TikTok Live streams have become a very popular feature of the social media platform.
One study found that 20% of all people who watch live streams do it on TikTok, and nearly two-thirds of those viewers watch at least one TikTok Live session every day. Content creators and influencers love running the streams, too, because they can receive tips from fans worth as much as hundreds of dollars.
TikTok Live tips are given as “gifts” purchased during the streams. It’s simple to buy the gifts once you’ve bought TikTok coins (the app’s internal currency) to spend on them, and the coins are available for purchase during Live streams as well as in users’ TikTok profiles.
But what if you want to just indicate that you’re enjoying the show without spending any money? Read on.
Likes on TikTok
Social media likes have been around since 2007. The FriendFeed platform was the first to put a “like” button on content, and Facebook adopted it after purchasing FriendFeed in 2009. Today, TikTok and every other social app have like buttons or similar icons that let users indicate approval or appreciation for content.
TikTok likes may not be as welcome as the monetary tips creators may receive during Live sessions, but they’re valuable, too.
Receiving lots of likes and other engagements shows the TikTok algorithms that a user’s videos are becoming more popular and deserve to be shown more widely on the platform. Likes tell creators which of their TikTok videos are gaining traction, helping them shape their content strategies. And receiving lots of likes provides psychic benefits as well.
Viewers don’t have to do any heavy lifting to figure out how to like a TikTok post; they just have to tap the heart icon on the right side of the screen. The story’s different in a Live session.
Liking a TikTok Live Stream
Once viewers enter a Live show on the app, they’ll notice that there’s no heart icon for them to tap to show that they’re enjoying the stream. There’s just a “Gift” icon on the bottom of the screen and a “Recharge” button that lets them buy coins to purchase gifts. With no “like” button, though, how do you indicate that you like what you’re watching without giving gifts?
No worries. Just double-tap the screen as you watch the Live session. You’ll see a heart appear in the stream, which means your like has been registered.
TikTok Live creators love receiving likes, even though they can’t cash them in. TikTok users generally double-tap during parts of the sessions that they particularly enjoy, allowing the streamers to see which parts of their show got the greatest responses. That’s valuable input when they’re planning future Lives.
Liking a TikTok Live stream doesn’t cost any money, but it’s not completely “free.”
You’re only allowed to share a total of 500 likes per day across the platform, so if you keep double-tapping throughout a show, you might run out of likes that you could otherwise use to show appreciation for the videos that appear in your TikTok feed. Be generous but judicious, and you’ll make the best use of your TikTok likes supply.
Interested in racking up more likes for your content and Live shows? Check out iDigic’s TikTok growth services to learn more about how we can help.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.