Oct 7, 2025
7 MIN READ
Ideas & Examples
Ideas & Examples
Influencer Marketing for Gaming Brands: Strategies That Work
Influencer Marketing for Gaming Brands: Strategies That Work
Influencer Marketing for Gaming Brands: Strategies That Work
Rashmi Singh
Rashmi Singh
Rashmi Singh
Rashmi Singh
Content Marketer @impulze.ai
Sections
Blog in Short ⏱️
Blog in Short ⏱️
A quick glance at the highlights—perfect for when you're short on time.
A quick glance at the highlights—perfect for when you're short on time.
Inside this blog, you’ll find influencer marketing strategies for gaming brands:
Partner with Streamers: How Twitch and YouTube creators can showcase your game or gear.
Micro & Nano Influencers: Tap smaller communities for genuine engagement.
Challenges & Contests: Hashtag campaigns, speedruns, fan art, and creative mods.
Tournaments & Esports: Sponsor events and leverage influencer commentary.
Storytelling & Long-Term Partnerships: Build trust, loyalty, and shareable content.
Paid Whitelisting: Boost top influencer content to reach more gamers.
Gone are the days when gamers were just people punching buttons in a dark room. Today’s gamers are social, connected, and always online—following streamers, joining communities, and sharing tips with friends and followers.
In fact, many people say they trust recommendations from popular gamers more than any other source when deciding what games to play or which gear to buy.
No wonder gaming influencers have become a go-to choice for brands, as their viewers are exactly the audience most brands want to reach. Take Fortnite as an example. When it first launched, Epic Games teamed up with streamers like Ninja and Pokimane, who played the game live in front of millions. The buzz was instant. Downloads skyrocketed, and the momentum never really slowed down.
So, if teaming up with gamers has ever crossed your mind, now’s the perfect time. And to make it easier for you, we’ve pulled together a list of proven influencer marketing strategies that gaming brands can start using right away.
Know Your Gaming Audience
Before we talk about influencer marketing for gaming brands, let’s take a short diversion to understand the types of gamers you’ll be reaching. Not all gamers are the same, and knowing their preferences can help you pick the right influencers, campaigns, and platforms.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Casual Mobile Gamers: Play on smartphones during free time. They respond well to short, fun clips, app promotions, and light-hearted influencer content.
Competitive Esports Players: Highly engaged and skilled. They follow pro players, tournaments, and gear reviews. Partnering with pro-level influencers or esports streamers works best here.
Stream Viewers vs. Social Media Gamers: Some gamers prefer watching live streams (Twitch, YouTube), while others scroll highlights, memes, or clips on social platforms (TikTok, Instagram). Tailor campaigns accordingly.
Platform Preferences: Know where your audience hangs out. Twitch and YouTube dominate live gameplay, TikTok and Instagram thrive on short, shareable clips, and Discord communities are great for deeper engagement and beta testing campaigns.
By segmenting your audience, you can choose the right influencer and platform to maximize engagement, trust, and conversions.
Strategy 1: Partner with Twitch & YouTube Gaming Influencers
Let’s start this with a question.
When was the last time you discovered a new game or gaming gear?
Chances are, it was from watching someone you trust play it live, laugh about it, or even rage-quit on Twitch or YouTube.
That’s the magic of gaming influencers. They don’t just promote a product, they literally live it. And when thousands (sometimes millions) of viewers are hanging out in their streams, those experiences spread like wildfire.
Here’s a case in point: When Among Us was first released in 2018, hardly anyone noticed it.
But two years later, popular streamers/gaming influencers like Pokimane and Disguised Toast started playing it live.
Their streams were funny, chaotic, and authentic and overnight, Among Us became one of the most talked-about games on the planet!
How to do it yourself?
Find the right match: Don’t just go for the biggest gaming influencer. Find someone whose style matches your product. A casual, funny streamer might be perfect for a mobile game, while a pro-level gamer might be better for a high-performance headset.
Focus on experience: Instead of asking gaming influencers to “talk about your product,” let them use it in real time. Watching someone clutch a win using your controller or headset is way more powerful than a scripted shoutout.
Start small if needed: You don’t need Ninja-level budgets. Just start small with mid-tier streamers as they often have loyal and engaged communities that trust every word they say.
Pro Tip:
Whatever you do, make sure you never lose authenticity. Gamers can smell a forced promotion from miles away. But when a gaming influencer genuinely enjoys your product, their viewers pick up on that energy, and that’s when real influence happens.
Strategy 2: Partner with Micro & Nano Influencers
As discussed in the last strategy, influence doesn’t always come from the biggest names. In fact, some of the most effective campaigns come from micro and nano-influencers.
Take it this way – a mega-streamer might shout out your game once, and sure, you’ll get reach.
But a micro-influencer with, say, 20,000 passionate followers? They’ll answer DMs about your product, respond to comments, and genuinely hype it up because they’re closer to their community.
This is the trust you simply can’t buy with big numbers.
How to do it yourself?
Go niche: Look for influencers in your exact category like speedrunners, mobile gamers, RPG lovers. Their audience already loves that genre.
Build relationships: Don’t just send gaming influencers a one-off code. Engage with them, comment on their streams, and make them feel part of your brand story.
Scale smart: Partner with multiple small influencers instead of one big one. The combined engagement can outperform a single mega campaign.
Strategy 3: Launch Gaming Challenges & Contests for Engagement
Now, let’s come to some influencer marketing campaign ideas for your gaming brands.
We’ll start with the core catch: gamers love a good challenge. It’s in their DNA—whether it’s beating a level, getting the fastest speedrun, or creating something cool around a game.
So you can start by launching contests or challenges.
There are many ways to do this:
1. Hashtag Challenges
Hashtag challenges are all about getting players to share their moments using a branded hashtag. It’s fun, social, and gives your game a voice online.
Example: Fortnite ran the #BoogieDownChallenge, where players shared their best dance moves in-game. Gaming influencers participated and boosted participation, making the hashtag trend worldwide.
2. Speedrun Contests
Speedrun contests challenge players to finish a level or game as fast as possible. It sparks competition and keeps people coming back to try again, especially if gaming influencers are a part of it.
Example: Celeste organized community speedrun events. Streamers attempted record times, which inspired viewers to try, creating weeks of engagement.
3. Fan Art Competitions
Fan art competitions let players show off their creativity by designing artwork inspired by your game or characters. The best part? Winners can get in-game items, merch, or a shoutout.
Example: Pokémon GO launched fan art contests during major events. Gaming influencers showcased submissions, and fans eagerly joined, producing hundreds of high-quality entries.
4. Creative Mods or Level Design Challenges
The next gaming influencer marketing idea is creative mod or level design challenges. In this, you ask players to build their own levels, skins, or mods and then share the top creations. This gives fans a sense of pride and ownership.
Example: Minecraft routinely hosts building challenges where players create themed worlds. Influencers livestream their creations, inspiring followers to participate.
5. In-Game Trick or Skill Challenges
These challenges push players to show off special tricks or stunts in-game. They’re fun to watch and even more fun to try.
Example: Rocket League launched a “Crazy Shot” challenge, asking players to score goals with unusual angles or maneuvers. Streamers played along, giving followers ideas and motivation.
Strategy 4: Sponsor Tournaments & Esports Events
If you have the budget and you’re pretty serious about your branding, take the high-end route of influencer marketing at tournaments or esports events. These are events where passionate players and fans who live and breathe gaming come together, and if you become a part of that world, it will instantly give your brand more visibility and credibility.
And what exactly should you do? Simply partner with influencers as commentators or hosts. They bring energy, humor, and personality to the event. When they talk about your product while streaming, it feels natural, not like a boring ad. Their fans watch, listen, and remember.
Real-world examples:
Red Bull has been sponsoring esports tournaments for years, with popular influencers hosting or commentating. This makes the brand feel like a real part of the gaming community.
Another example is Logitech, which sponsors tournaments and has influencers test their gear live, showing how it works in action. Fans see it, trust it, and get excited. Even smaller brands can join local tournaments or online competitions and team up with micro-influencers to create buzz without huge budgets.
Pro tip: Don’t just show your logo. Make your brand part of the fun. Give away prizes, let influencers demo products, or host interactive segments. The more real and engaging it feels, the better the response from gamers.
Strategy 5: Build Long-Term Partnerships
So you did the challenges and you even sponsored the tournaments and teamed up with gaming influencers, but do you know there are chances your ROI might still fall flat?
The reason is simple: one-off campaigns can only take you so far.
Gamers notice when a brand pops up once, but they remember and trust brands that consistently show up over time.
Long-term partnerships with gaming influencers turn your brand from a one-time guest into a familiar friend in the gaming community. When an influencer streams your game, joins your challenges, or talks about your product repeatedly, their audience starts seeing your brand as part of the experience, not just an ad.
Over time, this builds loyalty, engagement, and even organic advocacy, because fans know the influencer genuinely believes in what you’re offering.
How to do it yourself?
Stay engaged beyond campaigns: Don’t treat gaming influencers like billboards. Interact with their content, share updates, and make them feel like a true partner.
Collaborate on shared goals: Plan streams, contests, or content together. When influencers have a stake in your campaigns, their excitement spreads naturally.
Celebrate their wins: Highlight their streams, repost their content, and give shoutouts. When influencers feel appreciated, they keep bringing their audience along.
Strategy 6: Focus on Storytelling
When was the last time an ad made you feel excited, inspired, or even a little emotional?
Hard to remember, right? That’s why in gaming, storytelling beats traditional promotion every time. If your game or gear can be part of a story, influencers can turn it into something unforgettable.
Take League of Legends, for example. Influencers didn’t just show gameplay; they shared personal experiences, epic moments, and funny fails.
How to do it yourself?
Let influencers create narratives: Instead of asking them to “review your game,” encourage them to weave it into their streams naturally—like showing a journey, completing challenges, or reacting to in-game moments.
Highlight human moments: Gamers love seeing real reactions like surprise wins, funny fails, or emotional cutscenes. These moments make content memorable.
Make it shareable: Encourage gaming influencers to clip their best moments or create short stories for social media. Fans love sharing stories, and each share spreads your brand organically.
Strategy 7: Amplify Content via Paid Whitelisting
Even the best influencer content can get lost if it only reaches the influencer’s existing audience. Paid whitelisting solves this problem by boosting top-performing influencer content through paid campaigns. This way, the authenticity of the content stays intact, while your brand reaches a much wider audience.
Here’s how to do it using Impulze:
1. Identify top-performing content:
Use the Impulze dashboard to track which posts or videos are getting the most engagement, shares, and saves.
Focus on content that already resonates with the audience.
2. Set up whitelisted campaigns:
Grant permission to promote the influencer’s content as an ad.
Use Impulze to select the content and define your target audience (specific gamers, regions, or interest groups).
3. Monitor and measure ROI:
Track clicks, conversions, and engagement metrics directly in Impulze.
Compare boosted performance with organic reach to see which content and influencers deliver the best results.
Adjust targeting or budget based on real-time data to maximize impact.
4. Scale successful campaigns:
Once you find content that performs well, increase the reach and budget to amplify results further.
Keep testing different content types and influencers to optimize ROI continuously.
When used correctly, paid influencer whitelisting helps more people see influencer content, delivers clear results, and keeps the content feeling genuine.
Ready To Start?
You’ve seen the strategies, you’ve read the examples, and you know what works. Now it’s time to take action. So, team up with the right influencers, launch engaging campaigns, and make your brand a part of the gaming world.
And if you want a little extra boost, impulze.ai can help you find the right creators, track results, and amplify your top content so your campaigns don’t just run, they win. Start now for free.
Gone are the days when gamers were just people punching buttons in a dark room. Today’s gamers are social, connected, and always online—following streamers, joining communities, and sharing tips with friends and followers.
In fact, many people say they trust recommendations from popular gamers more than any other source when deciding what games to play or which gear to buy.
No wonder gaming influencers have become a go-to choice for brands, as their viewers are exactly the audience most brands want to reach. Take Fortnite as an example. When it first launched, Epic Games teamed up with streamers like Ninja and Pokimane, who played the game live in front of millions. The buzz was instant. Downloads skyrocketed, and the momentum never really slowed down.
So, if teaming up with gamers has ever crossed your mind, now’s the perfect time. And to make it easier for you, we’ve pulled together a list of proven influencer marketing strategies that gaming brands can start using right away.
Know Your Gaming Audience
Before we talk about influencer marketing for gaming brands, let’s take a short diversion to understand the types of gamers you’ll be reaching. Not all gamers are the same, and knowing their preferences can help you pick the right influencers, campaigns, and platforms.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Casual Mobile Gamers: Play on smartphones during free time. They respond well to short, fun clips, app promotions, and light-hearted influencer content.
Competitive Esports Players: Highly engaged and skilled. They follow pro players, tournaments, and gear reviews. Partnering with pro-level influencers or esports streamers works best here.
Stream Viewers vs. Social Media Gamers: Some gamers prefer watching live streams (Twitch, YouTube), while others scroll highlights, memes, or clips on social platforms (TikTok, Instagram). Tailor campaigns accordingly.
Platform Preferences: Know where your audience hangs out. Twitch and YouTube dominate live gameplay, TikTok and Instagram thrive on short, shareable clips, and Discord communities are great for deeper engagement and beta testing campaigns.
By segmenting your audience, you can choose the right influencer and platform to maximize engagement, trust, and conversions.
Strategy 1: Partner with Twitch & YouTube Gaming Influencers
Let’s start this with a question.
When was the last time you discovered a new game or gaming gear?
Chances are, it was from watching someone you trust play it live, laugh about it, or even rage-quit on Twitch or YouTube.
That’s the magic of gaming influencers. They don’t just promote a product, they literally live it. And when thousands (sometimes millions) of viewers are hanging out in their streams, those experiences spread like wildfire.
Here’s a case in point: When Among Us was first released in 2018, hardly anyone noticed it.
But two years later, popular streamers/gaming influencers like Pokimane and Disguised Toast started playing it live.
Their streams were funny, chaotic, and authentic and overnight, Among Us became one of the most talked-about games on the planet!
How to do it yourself?
Find the right match: Don’t just go for the biggest gaming influencer. Find someone whose style matches your product. A casual, funny streamer might be perfect for a mobile game, while a pro-level gamer might be better for a high-performance headset.
Focus on experience: Instead of asking gaming influencers to “talk about your product,” let them use it in real time. Watching someone clutch a win using your controller or headset is way more powerful than a scripted shoutout.
Start small if needed: You don’t need Ninja-level budgets. Just start small with mid-tier streamers as they often have loyal and engaged communities that trust every word they say.
Pro Tip:
Whatever you do, make sure you never lose authenticity. Gamers can smell a forced promotion from miles away. But when a gaming influencer genuinely enjoys your product, their viewers pick up on that energy, and that’s when real influence happens.
Strategy 2: Partner with Micro & Nano Influencers
As discussed in the last strategy, influence doesn’t always come from the biggest names. In fact, some of the most effective campaigns come from micro and nano-influencers.
Take it this way – a mega-streamer might shout out your game once, and sure, you’ll get reach.
But a micro-influencer with, say, 20,000 passionate followers? They’ll answer DMs about your product, respond to comments, and genuinely hype it up because they’re closer to their community.
This is the trust you simply can’t buy with big numbers.
How to do it yourself?
Go niche: Look for influencers in your exact category like speedrunners, mobile gamers, RPG lovers. Their audience already loves that genre.
Build relationships: Don’t just send gaming influencers a one-off code. Engage with them, comment on their streams, and make them feel part of your brand story.
Scale smart: Partner with multiple small influencers instead of one big one. The combined engagement can outperform a single mega campaign.
Strategy 3: Launch Gaming Challenges & Contests for Engagement
Now, let’s come to some influencer marketing campaign ideas for your gaming brands.
We’ll start with the core catch: gamers love a good challenge. It’s in their DNA—whether it’s beating a level, getting the fastest speedrun, or creating something cool around a game.
So you can start by launching contests or challenges.
There are many ways to do this:
1. Hashtag Challenges
Hashtag challenges are all about getting players to share their moments using a branded hashtag. It’s fun, social, and gives your game a voice online.
Example: Fortnite ran the #BoogieDownChallenge, where players shared their best dance moves in-game. Gaming influencers participated and boosted participation, making the hashtag trend worldwide.
2. Speedrun Contests
Speedrun contests challenge players to finish a level or game as fast as possible. It sparks competition and keeps people coming back to try again, especially if gaming influencers are a part of it.
Example: Celeste organized community speedrun events. Streamers attempted record times, which inspired viewers to try, creating weeks of engagement.
3. Fan Art Competitions
Fan art competitions let players show off their creativity by designing artwork inspired by your game or characters. The best part? Winners can get in-game items, merch, or a shoutout.
Example: Pokémon GO launched fan art contests during major events. Gaming influencers showcased submissions, and fans eagerly joined, producing hundreds of high-quality entries.
4. Creative Mods or Level Design Challenges
The next gaming influencer marketing idea is creative mod or level design challenges. In this, you ask players to build their own levels, skins, or mods and then share the top creations. This gives fans a sense of pride and ownership.
Example: Minecraft routinely hosts building challenges where players create themed worlds. Influencers livestream their creations, inspiring followers to participate.
5. In-Game Trick or Skill Challenges
These challenges push players to show off special tricks or stunts in-game. They’re fun to watch and even more fun to try.
Example: Rocket League launched a “Crazy Shot” challenge, asking players to score goals with unusual angles or maneuvers. Streamers played along, giving followers ideas and motivation.
Strategy 4: Sponsor Tournaments & Esports Events
If you have the budget and you’re pretty serious about your branding, take the high-end route of influencer marketing at tournaments or esports events. These are events where passionate players and fans who live and breathe gaming come together, and if you become a part of that world, it will instantly give your brand more visibility and credibility.
And what exactly should you do? Simply partner with influencers as commentators or hosts. They bring energy, humor, and personality to the event. When they talk about your product while streaming, it feels natural, not like a boring ad. Their fans watch, listen, and remember.
Real-world examples:
Red Bull has been sponsoring esports tournaments for years, with popular influencers hosting or commentating. This makes the brand feel like a real part of the gaming community.
Another example is Logitech, which sponsors tournaments and has influencers test their gear live, showing how it works in action. Fans see it, trust it, and get excited. Even smaller brands can join local tournaments or online competitions and team up with micro-influencers to create buzz without huge budgets.
Pro tip: Don’t just show your logo. Make your brand part of the fun. Give away prizes, let influencers demo products, or host interactive segments. The more real and engaging it feels, the better the response from gamers.
Strategy 5: Build Long-Term Partnerships
So you did the challenges and you even sponsored the tournaments and teamed up with gaming influencers, but do you know there are chances your ROI might still fall flat?
The reason is simple: one-off campaigns can only take you so far.
Gamers notice when a brand pops up once, but they remember and trust brands that consistently show up over time.
Long-term partnerships with gaming influencers turn your brand from a one-time guest into a familiar friend in the gaming community. When an influencer streams your game, joins your challenges, or talks about your product repeatedly, their audience starts seeing your brand as part of the experience, not just an ad.
Over time, this builds loyalty, engagement, and even organic advocacy, because fans know the influencer genuinely believes in what you’re offering.
How to do it yourself?
Stay engaged beyond campaigns: Don’t treat gaming influencers like billboards. Interact with their content, share updates, and make them feel like a true partner.
Collaborate on shared goals: Plan streams, contests, or content together. When influencers have a stake in your campaigns, their excitement spreads naturally.
Celebrate their wins: Highlight their streams, repost their content, and give shoutouts. When influencers feel appreciated, they keep bringing their audience along.
Strategy 6: Focus on Storytelling
When was the last time an ad made you feel excited, inspired, or even a little emotional?
Hard to remember, right? That’s why in gaming, storytelling beats traditional promotion every time. If your game or gear can be part of a story, influencers can turn it into something unforgettable.
Take League of Legends, for example. Influencers didn’t just show gameplay; they shared personal experiences, epic moments, and funny fails.
How to do it yourself?
Let influencers create narratives: Instead of asking them to “review your game,” encourage them to weave it into their streams naturally—like showing a journey, completing challenges, or reacting to in-game moments.
Highlight human moments: Gamers love seeing real reactions like surprise wins, funny fails, or emotional cutscenes. These moments make content memorable.
Make it shareable: Encourage gaming influencers to clip their best moments or create short stories for social media. Fans love sharing stories, and each share spreads your brand organically.
Strategy 7: Amplify Content via Paid Whitelisting
Even the best influencer content can get lost if it only reaches the influencer’s existing audience. Paid whitelisting solves this problem by boosting top-performing influencer content through paid campaigns. This way, the authenticity of the content stays intact, while your brand reaches a much wider audience.
Here’s how to do it using Impulze:
1. Identify top-performing content:
Use the Impulze dashboard to track which posts or videos are getting the most engagement, shares, and saves.
Focus on content that already resonates with the audience.
2. Set up whitelisted campaigns:
Grant permission to promote the influencer’s content as an ad.
Use Impulze to select the content and define your target audience (specific gamers, regions, or interest groups).
3. Monitor and measure ROI:
Track clicks, conversions, and engagement metrics directly in Impulze.
Compare boosted performance with organic reach to see which content and influencers deliver the best results.
Adjust targeting or budget based on real-time data to maximize impact.
4. Scale successful campaigns:
Once you find content that performs well, increase the reach and budget to amplify results further.
Keep testing different content types and influencers to optimize ROI continuously.
When used correctly, paid influencer whitelisting helps more people see influencer content, delivers clear results, and keeps the content feeling genuine.
Ready To Start?
You’ve seen the strategies, you’ve read the examples, and you know what works. Now it’s time to take action. So, team up with the right influencers, launch engaging campaigns, and make your brand a part of the gaming world.
And if you want a little extra boost, impulze.ai can help you find the right creators, track results, and amplify your top content so your campaigns don’t just run, they win. Start now for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is influencer marketing for gaming brands?
What is influencer marketing for gaming brands?
What is influencer marketing for gaming brands?
How do I find the right gaming influencers for my brand?
How do I find the right gaming influencers for my brand?
How do I find the right gaming influencers for my brand?
Should I work with mega influencers or micro/nano influencers?
Should I work with mega influencers or micro/nano influencers?
Should I work with mega influencers or micro/nano influencers?
What types of campaigns work best with gaming influencers?
What types of campaigns work best with gaming influencers?
What types of campaigns work best with gaming influencers?
How can I measure the ROI of gaming influencer campaigns?
How can I measure the ROI of gaming influencer campaigns?
How can I measure the ROI of gaming influencer campaigns?
Do long-term partnerships with influencers work better than one-off campaigns?
Do long-term partnerships with influencers work better than one-off campaigns?
Do long-term partnerships with influencers work better than one-off campaigns?
How can I amplify influencer content to reach more gamers?
How can I amplify influencer content to reach more gamers?
How can I amplify influencer content to reach more gamers?
Author Bio
Author Bio
Rashmi Singh
Rashmi Singh
Rashmi Singh is a writer and strategist with more than 7 years of experience. When not writing, she is either spending time with her friends or planning her next trip. You can learn more about her here.
Rashmi Singh is a writer and strategist with more than 7 years of experience. When not writing, she is either spending time with her friends or planning her next trip. You can learn more about her here.
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May be Later