Making Money Gaming Online: An Interview with Daniel Levitt, a.k.a. "BobbyBS"

Daniel Levitt is a social media influencer under the name “BobbyBS” in the category of video games with 53,000 subscribers on YouTube. Daniel plays Brawl Stars, a 2017-released game that has kept it’s cult following to this day. We asked Daniel about working with social media full-time and the impact it has had on his life.

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For many, it’s difficult to understand how video gamers can reap rewards simply from filming themselves playing from the comfort of their own home. Over the past year, 50 billion hours were spent watching gaming videos on YouTube. We asked Daniel about how he is able to translate his exposure into a real revenue stream.

“I work for an ad agency called Tempo Storm that fields offers for me,” Daniel explained. “They pay me a monthly salary, handle all my deals and partnerships, and in return take a percentage of my earnings.” Ad agencies have taken notice of the rise of social media influencers and made sure to get a head start on representation, and it’s not uncommon for them to employ hundreds of influencers like Daniel.

Of course, growth is vital. If an influencer is not able to grow themselves on different platforms, ad agencies will second guess their relationship. Daniel says growth is even more important than revenue for him. While he explains that impressions (the amount of times something was seen) are an excellent way to look at growth, there are many other ways to measure it. Growth isn’t always simply the numbers that are right in front of influencers, but rather in more sophisticated analytics such as percentage of watch time. “I'm always looking at how long someone watched the video for, or what types of videos people like," explains Daniel. "I often go back and look at when they're watching the video so I can drop it at a more opportune time".

Daniel understands the importance of being able to grow across all platforms, including Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, offering a key trick into doing so. “I leverage the followings I have across all my platforms and have them grow each other. For example, I link my Youtube channel in my Instagram bio so I can push my Instagram following to Youtube". “Daniel has been able to parlay his YouTube success into a tremendous amount of engagement on Twitter, attributing this to cross promotion.

So, which platform is most important for gamers? Daniel notes that YouTube has the highest "ceiling" in terms of those looking to get started with video games, however Twitter is just as important as a way to interact with fans because of it's far more "personable" nature.

Though users may not always be fond of it, influencers are given the ability to include paid promotion in their content. Companies offer gamers compensation for promotions with gaming chairs, energy drinks and other products their audience would be a target for. Advertising for other games is also a common practice.

“Recently I promoted a game, where for every twenty downloads it got from my followers, I was given 300 dollars." This practice is how many successful video gamers make their money.

Interacting with followers is incredibly important for social media creators. Nothing would be possible for influencers without those who show them support and interact with their content. One of the main reasons why people become fans of certain users on YouTube or other platforms is because they are incredibly accessible, often times being just a tweet or message away.

“Obviously I can’t do all of them, but I do like to show the people who are fans and supportive of me that I do respond and see the stuff they say. Therefore, once or twice a day I'll just respond to one of them randomly,” says Daniel, noting that quick responses to fans can go a long way for all of his followers. “When my fanbase sees me responding to some of their messages they feel connected to me, making them more loyal.

While social media can be exciting, creators often deal with uncertainty in a world where remaining popular is key. So what does Daniel see in the future? Is he in it for the long run?

“A lot of hard work, in the next five years or so. Hopefully, staying steady. I am very lucky to do what I love and I try not to take it for granted."

A special message from Bobby BS:

Links:

https://twitter.com/bobbyBS_

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcvJdy945lh9KNQnW2yr_0A

https://www.instagram.com/bobby_brawlstars/