an example of terms and conditions and allows you to post them on their own url, making them easily sharable.
- Clear and simple participation rules or steps. Another key to make your giveaway easily manageable is that participants fully understand how to participate. Deciding which action from participants is required is paramount.
- Prize characteristics. Most likely, prizes will be provided by the brand and will consist of products of their own or rewards that are attractive to the target audience. A good presentation of the prizes is important to make the brand feel that the sponsorship is worthwhile.
Drafting the winners. Whether you pick the winners through a random draft or by ranking scores (in the case of games), the draft date and the tools used have to be clearly stated. The brand requires a transparent and secure process to pick the winners that under no circumstance will damage its image.
I hope you find this article useful if you have considered carrying out promotions in Twitch. In any case, don’t hesitate to contact our customer support team in our chat, we will be happy to help you with any doubt you may have.
