Launching a leading streaming platform on TikTok

The mission to establish Twitch as a best-in-class streaming platform, for gaming as well as music, e-sports, and more, began in March of 2020 as global lockdowns introduced new creators and fans to Twitch’s online community. 

We dove in early on as Twitch’s full-service partner to cement their place with this fast-growing fanbase. Our team provided support re-establishing Twitch’s presence on Twitter and Instagram across markets with a successful rehabilitation that demonstrated the wider breadth of content on Twitch post-lockdown. 

During this initial effort, we identified TikTok as an untapped social platform with vast potential. Just like Twitch, creators are at the heart of TikTok. It also helped that, amongst gamers, TikTok was the only social platform showing consistent growth year over year. And already the hashtag #twitch had 38.5 billion views, with other Twitch-related content also racking up impressive numbers.

In 2021, we approached Twitch about launching on TikTok to increase engagement and further enhance the brand.

Right off the bat, we knew neither traditional advertising nor content that felt too much like advertising would win over an audience like Twitch’s. 

These were folks that were part of a community with a knack for spotting outsiders and razzing marketing campaigns that didn’t fit their vibe. 

To deliver content with the Twitch community’s preferred flavor, we built Twitch’s launch on TikTok around a longstanding inside joke.

See, a funny thing happens when Twitch Creators step away from their streams. The phenomenon that’s known to the Twitch community as (drumroll)… the chair stream.

We created a full minute-long chair stream video, boosted with paid support, for Twitch’s TikTok. To keep viewers engaged, we used a drool-worthy setup and strategically placed several Twitch easter eggs to keep folks waiting for the payoff.  

In the last five seconds, we gave fans what they were looking for by ending our mock chair stream with a special cameo from prominent FaZe clan member Swagg, as he walked into frame and acknowledged what everyone had been waiting for: Twitch is here and ready to take on TikTok.

The careful thought that went into our production didn’t go unnoticed by Twitch’s audience.

In total, we racked up:

• +60MM views
• +364K likes
• +9,000 comments

Best of all, we successfully gained Twitch’s brand new TikTok account with more than 60,000 followers. 

As an added bonus, the project even earned us a Silver Distinction in TikTok at the 14th annual Shorty Awards, created to honor the best in social media.

TikTok numbers continued to grow after the success of Twitch’s initial launch. In less than a year, Twitch saw a 234% follower increase and its videos amassed an additional +1 million views across social. 

Quarter over quarter, we also observed a 200% increase in impressions, 269% increase in engagements, and a 23% increase in average engagement rate.

Our four-year partnership with Twitch also continues, in work helping uncover new ways for Twitch to expand its reach with reactive opportunities and live events like TwitchCon.