With over a billion monthly active users, TikTok has emerged as one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. The concept of watching 60-second video clicks has been received well by users, as it gives them instant gratification and a lot of variety in terms of the content they watch. And now, TikTok allows you to go live. But how do you go live on TikTok?
TikTok now allows you to do live streams like Instagram and YouTube. However, many users don’t know how to go live. Here’s all you need to know about going live on TikTok.
Can Anyone Go Live on TikTok?
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Sadly, not everyone can go live on TikTok. You must fulfill a couple of conditions to be able to go live. These are:
- You should be over 16 years of age.
- You should have over 1,000 followers.
If you satisfy these conditions, you’ll be able to go live on TikTok.
What’s more, creators over 18 years of age are even eligible to receive virtual gifts, which you can convert into real cash. It’s similar to the super chat you receive on YouTube.
How Do You Go Live on TikTok?
Having discussed the eligibility criteria for going live on TikTok, let’s look at a step-by-step process for going live. Here are the steps to follow.
- Open TikTok: First things first, you need to open TikTok and log into your account.
- Click on Add Camera: At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a “+” icon. Click on it. The camera will open.
- Click on Live: You’ll see the LIVE option on the bottom right side of your screen. Click on it.
- Add a Title: Before going live, you’ll need to choose an image and title for your live session. After adding the two, click on Go LIVE.
Your live stream will now start. Once you’re done with your live stream, you can exit it by clicking on the cross icon in the top left corner. Also, during the live, you can add up to 20 moderators, add filters and comments, and flip the camera.
Monetization on TikTok: Earn Money by Going Live
TikTok recently added monetization features on the platform. Creators can earn money in two ways: Tips and Video Gifts.
Let’s talk about tips first. Tips are real money your followers, viewers, or fans can give to you. It’s real cash, such as US dollars, and the creator gets 100% of it. TikTok doesn’t take any commission.
There are some limitations on TikTok tips that you should be aware of. A user can send a maximum of 100 tips in a day, and the total daily transaction limit is $500.
On the other hand, video gifts are virtual gifts viewers can give to creators when they are live. These gifts are a virtual currency of TikTok, similar to awards on Reddit and Play Credits on Google Play Store. You can redeem them for real money. There are no limits to the virtual video gifts a user can send.
Who Can Receive Tips and Video Gifts?
TikTok imposes eligibility criteria on who can receive video gifts and tips. You’ll be able to receive them only if you satisfy the criteria. The eligibility requirements for tips and video gifts are:
- 18+ years of age
- Three or more posts in the last 30 days
- 1,000 or more video views in the last 30 days
- Never violated TikTok’s community guidelines
- Live in the US, UK, Spain, Italy, or France
- Have the required minimum followers (depends on region)
TikTok has declared that it will expand these monetization capabilities to Australia and Canada as well. Also, if you’re eligible for receiving gifts and tips, you’ll need to go to the Settings and Privacy in your account and opt into Creator Next.
Please note that business accounts are not eligible for monetization on TikTok.
How to Succeed with TikTok Live?
Though going live on TikTok is new, live streaming is not a new concept. However, if you plan to go live on TikTok regularly, here are a few tips to ace the live streaming game.
- Pick the Right Time: The success of a live stream is determined by the engagement it gets. To ensure higher engagement, conduct your live stream at the right time. Ideally, the evening is the best time, as most people are active at that time.
- Choose the Right Duration: TikTok limits live sessions to 60 minutes, but that doesn’t mean all your live videos should be an hour long. Ideally, a TikTok live video should be around 30 minutes.
- Keep the Sound and Lighting in Check: If you plan to go live regularly, be sure to keep the technical aspects in check. Your sound and lighting should be on point, so your viewers get the best viewing experience.
- Find the Right Camera Angle: Live streams are more personalized, so it’s alright to come live with a phone selfie camera. But if your camera is too shaky or moving too much, it’ll turn off the users.
- Ensure Proper Internet Connection: If your internet connection isn’t good, the video will jitter a lot. Also, there will be frequent reconnects, and the video quality will be terrible. All of these will result in a poor user experience. So, if you plan to do TikTok live regularly, make sure you have a good internet connection.
- Appoint Moderators: Last, appoint a bunch of moderators, especially if you plan to go live regularly. Toxicity is normal on TikTok, so you may receive mean, insulting, or abusive comments. Therefore, it’s crucial to have moderators who monitor all the comments and delete irrelevant or abusive comments proactively.
Wrap Up
Now that TikTok allows you to go live, a lot of TikTok users are using this feature to connect with their followers on a more personal level. If you too want to leverage TikTok live, you may have found this guide helpful. TikTok also allows you to monetize your live videos by receiving video gifts from your users.
