Kick.com is a video live streaming service that allows you to earn money online by creating and sharing your content with a global audience. Whether you are a gamer, a musician, a comedian, or an expert in any field, you can use Kick.com to showcase your skills and passions and get paid for it. But how exactly does Kick.com work? How do you sign up, set up your stream, and receive payments from your fans and sponsors? In this article, we will answer these questions and more, and provide you with some tips and best practices to help you succeed on Kick.com.
What is Kick.com?
Kick.com is a relatively new platform that was launched in 2022 as a competitor to Amazon-owned Twitch, the leading video live streaming service in the world. Kick.com aims to differentiate itself from Twitch by offering looser moderation and higher revenue shares for streamers. According to its website, Kick.com charges only 5% of the revenue generated by streamers, compared to Twitch’s 50% cut. This means that streamers on Kick.com can potentially earn more money from their content than on Twitch. Additionally, Kick.com has proposed paying all of its streamers hourly if they meet certain conditions, such as being active for at least four hours per day, having a webcam on their face, and being the age of majority. This would make Kick.com the first streaming service to offer such a feature.
Kick.com is mostly known for its 2023 deals with multiple streamers formerly prominent on Twitch, most notably including chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, Adin Ross, and xQc. These streamers have attracted millions of viewers and followers to Kick.com, making it one of the fastest-growing platforms in the industry. As of June 2023, Kick.com averages 235,000 livestreams per day.
How to Sign Up for Kick.com
Signing up for Kick.com is easy and free. All you need is a valid email address and a password. You can also sign up using your Google or Facebook account. To sign up for Kick.com, follow these steps:
- Go to Kick.com and click on the “Sign Up” button at the top right corner of the page.
- Enter your email address and password, or choose to sign up with Google or Facebook.
- Check the box to agree to the terms of service and privacy policy, and click on “Create Account”.
- You will receive a verification email from Kick.com. Click on the link in the email to confirm your account.
- You are now ready to start streaming on Kick.com.
How to Set Up Your Stream on Kick.com
Before you can start streaming on Kick.com, you need to set up your stream settings and preferences. This includes choosing your stream title, category, language, tags, thumbnail, chat options, and more. To set up your stream on Kick.com, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Kick.com account and click on the “Go Live” button at the top right corner of the page.
- You will see a dashboard where you can customize your stream settings. Here are some of the options you can choose from:
- Stream Title: This is the name of your stream that will appear on the platform and attract viewers. Make sure to use a catchy and descriptive title that reflects your content and personality.
- Category: This is the type of content that you are streaming, such as gaming, music, sports, etc. Choose the category that best matches your stream from the drop-down menu.
- Language: This is the language that you are speaking in your stream. Choose the language that you are most comfortable with from the drop-down menu.
- Tags: These are keywords that describe your stream and help viewers find you. You can choose up to five tags from the list provided by Kick.com or create your own custom tags.
- Thumbnail: This is the image that will appear as a preview of your stream on the platform. You can upload your own image or use one of the default images provided by Kick.com.
- Chat Options: These are settings that affect how your viewers can interact with you and each other in your chat room. You can enable or disable features such as slow mode, emotes only mode, subscriber only mode, etc.
- Once you have configured your stream settings, click on “Save” at the bottom of the dashboard.
- You are now ready to start streaming on Kick.com.
How to Start Streaming on Kick.com
To start streaming on Kick.com, you need two things: a computer or mobile device with a camera and microphone, and a streaming software or app that can capture and broadcast your video and audio to Kick.com. There are many options available for streaming software or apps, such as OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, XSplit Broadcaster, etc. For this guide, we will use OBS Studio as an example.
OBS Studio is a free and open source software that allows you to stream and record your video and audio from multiple sources, such as your webcam, microphone, desktop, game, etc. You can also add various effects and overlays to your stream, such as text, images, animations, etc. To start streaming on Kick.com using OBS Studio, follow these steps:
- Download and install OBS Studio from obsproject.com.
- Open OBS Studio and click on the “Settings” button at the bottom right corner of the window.
- In the settings window, click on the “Stream” tab and select “Kick.com” as the service from the drop-down menu.
- Enter your stream key in the “Stream Key” field. You can find your stream key in your Kick.com dashboard under the “Stream Key” section. Copy and paste your stream key from Kick.com to OBS Studio. Do not share your stream key with anyone, as it allows anyone to stream to your channel.
- Click on “Apply” and then “OK” to save your settings.
- In the main window of OBS Studio, click on the “+” button under the “Sources” section and select the source that you want to stream from, such as “Video Capture Device” for your webcam, “Audio Input Capture” for your microphone, “Display Capture” for your desktop, etc.
- Adjust the size and position of your sources in the preview window. You can also add more sources if you want to stream from multiple sources at once.
- When you are ready to start streaming, click on the “Start Streaming” button at the bottom right corner of the window.
- You are now live on Kick.com. You can check your stream status and chat with your viewers on your Kick.com dashboard.
How to Get Paid on Kick.com
There are several ways to get paid on Kick.com as a streamer. The main sources of income are donations, subscriptions, ads, and sponsorships. Here is a brief overview of each source:
- Donations: These are voluntary payments that viewers can send to you as a way of showing their support and appreciation for your content. You can enable donations on your Kick.com dashboard under the “Donations” section. You can choose to accept donations via PayPal or credit card. You can also set up custom donation alerts and messages that will appear on your stream when someone donates to you.
- Subscriptions: These are monthly payments that viewers can make to access exclusive benefits from you, such as ad-free viewing, custom emotes, badges, chat privileges, etc. You can enable subscriptions on your Kick.com dashboard under the “Subscriptions” section. You can set up different subscription tiers and prices, as well as custom perks for each tier. You will receive 95% of the subscription revenue after Kick.com’s 5% fee.
- Ads: These are advertisements that will play on your stream before or during your broadcast. You can enable ads on your Kick.com dashboard under the “Ads” section. You can choose to run ads manually or automatically at certain intervals. You will receive a share of the ad revenue based on the number of impressions and clicks that your ads generate.
- Sponsorships: These are deals that you can make with brands or companies that want to promote their products or services on your stream. You can find potential sponsors on platforms such as FameBit or PowerSpike, or reach out to them directly via email or social media. You can negotiate the terms and conditions of the sponsorship deal, such as the duration, frequency, format, and payment of the promotion.
To receive payments from Kick.com, you need to link your PayPal account to your Kick.com account. You can do this on your Kick.com dashboard under the “Payment Settings” section. You will receive payments from Kick.com every month if you meet the minimum payout threshold of $100.
Tips and Best Practices for Streaming on Kick.com
To succeed as a streamer on Kick.com, you need more than just a good setup and a reliable internet connection. You also need to create engaging and entertaining content that attracts and retains viewers. Here are some tips and best practices to help you grow your audience and income on Kick.com:
- Be consistent: Streaming regularly and frequently is one of the best ways to build a loyal fan base and increase your exposure on Kick.com. Try to stream at least three times a week, preferably at the same time and day. This way, your viewers will know when to expect you online and tune in accordingly.
- Be interactive: Streaming is not a one-way communication. It is a live interaction between you and your viewers. Make sure to acknowledge and respond to your chat messages, thank your donors and subscribers, ask questions and opinions, play games and polls, etc. The more you interact with your viewers, the more they will feel connected and engaged with you and your content.
- Be unique: Streaming is a competitive field, especially in popular categories such as gaming or music. To stand out from the crowd, you need