A TikTok Live is a great opportunity to engage followers and ignite conversation between users who have similar interests and/or a common appreciation for a creator.
And while a creator has to have at least 1,000 followers in order to host a TikTok Live, getting that number of followers to watch your Live and engage in your content is not always easy. In this article, we’re taking you through some top tips on how to increase your viewer count on TikTok Live.
Why Do Viewers Matter on TikTok Live?
The number of viewers you have on TikTok Live directly translates to the number of gifts you receive, and therefore the amount of money you can earn from a single Live stream.
In addition, the more viewers you have on your TikTok, the more engaging and valuable TikTok deems your content to be. This means that your content is more likely to be ranked higher in the algorithm and will appear in more users’ feeds.
Here are some tips on how to increase your viewer count on a TikTok Live.
Be Engaging During Each Live
There is a high chance that your first few Live streams will be quiet in the way of followers, views, and comments (unless, of course, you’re an A-list celebrity).
On TikTok, creators have to earn their position and high ranking. This can be achieved through things like prompt responses, a proactive approach to engagement with follower comments and questions, and interactive sessions where you accept direct questions from your viewers.
Use Moderators to Manage Interaction
One of the best things about TikTok is its commitment to user safety and security. Moderators are a necessary touchpoint in managing comments and questions, hiding inappropriate comments, and even removing users or viewers who are harassing the creator or other followers.
A moderator’s job is to keep the Live stream on track and ensure that it delivers on the vision of the creator. They are also important for highlighting comments that you should address, and blocking phrases and words that you don’t want to appear in the comments. This means that your TikTok Live remains a safe space for users to interact and spend time online – helping to boost viewer numbers now and in the future.
Explore Collaborative Live Streams
Collaborative content always performs well, because it combines the creativity and the follower base of two independent creators in one online space.
A collaborative live stream could be anything from a back and forth Q&A to a simple catch up or conversation, a debate, or an experience that the two creators team up to showcase. Whatever it is, the benefit of a collaboration is that your name and profile will enter the TikTok sphere of users who follow the other user who you are collaborating with – and vice versa. This effortlessly boosts the viewer numbers for you and for them.
Promote Your TikTok Live Stream
Promotion is one of the most valuable things that you can do, especially if you are using a Live stream to make an announcement or highlight something important. Whatever it is, promotion could take the form of an advertising video, reference to the upcoming Live stream in comments and captions or creating a hashtag relating to a Live stream.
Anything that you can do to let users know a Live stream is happening, and encourage them to join, will be good for the viewer count on your Live!
Create a Regular Live Session
Scheduling a Live stream catch up with your followers is a good way of increasing engagement and visibility of your Live content – especially if you are trying to build a profile.
Be Creative in Your Live Content
The odd unscripted catch up is fun, but not all Live streams should be ad hoc and unplanned – otherwise they will fast become boring. If you want to keep followers engaged and ensure that they keep coming back for your next Live stream, you need to combine unscripted content with comedic shorts, valuable content, and more.
Keeping Followers Engaged Once They Join Your TikTok Live
Of course, once a follower joins your Live stream, you’ve only won half of the battle. The next step is to keep them engaged – with teasers and promises of things to come towards the end of your Live (while making sure you deliver on these promises!)
A TikTok Live is only as good as the content, and if you don’t deliver you will soon find that users clock off and lose interest in your stream. If this happens, winning them back is even more difficult.
Follow the advice above and be as creative but authentic as you can be in your Live streams and other content. The right followers and viewers for you and your content will stay loyal – and those who aren’t really interested in what you have to say will become filtered out with time.
We hope this helps. TikTok Live is a great feature for those looking to build their profile – provided you leverage the opportunities and use it as a platform on which to build your audience.
