I’m not entirely sure what my lockdown would have been like without TikTok. I do know that now we’re going back to the office, a lot of people will need to fight the urge to watch TikToks on full volume during their toilet breaks. For those who don’t just creep on the platform, you might be wondering how do you go live as a content creator. Not everyone can do it but here’s the “how to”.
Who Can Go Live On TikTok?
Going live isn’t for everyone. It’s very possible that if you’ve just started your account, you won’t see the “go live” option. In order to get live streaming up and running you need to be:
- Over 16
- Have at least 1000 followers
My own TikTok has over 1000 users but once that first thousand was hit, the growth slowed dramatically. This seems to be how TikTok gets people in. They hook you with 1000 followers and then lure you into live streaming. You should always remember, social media platforms are highly engineered to influence your behaviour.
Anyway, if you’re looking to keep on growing your TikTok account, going live is the next step. Here’s how you do it.
How To Go Live On TikTok
Now that we’ve confirmed you have at least 1000 followers and are over 16, you can go live. Here’s more detail on how you do that.
Step 1: Open TikTok
Ugh. Yes, this is an obvious step, but where else should I start?
Step 2: Tap The Create Button
At the bottom of your screen, you’ll see the Create Button. You might refer to this as a “new post” or “plus” button.
Step 3: Swipe To “Live”
Once TikTok launches into create mode, you’ll see a swipeable menu at the bottom. You need to head on over to “Live”.
Step 4: Prepare Your Stream
Before you go live, you’ll need to give your live stream a title and you can also upload a thumbnail image. If you want to support a charity, you can pick there here too.
Step 5: Go Live
Take a deep breath. Hit the “Go Live” button and start your broadcast.
Once you go live, you’ll have access to some tools. Just tap the three dots and away you go.
When you’re live, keep an eye on your comments and chat with people who leave messages. Sometimes it might be a good idea to have some music playing at the start while people are joining. Give people a reason to stay. Play around with some ideas and see what works for you and your followers.
TikTok Live FAQs
You need to have at least 1000 followers before the option to go live appears on TikTok.
Once you’re live, you’ll have the option to invite another person onto your stream. After you go live a button will appear in the bottom left–hand corner. Once you click this you’ll see a list of people that can join you live. Once invited, they’ll have 20 seconds to accept.
