How to Set Up Channel Points in Twitch

Reward programs are nothing new. Your favorite retailers and restaurants have been doing it for years. Recently, Twitch has jumped onto this loyalty program bandwagon and it’s changing the way that streamers can interact and reward loyal fans.

After all, who doesn’t love free perks?

If you wanted to know more about channel perks on Twitch, you’ve come to the right place. Discover how to set up channel points, earn them, and how to redeem them in this article.

How to Set Up Channel Points on Twitch?

If you’re a streamer, check out the steps below to start rewarding your followers:

1. Open Twitch and sign in.
   
2. Press your profile icon in the upper-right corner of the window to open the drop-down menu.
   
3. Select “Creator Dashboard.”
   
4. Click on the three horizontal bars icon next to the Stream Manager heading in the upper-left corner.
   
5. Go to “Community” and then “Channel Points.”
6. Toggle “ON” the first header, “Enable Channel Points.”
   
7. Click “Edit” to the right of “Customize Points Display” to add an image or change the way your points button appears.
   
8. Select “Manage Rewards” to expand the custom rewards menu.
   
9. Choose rewards to enable and how much it’ll cost your viewers to obtain.
   

You can also add custom rewards if the default ones aren’t fancy enough for your liking or if you have a particularly creative mind. The option is in the same place as your default rewards. From that menu, add these steps:

1. Click the “+Add Custom Reward” button at the bottom of the Custom Rewards section.
   
2. Name your reward.
   
3. Add a brief description.
   
4. Enter the cost of the reward.
   
5. Customize the reward icon with drag-and-drop images and tile colors.
   
6. Check out the preview of the reward tile on the right side of the window.
7. If you’re satisfied with your new reward, click the “Create” button at the bottom of the window.

Twitch Affiliate Program

Setting up channel points is a simple process, but you do need to be a part of Twitch’s affiliate program to participate. If you’re already part of the program, you can proceed with the steps listed above to get your channel points up and running.

However, if you’re not a part of that special club yet, you’ll have to wait for an invitation. You’ll receive an invite to the affiliate program if you meet the following requirements:

• Have at least 50 followers
• 500 minutes’ total broadcast time over the last 30 days
• Three or more simultaneous viewers on average
• Seven total days of unique broadcasts

Unfortunately, you can’t sign-up for the program yourself. Much like waiting to get asked to the prom, you need to wait until Twitch notices you. Once they do, you’ll receive an invite via email and have to undergo an onboarding process.

How to Earn Channel Points as a Viewer?

Earning channel points on Twitch is relatively straightforward. You watch enrolled channels and earn points, periodically. Sometimes, you’ll even see click-to-claim notifications to earn bonus points. When these are available, you’ll see them at the bottom of a chat window.

‘’Following’’ and ‘’Raid’’ participation points are automatically added to your account, but if you want those bonus points, you’ll have to claim them when you see them.

Some earning actions can yield more points than others. Take a look at Twitch’s current earning rates for points:

• Watching: non-subs, per 5-min slots of watching live, +10
• Active Watching: non-subs, per 15-min slots of watching live, +50
• Raid Participation: joining a raid, +250
• Follow: new follows, earned only once, +300
• Watch Streak (s): returning for multiple consecutive streams, at least 10-min each, +300-450

Subscribers to a channel receive additional bonus points every time they watch.

• Tier 1 – 1.2x
• Tier 2 – 1.4x
• Tier 3 – 2x

Point multipliers vary depending on your subscription Tier and only apply to that particular channel.

How to Use Channel Points as a Viewer?

When streamers enable channel points, they get a choice of either different default rewards to include or to create new ones themselves. These rewards are redeemable via Channel Points. The actual reward value may vary depending on the channel since streamers are the ones who set the Channel Point costs.

For example, a “Highlight My Message” perk from one streamer may cost 150 Channel Points while another streamer may drop the cost down to 100 Channel Points.

If you want to check out Channel Point rewards from your favorite streamer, follow these steps to browse and redeem points:

1. Select the Channel Point icon. It’s located in the lower left-hand corner of the chat window.
2. Browse through your reward options in the new window.
3. Click on the reward icon you wish to redeem.
4. Follow the instruction prompts.
5. Confirm the redemption by pressing the “Unlock” button.

Once you hit the purple “Unlock” button, Twitch will deduct the required points from your account and the reward is free to use. The confirmation window also lets you know what you unlocked, how long it’s available (if applicable), and the Channel Point cost.

Additional FAQs

How Do I Get Started With Twitch?

Getting started with Twitch seems deceptively simple, but there are a variety of details that can make or break your new channel. Here’s an overview of considerations if you’re thinking about streaming on Twitch:

1. Create a Twitch Account

If you haven’t already, it’s time to create a Twitch account. This is a good time to familiarize yourself with Twitch’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service and get to know what you can and can’t do, too. Before your first stream, Twitch also recommends that you establish Moderation and Safety settings using AutoMod to ensure a positive streaming experience.

2. Make Sure You Meet the Hardware Requirements

You don’t need high-end equipment to start a new stream, but there are a couple of things you should focus on to ensure a good stream.

First, you need a good microphone. Test it out and make sure that your voice comes out clear without any static or echoing. It’s also a good idea to use a headset or earbuds to avoid speaker feedback.

A decent internet connection is also very important for obvious reasons. It doesn’t need to be lightning-fast, but it does need to be fast enough to broadcast at 720p at the minimum.

Webcams are another essential piece of equipment for any streamer. The entire point of streaming is so that viewers can see you, right? They can’t do that if you don’t have a decent webcam. Look for webcams that can record 720p minimum and test out the recordings beforehand.

If you’re curious about Twitch’s hardware recommendations for streamers, you can find the list right here.

3. Personalize a HUD

Now that you’ve got the hardware situation squared away, it’s time to think about software requirements. Think about using tools like OBS or xSplit to make your stream look good for the viewers watching at home. Use pop-up notifications and put a border around your webcam to give your stream a unified and appealing look.

4. Use a ChatBot

Are chatbots necessary when you first start out? Unfortunately, they are. You never know who’s going to jump into your stream and post dangerous and malicious links to your chat. Chatbots like Moobot and Nightbot can help monitor your chats and keep everybody safe.

What Are Twitch Channel Points?

Twitch Channel Points is a reward system where viewers can redeem “currency” in exchange for special perks like highlighting a message or unlocking emotes. They may also be redeemed for customized rewards specific to the channel creator.

What Are the Benefits of Using Twitch Channel Points?

Everybody likes free stuff, especially when it comes from something they’re already doing anyway. That’s the beauty of Twitch Channel Points; both streamers and viewers benefit from it.

From a streamer’s viewpoint, offering Channel Points can lend some authenticity to the channel and drive community engagement. On the flip side, viewers are rewarded with special perks for an allotted time that also may help them further engage with the community. Depending on the streamer, viewers may redeem their points for anything from unlocking emotes to getting the streamer to do specific actions like petting their dog in a live stream.

How Many Channel Points Do You Get Per Hour on Twitch?

According to Twitch, the average viewer has around 220 points of earning potential per hour, and subscribed viewers can double those points easily with multipliers.

Let’s say that a viewer has a Tier 1 subscription to a channel. With a 1.2x multiplier, the subscription viewer can turn the average non-sub 220 rates into 440 Channel Points per hour.

What Can You Do With Channel Points on Twitch?

You can redeem Channel Points for perks and rewards on your favorite channels. Perks vary from emojis to special gaming sessions with the streamer. It all depends on who the streamer is, and which perks they enabled and created for their channel.

If you want to see what your favorite channel has to offer, click on the Channel Points button at the bottom of the chat window.

How to Make the Most of Channel Points?

One of the ways to make the most of Channel Points is to create rewards that are unique to your channel and community. Default rewards are great and expected, but customizing unique rewards make your channel feel more authentic, especially if you offer rewards that may be seen on screen in real-time.

What Are Default Rewards for Streamers?

Default rewards are the Channel Point perks predefined by Twitch. They can include anything from message highlights to emote unlocks. Streamers don’t have to do anything except enable the reward for viewers to redeem them. You can adjust reward costs yourself, or let Twitch do it via default reward costs, or using Smart Costs.

You can check out the available default rewards in the Creator Dashboard under “Channel Points.”

Drive Engagement With Channel Points

There are so many businesses that see the benefit of offering a rewards program to loyal followers. Why should Twitch be any different? Channel Points allow viewers to redeem points for special perks that help drive channel engagement and streamers get the added benefit of more people watching their channel. It’s a win-win situation for everybody in the community.

Which unique rewards does your favorite streamer offer for Channel Points? Do you customize your rewards or go with the default ones? Tell us about it in the comments section below.