Twitch for streamers: guides, tips and a glossary
Everything I have written about Twitch in one place: the guide for getting started, the OBS setup, a glossary for every word you do not recognise in chat – and what the platform keeps changing, sorted by topic instead of by date.
Where do you want to start?
By topic
Twitch for streamers also means this: Twitch changes something constantly. These are the posts explaining what changed and what it means for your channel – grouped by topic rather than by date.
Making money
- Monetization for all – Subs, Bits and channel points no longer require affiliate status.
- Community monetization 2026 – Turning chat participation into actual revenue.
- Bonus Gift Subs – Gift five subs and Twitch adds a sixth.
- Sponsorships for affiliates – Brand deals through Twitch are open to small channels now.
- SUBtember – When September’s discount is worth it – and when it is not.
Moderation and safety
- Lead Moderator – The role that can manage your mod team for you.
- Business Manager – Hand over business tasks without handing over credentials.
New features
- Shared Chat – How merged collab chats actually work.
- Chat GIFs – What the subscriber perk means for your channel – and how to switch it off.
- Dual-format streaming – Your stream served vertically as well, for phones and the discovery feed.
- Co-streaming – How big events pool their reach.
Tools and software
- OBS setup for Twitch – The guide for your first stream.
- Streamer.bot: Power-Ups – Automate Power-Ups and pinned messages.
- Razer acquires StreamElements – What the acquisition means for users.
- ByteMate vs. Nightbot – A direct comparison of the two chat bots.
- ByteMate vs. StreamElements – Feature scope, overlays and usability compared.
The bot behind the channel
A lot of what is explained here – watchtime, automatic shoutouts after a raid, alerts, word filters, giveaways – is what a chat bot does for you. ByteMate is mine: free, with a dashboard, sign-in through Twitch and without handing a password to anyone.