How Twitch works: Twitch Metrics, Twitch Drops, Twitch raids, and more, explained

How does Twitch work? What’s a Twitch Drop, how do you Twitch Raid, and what Twitch metrics should you be looking at to gauge whatever success even is on the platform? To many, the internet’s premier livestreaming platform is still somewhat boggling and new, operating in a very different way to previously established video and social media platforms, both structurally and culturally. Live, interactive, and filled with an ever-growing suite of specialist features and programming types, Twitch is a unique environment, and truly learning how Twitch works requires research in a whole bunch of different areas.

Or it did. Now you can just look here. Because this page you’re on is a living directory of all the key Twitch terms and tools you need, vetted and approved by Fourth Floor’s ‘Twitch meta guild’ of platform specialists. Scroll on, and you’ll find everything from an explanation of the Twitch Hot Tub Meta, to the best ways to run a charity Twitch stream, and even how to pick your first Twitch username.

Twitch Drops 

Twitch Drops are an in-stream gifting mechanic that can be a huge boon to content creators, brand partners, and audience alike. The system behind Twitch Drops is simple, but the effects can be powerful and far-reaching. Twitch Drops allow key codes for digital products (such as a videogame expansion, in-game cosmetic, or beta test access) to be distributed in a Twitch stream's community chat window at designated times during the broadcast. While Twitch Drops add an obvious incentive for audiences to watch a particular stream, they can also create an instant upsurge in audience interest in content around a particular game. This, in turn, can have a dramatic effect on the overall Twitch ecosystem, prompting a wave of follow-up organic coverage. 

Twitch Metrics 

Twitch metrics for success come in three main flavours, and differ slightly from the key metrics on other video platforms, due to the live nature of Twitch streaming. The Twitch Metrics to keep an eye on - whether you're measuring an influencer marketing campaign, or just the growth of your own channel - are concurrent views, total views, and average watch time, and volume of ‘chatters’ (the latter particularly for new streamers). Combined, these Twitch metrics give a strong aggregate appraisal of the initial appeal of a piece of Twitch stream programming, as well as its ability to maintain and engage an audience over a sustained duration of time. 

Twitch Viewers 

Twitch viewers thrive on engagement. But on Twitch, that means something different to the simple total of likes and shares that would be the case elsewhere. Twitch viewers engage live and in-the-moment, and respond best to spontaneous, genuinely interactive content that goes out of its way to make them part of the show. If YouTube content is a TV broadcast, Twitch content is more akin to a live, audience participation event, with Twitch viewers themselves often feeding into the energy and direction of the stream. As such, the most effective Twitch content is built about being responsive, encouraging conversation and driving an active sense of community. 

Twitch Rivals 

Twitch Rivals is a rolling series of special, competitive event streams, built around videogames and more, programmed every week on Twitch after originating in 2018. Twitch Rivals now plays out over hundreds of show-days a year on its own dedicated Twitch page (plus additional live events), curating an annual schedule of contests between the biggest streamers and teams, in the hottest, most-watched competitive games on the platform. 

Twitch Raids 

Twitch Raids are a mechanism a Twitch streamer can engage to automatically send their audience to another nominated streamer's channel. Twitch Raids are traditionally used at the end of a stream, in order to support and promote another streamer with an instant bump in audience exposure. A Twitch Raid can also be a valuable tactic in influencer marketing, of course, in that its audience-boosting value can help consolidate viewership around a particular targeted stream (such as a watch party), and also drive audiences through sustained, multi-channel, branded content series. You can find a full breakdown of how Twitch Raids work (and how to use them) in our dedicated guide.

Twitch Usernames

A Twitch username is a more important matter than a random handle chosen for a forum or online gaming account. For creators wanting to make Twitch streaming a significant part of their lives, it’s a meaningful branding exercise. The best Twitch username ideas are memorable but not unwieldy, and should ideally say something about a streamer’s personality and tone. Though they shouldn’t be so explicitly built around a specific type of content as to limit options going forward. That said, Twitch usernames can be changed every 60 days, at the cost of changing the channel’s URL at the same time. For starting inspiration, a Twitch username generator like Spinxo can help get ideas flowing. 

Twitch Affiliate 

Twitch Affiliate status allows Twitch streamers to earn money through their Twitch broadcasts via subscriptions, Bits (Twitch's internal, virtual currency), in-stream ads, and the sale of game or in-game items through their streams. Twitch affiliates also get multiple functionality improvements within Twitch itself. To become a Twitch Affiliate, a streamer must have streamed for a total of at least eight hours in 30 days, have broadcast on at least seven individual days in that time, attracting an average of three concurrent viewers from a total of at least 50 followers. Twitch Affiliate status is awarded automatically, and cannot be applied for manually. 

Twitch Partner 

Twitch Partner status is the level up from Twitch Affiliate. As well as the same monetisation benefits, Twitch Partner gives a streamer access to more 'professional' level benefits, including guaranteed access to higher-quality stream transcoding, stream delays, the dedicated Twitch Partner Support team, and extended storage of post-stream VODs. Twitch Partner status has to be applied for after completing its own, more demanding set of broadcasting and viewership achievements. Completion of these does not necessarily guarantee Twitch Partner status, and streamers may additionally become a Twitch Partner by way of a proven, large and dedicated following on another platform. 

Charity Twitch 

Charity Twitch streams had raised over $200m for good causes by September 2020. Twitch charity drives are a natural and effective idea, given the inherently interactive nature of Twitch content, the loyal engagement of audiences, and the platform's in-built donation culture. Twitch charity stream ideas can take in gaming marathons, specific gaming challenges, multiplayer tournaments, and more. Rolling donations, auction giveaways, and pledges of special gaming feats and forfeits at fundraising milestones can infuse charity Twitch streams with a unique, upbeat, interactive energy, and the broad range of viewer subcultures on Twitch make it a great place to fundraise for any cause.