The Affiliate Marketing Podcast - Tero Paivarinta talks about the benefits of Twitch Streaming

In this week's Affiliate Marketing Podcast, Lee-Ann Johnstone spoke with Tero Paivarinta about Twitch streaming. They discussed Tero's background in the industry and the importance of managing a partnership between the streamer and the brand.

Listen to this week's episode to get some valuable insights into this kind of affiliate partnership.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:32

And discuss the latest affiliates and digital marketing trends. If you want to stay at the cutting edge of affiliate marketing, you're in the right place. Join me for this week's episode and let's get started. Hi, and welcome to the Affiliate Insider Affiliate Marketing Podcast with me, Leanne Johnston. And today I'm joined by Tiero Paivalinta. Hi Tiero, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Hi Leanne, I'm doing very good. Thank you. Thank you for having me here.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Thank you very much for joining us. We've got a really exciting conversation to have today about streaming, which I know a lot of our listeners are very keen to hear more about, to understand. And I'm absolutely thrilled to have you here with us because you're working with one of the leading streamers in the Twitch community, actually. So I wanted to kick off and just ask you to give us a little brief introduction about your experience in the sector and your business for our listeners today.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Of course. I've been working uh in the iGaming industry for uh the past 14 uh years with brands like uh Olibet, uh, Expect uh Vera and John.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

And um in my last position, uh I was dealing with the uh the Finnish country marketing manager uh position, and uh that's where I uh really started learning about the uh uh the streamers and that side of the affiliate business. And um, it was easy for me because I know Yartu uh uh for the last uh three years. So when we started talking about this uh opportunity for me to uh to join him, uh it was a very easy step uh to take and uh and really start learning this side.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Excellent. So we're gonna talk a lot about streaming today because it's fast becoming a massive opportunity for gaming brands to consider as part of their marketing mix. And because you've been working so closely in this channel now for the past few months with um Yartu84, who's a leading uh streamer on Twitch, I wanted to talk about what's some of the biggest things you've learned about the channel um in terms of marketing in this area and what you can share with us from this experience.

SPEAKER_02 2:57

Of course. Uh it is a like completely different uh style of uh marketing, affiliate marketing than the other ones uh that are focusing on the CEOs and even influencers are um uh not as the same as uh the streamers because the streamer is actually streaming your casino site. Um we have only a few sites that we are doing the streaming, uh but it's also a possibility for us to stream your um your casino site. So it is showing to the customers uh real-time um events, uh what is happening in your casino, how it looks, how it feels, all that one that it will be then uh the customers are um are seeing it in uh in real time and making their own um uh assumptions and their own mind about the uh the brand. Yeah, so it is uh it is completely different, and that's why we also we um carefully uh select the casinos what we want to um to promote because the customer feedback is coming in real time for us. Uh they are uh talking in the forum uh and also in the stream uh directly to Yartu. And if we promote something bad, they will then tell Yartu in the stream everything that it's bad about that one.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Um then case there's a lot of trust that needs to be built there because obviously, you know, Yartu is streaming live, um, so you know your product needs to be in a really good shape in order to be a part of this channel when you're thinking about working with streamers because it's happening live and customers are directly linking into the platform as they would see it. Um, but then also there's the management of the brand. So I would imagine that you know it is quite a big deal for the streamer to have a real affinity to the brands that they're going to promote and represent.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

No, you are absolutely right, and um yeah, one of the uh the most famous uh Yartus' um uh most favorite uh casinos is uh Wildson uh casino, uh the same brand from uh from Roots.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Uh he it it it's just but that's only his preference.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Yeah. So does he from a business perspective and from a marketing perspective, what are some of the things that Twitch streamers like Yartu would look at at a brand before actually taking them on board? Is there a sort of like um you know review process that that streamers of his nature do?

SPEAKER_02 5:37

Good question. Uh there are some some steps that uh what Yartu is really um looking into uh with the casino. It's uh it's the feel of the casino. It needs we are mostly uh doing the business uh towards Finland. So the uh the site needs to be finished, uh, everything needs to be in order, uh, payment methods, all that kind of things needs to be in a really good good way. But it's also then the um Yartu is um is a high-stake gambler. Uh he also is a very uh high-stake gambler in uh land-based casinos, and he enjoys um very different uh slot games than the uh the average uh Starburst and uh Gonzo and all that one. So he's also looking these these type of games. Um with Olibet, uh he was uh mostly intrigued by the uh the fact that uh Olibet is the only brand in uh in Finland that has uh novomatic and uh EGT games uh live. So it it's like he's trying to look for the uh the really good package um from the casino.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

So it's I think because the other thing is that a lot of affiliate managers think that Twitch streamers are just like other affiliates, they've altered channel an audience, um, you know, they kind of align it more to almost like influencers, which is what you said before. But it's it's quite clear to me from this conversation that that's not actually the case. This is more of a strategic partnership, um, and it needs to be managed on both sides, both what the streamer needs and um requires in order to build that engagement with his community, and then also what the casino needs to provide in terms of product uh you know, marketing. Because I would imagine if he is a high-roller player or high-stakes player, he's gonna have people that are following that are high-stakes too. So, would you know a casino's customer service and loyalty proposition, you know, also be taken into account if if they're part of the kind of promotion scheme that you're gonna be working with?

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Yes, uh, we have been now looking at the different loyalty programs that different uh casinos brands are having, and uh, we also have our own um uh point system that the uh the followers are earning points, and then uh they can uh buy uh free spins, uh they can uh buy um bonuses, uh hoodies, uh different kind of things. Um but yeah, the uh the loyalty um programs, uh there aren't many many uh good ones uh as far as I know. Because I just don't know that yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Yeah, if anybody's listening to this podcast, there's an opportunity for you guys. Uh go check out your loyalty and and rewards programs and how you integrate with uh Twitch streamers, and there could be some you know breadcrumbs on the table there for you. In terms of the streaming marketplace, though, um, you know, how how do you think that it's going to adapt to continue engaging new audiences? Because it is fast becoming very populated. You know, there's you know, casino grounds, there's quite a few other um kind of affiliate businesses that are moving into the space. So, what do you think might need to adapt or change to kind of keep audiences engaged in streaming?

SPEAKER_02 8:57

Well, the streamers are all different. Um, as I mentioned, Yauto is a high-stake player, uh, he's playing with the high stakes, uh, over 10 euro uh spins. Uh, so that's why we have a very unique um audience as well, uh, comparing to the uh the other ones that might be playing with play money and uh and uh and not really uh showing their the real effect. Um it is all the time evolving. Uh there is a more younger audience, uh like the Twitch uh average age, I think it's uh like uh roughly in the 2020s, yeah uh for the uh for the followers. Um our uh average age on our followers is close to 30 years old, so we are getting a more mature um audience.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

And um quite important for affiliate managers to know and to look at because it needs to tie back into their overall acquisition strategy in terms of which Twitch streamers they're looking to partner up with. And with the fact that everything is happening in real time, the sort of compliance and regulatory role must obviously play quite an important part of this relationship because um twitch streamers need to obviously make sure that they're aware of what the advertising codes and standards you know dictate, what they can and can't say. So, how how are you kind of dealing with all of those changes? Is is compliance quite a big part of your business and and how you and Yacht work together?

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Uh for sure. Uh like now they are the new laws are coming in uh in Germany. Uh so if we're gonna do any kind of uh like I said, at the moment we are just focusing on Finland, but in the future, when they are the when we broaden up, they are the whole business. Um Sweden has its own uh cases and uh Germany has its own. So we are following uh 100% on the uh the rules because uh we want to be like we were in Germany, uh doing the uh the streaming as um as compliant as possible.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

So do you think that streaming channels have peaked, or do you think there's still not at all?

SPEAKER_02 11:11

It's just gonna go growing and growing because uh there might be some other uh services than Twitch coming up uh that you can uh start doing the uh the streaming, so then you're gonna um get uh get the other audience as well. Uh, because I didn't have a Twitch account uh before um I started um working with Yartu.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

So there is still a big, big marketplace uh to get people there. And like I said, it's at the moment it's very uh the age is very low in uh in Twitch, so it's a very uh young audience. So getting the uh the little bit older audience uh intrigued there, it's um it's a big task to do, and uh I think we can uh we can manage to uh to grow.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

So, what do you think one of the success success factors have been for you, you guys, in terms of building your community audience? Do you think that it was you know the fact that you focused on a certain niche, as in like high rollers, a more mature audience, or is it more about personality?

SPEAKER_02 12:17

It's personality 100%. Uh it's Yartu and his personality, um the cat's phrases, the uh the uh the winning dance, uh, all these kinds of things have uh have grown into the way that uh now we have over uh 53,000 uh followers in uh in Twitch.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Yeah, I mean that's this is yeah. And and how long has your streaming channel been going?

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Oh my god, it's uh I believe it's three years, a little bit longer. It's been going on.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

By using live entertainment in order to keep them engaged. Talk to me a little bit about how streamers kind of activate their audience because obviously they've they've got them captive when when they are actually physically streaming. But what's the kind of marketing methodology that sits behind transferring that customer from coming to the live show basically and then moving on to the to the platform? What what what kind of things do streamers do to make sure that that activation process is happening?

SPEAKER_02 13:23

No, there is a different uh different ways. Um so in the uh in the Twitch stream, the live stream, we are promoting uh some of our new casinos, uh, some of the old casinos, uh giving their giving the followers uh information about the bonuses. And uh Yartu is not really uh talking about uh sign up and get this bonus and uh like the welcome offers, but he's also like we have now a unique uh campaign um with 21 spin that he's also um engaging uh the followers, uh mentioning a couple of times in the evening uh that we have this and uh that happening now. So we we try not to uh to do too much to push to the customers because they they still are uh pretty much there the same uh followers that that started the stream and also are there a couple of hours later. So we don't need to uh push and push and push.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Yeah. So it's quite a softer sell, which is quite nice because I think customers like to sort of be led by their own personal preferences. So the way that you're presenting and the way that you're pushing the content actually the customer makes a choice as to when they want to want to engage, which is different to some of the other affiliate channels or traffic sources that affiliates are using at the moment, which I think is quite important for affiliate managers to consider. Um we know that multi-channel marketing is is making it a lot easier to reach and engage customers and players across multiple platforms. Um, what advice can you give to affiliates or or business owners that might want to consider entering the streaming channel as a new way to drive traffic to their sites? What are some of the things that you've seen that have worked or not worked in the past since you've been working in this channel?

SPEAKER_02 15:17

Uh for the affiliates to start their own uh own streaming uh in Twitch, it it's a hard road and uh you need to be unique, you need to be funny, engaging, and it's just gonna take a long time to uh to build the followers that actually has any value. Because if you start cutting corners and uh and like you're just gonna get uh young followers or just just like I don't even know, are they bots or these type of things? So you might say that you have 10,000 followers, but it's actually uh uh in your streams, there might be 30, 40 uh actually live streaming it.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

So in in in that sense, um it's not an easy way to uh to start doing yes, it means um it needs a lot of process and it certainly needs a personality as the face, it's not something exactly.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

And this this is also uh for the brands uh that wants to uh to start uh using uh the streamers. It's like you look at Finland, uh we probably have about 10 different uh streamers um uh that are doing uh pretty good job in Finland. Yeah, so it's like don't go all those 10 at the same time and uh try to get a huge uh spike in the numbers, but it's the easiest way is to uh to find from those go to YouTube, go to Twitch, see the uh the previous streams and everything, and find the right personality that matches to your brand's uh identity the best. And then pop and perhaps, yeah, and then you see the value of these customers and and all that one, because the uh the streamers they all are different, uh the ones that are successful, and they they all have their own personality on and it has taken for it has taken time for them to uh to build.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

Okay. And this brings me to my next question, which wasn't actually on the list, but since we brought it up, what are the commercial arrangements that happen with um Twitch streamers? Because I can imagine that it's not the same as you know uh tenancy placements or uh, you know, do you work on CPA and RevShare as well, or are there multiple ways that you kind of monetize your Twitch um streaming channel?

SPEAKER_02 17:50

For the uh for the Twitch, um we pretty much uh work with hybrid deals only. And um for the uh for the Twitch, uh there is uh there are ways to uh to promote your casino there, but we are mostly promoting uh all of our casinos there. So it's it's just like uh we have pretty much like two different uh things. So we have the uh the whole package that we use, our social media, our uh Twitch channel, uh website, all that one. Uh so when you sign up with us, uh we will promote it everywhere. Uh then the other other part is that uh if Yartu will start streaming uh in your casino. So this is then a little bit uh more trickier, and uh Yartu needs to approve it and and like all that one, and um yeah, it's uh it's a little bit different uh from there.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

Okay, so there's no one size fits all package, basically, you need to kind of consider the entire arrangement and how you're going to be integrated with the streamer as well as part of your kind of marketing strategy.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

So last year, exactly. But uh then it's the uh the like we also do and help out the uh the brands with the retention because like now that I mentioned uh with the 21 spin, uh we are doing um competition that the new and the old customers are getting uh uh share of uh 2,000 euro uh price pool. Uh so we are like pushing that one to new customers and the old customers in the in the stream, and uh so with this these type of things uh we are gonna start doing more in the future, hopefully, uh one major campaign uh per month uh with different brands.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

And that makes sense to me because I you know for a long time I've been telling people that affiliates play a much bigger role than just in the acquisition channel. You know, they're they're in the awareness state before customers purchase, they're you know reactivating customers to new brands after they've you know died or left um a brand or become dormant. So it's really, really important that you know Twitch streamers can also be used not only as acquisition but also for retention campaigns to cross-market and market uh promotions in other channels that brands maybe aren't even considering at this point. So I think that's a really, really cool point, and thanks very much for sharing that with me. As we come to the end of this podcast, I've got one big question for you, which I normally ask most of my guests. Where do you see the future of iGaming as we leave what has been a very difficult year of digital marketing behind? And how do you think that Twitch streamers are going to play a role in the future?

SPEAKER_02 20:37

You think that it was a hard year?

SPEAKER_00 20:40

I think for some it was.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

I yeah, I I think it was uh was a hard year, but the thing is that uh iGaming uh when they uh when everything goes uh goes hard, it's uh the iGame that uh really uh shoots to the stars. Uh land-based have all obviously uh taken the uh the big hit uh this year. Um but uh for the um for the iGaming, it's just I'm hoping to see new stuff. Uh I haven't seen much of uh new stuff coming up in the last uh nine months uh really. So I'm hoping that this um this year has uh been also uh done uh quite a lot of uh developing uh behind the closed doors. So uh we should be uh starting to see something uh good happening in the next six months.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

I mean, I'm talking about that. Yeah, I think you know, we've had a year of trials and tribulations, but also a lot of reflection or self-reflection, and hopefully from that we're gonna see a lot of innovation come through. So I'm very keen a deeper understanding of what's happening in Twitch and how um you know this entirely new channel of digital marketing, because it it it does sit outside of social media, it sits outside of influencer marketing, and it's really a medium on its own that's growing. So thank you very much for coming on board this podcast and sharing some of these invaluable insights of how Twitch streamers work and how operators can you know better collaborate with them to do better marketing and to engage customers online. I really appreciate your time and your experience.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

Oh thank you. It was uh it was really a pleasure to be part and uh and sharing my story. And hopefully uh we can do this one again.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

Absolutely. We'll we'll see you in a year's time and see what's changed.

SPEAKER_02 22:31

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

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