Quantifying the impact of creator programs

Over the past 15 years, influencer marketing has evolved from a novel approach to an essential component of any modern activation related to a game's launch or significant content update.

Most developers and publishers view the concept as a uniquely powerful tool in their arsenal for reaching new players, but determining the tangible potential an activation can provide is often nebulous. Sales may spike when a content creator's gameplay goes viral, but how can teams better understand the overall impact investing in an influencer activation can provide?

Using live service titles as an example, an annual $20 million valuation in Earned Media Value is on the line for teams who strategically leverage a creator program to support their launch(es) – that is, an ongoing campaign that fosters long-term partnerships with a creator extending beyond a single activation or title.

The data and recommendations below are informed by the 1.2 billion points of data our analysts compile on a daily basis from a database spanning just under 130 million influencers, as well as strategies we've utilized through years of designing and evaluating performance marketing campaigns (in other words, activations which are trackable in real-time and designed to accomplish specific goals like retention, conversion, etc.).

No campaign strategy or estimated trajectory of impact can be universally applicable for every game, but these findings clearly demonstrate how a well-deployed activation can change the landscape for a title – or even a portfolio.

• Contextualizing the data
• Measuring the impact
• Tools and strategies for success

Contextualizing the data

Creator programs are a relatively new concept compared to the longer-running precedent of negotiating sponsored content for an individual game. They often provide their members with more than just game keys, incentivizing creators to invest in a non-transactional relationship with a studio or publisher for their own benefit beyond paid activations.

For the $20 million valuation in annual EMV we estimate creator programs can provide live service games, we'll explore an example charting the potential for an individual title. This dataset was modeled based on a combination of 500 potential creator program targets for live service games on Twitch, as well as anonymized retention data across multiple creator program members.

Earned Media Value (EMV) represents the estimated value of content generated by creators through streams, videos, and social media posts. For this analysis, Gamesight concentrated on Twitch creators and utilized aggregated streamer behavior related to live-service titles.

This approach involved modeling streamer behavior based on average monthly streaming durations, shifts in viewership, and seasonal trends. The cost per viewer hour metric applied in this analysis was derived from historical influencer rates, adjusted to a more conservative scale to reflect the nature of these unpaid activities. Typically, the Earned Media Value for a livestream is calculated using the following formula: EMV = Viewer Hours * CPVH (Cost Per View Hour).

Measuring the impact

A creator program's impact is measurable on a genre-by-genre basis – and thus can be contrasted with a given game's potential for organic, non-paid engagement to better realize the true reach a creator program is providing. Our data as charted below outlines what a team could anticipate to gain for their particular title, broadly speaking.

Our findings demonstrate that creator program members stream 80% more content on average from the relevant game(s) after joining a program. This is remarkable value in a space where content creators are often planning the amount of time they will spend with a game on a contractual, minute-by-minute level. To that point, our data finds that creator programs have a 14% higher content retention rate than non-program creators. This is particularly beneficial for titles that notice a decline in influencer content mid-update cycle.

For creator programs to offset the natural monetary incentive for influencers to spend their time on content they'll be paid for, this level of retention is hugely beneficial for budgets and relationship building alike.

An added bonus of creator programs is what we call cross-title pollination, defined as when a creator program participant plays more than one title from the portfolio a program is creating. Members of a creator program have a 70% cross pollination rate compared to creators outside of the program's 12% rate.

How a creator program's value compares

Beyond the potential impact on a campaign, it's important to understand the ideal use case for creator programs. As a strategy, they are remarkably effective for supporting games in the lulls between a title's milestone updates and activations; they're particularly suited for boosting the tail ends of a game update.

Creator program members are inherently more likely to stick around and continue creating content due to their own investments into the game's community. As a member of a program, creators grow their audience forming organic connections with a game's existing fanbase. This spurs content driven by authentic passion and resonates with viewers as an organic interest in the title, often resulting in more captivating entertainment than what's typically found in purely transactionally focused sponsored streams or videos.

Tools and strategies for success

Like every aspect of influencer marketing, creator programs are most successful when they're used in a strategic, goal-oriented manner. Prioritizing partners purely based on the views their content gets can be costly and especially shortsighted, depending on a campaign's intended purpose. Here are some strategies that help shape communities that benefit fans, creators and the teams behind a title alike:

Identify the creators most suited for your title

• Consider: who are the key creators that you are seeing create content on launch? It's important to invest in these creators as your game is just starting. Just because they're making content now, doesn't mean they'll care in a few months. These relationships will pay dividends. Remember: Total views is not the only thing to consider. Does a smaller creator reach a unique audience? Do they have better retention than a bigger name?

Foster non-transactional relationships

• This concept is key to making creators care (even if they aren't necessarily getting paid!).
• Consider providing members access to beta knowledge, building direct lines to developers for feedback, and other ways you can start a long-term dialogue. Integrating creators into the actual development cycle is a mutually beneficial goal.
• A healthy creator community is indicative of a healthy game.

Establish when to launch a creator program

• Secure the bandwidth to actually manage and communicate with creators – avoid making them feel like they aren't being heard. Overcommitting before you can scale resources with your program's size can be detrimental. You don't want your program to feel like an empty Discord server.
• Curate a community suited for your game's format (live service vs. single player). The difference in content lifecycles between these formats significantly influences strategy.

Be mindful of the key do's and don'ts specific to launching a creator program

DO:

• Find and prioritize ways to build trust & transparency.
• Support creators in their own events & initiatives.

DON'T:

• Assume that because a creator does something for free, that they should always do it for free.

Creator programs must be more than an afterthought for their full potential to be realized – but data like the set in this analysis exemplify a clear and tangible return on investment at hand for teams willing to dedicate the necessary resources. Initiatives like creator programs can substantially extend a title's longevity while bolstering engagement with a portfolio, so long as the time is taken to grow meaningful partnerships, ultimately sustaining a community of creators that can stay engaged and drive genuine passion for and from a game's community for years to come.

Nikolas Racelis-Russell is as a data analyst at analytical marketing partner Gamesight. In his role, he partners with game developers and publishers across hundreds of titles, leveraging data to identify optimal influencers for their marketing campaigns and creator programs.