As a live streamer, have you ever wondered how to make money through your live broadcasts? Maybe you want to land live stream sponsorships, but don't know how to find live streamer sponsors?

At StreamYard, we understand that learning how to find sponsors is the first step toward successfully monetizing your live streams. In this guide, we share ten incredible ways to help you secure live streaming sponsorships.

Let's get started.

What Is Live Stream Sponsorship & Why Should You Consider It?

Live stream sponsorship is when a brand sponsors your live broadcast in exchange for placement such as a CTA, or mention in your live broadcast. These are usually paid/financial sponsorships where you receive money and the sponsor gets their brand in front of your engaged audience base, which could be their potential customers.

Earning sponsorships from brands not just helps you generate more income but also raises your credibility amongst your viewers. Plus, when you get ongoing sponsorships, you make your live streaming brand more viable for future sponsors.

Overall, live streaming sponsorships can help you generate income through your broadcasts, which you can then use to further your passion for creating valuable content for your audience, while also affording you the opportunity to enhance your live stream setup, such as adding a better camera, improving on your branding, and so on.

Let's take a look at some ways to find live stream sponsorship opportunities.

How To Find Live Stream Sponsors

1. Grow Your Audience

If you're a new live streamer, work hard to build your audience, as it will add to your credibility and bring you great sponsorship opportunities down the road. Keep in mind that you don't need millions of subscribers to earn sponsorships. Brands want to get their offerings in front of potential customers, and your live show might be just what they are looking for.

When growing your audience, begin by selecting a niche and creating content that adds value to their lives. You can also implement different live video SEO techniques to expand your live streaming channel's reach so that you can build a community of eager viewers. Finally, don't forget to end your live streams with a CTA, encouraging viewers to subscribe to your channel. This way they don't miss any future content that you share.

2. Build A Brand To Find Live Stream Sponsors

Ensure your live streaming channel looks professional and presentable enough to attract future sponsors.

From channel banners and cover images to logos, featured videos, and your about section – every detail about your brand should be ready for visitors. In addition, your live videos should have impressive thumbnails that clearly define what your show is about to attract the right audience.

Your channel should be your live streaming brand's portfolio for sponsors to assess. The more professional and engaging it looks, the better the chance you have to attract sponsors.

Here is an example from StreamYard's YouTube Channel. People who visit our channel can immediately learn what our channel is about.

 3. Sign Up For Connection Services

With a range of connection services and tools ready to be explored, connecting with sponsors is easier than ever.

You can use platforms like inSTREAMLY, Powerspike, and Elgato Gaming Sponsorship to connect with brands for paid opportunities. Some of these tools also let you manage your sponsorship portfolio and review campaign deliverables.

4. Networking Is The Key To Find Live Stream Sponsors

Networking online and offline is an excellent way to reach sponsors. As you network and build relationships, you meet new people and grow your reach. When it comes to in-person or physical networking, attending conventions, events, conferences, etc., can help you reach out to new people and introduce your brand to others.

Similarly, you can do it online by leveraging LinkedIn, attending webinars, and workshops, and hosting live interviews with guests.

Pro Tip: Always have your physical and digital business cards ready with you to hand them to potential sponsors. You can also include your channel's QR code in your live stream, or add them to your business card to direct users to your channel or website.

5. Deliver Quality In Your Live Videos

Earlier, we discussed producing value-added content in your live streams to gain a strong following. Although it may seem pretty simple, it isn't. Creating professional-grade streams is easier said than done. Brainstorming content ideas, building a setup, producing content, and repurposing streams could be challenging.

What will help you make a difference is consistency. Stay consistent in delivering quality in every live stream you create, and you will take your brand a step closer to fantastic sponsorship opportunities.

Additionally, analyzing and measuring your broadcasts can help you create quality content that your viewers would like to see more of, ultimately improving your chances of getting noticed by sponsors.

 6. Engage With Your Viewers

Learning how to find live stream sponsors will go in vain if you don't engage with your viewers. Keep in mind that sponsors want to see how well your audience connects with you and your engagement metrics demonstrate this better than anything else.

Here, let's not reach out for big numbers. A larger viewer or follower count won't matter much to a brand if viewers are not engaging with you. So, make sure you create engaging content and pay attention to your audiences' likes and dislikes to keep them tuned in and participating during your broadcasts. You can employ some of these tricks to engage better with your live stream viewers:

To learn more about engaging your live audience, watch this video:

7. Gain Traction Through Social Media To Find Live Stream Sponsors

Apart from your live streaming channel, you must focus on social media. For example, if you have a Twitch or YouTube channel, make sure you are active on other social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., to further your reach.

Here's an example of how StreamYard stays active on Instagram:

Don't forget, that you can also follow brands you'd like to work with to see who they usually partner with.

Lastly, don't forget to promote your live streams as you never know which brand may find you where.

Check out this video to learn more about promoting your live stream:

8. Reach Out To Potential Sponsors

No matter your niche, you can always reach out to companies to sponsor your work. First, create a list of companies you are interested in forging relationships with. Then, do your research before you pitch.

Feel free to reach out to other live streamers as well to see who they work with and how you can reach out to these companies.

In addition, leave a CTA at the end of every live broadcast calling out to potential sponsors. Because let's face it, not everyone knows you're looking for sponsors. So, why not state it out loud and set yourself up for success?

9. Find The Right Fit For Your Brand

Imagine not considering your sponsor's brand values when signing up for them. One bad deal could adversely affect your live streaming brand's reputation. That's why it's essential to consider your community, brand values, and ethos while looking for a sponsor. We recommend connecting with brands whose products and services you most closely align with.

So, before you sign a deal, ask these questions to yourself:

  • Do you share the same beliefs as the brand you're going to endorse?
  • Would you use their products/services personally?
  • Would your audience benefit from their offerings?
  • Do you find their terms and conditions transparent?
  • Is the brand reliable enough to direct your audience towards it?

If you have any reservations about the brand, go with your gut. But if you feel that most of the qualities you seek in a sponsor are being fulfilled, you may decide to go ahead and sign up for the brand.

10. Be Trustworthy & Professional

When you find live stream sponsors, understand that companies want to partner with streamers who are professional and reliable. Besides ensuring a good return on their investment, you must portray professionalism by being consistent with your live streams and standing true to your words.

Build a community and treat everyone with respect, including other streamers. When interacting with potential sponsors and their teams, be confident yet cordial. Don't burn your bridges if you lose an opportunity. Instead, stay calm and move on as you work on growing your brand and yourself. And if you get the opportunity, honor your commitment and cultivate long-term sponsorships.

Types Of Live Stream Sponsorships

After learning to find live stream sponsors, it's time to understand the different types of sponsorships.

While the right sponsorship opportunity depends largely on your niche, content's value, and what you offer the sponsor, there are various sponsorship options you can consider:

Pre-Stream Sponsorships

These sponsorships include messages, pre-recorded videos, banners, or even live video intros before the live stream starts. These are usually sponsored by brands with a limited budget who want to increase their reach but can't go beyond the pre-stream placement. But that's not always the case. Sometimes big brands take the pre-stream sponsorship route as well.

Subversive w/Justin O'Donnell does it right by browsing through the stream's sponsor's products at the beginning of this broadcast:

While it does give sponsors the attention they need right from the beginning of the live broadcast, it's worth noting that live stream viewers often tune into the stream once it's started.

One way to garner views here would be to promote the live stream on social media and other channels, incentivizing viewers to tune in early.

Onscreen Sponsorships

This one is a pretty common form of live stream sponsorship. It includes displaying an ad on screen when you're live. Now, if you're a StreamYard user, you can easily do that using logos, overlays, banners, and cropped solo layout.

Onscreen sponsorships are an ideal option for brands requiring viewers' attention during the live broadcast – it could be for a limited time or the entire stream like Todd Cartner does it in this live stream with a logo of the sponsor:

Live Stream Mentions & Shoutouts

Live stream mentions and shoutouts are another standard sponsorship option where you speak about a brand during the live stream. It could be a brand mention or an extended description of the brand's work/product.

This type of sponsorship requires the right timing, as it can cost you views if you introduce a brand in your live stream when you're in the thick of sharing something important to your viewers.

Check out how Latasha James uses the shout-out tactic in this live broadcast:

Affiliate Sponsorships

Similar to how Amazon Live works, an affiliate marketing sponsorship is when you find live stream sponsors and agree to share special links or codes to their products during your live stream or in the description. You earn a commission whenever your viewers make a purchase using the link or code.

It's an excellent tactic for live streamers with a smaller audience base as it still lets them earn good income through referral commissions.

Take a look at how Bored Progression includes affiliate links in the description with discount codes for their audience:

Pro Tip: When including affiliate links in your live streams, be sure to include a disclaimer to let viewers know you are being compensated if they click on your link.

Product Sponsorships

Product sponsorship is when a brand sends free products to use and review. For example, beginner live streamers or those with a small reach often receive free items from brands to review on their channel, and possibly a discount code that viewers can use when purchasing the product.

All Set To Find Live Stream Sponsors?

Finding live streaming sponsors might be a slow build-up for many. Avoid getting tempted and jumping on to the very first opportunity you get. Instead, have a strategy in place and add value to your niche to grow your following. Remember, if you have a good following, regularly assess your progress and look for areas of improvement.

To bring in more sponsorships and retain the existing ones, create content that connects with your viewers. Plus, act professionally when interacting with brands, viewers, and other streamers. And last but not least, cultivate your live streaming community and make it a positive, happy place where conversations happen, and new viewers transform into loyal channel members. Sponsorship opportunities should soon follow.

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