The Different Types of Twitch Influencers (And Who You Would Work With)

For those new to Twitch influencer marketing, the definition of “twitch streamer” simply means “someone who plays video games on Twitch.”

As you dig deeper, however, that definition becomes convoluted.

What types of games does the streamer play? How many different games do they play? How many viewers do they have? What’s their community like?

The answers to these questions compartmentalize streamers, and they’ll play a large part in who you choose to work with.

Let’s dive into some of the different types of streamers and the value of working with each:

Variety Streamers

While some streamers only play one game on-stream (ex. a professional League of Legends player), variety streamers are “game agnostic,”meaning they play many different games on-stream.

Although not always the case, variety streamers typically have tighter-knit communities. A variety streamer’s viewers watch them for their unique personality rather than for practical value (like learning how to better their gameplay). It doesn’t matter what game the streamer is playing — variety streamers have a hard-core fanbase that will come back again and again no matter what they’re doing.

Lirik, a popular variety streamer, streaming a video of a DVD screensaver icon hitting the corner of the screen with 20,000+ viewers.

If you have a product that only pertains to a specific type of gamer/audience member, variety streamers aren’t the best to work with. For instance, if you sell a tool that helps gamers improve their Overwatch skill, it’s not a good idea to sponsor a variety streamer who only plays Overwatch once every two weeks.

If your product can maintain relevance no matter what game a streamer plays (ex. A coffee brand), however, variety streamers are great to work with. Their hardcore fanbase and tight-knit community bond will certainly help drive better results to your business.

Note: Variety streamers are also great for indie game developers. Since a variety streamer’s audience will watch them play almost anything, there’s a good chance they’ll be willing to watch your game too.

One-game streamers

One game streamers (you guessed it) mainly play one game on-stream.

Viewers tend to watch these streamers for their gameplay, whether for practical reasons (ex. they want to improve their own skill) or for entertainment reasons (ex. they really enjoy a specific game). One-game streamers are also usually adept at the games they play.

While these streamers may not have as strong of communities as variety streamers, in many cases the attention of their viewers is higher than that of variety streamers. Most viewers are watching one-game streamers to learn from their skill, so their attention is tight.

Note: I don’t mean to discount the strength of any specific one-game streamer’s community. A one-game streamer can still have an incredibly tight community. You can measure this based on many factors, like the number of messages sent in their chat, how many subscribers they have, and their followings across different social media profiles.

If your product pertains or is related to one specific game (or a small set of different games), sponsoring one-game streamers within or across those categories is a smart move.

Mobil1, a motor oil company, sponsors Rocket League tournaments, a game where players use cars to play virtual “soccer.”

While one-game streamers typically do not work well with indie game developers or mobile game publishers, companies who offer physical products can still maintain relevance within a one-game streamer’s community.

Want to receive practical Twitch influencer marketing advice to your inbox, every Monday? Sign up here.

Now that we’ve covered how streamers can be differentiated by the types of games they play, let’s talk about size:

Up-and-coming Streamers

Up-and-coming streamers on Twitch are typically defined as streamers who average 100 viewers or less during their broadcasts.

Although your initial reaction may be to skip over these influencers, there are many benefits to working with them.

1. Budget-friendly.

While larger streamers may cost you significant amounts of money to hire, you can typically hire up-and-coming streamers for less, as their viewership is less than a larger streamer’s.

If you’re on a smaller budget, up-and-coming streamers are a great way to promote your product without breaking the bank. But saving money isn’t all they offer.

2. Community bond

In most cases, up-and-coming streamers have incredibly strong communities.

When fewer people are watching a streamer, fewer people will be talking in chat. And when fewer people are talking in chat, this allows the influencer to interact on a one-to-one basis with many of their viewers.

The typical speed of a larger streamer’s chat. You can imagine how hard it would be to connect with individual viewers, let alone read everyone’s messages.

3. Scalability

Since up-and-coming streamers cost less to hire than larger streamers, you can afford to hire more of them. This allows you to easily spread your name across a community (ex. The World of Warcraft game section) instead of potentially limiting your audience to only one streamer’s viewers.

Up-and-coming streamers, however, are not the only way to increase brand awareness within the gaming community.

Larger Streamers

Moving past up-and-coming streamers, a larger-sized streamer is typically defined as someone who averages more than 100 viewers on their streams.

While these influencers typically cost more to hire than up-and-coming streamers, the effects they can have on your brand/sales are huge.

1. Brand awareness

Larger influencers are good for spreading your word across a community without doing the work of hiring many up-and-coming streamers. When one large influencer promotes something, it usually trickles down the community, so others will most likely hear about it as well.

2. Cross-platform promotion

Most larger streamers have large followings across many different social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, etc.). If you’re trying to spread your message across multiple platforms, larger streamers can be a great way to do that.

3. Traffic and timed-promotion

If you have an offer where time is a factor (like a large sale happening only for 7 days or a giveaway), larger streamers are a fantastic way to drive boatloads of traffic to that offer without spending time hiring more streamers.

And that’s it!


We’re sharing everything we know about finding the right influencers, running successful campaigns, increasing conversions on Twitch, and more. We don’t spam — promise.

Leave a Reply
