A guide to making the perfect TikTok Live

As the name implies, TikTok live allows users to connect in real-time with an audience. And during live streams, viewers can send gifts to creators, which can then be traded in for money! This means that if you're serious about monetizing your TikTok account, you should be going live. 

WHO CAN GO LIVE?

At this point, you may be asking, just getting on a live video stream can make you money? Well, there are a few caveats. TikTok has made going live a bit of a right of passage – as in not just anyone can do it. First, you have to have at least 1k followers to be able to access the live feature. In a way, users have to prove to TikTok that they are serious about growing on the platform before they can potentially make money from it. But the good news is that 1k followers is totally doable on TikTok! If you're posting high-quality, consistent content and regularly engaging with your community, you'll be well on your way to 1k in no time. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

So, you've been cranking out great content, focusing on engagement, and finally make it to 1k followers, allowing you to go live. What do you do next? This is where a lot of people get stuck. They have the ability to go live but don't know how to actually do it. And this is when doubts often creep in. "What if no one watches it?" "What would I even say?" "What if someone trolls me during it?" We get these questions EVERY SINGLE DAY. Luckily we have made a step by step, foolproof plan to making the perfect live video! Here's how:

STEP 1: GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD

If you've made it this far, you've been posting content that got you 1k followers. Meaning, you're likely fairly farmiliar with TikTok. In this process, you have been making videos, probably getting more comfortable being on camera, posting your content to your audience, and listening to their responses. Well, going live is a very similar process! So instead of psyching yourself out about going live, think about it as just making another video you're going to upload.

STEP 2: DO YOUR RESEARCH 

If you're nervous about going live, don't go into it blindly. Do your research first! Start watching other people's lives, especially creators in your niche with a similar size platform. And take note of how they structure their videos, topics they discuss, and the type of engagement they receive from their followers. Another great trick is to ask your audience what kind of content they want to see next. Try adding a call to action that asks your audience to share their ideas in the comments. This makes things super easy because you will already know exactly what topics to address in your lives.

STEP 3: MAKE A PLAN 

Once you have done your research, you're ready to plan out when and how you will go live. First, set aside a specific time. We suggest taking a look at your analytics and seeing when your audience is most active. Then, decide what you're going to say during the actual thing. While we don't recommend writing a full script out, making a list of key points you want to cover is a great idea. If you are nervous about going live, this step is especially important because it takes the guesswork out of things when you finally do go live. And once you've done it a few times and get more comfortable, you might even be able to start doing spontaneous lives!

STEP 4: TAKE THE PLUNGE 

The only thing left to do is to get in front of the camera. Stay calm - you've got this! The great thing is that if you've followed these steps, you already know that the information you're covering is of interest to your audience. And because you've chosen a time when your audience is most active, people will show up. Plus, you already know exactly what you're going to say!

STEP 5: REPEAT

Going live once isn't going to yield huge results. You should be going live regularly and providing valuable content to your audience every time. How do you do this? Just repeat these steps!

Can we expect to see you going live soon? If so, drop your username in the comments so we can make sure to be right there with you! And don't forget to follow us at @amr_digital!

Written By: Leah Ross, AMR Digital Marketing, Copywriter