TikTok is fast becoming the most popular social media platform in the digital world.
It has over 1 billion active users and in this year alone (the first three months of 2022), TikTok was the most downloaded platform.
You’re already posting entertaining and educational short-form content on TikTok and seeing great results. How can you further leverage this high-engaging, highly popular platform?
By streaming live videos on TikTok.
Social media live-streaming industry is growing at a rapid speed. According to Grand View Research, the live streaming industry is expected to climb from $70 billion in 2021 to almost $224 billion in 2028.
And brands are quickly catching on that.
If you’d like a slice of this lucrative live-streaming pie on TikTok, read on. In this article, we will discuss how you can broadcast live sessions on TikTok and fool-proof tips to make your live streaming video a success.
What is TikTok Live?
TikTok Live is just that - broadcasting live on this social media app.
It is similar to going Live on any other app like Facebook or Instagram. Look at it as an online meet-and-greet of sorts. Your followers are free to come and say hello, and ask any questions they may have about your products or any comments they would like to make. It engages with your followers in real-time, which goes a long way in building a connection with them.
What are the benefits of going Live on TikTok?
Going Live is an excellent way of connecting with your followers in real time.
Interacting with you in real time and having their questions answered by you adds a human touch to your brand. Rather than thinking of you as a brand they just see on screen, they remember you as someone they’ve had a conversation with.
This interaction is critical in building a long-lasting community on all social platforms, and especially on the fast-growing social media application TikTok.
A few other benefits of going Live on Tiktok include:
Live streaming helps content creators earn money
A unique feature of TikTok is how it lets you earn by simply doing Lives.
Confused? Don’t be.
TikTok awards creators with Diamonds. It is a TikTok currency that can be changed into real money in an external account of your preference. One way to earn Diamonds is when your videos get famous, TikTok rewards you with Diamonds.
The other way to earn Diamonds is through TikTok Lives. Your followers can send you Diamonds when you are doing a Live as a way of showing appreciation. You can then collect these diamonds and convert them into real money later.
Lastly, TikTok has recently launched a Live Shopping option to help content creators present their best finds to their community.
Live streaming helps boost brand awareness
There is a section on TikTok called the Weekly rankings. It ranks the creators based on the number of diamonds they have collected over the week. The more diamonds you have, the higher your rank will be.
Featuring the ranking page will be a benefit in itself, but that’s not all - Tiktok also awards the first 20 rankers with awards!
Moreover, the top ten hosts will have their page viewable on the “Explore More” page.
Note: You must follow all the community guidelines to be able to feature in this. Not following them will remove you from the weekly rankings; we certainly don’t want that.
Going Live on any platform is suitable for your brand, but going Live on TikTok is even better.
Why? TikTok’s powerful algorithm shows consumers highly personalized content.
When you go Live on TikTok, you connect with people with similar interests as you and your brand. This means they are more likely to engage with your content. There’s more chance of them ending up following your TikTok profile (since they actually are interested in what they are seeing, not just because the For You page suggested it randomly).
So TikTok Live is a potent tool you can use for marketing your brand.
Live streaming helps to create authentic relationships
Although Live’s views and engagement can fluctuate quite a lot, they offer something no other formats have: authentic relationships with your followers.
Live streams can be scripted or planned ahead. But despite being planned, they still have an element of authenticity. Live streams are uncut and unedited, and followers get to see things as they happen. There is no delay in the transmission; neither is anything prerecorded. Live streams help to bring people close to you and build a connection that isn’t possible with other formats.
What are the requirements to go Live on TikTok?
TikTok has specific requirements that you need to meet before you go Live on it:
- You need to be 18 years old or older to be able to Live stream on Tiktok. This is determined by TikTok itself when you enter your birthdate while making your account.
- You must have at least 1000 followers before you can go Live on TikTok.
- We discussed the Diamond feature above that is exclusively available for TikTok lives. You should be at least 18 years old to be eligible for that.
How to stream Live on TikTok?
Here’s how you can go Live on TikTok:
- Launch the TikTok app.
- Tap on the Create option at the bottom of your screen, the one right in the middle. It has a + sign.
- Once you do, you will see different options. Keep swiping until you see the “Live” option.
- Next, pick an image- this will be the cover for your TikTok Live. Make sure it is relevant to your topic!
- Add a title. Try to keep it short, but it should also explain what your Live broadcast is all about.
- When you have everything in place, tap on Go Live. TikTok will give you 3 secs to get in position before you go Live.
Happy live streaming!
Choose the right Live title and cover photo
Your cover photo and title is the only thing that can attract followers to your Live or drive them away. Don’t randomly select the image. Put some thought into creating the title as well as choosing the photo.
How to go live on TikTok on Tablet?
To go Live on TikTok on a Tablet, follow these steps:
- Open the TikTok app.
- Sign into the app if you aren’t already.
- Tap on the + icon at the bottom center of your page.
- This will open your camera. Now swipe left until you see the Live option.
- Write a suitable title for your Livestream.
- When you are ready, tap on Go Live.
- As is the drill, you will get a 3-sec timer to prepare yourself till you go Live.
- If you want to end your Life, tap on the X at the top right corner of your screen.
Keep track of banned keywords
TikTok has banned the use of some words for the title section. Words such as Follow, Donate, Duet, Fan, etc. are not allowed. Look up which words are banned beforehand so that you do not run late for a scheduled Live.
How to join someone else’s Live on TikTok?
To join the Live, follow these steps:
- Go to the Live session you want to collaborate with.
- In the comments segment, there are a few buttons next to the comment bar.
- You will see a button that resembles two smiling faces.
- On tapping the button, a request will be sent to the host.
- Once they accept your request, the Live screen will split in two, and you will join someone else’s TikTok Live.
How to go live on TikTok without 1000 followers?
You’d like to host a TikTok Live session but don’t have 1000 followers yet, what do you do?
Here’s what you need to do:
- You must see the hamburger menu on your profile at the top right.
- Tap on the menu, and go to Settings and Privacy.
- Select Report a Problem.
- Under “Popular,” choose “I can’t start a Live.”
- If the app asks you if your problem is resolved, select no.
- You will then be given the option to fill out a report. In which you will have to write something along the lines of how you could do a Live before but are not able to do it anymore.
- You will then be able to go Live.
This is essentially a turnaround way, a glitch that people have used to their advantage. We do not condone using unfair means to access a feature and going against TikTok’s set criterion.
Additionally, this hack has been reported not to work, so don’t pin all your hopes on it!
3 TikTok Live Ideas You Can Try Right Away
You know TikTok Live sessions can really amp up your engagement. But you’re stumped for ideas. You’re not sure what to conduct a TikTok Live session on.
How do you start?
To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few different content ideas you can try.
Host a Q and A
A Live Q and A session with the brand’s CEO, product team, or even your customer service team (sharing some hilarious - or terrible - customer problems they’ve had to navigate wisely) is always a great idea.
This is a chance for your team to engage with your TikTok followers in real time, answer their questions, satisfy their curiosity regarding your brand, and bond with them!
Live challenges
Challenges are all the rage in the social media world.
Find a viral challenge that goes with your brand image and simply shoot it Live. Involve your followers and let them prior to conducting the Live session that you’ll be doing it Live with them!
Conduct a How-To Live Session
An excellent way to engage your audience and market an existing product from your brand?
Shoot a Live session and show your audience how to use that product. Get your follower’s input on the process and answer all their burning questions.
3 Brands Winning at TikTok - Static and Live Content, Both
Brands are increasingly using the TikTok videos and its live feature to boost engagement with their followers, reach out to a wider audience, and send interested traffic to their landing pages.
And they’ve been seeing excellent results.
The Washington Post
Surprised to see this name here? We were, too! What is a serious, daily publication with a Pulitzer prize under their belt doing on TikTok?
It turns out quite a lot.
The Washington Post has successfully kept up with the changing times and incorporated itself right in the middle of pop culture.
The result? Gaining many followers while maintaining the core of who they are.
They take their news and present it in the short-format video that is characteristic of TikTok videos. Sometimes, they do creative story-telling that not only relays essential information but is also entertaining for their audiences.
These strategies are also reflected in their Lives.
We know that news and politics is a tough sell, and despite that, the Washington Post has garnered 1.4 million followers and 65.2 million likes.
Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty was launched in 2017 and joined TikTok in the same year. It’s a trendy brand on TikTok, with a massive following of 1.4 million followers and 22.3 million likes.
Tutorials are a well-liked format across all platforms, and Fenty Beauty knows that. Their TikTok videos mainly consist of tutorials, such as how to contour a baby face. Along with that, they have wear tests and exciting product launches.
Their immense growth on TikTok is also because of collaborations.
They launched a FentyBeautyHouse: a literal house where different content creators reside and create collaborative content. This was something totally new, and nothing like this had been done before.
Capitalizing on the popularity of tutorials was a smart move by Fenty Beauty, and their TikTok lives also have a healthy dose of those.
Gymshark
Gymshark is a British brand that sells fitness apparel and accessories. Gymshark has become very successful at TikTok.
The secret to their success?
Instead of directly marketing their products, they make funny sketches, workouts going wrong, and situations fans can relate to. In this way, they have had exponential growth on TikTok.
At the same time, they indirectly market their products, which drives sales.
Today, Gymshark has over 3.5 million followers and 60 million likes on TikTok.
5 Fool-proof Tips for Going Live on TikTok
If you plan to go Live on TikTok, these tips may come in handy.
Check your settings before you go Live
Schedule the live session at a time when you are positive that a majority of your followers can attend.
Make sure your camera is stable: getting a camera stand or a sturdy tripod where you can securely place your phone is a good idea.
Next, lighting. Photographers will tell you just how important light is when it comes to cameras. Ensure that you are sitting in a well-lit area and all the relevant objects are clearly visible. Natural light is always an excellent idea.
Make sure you have a reliable internet connection that doesn’t break the video or audio in the middle of the Live.
Lastly, check your audio. You should be perfectly audible: not too loud that it hurts the audience’s ears, nor inaudible that they can’t hear you at all.
It is good practice to do test runs before the actual live and see if everything runs smoothly. It looks very unprofessional if you are sprinting to fix things during the Live, which should have been taken care of well before it.
Posting at the right time on TikTok
If choosing the best time to do a TikTok live is important, it is also important for your posts on the app. Find out the best time to post on TikTok depending on your audience.
Have a clear goal
It is vital to have a clear objective and end goal for your Live session.
What do you plan to achieve through the Live session?
More followers? Increased engagement on your posts? Send targeted traffic to your website? Increase sales?
Having a clear goal allows you to host the Live accordingly.
Set a time duration
Plan the Live session beforehand and outline how long your Live session will last. Although you can go Live for up to 60 minutes, it is recommended by TikTok to keep it at 30 minutes.
Keep a moderator
On TikTok Lives, there is an option to keep a moderator. The moderator will ensure that the comments are not violating any person or TikTok’s community guidelines and that the comment section is a safe and secure place for everyone to engage.
Engage with your viewers
Engaging with your audiences is the key to hosting successful Live sessions.
Since the primary reason behind broadcasting livestream videos is to build a relationship with your followers, engaging with them during the Live is really important. Respond to their comments, ask for their opinions and ideas, answer any questions they may have, and thank them for their support.
You’re ready to go Live on TikTok
Now that you’ve learned how to successfully host Live sessions on TikTok, start experimenting with live video streaming right away.
When done right, it not only helps you form deeper connections with your TikTok followers but also helps with marketing your brand and boosting conversions.
If you are looking for a tool to create your TikTok videos in a professional and simple way, try PlayPlay's TikTok video maker that enables marketing and communication teams to turn any message into a memorable video.
Melissa Francois
Head of Global Content & Comms
With over 10 years of experience in the wild world of SaaS, Melissa cares about building great brand stories and driving community engagement through engaging content. Off the clock, she enjoys long walks and a pint in a cozy country pub.
