TikTok LIVE: who can go live, how gifts work and how to run your stream

TikTok LIVE is a world of its own: the rules differ from regular videos, and real money changes hands — viewers buy gifts, creators collect Diamonds. There’s almost nothing about it in Georgian, so we pulled together what TikTok itself says: who can go live, what decides who sees the stream, and how to protect both the stream and your wallet.

1 / 4Who can go live

1. 01
   18+

   You can only go live from age 18. Sending and receiving gifts is 18+ too — that applies to creators and viewers alike.

2. 02
   A thousand followers

   According to TikTok, you need 1,000 followers to go live, though the threshold can vary by country. If you don’t see the button, check your age and follower count first.

3. 03
   Not available everywhere

   TikTok says plainly that LIVE and gifts aren’t available everywhere yet. If your age and followers check out and the button still isn’t there, the reason may be your country or violations on your account — TikTok restricts LIVE for rule breakers.

4. 04
   How to start

   In the app, tap “+”, choose LIVE at the bottom, give your stream a title and tap Go LIVE. To stream from a computer you need LIVE Studio (Windows) or OBS Studio.

5. 05
   Recordings last 30 days

   A recording of a finished LIVE is kept for 30 days: TikTok Studio › LIVE › LIVE recordings. From there you can download it, clip a highlight and post it as a separate video, or delete it.

2 / 4Who will see your stream

1. 06
   Here, followers count

   For regular videos, follower count isn’t a direct recommendation factor. In the LIVE feed, though, TikTok explicitly names the creator’s follower count as a factor — along with stream views, likes, gifts and country.

2. 07
   Viewer behavior

   On the viewer’s side, TikTok looks at which streams they like and comment on, who they follow, how long they watch and who they send gifts to. According to TikTok, watch time usually carries the most weight.

3. 08
   Where your stream shows up

   Viewers find streams through the LIVE button at the top, in For You and the Following feed, in search, in notifications and on the creator’s profile.

4. 09
   Guests on your stream

   With Multi-guest you invite other creators or viewers onto your stream, by audio or video. Panel keeps you on the main screen; Grid gives guests more room. Guests receive gifts too.

5. 10
   LIVE analytics

   The LIVE tab in TikTok Studio analytics shows the number of streams, views, stream duration, new viewers and followers, and Diamonds collected — for the last 7 to 28 days.

3 / 4Gifts and Diamonds: where the money moves

1. 11
   Coins → gift

   Viewers buy Coins — through the app store or, in some countries, at tiktok.com/coin — and use them to send gifts. Each gift’s price in Coins is shown under it.

2. 12
   Gift → Diamond

   Creators don’t receive gifts as cash: TikTok gives them Diamonds based on the stream’s popularity. With Diamonds, in TikTok’s words, you “may” receive a reward. Your balance is under Profile › ☰ › Balance › LIVE rewards.

3. 13
   Who isn’t eligible

   To turn on gifts you need to be in a country where LIVE Gifts are available, be 18+, have LIVE access and an account with no violations. Accounts of government bodies, politicians and political parties don’t collect Diamonds.

4. 14
   No gift button

   LIVE Gifts are turned on before the stream starts, in Settings. If viewers can’t see the gift button during a stream, TikTok says gifts aren’t available for that LIVE.

5. 15
   A limit for yourself

   Viewers can set a daily gift limit: LIVE › Share › Settings › Gift limit notification. When you hit it, TikTok lets you know. A handy brake when a stream gets you carried away.

6. 16
   Fan club

   With the Heart Me gift, viewers join a creator’s fan club: a private chat, badges, special gifts. To keep their status active, they need to earn points on the creator’s streams within 7 days.

4 / 4How to run your stream

1. 17
   Moderators

   Add moderators to your stream and give them permissions: comment filters, blocked words, muting a viewer for a set time, or blocking them.

2. 18
   18+ only

   Audience controls let you show your stream only to viewers over 18. Only the creator can turn this on.

3. 19
   The cost of a comment

   If a viewer’s comments get reported and break the rules, TikTok may suspend their ability to comment on LIVE — usually for 24 to 48 hours.

4. 20
   Ads on LIVE

   If you promote your own business or someone else’s brand on LIVE, turn on Content disclosure before you start: the stream gets a “Promotional content” or “Paid partnership” label. TikTok says this doesn’t affect distribution, while unlabeled posts may be removed or restricted.

✓The bottom line

Going live on TikTok takes being 18 and usually a thousand followers, and LIVE and gifts don’t work in every country. Unlike regular videos, the LIVE feed does count the creator’s followers. Viewers’ money moves in Coins, creators’ in Diamonds, and moderators and the 18+ filter protect the stream.

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