• Celebrities that have their own brands can use Twitch as an extension of their public personas, streaming gameplay or simply chatting with fans. Over the years, many celebrities have used the platform to reach new and maintain existing audiences among Millennials and Gen Z.
• Political candidates can use Twitch to meet with voters in a casual environment while getting their message across to a younger audience, like New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did when playing Among Us with content creators in October 2020.
• American rapper T-Pain built an audience on Twitch over the years and streams frequently, having gone live 33 times so far this year. On the other hand, in 2022, musical duo Daft Punk streamed previously unreleased footage from a concert they put on in 1997, which reached over 167K viewers, and have not streamed since.
• Actress Keke Palmer recently started livestreaming on Twitch and already amassed over 40K followers and an AMA of 1.4K, indicating that her brand was able to reach old and new fans on the platform.
• Sci-fi novelist N.K. Jemisin frequently played single-player games on Twitch to raise money for charitable causes.

Livestreaming on Twitch is a great way to engage with a community in a more intimate setting than a meet-and-greet booth at a sponsored event. Celebrities that have their own brands can use Twitch as an extension of their public personas, streaming gameplay or simply chatting with fans. Over the years, many celebrities have used the platform to reach new and maintain existing audiences among Millennials and Gen Z.

Well-known public figures, which include politicians, use Twitch to reach younger generations. In late October of 2020, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez along with fellow Representative Ilhan Omar played Among Us with Twitch stars HasanAbi, Pokimane and others. The stream made headlines for being one of the most watched on Twitch at the time. AOC made her motivations for streaming on Twitch clear – to reach a young audience with a “get out the vote” message – and she came to the platform prepared. By playing a popular game, AOC got her message across and was able to connect with a young audience in an appealing and authentic way. Everyone can have fun playing games, even our congressional representatives.

It may be easier for other types of public figures, like musicians or actors, to make the transition to livestreaming, as their message is often less advertorial and can seem more authentic for Twitch viewers. The ability to reach a new audience with a personal brand is part of Twitch’s core appeal for streamers. T-Pain, a musician and rapper, has taken to the platform to do just that. He plays a mix of games and sometimes streams under the Just Chatting category, enjoying his time with fans. So far in 2023, T-Pain has an AMA of 858 over 33 streams. He streams regularly and this allows him to engage with his fans throughout the year.

Musical performances on Twitch are also common, with over 78K streamers going live in the Music category so far this year. Typically, these performances are meant for smaller audiences and more intimate than a concert in a venue, but in 2022, musical duo Daft Punk bucked the trend when they used the platform to stream unreleased live footage of a concert they performed in 1997. While it was an unexpected use case for the livestreaming platform, the airing drew in a large virtual crowd reaching over 167K viewers.

Actress Keke Palmer is another traditional celebrity who has started streaming on Twitch. Although she only started streaming in early 2023, she has already seen success on the platform with over 40K followers so far. Her latest Tekken 7 stream garnered an impressive AMA of 1.4K. Her success on Twitch indicates that she is reaching a partly established audience, her fans, while also attracting new viewers who are organically discovering her channel.

Finally, award-winning author N.K. Jemisin used Twitch to reach beyond her audience and to engage with these fans in a new way. When she streamed, she often streamed for charity events. N.K. Jemisin has played many games over the years, from Mass Effect 2 and Skyrim to beloved indie titles like Journey. Although she has not streamed in a while, Twitch offers her a space to connect with her readers in a more intimate setting compared to a book signing event or a convention floor.

Livestreaming is a surefire way to reach the Millennial and Gen Z audience and celebrities should take advantage of this platform to help reach new fans and connect with their already existing communities.

Streaming on Twitch is a great way for celebrities and public figures to reach the Millennial and Gen Z audience. The Vindex Intelligence Platform provides a comprehensive 360-view of the most influential content creators in the space, empowering brands to amplify their campaign messaging and target hard-to-reach audiences. Click here to learn more.