Let's Talk Lives: How To Make Money With TikTok Lives

Going live on TikTok is the best kept secret to ten-folding your revenue as a TikTok shop affiliate. 

No really… compared to other eCom formats, conversion rates through livestreams are ten times higher. For affiliates working on hefty commission structures on TikTok shop, this offers an unrivaled opportunity to make a lot of money in a short space of time.

Creators in our Academy have been experimenting with lives and the results have been wild: Dillon has earned nearly $8k in commission over four days, while Eduardo netted $3.6k in a single hour with a live stream that hit the right notes for his audience.

If you’re someone who is open to going live, this is something that has HUGE potential. Here’s everything you need to know about getting started with TikTok lives.

What does going LIVE on TikTok shop mean?

Think QVC, but on TikTok.

TikTok’s livestream feature is similar to Instagram or Amazon Live. While creators live stream they can add a pin related to a product, this will pop up on viewers screens. Viewers can then tap that pin to add the item to their cart and check out directly within the app.

While live shopping is growing slowly stateside, in China, live shopping already plays a huge part in social shopping. In fact, 45% of China’s online shoppers purchased on a livestream last year.

It’s no surprise then that TikTok, whose parent company is based in China, are really pushing the live shopping experience. And we already know, if TikTok is pushing something, we jump on quickly.

So, how do you actually make money with TikTok lives?

How to make money with TikTok lives

I know what you’re thinking — what would I talk about on a live? What would I do? Creating TikTok shop videos is one thing, but retaining attention for a period of time is a new ball game altogether. Luckily, it’s easier than you think.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to retain attention for an entire live to be able to make a sale. Most people will come and watch your LIVE for only 30-60 seconds before leaving. New viewers come in and out very frequently during a live stream. This isn’t a bad thing — each new set of eyes offers a new opportunity to make a sale. 

The hardest part is deciding on a format that makes it easy for you to stay engaged and active. But there are so many ways to do this in a low-effort way. In the same way there are frameworks for TikTok shop videos, there are also winning ways to go live. Here’s some of my favorite examples…

Examples of TikTok lives

Workout queens: @chelsleebugc is a perfect example of this. One two hour live generated over $20k in revenue — the premise was simply showing her WFH set up. For two hours she worked away on her walking pad and answered any questions that came in from viewers. She tagged three products throughout the live: her walking pad, her standing desk and a Stanley cup dupe. Nothing complicated or that required too much prep in advance.

Supplements and signs: This shows just how easy it is to clean up on live: this example form @spriyoo is so low effort it’s crazy. He’s not even on camera, just the product with a computer monitor that lists a few benefits. Over the course of ninety minutes, he routinely goes through the benefits of the supplement and why viewers NEED to be taking them. He’ll highlight the price and any offers currently happening, and then go back to talking about the benefits again. Then, he’ll repeat. It sounds too good to be true, but he’s generating thousands every single day by doing this. 

In the kitchen: One of the products that have really taken off on lives are ice machines. Viewers can watch in real time as creators use ice machines to make flavored variations of bog standard ice. Like the supplement videos, these are often done faceless and just require you to keep talking through the discounts, benefits and potential flavors for a few hours. While it sounds simple, you’d be surprised at how effective it can be. @angshopfindss does this daily, and the numbers speak for themselves.

If this doesn’t give you the motivation to give it a bash, I don’t know what will. Going live for the first time is scary, but so is earning your salary in a single day with a good one. Embrace the fear, the payoff could be worth it.

For more inspiration, you can find the lives that have generated the most revenue on TikTok shop on Kalodata. You can get an extended free trial with code BMC.

How to make the most of your live

Ok, so you’re ready to give it a go. You’ve got an idea for your format, you know what TikTok shop product(s) you want to push and you’ve carved out ninety minutes in your day…

A word of advice before you hit GO LIVE:

1. Make it visually appealing

Visual impact is important. Your live doesn’t need to be aesthetic, but it needs to be visually stimulating enough to hold attention for long enough. Think of a viewer's phone screen as a grid that’s split into three. You want to ensure each area of the grid is visually compelling in some way. The middle third is the most important — this is where you’re going to want to have your product showcased. The next important area is the top third — your chat and product cards will cover the bottom, so you can be less conscious of this area. This might be as simple as having a written sign in the top third, your product static in the middle, and your hands visible in the lower third. Many creators will also utilize LED lights that color to ensure the background is dynamic and constantly changing. 

2. Ace TikTok shop product selection

When choosing your product, you want to opt for products that are not only trending and proven on the app, but also ones that you are familiar with. You’ll most likely get some questions during your live about the product, and being able to answer these freely makes for a much more compelling experience for viewers. If you’re promoting multiple products in a single live, be conscious of widening your price range where possible. For example, if you’re promoting a walking pad as your hero product, you could also incorporate a water bottle or a gym jacket at lower price points. This gives the audience options for impulse purchases.

3. Repetition is key

Repetition is key. Make sure to go over products at least 2-3, if not more!​

Most people will come and watch your LIVE for 30-60 seconds. New viewers come in and out very frequently during a live. Continue to repeat best selling products and monitor real time sales data until you see fatigue.​ Remind customers of any limited time or limited quantity discount. Encourage customers to place an order now (not after LIVE) as you’re not sure whether or not these reduced prices will last. ​

Go live now, worry later

TikTok is really pushing live right now, and that means it’s the perfect opportunity to test it out. It can be nerve-wracking, sure, but it can also be life-changing and the quickest way to test an audience's interest in a potential winning product. Just half an hour on live might give you the audience insight you need to create a viral video. It might make you more sales than you’ve made in a week. Or, you might make no sales and learn nothing…. but you walk away with a boat load of confidence. 

PS If you’re reading this in April 2024, TikTok are currently incentivising creators to go live. Head to TikTok shop for Creators, scroll down to tasks and you might just find one that pays $80 for 6 lives. Literally nothing to lose, everything to gain. 

If you want to join the biggest community of TikTok shop creators making bank, the Academy is waiting. Our members are making five-figures in TikTok Shop commission every week. Ready to join them?