Being a gamer myself, gamers and streamers made YouTube a better place, and now they also have a home in Twitch. I love being part of this community, where we have people playing with passion, people making money from their passion, and people making others’ days better, out of a shared passion. I’d say gaming is driven by passion. For streamers, it wouldn’t hurt to turn the passion into a profit as long as they provide good content and entertain their followers. Right?
This writeup here is about how video game streamers can rake in some extra cash on top of the streaming revenue. Gaming Merch, obviously!
Why Merch Matters
Some followers simply want to rep your brand. They watch your streams, cheer you on, and now they wouldn’t mind showing their loyalty and support IRL. That’s where merch comes in. It’s not just about making money (though that’s a sweet bonus). It’s about building a community and giving your fans a way to connect with you beyond the screen. It’s another means for requesting support from your fans while offering them some good quality “trinkets” in return.
What to Sell
Despite being super engaging and creative with the streams, many gamers often don’t get creative with their merch. They don’t think “What should I sell that they’ll really like?”. They think “What should I sell to make a decent profit?”.
There are a lot of ways to get creative with a gaming merch lineup, but first let’s talk options.
T-Shirts and Hoodies
Can’t go wrong with OG tees and hoodies. The garments are present in almost every merch lineup these days, with the latter having high perceived value. A blank full zip hoodie is where streamers can get truly creative, and not just by branding them with a logo. That’s considered lazy stuff these days, but still get a lot of support.
Gaming Accessories
Custom stickers and wallpapers don’t work like they used to for video game streamers. Fans of streamers today generally don’t want a big wallpaper with a streamer’s logo and silhouette popping out in their rooms’ walls. But they would appreciate customized accessories like custom gaming headphones, custom controllers etc.
You see, most people that watch video game streams are gamers themselves. They’d obviously be spending on accessories for their own sessions. So with custom gaming accessories, a streamer is offering just what they want and the fans get to support the streamer. Two birds with one stone. Besides, accessories are generally affordable and easier to ship.
Limited Edition Jackets
Jackets. Something unique and classy in gaming merchandise. Not every streamer offers customized jackets. There are streamers with a great number of followers who never miss a live stream. It’s got to a point where the fans actually don’t want to miss the live gameplay and interactions. Use that insight on the merch lineup with Limited Edition drops.
These ideally include customized or branded exclusive items that are available only for a limited time period. It could be something like a streamer’s popular quote, a popular streaming gimmick that fans look forward to watching on every live stream, or even a collab design. I personally think jackets are the best for such exclusives. I’ve seen a streamer friend of mine (not a gamer) order North End jackets, invest in personalizing them, and promoting them as exclusive merchandise.
Making Merch That Pops
Gamers who stream and garnered a lot of followers have an inherent creativity they apply to engage their fans. It’s not very difficult for them to be creative with their merch. Here are a few design trends in the niche.
- Simple & clean designs sell better
- Merch that references popular stream moments sell better
- Items with high quality designs sell better
You know what. If you’re a streamer, just ask your community. This way they’ll feel invested and you’ll know what they want. You stay on top of your game by offering unique, good quality content. That focus on quality should be on the merch you sell too. Customizing cheap quality materials doesn’t promise much momentum.
Tips To Promoting The Merch
- Research what other streamers charge.
- Set up a Twitch panel below the stream with a link to the merch store.
- Showcase (Unveil) the merch live during streams
- Wear merch while streaming. When viewers ask about it (trust me, they will), you can drop the store link while you interact.
- Promote the items on social media platforms where the fans hang out
- Create unboxing videos or behind-the-scenes peeks at new designs.
- Do Giveaways and Contests where winners get exclusive or signed merch
- Don’t undersell or price yourself out of the market.
Launching Your Merch
People who are already adept in publishing engaging videos and interactive sessions don’t need an elaborate game plan. They know what they’re doing. But I thought these should be emphasized.
- Drop hints and tease fans about upcoming merch to build anticipation.
- Set a launch date and post a countdown on social media to build excitement.
- Do a special stream showcasing your new products and to engage your fans, explaining how you’d appreciate the support.
- Follow up the purchases by sharing photos of your fans flaunting your custom merch.
Keep listening to the community, try new things like you switch to new games, and don’t be afraid to pivot if something’s not working. Hopefully these tips can help you create a merch line that your fans will love and help you take your streaming career to the next level.