Ready to stream on the fastest growing social media platform? This is your guide on how to start streaming on TikTok, why you want it and how you can try to do it without the 1000 followers minimum!
Live streaming on TikTok has the same benefits as streaming on any social media channel: it’s your chance to connect with your audience in real time.
When you are live on TikTok, viewers can ask questions and interact with you right in the moment. Live has spontaneity and authenticity. After all, you are not cropped, edited or censored! Anything can happen and chaos is taking over (not to mention live streaming, which is also a great way to stimulate social commerce).
Whether you’re hosting a series, leading a conversation, sharing a tutorial, or putting on a performance, live streaming creates opportunities to develop your skills and build your brand.
One unique benefit of live streaming on TikTok is that if you’re over 18, viewers can send you virtual gifts, which you can then redeem for cash. You can also use this feature to raise money for charity, although the “exchange rate”is not great.
What is TikTok Lives?
TikTok Lives are live streams that people watch on the TikTok app. They are usually short and informal. Brands, however, often create more structured lifestyles, as is the case with cooking shows, workout tutorials, or product tutorials.
Like Facebook Live and Instagram Live videos, TikTok live has quickly become a popular way to communicate. Brands can build trust, educate their audience, and increase engagement.
How many followers do you need to start streaming on TikTok?
You need 1000 followers to start streaming on TikTok. And you must be at least 16 years old. Rumor has it there’s a workaround for the 1000 subscriber minimum – we’ve tried that ourselves but it didn’t work. Maybe you’ll have better luck? More on this below!
How to go live on TikTok
Here’s how to start streaming on TikTok if you have access to the platform’s live streaming capabilities.
1. Tap the New icon on the home screen (it’s the plus sign at the bottom of the screen).
2. Swipe all the way left to LIVE at the bottom of the navigation, select an image and write a title for your broadcast. Remember: the title and cover should encourage people to click on your video, so make sure they grab your viewer’s attention!
Source: TikTok
3. When you’re ready, click Go LIVE to start streaming. It will count you down from 3 and then boom! You are alive!
Source: TikTok
4. After going live, tap the three dots to access settings and features. Here you can flip the camera, add effects, filter comments and add up to 20 moderators.
5. When you’re ready to finish, click the X in the top left corner to end your TikTok live stream.
How to Go Live on TikTok on a Tablet
How to go live on TikTok on tablet is exactly the same as on mobile. Follow the same steps listed above and you won’t have any problems.
How to Join Someone Live on TikTok
You can easily request to join someone else’s live stream on TikTok.
- First, find the broadcast you want to join, click on it, and then go to the comments section.
- There is a button in the comments section that looks like two smiling faces. Tap this to send a request to join the broadcast.
- Once your request has been approved, your screen will split in two. And voila, you’ve joined the live stream!
How to go live on TikTok without 1000 fans
We’ve heard rumors that there’s a workaround to go on air even without 1,000 fans. While we definitely disapprove of hacks not approved by TikTok, we still had to give it a try.
Basically, the intended workaround was to file a support ticket (aka a lie) claiming you had LIVE access and asking the support rep to “restore”that privilege.
But in short, we tried this hack and it didn’t work.
Perhaps you will have more luck than us. Here is the proposed protocol:
1. To submit this report, go to your profile and select the hamburger menu in the top right corner.
2. Go to “Settings”and “Privacy”.
3. Scroll down to report a problem.
4. In the “Popular”section, click “I can’t start live streaming”.
5. From here click “No”
6. Then fill out a report that says you used to be able to start live streaming, but you can’t anymore. Submit your report and wait for a representative to contact you!
Apparently, this hack has worked for many before. But not for us. If that doesn’t work for you as well, you’d better start working on increasing engagement to grow your fan base naturally.
7 Tips to Go Live on TikTok
Live streaming is a big attraction for content creators, marketers, and in-app brands. But if you’re new to TikTok, the idea of going live can be a little intimidating.
One can easily avoid going on the air without an audience, failing on screen, or simply failing. Don’t worry – we got you.
Here are seven tips to help you get the most out of TikTok Live.
Do not worry
Live streams can be nerve-wracking, and if you’re not prepared, things can quickly go wrong. Before you start streaming, take the time to plan your content and rehearse what you’re about to say.
You’ll be less likely to become tongue-tied or cover up an awkward silence with an even more awkward dance move. Trust me, your TikTok followers will thank you for it.
Collaborate with friends
Collaborating with like-minded people will help you reach a wider audience and bring more attention to your brand. Or consider teaming up with influencers. Their larger following will help expand your reach and help you connect with potential new fans.
@harrystylesrings_ I’m dying laughing at this LMAO #fyp #interview #liampayne #loganpaul
Don’t be afraid to find someone to interview. Interviews are a great way to provide valuable content and make personal contact with your audience.
Give people a reason to visit
Whether it’s offering exclusive content or running a giveaway, make sure your viewers have an incentive to tune in. TikTok is all about entertainment, so find a hook that will make your live stream interesting and worth watching.
Ask yourself what makes your live stream unique? Think about what will make people want to stay for the entire broadcast. Finally, make sure it’s interesting. Live streaming is the interaction with your audience in real time. Keep up the conversation and make sure you never get bored.
Promote early
By promoting your broadcast in advance, you will have a better chance of attracting an audience.
You can promote in a number of ways, the most popular of which is posting about it on social media. You’ll want to cross-promote your posts across all of your social channels to reach as many people as possible. And of course, you can use Hootsuite to plan this multi-channel ad campaign.
You may even create other content to promote your broadcast. Maybe you’re doing an interview and want to go to a landing page with more information about the event. Be sure to shorten the URL before posting it.
The key is to start promoting your stream a few days before it starts so people have time to clear their schedule and tune in.
If you are a creator, you can promote your broadcast with a TikTok LIVE Event. LIVE Events is a TikTok feature that allows creators to let their audience know in advance when they will be going live. People can register for your event and receive notifications in advance. And now you can even make paid shares through TikTok.
@gingermarketer You can now promote your TikTok lives #newfeaturetiktok #tiktoknewbies #tiktoknewfeatures #learnontiktok #tiktoklive
Find the right time
Before going live, it is important to choose the right time. This is where the Hootsuite feature comes in, which determines the best time to post. It will help you figure out when your audience is most likely to be online and interact with you. So take a look and schedule your TikTok live stream accordingly. Trust me, this will change everything.
Try Hootsuite for free
keep it short
About 30 minutes is a good length for a live TikTok video – depending on your content. You want to engage your audience long enough that they don’t leave until you’re ready to finish.
Planning for 30 minutes gives you enough time to
- achieve your goals
- engage your audience (don’t forget the chat!)
- leave you with a buffer for anything that can derail the flow
Set the scene
Arrange your space in a clean place with an atmosphere you can control. Make sure you have a stable shooting surface with good lighting. For example, a ring light will make your live broadcast more professional.
Be aware of your surroundings and make sure that no one distracts you while shooting. The last thing you want when you’re shooting a professional product review video is for your husband to explode and ask if you forgot to buy toilet paper.
You cannot edit live videos, so try to fix any problems beforehand.