How to Host Sales Live on Tiktok (Your Complete Guide)

More and more brands and entrepreneurs are looking for ways to sell live on TikTok. And it shouldn’t be a surprise since live shopping has demonstrated 3x the engagement of traditional e-commerce ⚡

You might think this is only for big brands or influencers with thousands of followers, but today any brand can learn to sell through TikTok lives (even if TikTok Shop is not enabled in their country)

In this article, I'm going to show you step by step, and you can download for free “the guide to selling live (without being an influencer)” here:

💡 Here’s what we'll cover:

• How to run effective live sessions on TikTok to sell

• What products to showcase in your live sessions

• The essentials of a successful TikTok Live

• Live shopping strategies and how to engage your audience

• The real case of a brand that earns USD 500/hr from TikTok Live

• And how to close your live sales!

What is a sales live?

A sales live (also called live shopping or live commerce) is a digital commerce strategy that combines live broadcasts with the possibility of buying products in real-time. 

During the live, the seller showcases the products, answers questions live, and incentivizes immediate purchases. It's like TV shopping but on social networks like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. The characteristic of these lives is that users can interact with the brand, see the products in use, and make purchasing decisions on the spot. 

Live shopping vs. traditional live

The main difference between sales lives (live shopping) and traditional lives lies in the objective and dynamics:

👉 Sales lives are designed to sell in real-time. 

You present products, answer potential buyers’ questions, and try to incentivize purchase with elements like exclusive offers, links, and a sense of urgency.

👉 While traditional lives aim to connect or entertain. 

You can talk about a topic, show your behind-the-scenes routine, or simply chat with your audience, but without the intention of closing a sale during that broadcast.

In short, if live shopping seeks immediate conversion, traditional lives focus on branding and community.

Why do sales live work?

The success of live commerce lies in its ability to digitally recreate the in-store shopping experience, combining demonstration, human interaction, and urgency in one format.

• Real-time interaction and trust

The fact that the audience can ask questions, see product demonstrations, and receive instant answers generates trust and reduces uncertainty in their purchasing decision. 

• Entertaining experience

Having the duo of entertainment + sale keeps viewers’ attention for longer, which favors conversion.

• FOMO (fear of missing out)

The effect of seeing others buy live is a powerful engine for action. Real-time promotions and scarcity activate the “fear of missing out,” turning many viewers into instant buyers.

STEP BY STEP: How to do a sales live on TikTok  

In this section, I’ll show you step by step how to prepare your broadcast to make the most of it, even if you’re in a country where TikTok's direct checkout is not yet available (like most of LATAM). Spoiler: WhatsApp will be your best ally 😉

STEP 1: Choose wisely which products you will showcase

Start with a key question: What products are bought from you the most or generate the most questions? Those are the ones you should show first in your live.

Go for visual products, with appealing prices and easy to explain. For example: if you sell accessories, choose the most colorful ones or if you sell clothes, show the most requested sizes.

STEP 2: Promote your live in advance

TikTok doesn’t always notify all your followers, so help it a bit 😉

• Post a short video saying when your live will be and what you will showcase

• Create a story with a countdown

• Share it also on Instagram and WhatsApp

You could use something like: “This Friday at 6:00 p.m. join us LIVE to show you the new skincare sets with amazing discounts only during the live 💅 Activate the reminder!”

The more anticipation you create, the greater the chance of having people connected from the start.

STEP 3: Start your live on TikTok

Before pressing "Go Live", make sure you have decent lighting, a stable connection, your products nearby.

Attention! You must be over 18 years old and have more than 1,000 followers for your Tiktok account to have the Live option. And once you have it, @anicarteras shares this hack:

• Expert tip so TikTok doesn’t restrict your sales lives:

1.- From your profile, tap “+” and swipe to the last Live option

2.- Go to Settings > Content Warning

3.- Enable “Warn about LIVE content”

3.- Mark according to the products you will offer “Own Brand” or “Branded Content” and Save

4.- Now, tap “Go Live”

STEP 4: Showcase your products and interact with your audience

This is the moment to shine ✨

Show how it’s used, mention its benefits, and respond to comments in real-time. That makes the experience feel close and authentic.

Ask questions like Which color do you like the most? or Who would you gift this to?

📌 Later, we will see effective strategies to sell on TikTok Live and recommendations to connect better with your audience, so stay until the end 😉

STEP 5: Close the sale

In most LATAM countries, TikTok Live still does not allow direct purchases from the app, as it does in Mexico. But don’t worry: WhatsApp is your best channel to close the sale.

Why?

• It is the most used messaging channel in Latin America

• It conveys trust and closeness

• You can send payment links, shipping information, and keep in touch

Additionally, if you add the direct link to your WhatsApp in the chat or display the number on the screen, you make it easy for them!

Essentials for a good TikTok sales live

David Tafur, CEO of YaVendió, shares these 4 essentials you should map when selling through TikTok Live:

• Setting: It’s your stage setup. If you have a store or warehouse and use it as a real set, this adds to your audience's trust. You can even say, “This is my store. We are at Av. Las Palmeras 534. Come visit us.”

💡 It's also important that it’s a tidy and professional-looking setting.

• Details: Show the product in as much detail as possible. Mentioning its features is important, but so are its benefits. If you can show how that product will benefit your client's life, you score many points.

• Consistency: This might be one of the key points. Do TikTok Lives consistently, and don’t get discouraged if you don’t make a sale the first time. This is about gaining audience and teaching the algorithm that your content is valuable. 

💡 How long should your TikTok Sales Live be? At least 1 hour.

• Call to Action: The call to action. You should tell your audience how to contact you to generate that sale: Direct messages, WhatsApp, etc. It’s crucial! 

7 Live shopping strategies on Tiktok: How to sell live on Tiktok?

Here I share 7 strategies that work for both large brands and entrepreneurs alike. 

1. Offer exclusive discounts during the live 🔥

Discounts that are only active while the broadcast lasts create urgency and make the person feel that if they don’t buy now, they’ll miss the opportunity.

Phrases like “Only during the live: 20% discount on this kit” or “This code disappears when the live ends” work very well.

2. Launch new products live 🚨

A live launch turns your broadcast into a whole event. 

Imagine telling your audience: “You are seeing this product first. It’s not on the website or store yet.”

They will feel part of something exclusive, which is perfect for triggering early purchases.

If you do this, I recommend creating anticipation days before with stories, ads, or posts that say: “Don’t miss Thursday’s live… something new is coming.”

3. Sell few units and say so! 📦

When your customer perceives that they might miss out on the product, the decision to buy accelerates.

Something that works is showing the number of units available and updating live as they sell.

For example: “Thanks, Mariana, for your purchase! Now there are only 8 units left.”

4. Use the live to invite to your physical store 🏪

Do you have a store? Perfect.

Take advantage of the live to generate visits to your store and extend the offline experience. It’s also a good idea to show your stock with the store as a backdrop to incentivize them to want to see the products.

5. Create themed lives on key dates 🎉

Black Friday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas… special dates have a “buying mood,” which plays in your favor.

Decorate your recording space and hold dynamics such as giveaways, limited combos, or games. You can take advantage of commercial dates in your TikTok lives like this:

•  “Father's Day Special: The 5 Best Gifts in 20 Minutes”

•  “Christmas Combo only available in this live”

Tap into the emotion of the date and reinforce the urgency live.

6. Collaborate with complementary brands 🤝

Activate the power of collaborations. Both brands can benefit and even set up a pack of their products only for the live.

Do you sell home products? Team up with a fragrance brand. Do you sell desserts? Collaborate with a local café.

This gives you:

• Diversity in content

• Combined audience 

• Shared costs

• Higher cross-selling probabilities

7. Broadcast consistently 📅

The big mistake that those starting to sell through Tiktok live (and fail to grow) make is limiting themselves to only one broadcast. 

It’s normal for your first live not to be a sales success, but the key is consistency. Don’t do a live and disappear, make it a habit. 

You can create a series of lives like “Beauty Wednesdays” or “Exclusive Offer Sundays” so your followers become familiar with this content and increase your audience.

How to connect with your audience when selling live on TikTok

The difference between a live that entertains and one that sells lies in the real connection with your audience.

When people feel like you're talking to them, they trust more. And when they trust, they buy.

Here are 6 key recommendations to achieve this:

1. Talk as if you were on a video call with a friend 

2. Use the names of your viewers when responding 

3. Start immediately, even if you only have one person connected 

4. Show vulnerability by using personal stories 

5. Listen and adapt your content based on what your audience requests in the moment 

6. Close with gratitude and a clear invitation for the next step.

From viewers to buyers: How to close sales on your TikTok live?

Let’s get to the most important part: closing the sale.

Businesses registered on TikTok Shop have the ability to incorporate their catalogue during the live and make their viewers pay within the platform.

However, to date, the only Latin American country that has TikTok Shop available is Mexico (it is expected that TikTok will launch it in more countries progressively). 

This is where WhatsApp as a strategic channel comes in ☝️

Today, digital businesses close 3x more sales through WhatsApp than through a store or webpage, and you can leverage this for your TikTok lives!

The general dynamic in these TikTok live sales goes like this:

⚡ You gain an audience for your live sessions

⚡ You generate interest in your products during the live

⚡ You send potential customers to WhatsApp to place their order

⚡ You close the sale through this channel (and retain them for future purchases)

That said, for the magic to happen, you (or your team) need to be prepared and respond quickly.

If you want to save time and money at this final stage, there are solutions that automate sales through WhatsApp like YaVendió!, your AI virtual seller.

More than 100 e-commerce brands now use our AI agent that instantly responds, clarifies doubts, sends your product catalogue, and can close sales without human intervention.

👉 While you are on TikTok connecting with your audience, your AI is selling on WhatsApp 24/7! It’s that easy!

Check out the real case with one of our clients who generates about $500 per hour on TikTok Live:

DOWNLOAD NOW “Live Shopping on TikTok: The Ultimate Guide to Selling Live (Without Being an Influencer)” 

Do you want to launch your first TikTok Live and start selling in real-time?

We’ve created this guide with the most relevant points from this article + resources to help you generate sales with TikTok Live:

📘 Download it for free HERE and find:

• The proven step-by-step process to do a sales live on TikTok

• Effective strategies to convert viewers into buyers, even if it’s your first live.

• The metrics that really matter to know if your live truly worked (spoiler: it’s not the likes).

• The framework for evaluating and choosing your most sellable products.

• The practical checklist of everything you need on the day of the live.

• 15-day roadmap to launch your first sales live 

Your audience is already on TikTok, they just need to see you selling! 🚀