TikTok Live: Rules, Best Practices, and Step-by-Step Guide

TikTok is a fun-filled video-sharing app made popular by ByteDance when they took over Musical.ly. With this platform, users have a wide collection of sounds and snippets to choose from when making their content.

The app immediately became a darling to Gen Z and its popularity went across the board in 2020 because of the pandemic, challenging similar platforms like Instagram ever since.

TikTok has grown extensively since the initial takeover in 2018 - alongside that comes innovative changes. One of such innovations being enjoyed today is TikTok Live, which is what this article will focus on.

The rules, best practices, and steps will also be discussed in detail.

TikTok Live

TikTok has made it very easy for you to engage with your audience in real-time, and you can expect many more users to embrace it with time.

Nonetheless, TikTok Live isn’t available to all accounts. Some requirements (discussed shortly) need to be met before you can go live. This shouldn’t be much of a problem - you just need to meet the required age and number of followers.

With TikTok Live, followers can engage with you in real-time by asking questions, sharing ideas, or simply commending you. It’s evident why using this feature leads to business-boosting bonding between creators and followers.

The feature offers avenues to get creative as you can bring a whole lot to the table. Some of the benefits include featuring a co-host, sending gifts to your live viewers, live question-and-answer sessions, and so much more.

Plus, it is quite effortless to set up thanks to the user-friendly interface of the app.

What are the rules guiding the use of TikTok Live?

1. Age

You must be at least 16 years of age to broadcast live on the app; younger-aged users will not be granted access to this feature.

As a follower, you also need to be at least 18 years of age before you can join a live stream.

Failure to meet these minimum age limits will only leave you disappointed as you would not be able to partake in any parts of this great feature.

2. Number of followers

There’s also a minimum number of followers you need to start streaming live on TikTok, and the magic number is 1000 followers.

Without hitting this number, you wouldn’t be granted access to this feature no matter how old you are.

But this shouldn’t worry you too much as it’s quite easy to gain this number of followers if you remain determined, consistent, and creative.

3. Display of nudity and sexual activities

You’re not allowed to stream explicit content on TikTok, including the live feature. Doing this might result in a suspension or ban of your account.

4. Hateful content

TikTok prides itself on being a platform that doesn’t discriminate against race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

Other content deemed to be hateful include religion-focused, gender-sensitive, and disability; TikTok encourages diversity as an inclusive community.

You won’t be allowed to stream content that goes against these ethics. Doing so will result in a penalty.

Best practices for TikTok Live

You don’t need special or professional training to make it big with TikTok Live, but there are tips you can follow to make your show great.

Engagement is always key when running a live show anywhere, so you should learn to carry your users along and make them feel appreciated throughout the streaming process.

Another thing you should consider when streaming is the technical considerations - you are expected to provide a quality video session.

Your device should have a good camera that can provide quality video and the lighting should also be adequate to keep your audience interested. Poor live streams can be a huge turnoff.

Other tips that will come in handy include‌:

1. Proper planning

Planning is essential for success in every sphere of life and TikTok Live is no exception.

Planning here doesn’t mean you need to write a script or rehearse before going live; you would be better off being all-natural.

However, you should have a rough idea of how you want all this to play out before going live.

You can even let your followers know what you intend to achieve with the live session as this can help the success of your live show.

2. Time matters

Timing your live stream is just as important as the quality of the content you intend to steam.

It’s better to go live when you’re certain that your users will be online, so your session can be as interactive as possible.

You can even pre-inform your audience on the exact time you intend to go live. This will build some anticipation for the event and by extension, lead to high viewership.

3. Caption your live session appropriately

You’ll be given the chance to title your video just before going live.

Your title should be catchy and enticing to your viewers as this will encourage them to join the event.

Adding hashtags to your title is a little trick that works most times; just make sure it matches your intention for the show.

4. Duration

Duration matters a lot when it comes to running a TikTok live show.

Do not bore your audience with unnecessarily lengthy live streams on TikTok as you might end up losing them before the show gets halfway.

This is not to say that you cannot have a very long session as it all depends on how well you can keep your audience interested.

Step-by-step guide for using Instagram Live

Again, going live on TikTok is very straightforward. You just need to follow the steps below and you’re set for success.

Step 1: You need to have the TikTok app installed on your mobile device

Yes, you need to use the mobile app to access Live; this might not be possible with the web version.

Download and install the app from a reliable store to kick start the process.

You also need to ensure that you’re using the latest version of the app; this will allow access to the new tools that come with TikTok Live.

Step 2: You need to create a task after logging in to your account

Following a successful download and installation, you will need to log in to your account. Once done, you’ll need to locate the “+” button on your home screen and tap it.

Step 3: You will need to locate and tap on the “Live button”

After tapping on the “+” button, you should see a video screen in which you’re required to click on the “Live” button. You can locate this button by checking below the “Record” button.

Step 4: You can add a title to caption the Livestream

Use captivating words when adding a title to your Livestream. To make your Live titles attract users, you should capture the intention or purpose of your stream.

Avoid using banned words or phrases when choosing your title as this could attract some penalties.

Step 5: You need to tap on the “Go Live” button to start a live stream

Once you successfully create a suitable title for your live stream, get prepared to go live, and then tap on “Go Live.” Congratulations, you can now live-stream!

Final thoughts

Using the TikTok Livestream feature can be a fun-filled experience as you get to interact and engage with your audience. This is great for both creators and businesses.

Just ensure that you stay true to the rules governing TikTok Live as explained above and you are good to go.