Going LIVE on TikTok is a great way for a creator to find new audience and to entertain his or her followers. TikTok has one more tool to help creators to engage viewers during a live stream. This tool is called TikTok LIVE Matches and is highly popular among TikTok users.
TikTok LIVE Matches are a little bit different from simple live streams. One of the main features is that during a match, a creator must interact with the audience and with an opponent at the same time. There are also two types of matches: spontaneous and prepared in advance.
In this article you will learn:
Be ready to unlock all the secrets with us! 🔐
In this article you will learn:
- What are TikTok LIVE Matches?
- What kinds of LIVE Matches are there on TikTok?
- How to find an opponent for a LIVE Match on TikTok?
- How to communicate with your opponent during a LIVE Match on TikTok?
- How to motivate your viewers to send you Gifts during a LIVE Match on TikTok?
Be ready to unlock all the secrets with us! 🔐
- What are TikTok LIVE Matches?
TikTok LIVE Match is a feature on the platform that allows users to go head-to-head in real-time competitions.
Both creators are visible on the same screen for viewers and followers during a match. Creators are able to communicate with each other and viewers, show their talents and do pretty much everything they do during solo live streams.
The only difference is that a LIVE Match is a competition, which means there is only one winner.
Both creators are visible on the same screen for viewers and followers during a match. Creators are able to communicate with each other and viewers, show their talents and do pretty much everything they do during solo live streams.
The only difference is that a LIVE Match is a competition, which means there is only one winner.
Who wins and who loses depends only on the audience. A creator who receives the most Gifts or the more valuable Gifts within five minutes of a match is declared a winner.
Yes, a victory depends not only on the number of gifts, but also on their value. It isn’t a rare situation when a devoted fan sends such a valuable gift that a creator who was losing before will suddenly take the lead and steal the victory from under the opponent's nose.
Users can challenge each other to a battle and invite their followers to watch and vote for the winner. This feature is often used by creators to showcase their skills or compete with other creators in a fun and engaging way. It can be a great opportunity to increase engagement and followers on the platform. TikTok LIVE battles can be on various topics such as dancing, singing, cooking, makeup, and more.
Users can challenge each other to a battle and invite their followers to watch and vote for the winner. This feature is often used by creators to showcase their skills or compete with other creators in a fun and engaging way. It can be a great opportunity to increase engagement and followers on the platform. TikTok LIVE battles can be on various topics such as dancing, singing, cooking, makeup, and more.
2. What kind of LIVE Matches are there on TikTok?
In our article How to Go Live on TikTok we have outlined 7 major kinds of TikTok LIVE streams. But it is difficult to single out any types of LIVE Matches on TikTok.
A match involves two creators who may not be familiar with each other, which means it is difficult for them to coordinate their actions. In this case, creators simply communicate with each other and their viewers.
A match involves two creators who may not be familiar with each other, which means it is difficult for them to coordinate their actions. In this case, creators simply communicate with each other and their viewers.
All LIVE Matches can be divided into 2 large groups:
• Spontaneous
The most common type, since it does not require any preparation. You just have to go LIVE and click the “Hosts” button in the lower left corner and TikTok will suggest other hosts who are LIVE at the same time. All you have to do is to click “Invite” and wait for 20s to see whether the chosen host will accept or deny your invitation.
To find a good opponent, you can watch other streams before starting your own. Find a creator with an engagement audience and if he or she is still online when you start your own stream, try to invite him or her.
During spontaneous LIVE Matches opponents usually just communicate: they get to know each other, ask questions, they can tell something about themselves or show something that is around them. You can also offer your opponent some action: for example, dance with you, repeat some actions after you just for fun.
However, be prepared to improvise: if you encounter a taciturn opponent or there is a severe language barrier between you, you can mute him or her and continue to communicate only with your audience.
• Prepared in advance
A rarer type, as it requires preparation. Instead of sending an invitation to a host offered by TikTok itself, you look for an opponent in advance and arrange a match with him or her.
A match like this has undeniable advantages:
1. You have an opportunity to warm-up the audience in advance. It means that you can prepare a video to invite your followers to a Match. The most important thing here is to shift the focus of users from the fact that this is a way to make money: offer them a show that will be interesting to watch.
2. You will be able to think over your actions during the match together with your opponent. You can decide in advance how you will compete, what to do and prepare for this: make a playlist, think over a bunch of tricky questions for each other to engage your viewers, or even invent some kind of a punishment for one who’ll be defeated.
3. There is a chance that if your opponent has a larger and more engaged audience, then even if you lose, some of them may become interested in you or your content, and become your subscriber, and then a donator.
1. You have an opportunity to warm-up the audience in advance. It means that you can prepare a video to invite your followers to a Match. The most important thing here is to shift the focus of users from the fact that this is a way to make money: offer them a show that will be interesting to watch.
2. You will be able to think over your actions during the match together with your opponent. You can decide in advance how you will compete, what to do and prepare for this: make a playlist, think over a bunch of tricky questions for each other to engage your viewers, or even invent some kind of a punishment for one who’ll be defeated.
3. There is a chance that if your opponent has a larger and more engaged audience, then even if you lose, some of them may become interested in you or your content, and become your subscriber, and then a donator.
Regardless of how you found your opponent, it is not desirable to play more than 2 or 3 matches in a row with the same creator. This can lead to the fact that the audience simply loses the excitement of watching you and they leave your stream. Your stream should not consist of matches only, because then you will not pay enough attention to your audience.
It is best to start streaming, wait until you have an audience and start the match 20-30 minutes after the beginning of the stream. You can also take a break for 10-15 minutes after the match, chat with your audience, and only then start a new match.
3. How to find an opponent for a LIVE Match on TikTok?
The way you search for an opponent depends on what kind of a LIVE match you want to have: a spontaneous or a prepared one in advance.
If you just started a live stream and decided to participate in a match, you will not be able to choose the creator you want. TikTok itself will offer you opponents, from those creators who will be on the air at the same time as you. All you will know about them is their nickname. You will be lucky if the creator who accepts your invitation to the match is popular, has a large number of viewers and an engaged audience.
You can try to look for an opponent before going LIVE: just watch different streams and find creators with an engaged audience and donators. If he or she is still online, when you start your live stream, you can invite him or her to a match.
The situation may be such that your opponent will have few donators, which means that your viewers will not be interested in sending you gifts, because you will already have high chances of an easy victory.
However, there are 2 reasons to participate in such spontaneous matches:
1. You will learn to improvise
You never know who you might run into in a match. A creator who has a large and passionate audience? One who will not be able to find a common language with you at all?
You will be able to learn how to cope with the most unexpected situations, how to interact with other creators and – who knows? – perhaps your viewers will be much more interested in watching you challenge yourself and they will support you more actively!
You will be able to learn how to cope with the most unexpected situations, how to interact with other creators and – who knows? – perhaps your viewers will be much more interested in watching you challenge yourself and they will support you more actively!
2. You can find a really cool opponent
Yes, you may be lucky enough to find a stronger opponent with a lot of viewers and a more engaged audience. If you manage to have an exciting match, then after that you can subscribe to this creator and have new matches with him or her from time to time. Or, you can write him or her a message and organize a prepared in advance match if he or she is interested in this.
Thus, you’ll be able to find a certain company for battles or even friends with whom you can create interesting and cool content!
Thus, you’ll be able to find a certain company for battles or even friends with whom you can create interesting and cool content!
So, we have talked about how to find an opponent for a spontaneous battle. And what about a match prepared in advance?
You will have to spend some time on TikTok watching live streams and matches to find an opponent with whom the match will be useful in terms of getting gifts and new followers and boosting your audience’s engagement.
What to look for when choosing a possible opponent? There are only 2 important things:
• The content and image of your opponent should be similar to yours.
It may seem that the more different you are from another creator, the more attention you will be able to draw to yourself when you compete with him or her. In addition, your image may seem more attractive to people.
But TikTok users usually have a fairly pronounced taste: everyone has several interests and they subscribe to those creators who match one of them. In practice, this means that the subscribers of a creator who dances a lot will be more interested in another person who also dances.
The same can be said about the image: users who are looking for more positive and fun content are unlikely to subscribe to a creator with a dark aesthetic.
A live match on TikTok is one of the ways to find a new audience, which means you should look for those opponents whose audience will be interested in you even if you lose the battle. Thus, you can find new subscribers, and maybe fans.
But TikTok users usually have a fairly pronounced taste: everyone has several interests and they subscribe to those creators who match one of them. In practice, this means that the subscribers of a creator who dances a lot will be more interested in another person who also dances.
The same can be said about the image: users who are looking for more positive and fun content are unlikely to subscribe to a creator with a dark aesthetic.
A live match on TikTok is one of the ways to find a new audience, which means you should look for those opponents whose audience will be interested in you even if you lose the battle. Thus, you can find new subscribers, and maybe fans.
• Your opponents’ audience should be engaged and solvent.
If you have found a creator whose content and image is similar to yours, do not rush to offer him cooperation! Firstly, watch his or her live streams and matches with other creators. This will give you an idea of how active and solvent his or her audience is.
There’s no point in having a match with a weaker opponent. When your audience sees that you can win with ease, their motivation to send you gifts simply disappears. What's the point of sending an expensive gift, or even a few small ones, if you're already a winner?
Your audience needs to get excited and see that without their support you can lose, only then they will donate actively.
Some of your opponent's followers may also follow you after the battle, which means they can come to your other streams and support you in other matches. That's why it's important that your opponent's audience is not only active in the chat, but also actively sending gifts to him or her.
There’s no point in having a match with a weaker opponent. When your audience sees that you can win with ease, their motivation to send you gifts simply disappears. What's the point of sending an expensive gift, or even a few small ones, if you're already a winner?
Your audience needs to get excited and see that without their support you can lose, only then they will donate actively.
Some of your opponent's followers may also follow you after the battle, which means they can come to your other streams and support you in other matches. That's why it's important that your opponent's audience is not only active in the chat, but also actively sending gifts to him or her.
When you have found a suitable opponent, follow him or her and look at his or her profile to better understand who this person is. Then, write a message with a match proposal.
Be sure to say hello and introduce yourself. You can also tell another creator about yourself and your content and then suggest a match. To make your message effective, tell the other creator what you propose to do during a match (this will depend on what kind of content you are both filming and how strong the language barrier is).
Most likely, you will need time to find an opponent who will not only suit you, but also will respond to your offer. However, it is a good investment in the development of your TikTok profile and will bring great rewards.
One more important thing: do not play more than 3 matches in a row with the same opponent. The audience might just get tired of seeing the same creators on screen all the time. It is better to change opponents, and sometimes participate in spontaneous matches.
Most likely, you will need time to find an opponent who will not only suit you, but also will respond to your offer. However, it is a good investment in the development of your TikTok profile and will bring great rewards.
One more important thing: do not play more than 3 matches in a row with the same opponent. The audience might just get tired of seeing the same creators on screen all the time. It is better to change opponents, and sometimes participate in spontaneous matches.
4. How to communicate with your opponent during a LIVE Match on TikTok?
The success of the TikTok LIVE match largely depends on your opponents and how you communicate with them. The audience loves to see interaction between the participants in the match. So, it is the key to success.
You don't necessarily have to be in a fierce competition: you can do without tricky questions or long stories. What’s more, your communication should not violate TikTok Community Guidelines.
Simple communication is enough. Be polite and patient – this will help you maintain a good reputation in the eyes of the audience. Start by greeting your opponent and asking how they're doing. If your opponent is willing to communicate, the battle will go great.
There may be instances when there's a language barrier between you and your opponent. In such cases, you can use an online translator to help you learn certain words or even voice the necessary answers and phrases.
There may be instances when there's a language barrier between you and your opponent. In such cases, you can use an online translator to help you learn certain words or even voice the necessary answers and phrases.
As in the article about communicating with the audience, we advise you to have a second phone: this way it will be more convenient for you to use the online translator during the battle. The phone does not have to be expensive: it is enough that it has an Internet connection.
Another barrier you may encounter is an uncommunicative opponent who won't pay attention to you at all after the match has started. You can simply mute him or her and continue to communicate with your audience.
Effective communication is important to the success of live matches on TikTok. The interaction between opponents will make the match interesting for a wide range of viewers and may also encourage them to send Gifts, showing their sympathy for one or another creator.
Here we have shared only several simple tips but practice makes perfect: the more you participate in matches, the better you will learn to communicate and interact with other creators. This will help you get more gifts and possibly make new friends.
Another barrier you may encounter is an uncommunicative opponent who won't pay attention to you at all after the match has started. You can simply mute him or her and continue to communicate with your audience.
Effective communication is important to the success of live matches on TikTok. The interaction between opponents will make the match interesting for a wide range of viewers and may also encourage them to send Gifts, showing their sympathy for one or another creator.
Here we have shared only several simple tips but practice makes perfect: the more you participate in matches, the better you will learn to communicate and interact with other creators. This will help you get more gifts and possibly make new friends.
5. How to motivate your viewers to send you Gifts during a LIVE Match on TikTok?
Chatting with your opponent can really make a match interesting to watch. But it’s viewers who send you Gifts and help you to earn money. So, you need to communicate with the audience and motivate them to send you gifts during the whole match.
Here are 3 ideas how you can motivate your viewers to send you Gifts:
•Draw the attention of the audience to how much time have left before the end of the match
Viewers can get too carried away with your communication with them or your opponent and simply forget that a battle is going on. If you constantly ask questions to your audience, they will have to write you an answer and they will not even switch the chat tab to the one where they can send you gifts.
Feel free to remind them that there is a competition between you and your opponent right now and you want to win!
Feel free to remind them that there is a competition between you and your opponent right now and you want to win!
• Show emotions and gratitude
Emotions are what TikTok users are looking for on live streams. Therefore, the more emotions you show, the more viewers are engaged and the more gifts they send to you.
Every gift should be accompanied by gratitude. Saying "thank you" may not always be enough: a match is a competition, and every gift brings you closer to victory.
Show your passion and joy. This will give an unforgettable experience to you and your viewers.
Every gift should be accompanied by gratitude. Saying "thank you" may not always be enough: a match is a competition, and every gift brings you closer to victory.
Show your passion and joy. This will give an unforgettable experience to you and your viewers.
• Promise to do something special if you win
You can let your subscribers know that winning is important to you: this will awaken their excitement and motivate them to donate more.
You can come up with a special victory dance, trick, or celebrate your victory in a different way.
You can also force viewers to stay on your live stream after the battle this way, and therefore increase your audience.
You can come up with a special victory dance, trick, or celebrate your victory in a different way.
You can also force viewers to stay on your live stream after the battle this way, and therefore increase your audience.
Another secret is: draw the attention of your viewers to the match at the last minute. Say that there is very little left before victory, ask who will save you and wrest victory from your opponent's hands. The most generous Gift sender very often appears at the last second, but you definitely need to draw his or her attention to the timer so as not to miss the moment.
We have already said that communication with donators should not end after a stream or a match in the article “Engaging Your Audience: Tips for Going Live on TikTok”. After the end of the stream, be sure to look at the list of donators and write them a thank you message.
Why is it important? Viewers who decided to support you will be happy to see your gratitude. They will understand how important this is and will surely come to support you again!
What to write in this message? Here are basic rules:
- Thank your GIFT Senders.
- Tell them how happy or surprised you were when you received the gift from him or her.
- Show the value of the gift: say that you really liked it or that you rarely receive this gift or maybe you have never received this particular gift before.
- Give your message a friendly tone, for example by using emoji.
Very few creators thank their viewers after their streams. Such a message will help you stand out and establish a close relationship with your donator. You can even become friends! How will this help?
You will know who to invite to your stream and match: invite your donators and subscribers to watch your live stream 1-2 hours before you go LIVE. So, you can be sure that when you go live, you will certainly receive your first gifts.
Communication with the audience will ensure your success. Only you can motivate them to send you gifts. You need to show that victory is important to you, to infect the audience with your excitement. At the same time, do not go too far: in case of a loss, do not blame your viewers! Yes, you may be upset, but you should still be grateful for their support.
You will know who to invite to your stream and match: invite your donators and subscribers to watch your live stream 1-2 hours before you go LIVE. So, you can be sure that when you go live, you will certainly receive your first gifts.
Communication with the audience will ensure your success. Only you can motivate them to send you gifts. You need to show that victory is important to you, to infect the audience with your excitement. At the same time, do not go too far: in case of a loss, do not blame your viewers! Yes, you may be upset, but you should still be grateful for their support.
It’s very useful for a creator to participate in TikTok LIVE Matches for 3 reasons: it helps to find new audience, engage your subscribers and earn money.
The success of a match does not mean that you must win it. This is primarily a game that entertains the audience and motivates them to send more gifts.
It is also important for the creator in a match to attract attention. Many viewers can subscribe to you after the end of the battle, continue to watch your content and support you on other live streams.
All a creator has to do is to interact with the audience in the right way. Then, TikTok LIVE Matches will become a tool to increase the activity of your audience.
The success of a match does not mean that you must win it. This is primarily a game that entertains the audience and motivates them to send more gifts.
It is also important for the creator in a match to attract attention. Many viewers can subscribe to you after the end of the battle, continue to watch your content and support you on other live streams.
All a creator has to do is to interact with the audience in the right way. Then, TikTok LIVE Matches will become a tool to increase the activity of your audience.
