Going LIVE on TikTok can be a great way to engage with your followers in real-time and build a stronger connection with them or attract new followers by talking to them directly. It's also a way to earn money through virtual gifts from your viewers during the stream. These gifts can be converted into real money and be withdrawn from your TikTok account.
In short, live streaming on TikTok has plenty of benefits for a creator. But if you haven't streamed on TikTok or in any other app before, you probably have a lot of questions. We have decided to answer the most frequently asked questions about TikTok LIVE:
If all these questions are in your mind right now – welcome to our Ultimate Guide to Going LIVE on TikTok!
- What do you need to go LIVE on TikTok?
- What can you do during a live stream?
- How to prepare your first live stream?
- How often should you stream?
- What is the best time to stream?
- What to do if the audience does not come to the stream?
- How long should you be LIVE?
If all these questions are in your mind right now – welcome to our Ultimate Guide to Going LIVE on TikTok!
- What do you need to go LIVE on TikTok?
TikTok LIVE is a place where you can show your talents, creativity and have fun with your viewers in real time. You also can get gifts while live streaming on TikTok and convert them into real money.
To go LIVE you have to meet 2 requirements:
Note that only users 18 years or older can buy TikTok coins and gifts. So, it’s also important to pay attention to your audience statistics. If your main audience is younger, try to attract new subscribers to be able to monetize your streams. The easiest way to do this is also by going LIVE.
Going Live on TikTok is full of benefits. It’s a perfect way to engage your audience, find new fans and even earn money. Thinking about all these incredible features, these requirements are really nothing special.
To go LIVE you have to meet 2 requirements:
- Be 18 or older.
- Have a minimum of 1,000 followers.
Note that only users 18 years or older can buy TikTok coins and gifts. So, it’s also important to pay attention to your audience statistics. If your main audience is younger, try to attract new subscribers to be able to monetize your streams. The easiest way to do this is also by going LIVE.
Going Live on TikTok is full of benefits. It’s a perfect way to engage your audience, find new fans and even earn money. Thinking about all these incredible features, these requirements are really nothing special.
2. What can you do during a live stream?
Before going LIVE, it’s important to decide what you will do on it. You have to make a good show to attract more people. The main goal is to interest the audience in what you do, so that people do not continue to scroll through the LIVE feed, but stay to watch your stream.
There are many fun and engaging activities to do while being LIVE. The choice depends only on what skills you have, what your regular content is and what you want to do right now.
The most important secret of a successful stream is audience engagement. The more engaged is the audience, the more gifts they will send you and the more money you can earn! We have collected all the tips for communicating with viewers in our article "Engaging Your Audience: Tips for Going Live on TikTok".
If it’s crystal clear that choosing what to do on a stream depends on your skills, then why does it also depend on your regular content and your desires?
Your audience will definitely be interested to see how you really do what you show in your videos. It will also increase their trust in your content because they will see that you are not fake. If you're filming delicious food recipes, cook something LIVE. If you dance, show the audience your best moves.
Your desire to do something specific is important, because the audience needs to see that you are enjoying what is happening. You yourself must be interested in the action and then your enthusiasm will be transmitted to the audience and hook them.
There are many fun and engaging activities to do while being LIVE. The choice depends only on what skills you have, what your regular content is and what you want to do right now.
The most important secret of a successful stream is audience engagement. The more engaged is the audience, the more gifts they will send you and the more money you can earn! We have collected all the tips for communicating with viewers in our article "Engaging Your Audience: Tips for Going Live on TikTok".
If it’s crystal clear that choosing what to do on a stream depends on your skills, then why does it also depend on your regular content and your desires?
Your audience will definitely be interested to see how you really do what you show in your videos. It will also increase their trust in your content because they will see that you are not fake. If you're filming delicious food recipes, cook something LIVE. If you dance, show the audience your best moves.
Your desire to do something specific is important, because the audience needs to see that you are enjoying what is happening. You yourself must be interested in the action and then your enthusiasm will be transmitted to the audience and hook them.
Here are 7 ideas of what you can do on stream:
• Dance
One of the best ways to attract an audience on TikTok Live. Dancing is a highly engaging activity, and viewers are more likely to stick around if they see someone who's having fun and giving all of himself or herself.
It’s not necessary to be a professional dancer and do complex choreography. Win the audience with sincerity and a good mood! And don't be afraid to be funny - this is something that TikTok users love very much.
It’s crucial to choose an interesting costume for your dances. Remember, that TikTok does not allow nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content on the platform. Make sure that your clothes don’t reveal too much.
You also have to be careful with copyrighted music on TikTok LIVE. The best idea is to talk almost constantly during your live stream: then the music will be almost inaudible. You can also switch songs, using only small fragments of each song.
Be sure to take breaks to interact with your audience: answer their questions if there are any in the chat, greet those who have joined recently. You also can ask the audience to suggest music for you to dance to through gifts – this interactive will boost the viewers’ activity and your earnings!
It’s not necessary to be a professional dancer and do complex choreography. Win the audience with sincerity and a good mood! And don't be afraid to be funny - this is something that TikTok users love very much.
It’s crucial to choose an interesting costume for your dances. Remember, that TikTok does not allow nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content on the platform. Make sure that your clothes don’t reveal too much.
You also have to be careful with copyrighted music on TikTok LIVE. The best idea is to talk almost constantly during your live stream: then the music will be almost inaudible. You can also switch songs, using only small fragments of each song.
Be sure to take breaks to interact with your audience: answer their questions if there are any in the chat, greet those who have joined recently. You also can ask the audience to suggest music for you to dance to through gifts – this interactive will boost the viewers’ activity and your earnings!
• Cook or Taste Something
If food is your passion, why not share it with the world? Show your audience how you cook your signature dish or (what’s much more interesting) try something new and unusual. Tell your audience why you chose this particular dish and try to describe as vividly as possible your impressions of the cooking process itself and the taste of the finished dish.
If cooking isn't your thing, you can host a live tasting of weird food — this will entertain people and make them not only watch the stream further, but also write more comments.
As with dancing, it is important to remember to communicate with the audience: answer their questions, greet those who joined your live stream. You can also motivate people to send you gifts: say that you will share a useful life hack only if they send you 5 roses or try the hottest sauce only if you get 10 fires.
If cooking isn't your thing, you can host a live tasting of weird food — this will entertain people and make them not only watch the stream further, but also write more comments.
As with dancing, it is important to remember to communicate with the audience: answer their questions, greet those who joined your live stream. You can also motivate people to send you gifts: say that you will share a useful life hack only if they send you 5 roses or try the hottest sauce only if you get 10 fires.
• Make the Dress Up or Cosplay
It’s definitely a mind-blowing idea to organize a life transformation or cosplay stream. It’s not only an exciting way to engage with your audience but also a great opportunity to showcase your creativity.
Create an interesting look or costume live or do it in advance. In the first case, you can ask the audience to choose an image for you. Conduct an auction: create an image that will be offered by the viewer who sent the most expensive gift within, for example, 3 minutes. In the second case, pick up and recreate the look of a character from a movie, series or video game, or try to recreate a celebrity's look and make a guessing game for your viewers.
The ability to create unique makeup looks and outfits can attract dedicated followers and even provide professional opportunities in the entertainment or fashion industry.
Create an interesting look or costume live or do it in advance. In the first case, you can ask the audience to choose an image for you. Conduct an auction: create an image that will be offered by the viewer who sent the most expensive gift within, for example, 3 minutes. In the second case, pick up and recreate the look of a character from a movie, series or video game, or try to recreate a celebrity's look and make a guessing game for your viewers.
The ability to create unique makeup looks and outfits can attract dedicated followers and even provide professional opportunities in the entertainment or fashion industry.
• Workout
If you are into sports or you just love working out, share this love with other TikTok users! You can do cardio or strength workout, pilates or yoga – choose what you like best, what you are prepared for or what equipment you have.
Training LIVE is great because you don't need a lot of equipment: it’s enough to have an exercise mat and suitable clothes for a home workout. But if you have the opportunity to go LIVE from a gym, that's great too.
Do not forget that to attract and retain as many viewers as possible, in addition to training, you need to communicate with the audience. Invite them to a live workout with you, explain what exercises you do, what muscles they develop and how to do these exercises correctly. Another good variant is to host a workout challenge: ask your viewers to come up with exercises or tasks like "do 100 push ups" for you and say that you will choose a challenge from a viewer who will send you the most valuable gift.
Be careful: warn the audience that you will not perform the strangest tasks if there is a risk that they will harm your health.
Training LIVE is great because you don't need a lot of equipment: it’s enough to have an exercise mat and suitable clothes for a home workout. But if you have the opportunity to go LIVE from a gym, that's great too.
Do not forget that to attract and retain as many viewers as possible, in addition to training, you need to communicate with the audience. Invite them to a live workout with you, explain what exercises you do, what muscles they develop and how to do these exercises correctly. Another good variant is to host a workout challenge: ask your viewers to come up with exercises or tasks like "do 100 push ups" for you and say that you will choose a challenge from a viewer who will send you the most valuable gift.
Be careful: warn the audience that you will not perform the strangest tasks if there is a risk that they will harm your health.
• Make ASMR
ASMR has been wildly popular for the last several years. This kind of video consists of simulating sensory content such as whispering, slow movements and personal attention. The most commonly used sounds in ASMR are: scratching, running water, tapping on hard surfaces, pouring sand, cutting scored soap and squishy, sticky sounds from slimes. ASMR makes people relax, be comforted and even fall asleep.
Making ASMR streams is hard because you have to have a very good sound quality and you have to know how to do it correctly. But if you practice a little, this is exactly the format that can attract a lot of new viewers, since people love ASMR so much.
Such streams are about close communication with the audience: you can address them in a whisper, stimulate them to write about their feelings in the chat. Also, you can motivate them to send you gifts by letting them choose what sound they want to hear or what action they want to see.
If you have not done the ASMR format yet, we advise you to watch such videos carefully on TikTok and YouTube, and also practice before going LIVE.
Making ASMR streams is hard because you have to have a very good sound quality and you have to know how to do it correctly. But if you practice a little, this is exactly the format that can attract a lot of new viewers, since people love ASMR so much.
Such streams are about close communication with the audience: you can address them in a whisper, stimulate them to write about their feelings in the chat. Also, you can motivate them to send you gifts by letting them choose what sound they want to hear or what action they want to see.
If you have not done the ASMR format yet, we advise you to watch such videos carefully on TikTok and YouTube, and also practice before going LIVE.
• Show Your Talents
We have already said that you can dance, cook or make a dress up during a live stream. But creators have much more talents: knitting, embroidery, drawing, sculpting, singing, playing instruments and much more. Showcase your talents and people will definitely support you!
You can show the process of creating any craft, but communicate with the audience to keep them engaged. Tell about yourself, answer questions or ask some questions by yourself. To make the stream more interactive, ask the audience for help: let them choose what color you will draw, what to embroider, or what song to sing.
Make a small competition between viewers: choose what a viewer who sent the most expensive gift will offer, or say that you will sing or play a specific song if you get 10 microphones.
You can show the process of creating any craft, but communicate with the audience to keep them engaged. Tell about yourself, answer questions or ask some questions by yourself. To make the stream more interactive, ask the audience for help: let them choose what color you will draw, what to embroider, or what song to sing.
Make a small competition between viewers: choose what a viewer who sent the most expensive gift will offer, or say that you will sing or play a specific song if you get 10 microphones.
• Chat with Your Audience
When you're not in the mood to do something active or you want to communicate with your audience in a better way, put on your own little talk show.
The most important thing in this kind of stream is to choose an interesting topic. It is best to entertain the audience with funny stories that happened to you. Avoid controversial topics such as politics or religion.
If your audience is already large enough, arrange a Q&A live session. Your fans will love the opportunity to ask you questions directly and receive an answer in real-time. This will help you get to know your audience better.
Chatting with your audience or having a Q&A session lets you become much closer to your followers and build trustworthy relationships with them. That’s why we advise all creators to hold this kind of streams from time to time.
The most important thing in this kind of stream is to choose an interesting topic. It is best to entertain the audience with funny stories that happened to you. Avoid controversial topics such as politics or religion.
If your audience is already large enough, arrange a Q&A live session. Your fans will love the opportunity to ask you questions directly and receive an answer in real-time. This will help you get to know your audience better.
Chatting with your audience or having a Q&A session lets you become much closer to your followers and build trustworthy relationships with them. That’s why we advise all creators to hold this kind of streams from time to time.
You can also collaborate with other creators and go LIVE on TikTok together! For some ideas on what you can do together on the stream, you will find in our article "How to Find Inspiration For New TikTok Content?".
You can specialize in one type of stream or choose several options and alternate them, depending on the desire of your subscribers and your capabilities.
A stream is an interactive show, which means that viewers should constantly have something happening on the screen and they should be able to communicate with you. Only then your stream will become popular and attract a large number of viewers.
3. How to prepare your first live stream?
Preparing for your first livestream on TikTok can be a daunting task. From setup to look, from background music to lighting – it's all up to a creator. The charm of your stream for viewers depends on how well prepared you are.
What to do before going LIVE? Follow our checklist to boost your stream!
What to do before going LIVE? Follow our checklist to boost your stream!
• Choose what you will do on the stream
Decide what you want to talk about or showcase during your live stream (use our ideas or try to come up with something of your own). What equipment, props and even clothes you need to prepare will depend on this decision.
• Prepare your equipment
The quality of your stream plays a crucial role in attracting viewers: users will scroll through the stream feed and a high-quality, eye-pleasing video will definitely grab their attention, make them stop and watch at least a few minutes.
Now for high-quality video it is enough to use the camera on your phone. Take care to have a good microphone so that the audience can hear you well, and the lightning so that the picture becomes even more appealing.
Now for high-quality video it is enough to use the camera on your phone. Take care to have a good microphone so that the audience can hear you well, and the lightning so that the picture becomes even more appealing.
Careful preparation and the right attitude are the two secrets of a successful TikTok stream. Going LIVE helps to create connections with your audience, find new followers and earn – but only if you put some effort into it.
• Create a set and a background
The best quality video will be unpleasant to watch if there is a mess in the background. A clean and well-lit area is the most visually appealing for viewers.
Choose the right camera angle and lighting to ensure that the whole picture is harmonious and beautiful – that’s another key to success.
If it’s possible, you can choose to go LIVE in the same place where you film your videos.
Choose the right camera angle and lighting to ensure that the whole picture is harmonious and beautiful – that’s another key to success.
If it’s possible, you can choose to go LIVE in the same place where you film your videos.
• Choose your look
Even if you’re not into the dress up or cosplay, you still have to choose a look for yourself. First of all, make sure that you are neat and tidy.
Bright and interesting costumes are awesome if you’re going to dance or make some kind of a show, but may be unnecessary if you cook or workout or draw during your stream.
Going LIVE is not the best time to experiment with your makeup and cosmetics (unless you make a cosplay): it is better to choose what you do well and the cosmetics that have never let you down.
Bright and interesting costumes are awesome if you’re going to dance or make some kind of a show, but may be unnecessary if you cook or workout or draw during your stream.
Going LIVE is not the best time to experiment with your makeup and cosmetics (unless you make a cosplay): it is better to choose what you do well and the cosmetics that have never let you down.
• Plan your content and props
Regardless of what you will be doing on the stream, you should definitely prepare something in advance. It could be a mix of music you'll be dancing to, weird food you'll be tasting, or the lyrics of a song you'll be singing. And even if you just talk, outline the talking points.
Think in advance if you need any props to demonstrate during the stream. It’s better to have everything you need at your fingertips so that you are not distracted from the stream itself and your viewers.
Think in advance if you need any props to demonstrate during the stream. It’s better to have everything you need at your fingertips so that you are not distracted from the stream itself and your viewers.
• Prepare water
It's good to take care of your viewers, but don't forget that you also need to take care of yourself. Regardless of what you choose to do during the stream (actively dancing, craft something, or even just talking), stay hydrated.
Even hosts on TV always have a glass or a bottle of water nearby. You are the same host, only on TikTok Live.
Prepare the water ahead of time so you don't get distracted while being LIVE and give your viewers all your attention.
Even hosts on TV always have a glass or a bottle of water nearby. You are the same host, only on TikTok Live.
Prepare the water ahead of time so you don't get distracted while being LIVE and give your viewers all your attention.
• Check your Internet connection
Internet stability and speed are two important things you have to check before going LIVE. The sound and picture quality of your stream depends on them.
Nobody in the audience wants to look at pixels or constantly hear the stuttering speech. It will not be completely clear what is happening on the screen and users will go to watch other streams.
You have to check your upload speed to make sure that your stream will look great. There are many websites that can measure it. You need at least 7-10 Mbps for your upload speed.
If it’s less than that, you can contact your Internet Service Provider and ask them to increase your speed (it is possible it will carry an extra cost). You also can lower the resolution that you are streaming at to 720p or 480p. It’ll be better than looking at pixels or hear stuttering speech.
Nobody in the audience wants to look at pixels or constantly hear the stuttering speech. It will not be completely clear what is happening on the screen and users will go to watch other streams.
You have to check your upload speed to make sure that your stream will look great. There are many websites that can measure it. You need at least 7-10 Mbps for your upload speed.
If it’s less than that, you can contact your Internet Service Provider and ask them to increase your speed (it is possible it will carry an extra cost). You also can lower the resolution that you are streaming at to 720p or 480p. It’ll be better than looking at pixels or hear stuttering speech.
• Test your audio and video
The quality of audio and video depends not only on the speed of the Internet, but also on the devices themselves and their settings.
The easiest way to check your audio and video is to use TikTok LIVE Studio – a special software for live streaming on this social media platform. You can set up your camera and microphone with its help. However, it works only on Windows and is not available in all countries. So, if that is your case, you have to check your audio and video by yourself.
Since it’s not the best idea to start a live stream without this check, you can just record a small piece of video and then, without changing the settings, if everything is fine, immediately start streaming.
The easiest way to check your audio and video is to use TikTok LIVE Studio – a special software for live streaming on this social media platform. You can set up your camera and microphone with its help. However, it works only on Windows and is not available in all countries. So, if that is your case, you have to check your audio and video by yourself.
Since it’s not the best idea to start a live stream without this check, you can just record a small piece of video and then, without changing the settings, if everything is fine, immediately start streaming.
• Go LIVE and have fun!
The final and most pleasant step. You’ve come up with the idea for your stream, prepared and checked everything, and now you’re LIVE!
Careful preparation and the right attitude are the two secrets of a successful TikTok stream. Going LIVE helps to create connections with your audience, find new followers and earn – but only if you put some effort into it.
4. How often should you stream?
If you are just starting to dive into LIVE streaming, it’s better to do it almost everyday. Your first streams will most likely not be perfect. The more you go LIVE, the sooner you will understand what your audience likes and what attracts TikTok users and what it is better to do during your live streams.
You will quickly learn how to communicate correctly with the audience, how to solve problems that may arise while being LIVE, and how to attract more viewers and get more gifts.
Besides, your subscribers that you have gained by releasing short videos may not be the ones who watch your streams and actively send gifts. This means that you will need time to find exactly the audience that likes it. And the more you will go LIVE, the sooner you will get it.
Note that your streams do not always have to be carefully prepared: a couple of times a week you can go live for an hour and just chat with your audience.
Also, don't be downhearted if you have little audience at the start of your streaming career: going LIVE is a skill and you have to experiment and try different things to develop your own unique style and find your fans.
Regularity is the key to success, especially when it comes to streaming.
Note that your streams do not always have to be carefully prepared: a couple of times a week you can go live for an hour and just chat with your audience.
Also, don't be downhearted if you have little audience at the start of your streaming career: going LIVE is a skill and you have to experiment and try different things to develop your own unique style and find your fans.
Regularity is the key to success, especially when it comes to streaming.
5. What is the best time to stream?
TikTok is an app that has active users around the clock. Moreover, all ongoing streams can be found on the general feed, which means that the audience can always be attracted.
Timing is important if you already have your devoted fans or if you want to find and attract a certain audience.
Say, you live somewhere in Europe but according to statistics your subscribers are mostly from the USA. It means that it’s a better choice for you to go LIVE early in the morning, so that people from the USA can join you after school, university or work.
And the other way round, if you’re from Europe and you would like to attract more european users, you should go LIVE in the evening so that people can join you when they usually have some time for themselves (and for the majority it’s evenings, after study or work).
And the other way round, if you’re from Europe and you would like to attract more european users, you should go LIVE in the evening so that people can join you when they usually have some time for themselves (and for the majority it’s evenings, after study or work).
It’s also a great idea to adjust your streaming schedule to your top donators and fans. The more often they can join your stream, the more gifts and activity you can get.
But still – in general it’s always possible to find viewers whether you go live in the morning, evening or during the day. A lot of users are spending hours on TikTok and they are online even if they’re at work or at the university. Statistics show that TikTok users spend 95 minutes per day on the platform.
You can also try to change the time you go LIVE sometimes to attract a more diverse audience.
But still – in general it’s always possible to find viewers whether you go live in the morning, evening or during the day. A lot of users are spending hours on TikTok and they are online even if they’re at work or at the university. Statistics show that TikTok users spend 95 minutes per day on the platform.
You can also try to change the time you go LIVE sometimes to attract a more diverse audience.
6. What to do if the audience does not come to the stream?
Since all TikTok streams firstly fall into the general feed, sometimes it happens that the stream remains invisible to the majority of users. There’s no evidence that it depends on your account statistics or time you go LIVE. At least, right now we have no comments about this peculiarity from TikTok.
The best strategy when no one views your stream is to stop it and wait for some time. You can watch other live streams or search for battles to boost your stream.
Make sure that all your top donators and subscribers know that you’re going to stream.
The best strategy when no one views your stream is to stop it and wait for some time. You can watch other live streams or search for battles to boost your stream.
Make sure that all your top donators and subscribers know that you’re going to stream.
If your stream audience is not active or you have only a few viewers, you can stop your stream and restart it. It can help you to find new audience. Besides, TikTok algorithm will think that users actually liked your first stream and will recommend the second one to a broader audience.
Just don't forget to warn the few viewers that joined you on your first stream that you have not finished it yet but you are about to start streaming again so they can join you as well. Thus you will start a new stream with an audience already which is also pretty good for the algorithm.
7. How long should you be LIVE?
There's no time limit for being LIVE on TikTok. The platform itself advises creators to be LIVE at least for 30 minutes.
The best practice is to stream for 1-3 hours. The duration actually depends on donators and your audience. If it’s active, they send you gifts, it’s better not to quit your stream. It requires effort to find viewers within the first minutes of being LIVE so if you passed that frontier and your statistics are good, there’s no sense in losing it. Stay longer and get more.
The best practice is to stream for 1-3 hours. The duration actually depends on donators and your audience. If it’s active, they send you gifts, it’s better not to quit your stream. It requires effort to find viewers within the first minutes of being LIVE so if you passed that frontier and your statistics are good, there’s no sense in losing it. Stay longer and get more.
TikTok’s algorithm can detect that a host is inactive for a long period of time. If you can’t complete TikTok’s verification, they can close your LIVE room. Remember that fact when you go LIVE.
The average time a creator can be active and engaging is 3-4 hours. Then most of the people grow tired and no longer find it entertaining. Also think about the audience: if after 3 hours your viewers are still very engaged, or viewers are slowly changing, but new viewers are still joining, it makes sense to be LIVE longer.
When it comes to the duration of the stream, the audience and how you feel should be taken into consideration – no one wants to look at a tired zombie. Many apps encourage long streams and put them into the top, so start with at least 3 hours of high-quality streaming.
When it comes to the duration of the stream, the audience and how you feel should be taken into consideration – no one wants to look at a tired zombie. Many apps encourage long streams and put them into the top, so start with at least 3 hours of high-quality streaming.
TikTok LIVE is a great way to express yourself and your creativity and get real-time appreciation for what you do. It's a tool for building strong connections with your audience, making money and even being discovered by a wide range of TikTok users.
The only thing: you have to meet two requirements to go LIVE. If you are under 18 years old or have less than 1,000 followers, you have to choose another option for making money. Learn 5 More Ways to Earn on TikTok in our article.
Remember, that sometimes LIVEs don’t have consistent views or engagement. But the more you actually go LIVE, the more viewers you will be able to attract and the more money you will be able to earn.
The only thing: you have to meet two requirements to go LIVE. If you are under 18 years old or have less than 1,000 followers, you have to choose another option for making money. Learn 5 More Ways to Earn on TikTok in our article.
Remember, that sometimes LIVEs don’t have consistent views or engagement. But the more you actually go LIVE, the more viewers you will be able to attract and the more money you will be able to earn.
