If you’re new to Twitch, you might be wondering what the checkmarks next to some people’s names mean.
On other social media platforms, the checkmark means the user is verified. It’s the same thing on Twitch, but on the popular streaming platform, it also means the verified user is a Twitch Partner.
If you’re wondering what the checkmark means and how you can get it, this guide can tell you everything you need to know.
What Does Being Verified on Twitch Mean?
Many people who start streaming on Twitch usually end up dreaming of eventually achieving partner status. They want that iconic checkmark next to their name, alongside the extra emote slots and the (let’s be honest here) bragging rights that go along with it.
Being verified on Twitch essentially means being partnered with the platform. Partners are streamers who have met all the achievements and criteria to qualify for the partner program.
It’s often bigger streamers that are partnered, but they can still lose their partner status if they violate Twitch TOS (terms of service).
xQc is a great example of a content creator who is partnered with the platform.
Related: xQc Net Worth / xQc Stream Setup
Benefits of Being Twitch Partner
Being a partner on Twitch comes with many benefits which is exactly why so many content creators strive to reach that status.
Partners get all the benefits of being affiliate and more, such as the following:
- Higher income split from subs (if the streamer qualified)
- More emote slots for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 subscriptions (and partnered streamers can unlock up to 50 emote slots)
- Better ad settings
- Longer VOD storage – 60 days
- Priority Twitch support
- The ability to create stream teams
- Access to partner-only events and campaigns
- Guaranteed video quality options/transcoding
How Do I Get Verified on Twitch?
There used to be other metrics through Twitch would qualify people as partners. However, as the platform grew, the criteria became stricter.
Nowadays, if you want to be verified on Twitch, the only way to do it is by earning partner status.
The steps to getting the coveted checkmark are simple, but not easy. First, you must complete all the achievements for Path to Affiliate.
Path to Affiliate requires you to meet certain criteria within the same 30-day period. The requirements are:
- Have fifty followers
- Stream for a total of 8 hours
- Stream on seven different days (so you can do a little over an hour a day for a week)
- Maintain an average of three viewers
It seems simple enough, but it may still take some time.
Once you are affiliated with the platform, the next step to getting twitch verified is by completing the Path to Partner.
What Are The Partner Requirements?
Much like the path to affiliate, there are achievements you must meet in order to become partnered with the platform. You have to maintain these stats over the same 30-day period.
The requirements are much more difficult this time around, with the hardest to reach being the concurrent viewer count of 75.
Path to Partner requires you to:
- Stream for a total of 25 hours
- Stream on 12 different days
- Have an average of 75 concurrent viewers in the past 75 days
The viewer count average is a bit difficult to achieve because it only counts organic viewers. Viewership attained through hosts or raids, premieres, reruns, and front page spotlights do not count towards your viewer average.
There are also other requirements not listed on the Path to Partner list, such as the below:
- Twitch may take a look at you and your value and impact on Twitch as a brand. If they think you may be a risk to their brand’s reputation, your partnership application may be denied
- Twitch may take your community and their behavior and morals heavily into consideration as well
- They may look at your reputation and the way you represent yourself on your social media platforms
- It’s more than likely that Twitch will look at your ban history and infraction history. They want to make sure that you are following Twitch terms of service, DMCA Guidelines, and Community Guidelines
How to Get Verified on Twitch Without Being a Partner
On rare occasions, Twitch gives out checkmarks and verified badges at their own discretion.
However, if you want to apply for a checkmark without being a partner, you’ll need to be either a brand or a celebrity of some sort.
Checkmarks are given to brands, game developers, and celebrities for the following reasons:
- They may be interested in doing promotional streams on Twitch
- They may be streaming on Twitch with some regularity
- They may want to partner with Twitch for one reason or another, such as promotional campaigns and business partnerships
What Other Badges Are There on Twitch?
Twitch’s chat badge guide pretty much explains everything you need to know about other chat badges, but we’ll discuss a few of the most common ones.
As a Twitch streamer, you’ll see the red camera icon next to your name when you type on your own stream’s chat.
When someone becomes a chat moderator, they gain the famed “green sword” of modly power. Users can only be a moderator OR a VIP. They cannot be both at the same time.
VIPs are very important people in a stream who also receive VIP-only benefits.
You also get the subscriber badges and the bit badges, which are benefits that viewers get when they support their favorite streamers.
Twitch staff and admins show up with the badges below:
Do I Need a Certain Amount of Followers to Be Verified?
There is no follower requirement on Twitch’s Path to Partner list, so technically, no. However, since there is a 50-follower requirement on Path to Affiliate, the “official” minimum to become partnered on the platform is 50 followers.
Getting Verified Isn’t Easy
Many people meet requirements then find themselves denied several times before they finally get accepted into the partner program. Others may never get accepted into the program at all.
The path to partner is long and there are no shortcuts, but if you’re really determined, it’s not impossible. Just remember that it takes time and a lot of effort, but who knows — you just might make it someday!
