What is a TikTok Gaming Partner?
A TikTok gaming partner is a content creator who has been accepted into TikTok’s gaming creator program. This program gives gaming creators access to additional features and monetization opportunities on TikTok.
The TikTok gaming partner program was launched in 2021 as a way for TikTok to better support and incentivize gaming creators on the platform. By becoming a partner, creators get access to gaming-specific analytics, have an account manager to assist them, and can participate in initiatives like custom hashtag challenges.
There are a few key benefits to becoming a TikTok gaming partner:
- Access to monetization features like gifting, tipping, and TikTok’s Creator Fund.
- Ability to go live with streaming for up to 4 hours at a time.
- Early access to new gaming features on TikTok.
- Inclusion in gaming marketing campaigns and cross-promotion.
In summary, TikTok gaming partners are creators who produce gaming-related content and are part of TikTok’s program to provide gaming creators with more opportunities for growth and monetization.
TikTok Gaming Partner Requirements
To become a TikTok gaming partner, you need to meet certain baseline requirements set by TikTok. The main requirements are focused on your number of followers, content criteria, and other eligibility factors.
Followers are a key requirement to join TikTok’s gaming partner program. According to TikTok’s partner sign up page (https://partners.tiktok.com/sign-up), you need a minimum of 100,000 authentic followers to be eligible. Having a strong follower base shows TikTok you have an established audience for gaming content.
Your content itself needs to meet TikTok’s criteria as well. You must be posting regular gaming-related content, such as playthroughs, tips and tricks, gaming commentary, esports highlights, and gaming reactions. TikTok wants to see you are committed to gaming as part of your channel’s focus.
Other eligibility factors TikTok looks at are audience engagement, quality of videos, uploading consistency, overall account growth, and potential appeal to brands. Your content should showcase high production value, creativity, and your unique gaming personality or style. Meeting all the requirements demonstrates you take content creation seriously.
How to Apply to Become a TikTok Gaming Partner
Applications to become a TikTok Gaming Partner are submitted through TikTok’s online application form. This form allows you to provide details about your channel and content strategy as a potential gaming creator on TikTok.
The application process involves:
- Providing your TikTok account handle and verifying your account
- Sharing information about your channel including content focus, target audience, and posting schedule
- Outlining your capabilities and resources as a gaming creator
- Explaining how you will produce engaging, high-quality gaming content tailored for the TikTok audience
Here are some tips for creating a strong TikTok Gaming Partner application:
- Have an established TikTok account with a decent following and engagement
- Show a commitment to regular posting and content creation around gaming
- Highlight your gaming knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm as a creator
- Provide links to your best performing gaming content on TikTok
- Explain how you will leverage gaming trends while being creative
- Emphasize your understanding of the TikTok platform and audience
Submitting a comprehensive, polished application increases your chances of being accepted as a TikTok Gaming Partner. This coveted status provides gaming creators access to special resources, promotions, and monetization opportunities.
Creating Content as a TikTok Gaming Partner
As a TikTok gaming partner, the content you create is crucial for building your audience and channel. Here are some tips on the types of content to create, best practices, and how to stand out:
Types of content to create:
- Gameplay videos showing highlights, fails, challenges, and reacting to gameplay
- Behind-the-scenes of your gaming setup, gear, and daily gaming life
- Reviews, rankings, and recommendations of games
- Interact with trending sounds and effects related to gaming
- Collaborate with other gaming creators
Best practices for gaming content:
- Keep videos short, under 60 seconds is ideal
- Add text, effects, filters to make it visually engaging
- Show your personality and energy in your reactions
- Respond to comments and engage with your audience
- Post consistently about 2-3 times per day for new channels
Ideas for standing out:
- Highlight niche or newly released/trending games
- Focus on one core game to build an engaged community
- Showcase your skills at speed runs, no-hit challenges, or expert techniques
- Feature creative and humorous content around gaming themes
- Collaborate with other creators to bring together different audiences
By creating a variety of engaging, high-quality content centered around gaming, you can build a loyal following on TikTok as a gaming partner.
Sources:
[1] https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/gaming-marketers-ultimate-guide-tiktok-content
Promoting Yourself as a TikTok Gaming Partner
Once you achieve TikTok Gaming Partner status, it’s important to leverage that status to continue growing your audience. Here are some effective ways to promote yourself as a TikTok Gaming Partner:
Leverage your verification badge and title. TikTok provides partners with a verified badge and “Gaming Partner” title on their profile. Be sure to showcase this badge prominently on your profile to signal to viewers that you’re an official partner.
Cross-promote on other platforms. Let your audiences on Twitch, YouTube, Instagram etc. know about your TikTok partner status. Encourage them to follow you on TikTok for exclusive content. You can even potentially repost some TikTok content on other platforms.
Network with other partners. Reach out to other TikTok Gaming Partners in your niche to collaborate on content. Co-streaming and sharing audiences can help growth for both partners. You may be able to join exclusive TikTok Gaming Partner communities to connect with others as well.
Monetization Opportunities
TikTok offers several ways for gaming creators to monetize their content and earn money on the platform.
TikTok Creator Fund
The TikTok Creator Fund allows eligible creators to earn cash from videos that they post on TikTok. To join the fund, you must meet certain eligibility criteria such as being over 18 years old, having at least 10,000 authentic video views in the last 30 days, and having at least 1,000 followers.
The amount you can earn from the fund depends on the views, engagement, and overall performance of your videos. Gaming creators who produce viral, engaging content on TikTok will likely be able to generate substantial revenue from the Creator Fund.
Brand Sponsorships and Partnerships
Popular TikTok gaming creators can earn big money through sponsorships and partnerships with brands. Brands may pay you to promote their products in your videos, collaborate on branded content, or develop merchandise.
Gaming accessories, apparel, and software brands may be interested in sponsoring gaming creators. Be sure to clearly disclose sponsorships in compliance with FTC guidelines.
Affiliate Marketing
You can participate in affiliate marketing by promoting relevant gaming products and services and earning a commission when viewers make purchases using your affiliate links. Affiliate links allow you to recommend products you genuinely like while earning passive income.
Promoting gaming gear, streaming equipment, game downloads, and more through affiliate programs can be lucrative. Just make sure to provide authentic recommendations that serve your audience.
Maintaining Partner Status
Once you become a TikTok gaming partner, there are certain ongoing requirements and policies you must adhere to in order to maintain your status. Here are some tips for remaining an eligible partner:
Meet Ongoing Eligibility Requirements
To remain in the TikTok gaming partner program, you’ll need to continue meeting the baseline eligibility requirements. This includes maintaining at least 1,000 followers, 10,000 authentic video views in the last 30 days, and 13 years of age or older. TikTok will periodically review partners to ensure they still qualify.
Follow Partner Program Policies
Make sure to read and understand TikTok’s partner program policies around appropriate content, intellectual property, privacy and safety, and more. Violating these policies could get your account suspended or removed from the partner program, so be sure to stay compliant.
Stay Relevant and Engaged
Don’t let your channel go stagnant. Continue posting fresh, original gaming content regularly to keep your audience interested and engaged. TikTok values partners who remain relevant, grow their audience, and foster two-way engagement. Slacking off could get you removed from the program.
Remember that maintaining partner status requires ongoing effort. As long as you meet TikTok’s standards and provide an engaging, policy-compliant channel, you should be able to retain your coveted partner status.
Case Studies of Successful TikTok Gaming Partners
TikTok highlights many inspiring success stories from gaming partners who have built massive audiences and revenue streams on the platform. Let’s look at a few top profiles:
Jelly, aka @jelly, is now one of the biggest gaming creators on TikTok with over 28 million followers. She started out in 2020 by posting funny short videos about her daily gaming experiences. Jelly leveraged TikTok’s powerful algorithm to quickly gain millions of views and followers. She joined the TikTok Creator Fund early on to start monetizing her content. As her audience grew, Jelly attracted sponsorships from major brands like Logitech and EA Sports. She now earns significant income through TikTok LIVE streams as well.
Tyler Blevins, known as @ninja, was already a top Twitch streamer when he expanded to TikTok in 2019. Given his massive existing following, Ninja immediately attracted millions of followers on TikTok. He posts daily short videos showing highlights and behind-the-scenes looks at his streams and gaming life. Ninja engages fans through collaborations with other creators, trending hashtag challenges, and regular LIVE broadcasts. He makes money through TikTok’s Creator Fund, brand sponsorships, and driving traffic to his streams.
The success of these top gaming partners demonstrates the opportunities TikTok offers to build an audience and make money. Their strategies of consistent posting, engaging trends, collaborating with others, and going live have helped them stand out in a crowded niche. For any aspiring gaming creator, these profiles provide an excellent blueprint.
TikTok Gaming Partner vs. Twitch Affiliate/Partner
TikTok’s Gaming Partner Program and Twitch’s Affiliate/Partner programs have some key differences in terms of benefits and monetization opportunities. According to NameCheap, the TikTok Gaming Partner program provides access to features like streaming gifts and Live Events to help gaming creators monetize their content. In contrast, Twitch Affiliates and Partners have access to more monetization options like channel subscriptions, bit donations, and displaying ads during streams.
A major advantage of TikTok for gaming creators is its massive audience reach. With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok provides huge exposure potential. However, discovery is more challenging on Twitch without going viral on other platforms first. Twitch remains the dominant platform for live streaming gameplay with features tailored specifically for gaming. Twitch also offers community building tools like custom chat emotes for subscribers.
According to Streamers Playbook, a key advantage of Twitch is its higher streaming quality options up to 1080p 60fps versus 720p on TikTok. Twitch also has lower stream latency for a better viewer experience. However, TikTok offers seamless mobile streaming and access to its massive entertainment audience.
In summary, TikTok offers gaming creators simpler monetization, massive potential reach, and mobile-centric features. But Twitch remains the preferred platform for hardcore gaming streams with better infrastructure and community-building options. The ideal approach may be to leverage both platforms to maximize audience and revenue.
Other Tips for Aspiring TikTok Gaming Partners
Here are some additional tips to help aspiring TikTok gaming partners find success on the platform:
Make a regular posting schedule and stick to it. Consistency is key on TikTok. Decide on your optimal posting cadence, such as daily or 3x a week, and commit to hitting that goal. Your viewers will come to expect and look forward to your content if you post consistently.
Optimize your captions, hashtags, and bio for discoverability. Include relevant keywords and hashtags like #gaming #gamer so people can find your content. Write compelling captions that describe your videos. And customize your bio to highlight you as a gamer.
Interact with your viewers. Reply to comments, do live Q&As, ask questions in captions, and build relationships with your audience. Engagement helps your account stand out.
Consider doing livestreams in addition to regular uploads. Live gaming content can help you engage viewers in real time. But maintain a balance between livestreaming and creating edited content.
Check out tips directly from TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/en-us/how-to-level-up-your-gaming-content/gaming-tips-and-tricks/ for more strategies to succeed as a gaming creator.
