Livestreams are a great opportunity to connect with your followers or even attract new ones. While this works wonders for your TikTok profile, you must meet the key requirements first. Knowing more about how to go LIVE on TikTok will let you make the most of the format. In this guide, the snsflow.com team answers common questions about TikTok streams.
How To Go LIVE on TikTok for Mobile
For some accounts, it’s easy to set up a live – though others will have to wait a while. This depends on your profile’s current popularity, alongside other factors. Follow this step-by-step guide to set up your successful TikTok stream:
1. Fit the Requirements
Generally speaking, TikTok will only let you start a LIVE if you have enough followers. You’ll also need to be 18 or over and follow the platform’s guidelines. If you need more followers, focus on building up your account’s content strategy over time.
2. Prepare Your LIVE
If you’re fully eligible, click the + button at the bottom of the screen. Scroll through the post types and choose LIVE. You can then change the settings and add a title. This lets you filter comments by certain keywords or turn them off entirely.
3. Start Broadcasting
When you’re ready, press Go LIVE to start your stream. It can take time for people to join, even with a large following, so be patient. Your community will then be able to interact with you in real-time and see more of your personality.
4. Manage the Stream
Make sure you keep an eye on the comments as they come in. You may even receive gifts from your followers in the form of Diamonds. When the stream is over, simply press End LIVE to stop the broadcast (and possibly withdraw your gifts).
How Many Followers on TikTok To Go LIVE?
You need 1,000 followers or more in order to go LIVE on TikTok in America. There are ways to get around this limitation, but you’ll otherwise have to wait. Buying bots to gain more followers is never the right answer, however. These will actually hurt your engagement and may even cause TikTok to close your account down.
Knowing how many followers on TikTok to go LIVE is about more than the number itself. Even if you have 1,000 fans, your stream has to fit what they’re looking for from your profile. Otherwise, your LIVEs might be unsuccessful. You may need to get an even wider audience in order to see the results you want.
How To Go LIVE on TikTok Without 1,000 Followers
There is a possible way to access TikTok LIVE without a high follower count. Go to your account and click on the downward arrow in the top-right corner. In Settings and Privacy, click Report a Problem. Scroll to the LIVE Section and press Hosting Live. From here, make sure you click on ‘How to start a LIVE.’
At the bottom of this page, press No in response to ‘Is your problem resolved?’ This puts you in touch with TikTok. Open a support ticket and say that you previously had access to LIVEs but now can’t use the feature. The support staff might respond to your report by simply granting you full access to LIVEs.
However, this loophole is unreliable. If it doesn’t work, your only hope may be to work on getting more followers. Once again, make sure you always avoid services that promise bot followers; these violate TikTok’s guidelines. If you’re questioning how to go live on TikTok without 1,000 followers, the answer is that it’s almost impossible.
Why Can’t I Go LIVE on TikTok?
Even if you fit the basic requirements, you might have trouble going LIVE on TikTok. If you’re not able to access the feature at all, the platform recommends clearing your cache. Whether you’re using an iOS or Android device, this option is available in your app settings.
You can instead clear your cache on your profile page. Access your account’s settings by clicking on the downwards arrow, then the gear icon. Scroll to Cache & Cellular and click Free Up Space, then press Clear on the Cache section of the page.
It’s also possible that TikTok is taking action against your account. For example, they might limit your TikTok LIVE use if a previous broadcast violated their guidelines. This is because following the app’s Terms of Service is one of the feature’s requirements.
Another possible answer to ‘Why can’t I go live on TikTok?’ is that you might simply now be ineligible. If you fall below 1,000 followers, you’ll not be able to start new LIVEs. You will first need to rebuild your following.
If none of these fit the problems you’re having, check your device’s Wi-Fi connection. It can also help if you restart your app or phone. Finally, social media platforms sometimes have internal errors that they simply need time to fix on their end.
Should I Use TikTok or Instagram for Streams?
Anyone can start a livestream on Instagram, unlike on TikTok. You don’t need to worry about having enough followers, though your account might need to be over 30 days old. Starting a live broadcast without enough followers will mean a small audience, however. No matter which app you use, you need to build up your profile before going live.
Deciding between whether to use TikTok or Instagram for your livestreams is tricky — but ‘both’ is always an option. If you’re a brand account, spreading these across multiple platforms can be instrumental in reaching the widest possible audience. In fact, TikTok says that LIVEs help users connect with brands on a deeper level. This can then move them towards a purchase.
How To Join a LIVE on TikTok
If you want to view trending LIVEs, click the LIVE button in the top-left corner of your feed. This will instantly connect you to a stream; you can scroll through them until you find one you like. As this uses the platform’s algorithm, which collects your profile data, you should see LIVEs that fit your interests.
If you want to know how to join a LIVE on TikTok as a co-host, this is also possible. While on the stream, go to the comments. Tap the button that looks like two smiling faces. This asks the host to let you join. If they approve it, you’ll both lead the broadcast in a split-screen format.
How To Stream on TikTok on PC
Despite most people preferring the mobile app, you can still go LIVE with your computer. There are three ways you could achieve this, including official TikTok-approved methods. While these can be complicated, you might simply prefer running streams on your computer. Here is how to stream on TikTok on PC:
1. LIVE Studio
The app mainly recommends using the TikTok LIVE Studio to conduct PC broadcasts. You have to download this directly from the platform’s browser website. Log in with your TikTok details and simply click Go LIVE to begin streaming like any other online live service. You may even import your settings from Twitch or OBS to make things easier.
2. Cast to PC
When setting up a LIVE on your phone, click Cast to PC. This generates a stream key you can use alongside other software. You can also upload a pre-recorded video this way, simply adding it as a video layer before your stream. However, since December 2022, many TikTok streamers have not been able to access streaming keys.
3. Join an Agency
If you have problems getting stream keys via the app, you could join a LIVE agency. These offer you a key that you can use with third-party streaming software. Though you can join an agency for free, they will take a cut of your earnings. With this in mind, it might be easier to use TikTok’s studio instead.
When Can You Go LIVE on TikTok?
So long as you meet the main requirements, you can go LIVE whenever you want. However, it always helps to stream at peak times. This will depend on the demographics of your followers or target audience. For example, the evening might be best if you want to attract professionals who work during the day.
If you’re wondering, ‘When can you go LIVE on TikTok?’ consistency is another important part of this puzzle. Build a regular schedule for your LIVEs, and your audience will expect this every week or month. As either a brand or personal account, you can turn your streams into an event people look forward to.
Knowing how to go live on TikTok lets you engage with your audience more than ever before. If you instead want to stream on Instagram, snsflow.com can boost your profile with the help of paid followers.
All it takes is one simple payment, and you’ll get organic growth that boosts your brand’s online presence with ease. With the power of snsflow.com, every platform you use can reap the benefits of popular, high-engagement livestreams.
