Whether you do it for fun, money, or audience, the truth is that streaming your favorite games on Twitch will eventually revolve around money too. Basically, even if you stream because you love a game or to grow an audience, at some point, you’ll still like the idea of making some money out of it to support your passion.

Some people do it for money exclusively. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. No matter what category you’re in, you’ll need to take advantage of every possible incentive or promotion available to maximize your reach. You probably know already that Twitch grabs a good chunk of your money, so you’ll have to work hard to see some substantial income.

Now, from all the programs and ideas out there, you’ve probably seen people talk about bits too. So, what do bits do for Twitch streamers? Here’s everything you need to know about bits, let alone the option to make more bits than ever.

 

So, What Are Bits?

Bits are basically a virtual currency. It’s exclusively used on Twitch, so you can’t earn bits on Twitch to spend them somewhere else like traditional retail sites. Sure, they’re still money, since they can be converted into different currencies upon payout.

Bits allow viewers to support their favorite streamers financially. They purchase bits and donate them to streamers to show instant appreciation during live broadcasts. Each bit costs the viewer roughly a cent to purchase, though bulk discounts apply. Furthermore, bits also represent the most common form of monetization for partners and affiliates who want a steady revenue stream.

Things like viewer engagement, animations, emotes or recognition always come in bits.

From this point of view, it makes sense to use a tool like View Botter to increase your numbers a little. The more popular you seem, the more people will discover you. Inevitably, donations and rewards in bits will come as well.

So, what do bits do for Twitch streamers? Apart from being considered a currency, they come with a lot of built-in community benefits too.

 

Monetization

This is the best thing about bits. They’re money, but in a different form. Every 100 bits will give you $1 directly in your creator dashboard. These bits can be used in different ways in the chat. However, keep in mind that you don’t get to keep all the money, since there are platform fees as well.

You probably ask yourself then, why not use real money instead of bits? For Twitch, this is an extra tool to make some money. Bits have different rates when bought and sold, so platform fees add to its income as well.

 

Viewer Engagement

Bits are also used for engagement. Viewers use bits to make donations, but also to engage with the community. For example, some users may choose to cheer. They use bits for this action. Once they cheer, the chat room will trigger some eye-catching animations and sound effects.

Cheer messages are also highlighted in the scrolling text wall. If you’re a streamer, your biggest fans and supporters will most likely use bits to catch your attention. Besides, bits end up flowing when you do something amazing in a game, such as a big victory or impressive kill.

 

Incentives for Interaction

Bits can be converted into real money, but as a streamer, you can also use them for further actions. For example, you can use them to trigger some actions. You can bring in alerts on the screen. You can add sounds or even invest in other extension features that enhance the overall viewer experience.

You’ll obviously need to pay for all these interactions. If you have plenty of bits, you can just use them to fuel your channel’s interactive tools.

 

Loyalty and Recognition

Streamers can also use some of their bits to reward their biggest fans or supporters. They can offer specific chat badges. Their names can also go on boards. Of course, rewarding your viewers with such things will inevitably bring in even more bits from them.

 

Power-ups

It’s worth noting the power-ups you can get with bits too. So, what do bits do for Twitch streamers in this case? You can pin chats, for example. This way, cheered messages can be visible at the top of your chat for longer periods of time, giving contributors maximum exposure.

 

Things to Know About Bits

Generally speaking, bits look widely accessible to everyone. Indeed, anyone can buy bits and use them for whatever they want. However, there are a few things to know about them:

• Not for everyone. Twitch affiliates and partners can receive bits. Anyone can purchase them, but only these categories can actually receive them from viewers and cash them out.
• There’s a share. Bits cost more than a cent due to all the fees coming with them. Sure, their value is the same, but fees add up to transactions on the viewer’s end during checkout.

 

On average, streamers get about 80% of the value of a bit. For example, for each $1 you make, you’ll get about ¢80. Of course, it also depends on how you use them.

In the end, what do bits do for Twitch streamers? Most importantly, they can be a highly reliable source of money if you get plenty of them. Otherwise, they show support and can be used for other small features within your streams.