Are you looking to learn how to go live on TikTok? Ready to take audience engagement to the next level with an immersive live stream? The truth is, streaming live video in real-time can be the ultimate social media engagement tool. Far more engaging and appealing than a standard TikTok video, a live event can do it all.
Bring new followers on board, generate profits, raise money for a good cause – whatever you have in mind. Best of all, it really couldn’t be easier to start a live stream and really engage your audience. That is, once you’ve satisfied TikTok’s strict criteria for going live.
Learning how to go live on TikTok is less about the technicalities, more about your popularity. Quite the catch-22 situation, as it means you need to already be popular to get popular. But there is a quick and easy solution for going live on TikTok much faster, which we’ll get to a little later.
How Many TikTok Followers You Need to Go Live?
Here’s the caveat in the whole thing – before hitting the live button, you’ll need at least 1,000 followers. Something that’s clearly stated in TikTok’s community guidelines, along with being at least 16 years old.
For anyone new to TikTok, this poses an immediate problem. If you’re determined to go live, but you’ve yet to begin building an audience of meaningful size, then thankfully, there are several effective ways you can gain more TikTok followers starting right now.
How to Go Live on TikTok?
Assuming you have fulfilled TikTok’s basic criteria, going live couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is follow the basic steps outlined below to start your live stream:
Step 1: Open the “TikTok App” and “Log in” to your account (if you haven’t already)
Step 2: Hit the “Create Icon” in the middle of the screen at the bottom
Step 3: You’ll then see the live button next to the normal record button.
Step 4: Choose an “Image” to represent your live stream.
Step 5: Tap the “Go Live” button to begin streaming in real-time
With the broadcast underway, you can now add effects, filter comments, flip the camera, and so on. Tap the three dots in the corner of the screen to access these and other features. Once you’re done with the whole thing, tap the X, and the live stream will stop.
How to Go Live with Someone Else on TikTok?
One fantastic way of generating even more engagement is to go live with a guest. This way, you both benefit from exposure to each other’s audiences. Something that can work wonders for bringing new followers on board and building a more credible presence. If looking to go live with someone else on TikTok during your stream. It will definitely be worth trying out.
How to Schedule a Live Stream on TikTok?
Contrary to popular belief, coming out of nowhere with an unscheduled live stream isn’t always a good idea. It can be far more effective to let people know you have a live event coming up. This way, they can make sure they tune in and check you out at the right time.
Scheduling a live stream in advance also couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is follow the basic steps outlined below:
Step 1: “Log in” to your account and press the “Calendar Button” in the corner
Step 2: Give your event a name, description, start time, and duration
Step 3: Once you have prepped your event, you can share it on TikTok
Step 4: There’s also the option of recording a promotional video to generate hype
Speaking of which, generating hype is definitely something you need to do ahead of each event. There are countless ways of going about this, ranging from live countdown stickers to simply promoting your upcoming events in the videos you publish.
Not to mention ensuring you are aggressively promoting your upcoming live streams across all of your other social media channels. The more people who know you are going live, the more likely you will attract an audience of a decent size.
How to Go Live Without 1,000 Followers on TikTok?
Rumor has it that there’s a way of tricking TikTok into letting you go live, with fewer than 1,000 followers. However, there’s limited evidence that it actually works. Some people claim to have pulled it off, but just as many tried it out and failed. Still, there’s no harm in trying, so here’s the apparent hack that may or may not work:
Step 1: Go to ‘Me’ and tap the “Three-Dot Menu.”
Step 2: Tap “Report a Problem.”
Step 3: Tap “I Can’t Start a Live.”
Step 4: When prompted, choose “I Need More Help.”
Step 5: Type “I could previously start a live broadcast and now I can’t” (or similar) in the feedback box
Step 6: After submitting, you may or may not be contacted by a representative, who may or may not activate your live broadcast button.
Again, there is very limited evidence to suggest that this actually works. Hence, the better option is to work on building an audience of 1,000 followers as quickly as possible. If really in a hurry, you can always buy TikTok followers for the quick boost you need to get started.
6 Best Practices for Going Live on TikTok
Once up and running, it’s up to you to make your live streams as engaging as possible. Above all else, you need to be streaming content of genuine relevance and value to your audience. Other than this, the following can help you build a name as a credible live streamer on TikTok:
1. Watch the Duration of Your Streams
TikTok itself recommends keeping live streams to a maximum of 30 minutes. You can actually stream for up to 60 minutes, but less is usually more. Always remember that the average TikTok user has a relatively short attention span. Plan your streams in advance and aim to keep things at 30 minutes or less.
2. Use Better Lighting
There’s nothing more off-putting than a live stream with poor lighting. If you can’t see what’s happening in the clip, there’s no point watching it. Again, this is where forward planning can help.
Ensure you stream from somewhere with good lighting – ideally a place with plenty of natural light. Alternatively, set yourself up with some decent lighting gear and learn how to use it.
3. Keep it Interactive
The most engaging TikTok live streams are those that embrace interactivity. You should be making every effort to engage with your audience and get them involved from start to finish.
Live streams provide you with a golden opportunity to generate engagement on an entirely higher level. Use every live stream as a tool for building and strengthening your relationships with your fans.
4. Let Users Know Beforehand
As already touched upon, it is essential to let people know when and where you will be streaming. Don’t expect them to have the time or the inclination to tune in if you simply pop up out of the blue.
Plan and schedule your streams in advance, promoting them aggressively to your fans. Not to mention, across all of your other social channels to get as many people on board as possible.
5. Don’t Go Live Too Frequently
First up, the novelty soon wears off when somebody lives streams all the time. If you go live too often, the whole thing loses its appeal. It’s therefore much better to go live on occasion, publishing standard recorded videos between streams. If you want your live streams to be momentous and exciting, keep them infrequent.
6. Check Your Internet Connection
Last up, don’t make the rookie error of falling foul a weak internet connection. Issues related to a lack of signal or bandwidth scream amateur hour. Certainly not the kind of thing that’s going to boost your credibility, appeal, or influence. Unless you’re 100% confident in your internet connection, consider suspending your live stream until you are.
Final Thoughts
Realistically, filling TikTok’s requirement of 1,000 followers shouldn’t be too difficult. If the content you publish is up to scratch, you’ll be looking at way more followers than this in no time. In any case, there’s always the option of buying followers to steer things in the right direction.
Just as long as the followers you but are legit – i.e., real – they’ll get the job done just fine. After which, you’ll be in a much better position to start attracting new followers organically. Again, something that shouldn’t be too difficult once you’ve mastered the art of live streaming on TikTok.
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