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The world of eSports has taken the world by storm. Competitive video gaming has made its way to pop culture. As such, it has attracted the attention of investors, media brands, and even gamblers. With a huge following, it just makes sense. According to Insider Intelligence, eSports views are close to reaching 30 million this 2022. For viewers, it’s wildly entertaining to watch professional gamers battle it out on the virtual field.
Video gaming-specific streaming platforms, such as YouTube Gaming and Twitch, allowing fans to communicate directly with various teams and players. But, the gaming fanbase is not only limited to professional eSports players. There are also gamers with a good following that has taken the world of Facebook Gaming by storm. If you’re good at playing any of these games and want to stream yourself playing, you must understand that there are tons of ways for you to make money on Facebook Gaming?
Are you ready to play?
The Era of Facebook Gaming
Gaming is a huge industry. It’s valued at US$198.4 billion in 2021 and is expected to hit US$339.95 billion within the next five years at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.94% from 2022 to 2027. The pandemic largely fuelled the growth of the industry. With restrictions in place, people had to coop up in their homes to pass the time. They needed to look for platforms from which they could get a different kind of entertainment. As a result, gaming platforms garnered thousands of new visitors and caused a huge surge in players and revenue.
While Twitch pioneered the idea of game streaming, Facebook Gaming is making itself known as many streamers switch to the Zuckerburg-owned platform as they easily attract more subscribers.
Facebook Gaming is accessible from the platform’s left sidebar when using the desktop. Via the Facebook app, you can find it on the menu. From there, viewers can access many recommended live streams, with the most popular ones showing immediately.
Compared with YouTube Gaming and Twitch, Facebook Gaming applies an algorithm and share functionalities that make it easier for viewers to discover streamers. Thus, providing streamers more opportunities for rapid growth.
How Much Can Facebook Gaming Streamers Make?
Facebook Gaming streamers who do full-time streaming can earn, on average, between US$2,750 to US$5,500 monthly. For many, it has become a potent source of living. One successful Twitch streamer who was eventually recruited to Mixer, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, once made a staggering US$500,000 in a month just by playing “Fortnite.”
Anthony Helm followed Blevin’s footsteps and resorted to streaming. After three months of regularly playing Fornite for 10 hours a day, he accumulated thousands of followers and reports having a comfortable life living off Facebook Gaming alone.
How to Start Streaming on Facebook Gaming
If you want to make good money streaming on Facebook Gaming, you must join the platform’s Level Up Program. This should be your first step. If you’re not part of the program, you won’t be able to set up paid subscriptions or earn from Facebook Stars.
Once you have a gaming account, start streaming to increase your page’s visibility and gain more followers. When starting, your focus should be on achieving the goals we will enumerate below so you can qualify for the Level Up Program.
- An active Gaming Creator Page, at least 14 days old
- Stream for 2+ days in the last two weeks
- Stream for 4+ hours in the last two weeks
- Saved 4+ hours of VODs from streams on the gaming page
- Get 100+ page followers
Once you become part of the program, you will get a badge on your profile. You can check your program eligibility through your Facebook Gaming dashboard via fb.gg/streamer.
Again, you need to join the Facebook Gaming Creator Level Up Program to monetise your gaming streams. As a member, you can unlock paid subscription services and Facebook Stars.
Being a member of the program also affords you additional benefits, including:
- 1080p access
- 60 frames per second streaming
- Facebook Gaming Community invitation
The Facebook Gaming Community is a great opportunity for you to network, meet other gamers and streamers, and improve your feed to gain more followers and make money.
Make Money on Facebook Gaming
Making money on Facebook Gaming is pretty straightforward. Once you become a member of the program, you should activate your Facebook Stars. Here’s how you can do it:
- Go to your streamer dashboard.
- Click on the “Set Up Stars” button.
- Supply your payment information.
Once your Facebook Stars is enabled, you can start streaming and expect the cash to go to your account. How do you get money from Facebook Stars? Here are some ways:
Through Donations
If you have a growing audience and like the content you’re producing, they will send donations your way. It’s one of the first ways to earn money from your gaming streams.
Your viewers can buy Stars from Facebook for US$1.40 (100 Stars). Users often buy more because it’s cheaper when in larger bundles. From the sales, Facebook gets 5% to 30% of the revenue and donates the $0.01 to the game creator. You may think it’s pretty meagre, especially if you know that DLive sends 100% of revenue to game creators.
But, the catch here is that Facebook also gives free stars to your fans if your page has a high volume count. These free stars can be donated to you, the game creator. In a sense, it helps encourage you to create more content. If you stream more, you get to belong to the higher Star Tier, and you can get more free stars.
Via Fan Paid Subscriptions
As a Level Up member, you can also enable your fan subscriptions. Take note that you must have 250+ return subscribers. When you are eligible for this, the subscription will also be a good monetisation strategy because you get monthly recurring payments for your subscribers.
Fan subscriptions cost US$4.99 monthly. The game creator has the flexibility to give different perks to their subscribers. Some prominent gamers give their subscribers exclusive live feeds, monthly giveaways to loyal followers, and subscriber-only posts.
By Facebook In-Stream Ads
Mobile advertising is gaining attention from advertisers, and Facebook Gaming offers in-stream advertisement that allows game streamers to earn more money. But, not everyone on the platform can access these in-stream ads. To qualify, you must be first a Facebook Gaming Partner, an invitation-only opportunity. This means you must make Facebook notice your page.
As such, you need to exert effort here to ensure you produce high-quality content. More than that, you must also establish that you have your own community. It may be a lot of work, but it’s all worth it in the end because you’ll definitely earn money through ads.
Other Ways to Earn Money on Facebook Gaming
The strategies above are just some monetisation activities you can do through the platform itself. However, many streamers are taking it up a notch higher by exploring other ways to earn money on Facebook Gaming.
Some do brand sponsorship, affiliate marketing, and even merchandise selling. Facebook Gaming does not offer these, but you can use your page as a platform to provide these services. Since this is not via Facebook Gaming itself, the earnings do not come from Stars but through direct transactions with brands, partners, and consumers. You get the total revenue, and Facebook will not get any percentage.
But, of course, you have to make sure that you have a good number of subscribers, so brands will notice you.
How to Withdraw Funds
Facebook Stars are just stars on the platform, but they have monetary value if you withdraw them. While you can instantly withdraw your funds, there may be some delay in when the money reflects in your account.
Facebook Gaming payouts happen 30 days after each month ends. Say you earned Stars in March, and you will get the payout in May. All earnings in April, you get them in June, and so on. The minimum withdrawal amount is 10,000 Facebook Stars, which equates to $100.
If you have a closing month where you failed to earn the minimum amount to withdraw, you cannot receive a payout. Don’t worry. You can still use the Facebook Stars since it will be rolled over to the next payout month.
Now that you know how to earn money on Facebook Gaming, it’s a great opportunity to get funds if your favourite betting games aren’t in season yet. In a way, investing in other sources of income is an excellent way to have funds you can use for betting or enjoying other activities that cost money.
