TikTok Live is quickly becoming the best place on the internet to be discovered and become a full-time content creator. For that reason, anyone wanting to start livestreaming in 2023 should consider TikTok Live. For individual creators and small businesses alike, the fastest way to stand out from the crowd on TikTok Live is by creating a high production quality with good audience engagement. Of course, it always helps to have a great creative concept or topic of expertise that you can focus your content around, but the reality is that great concepts for live content are everywhere on TikTok.

The challenge for most TikTok Live creators is that they stream from their phones without access to streaming tools of any kind, meaning that their content comes out looking raw and they are extremely limited in what they can do while live. By contrast, the few creators that are currently using streaming tools are able to do way more with their livestreams, and as a result, are cruising past their competition. The tricky part is that to take advantage of streaming tools on TikTok, creators need access to a TikTok stream key, and most creators haven't figured out how to get one.

What is a stream key, and what does it do?

So what exactly is a stream key and why do you need one? A stream key is a code used to identify an audio/video streaming source, like Youtube, Twitch, or TikTok, which allows you to connect to streaming software like OBS or streaming studios such as Opus. For TikTok specifically, a stream key lets you stream from your PC using TikTok Live Studio or even to be able to simulcast (multistream) to several platforms at once using Opus or another streaming tool.

With access to a TikTok stream key that is connected to Opus, you can instantly transform your livestream into a professional-quality production regardless of your current production skill level. You'll be able to do things like highlight individual comments on the screen, completely customize the design and content of your stream with banners, overlays, logos, personalized layouts, and stickers, share your screen, and even make it rain emojis.

If you've already got your TikTok stream key and would like to try out Opus, you can sign up here. Otherwise, keep reading to get all the details on how to obtain your TikTok stream key and begin going live like a pro.

Requirements to obtain a TikTok stream key

While some platforms like Youtube and Twitch provide you with a stream key from the get-go, others, like TikTok, require you to put in some extra work to get access to one of their coveted stream keys. The reason TikTok is careful about handing out stream keys to everyone is that they know exactly how much more you can do while live once you have access to livestream tools like Opus, so they want to make sure your content is in line with their community guidelines and that you are serious about streaming on TikTok before handing you all that power.

As a result, TikTok has some basic requirements that they expect from creators before they are willing to hand over the key to the kingdom, pun fully intended:

• You need to be 18 years old, so tough luck to all of the 14-year-old fortnight prodigies reading this right now.
• You need to be in good standing on TikTok and have not broken any community guidelines. If you have been flagged, reported, or even received a strike in the past, it may still be possible for you to receive a stream key later, but there's no guarantee, so make sure you know the rules and keep your content clean.
• You'll need to have earned at least 1000 followers on TikTok. This is a hard rule for all users that want to access the TikTok Live feature. For those of you who are just getting started and haven't earned your first one thousand followers yet, don't be discouraged, just keep posting regular TikTok content and you’ll get there in no time!
• As of right now, you must be located in the US to receive a stream key. However, if you don't qualify due to your location, there is one trick you can try that can at least allow you to livestream on TikTok from your PC. If you have 1k followers, you can use a VPN to set your IP address to the UK and then go to: https://tiktok.com/studio/download, and you should be able to download TikTok’s streaming studio for windows, which will allow you to stream TikTok on your PC. We don’t recommend taking this route unless you are desperate to stream on PC, as TikTok generally won’t appreciate you using a VPN to skirt their rules.

Once you’ve hit your 1k follower milestone and can start going live, it's much easier to get your stream key if TikTok sees that you've already been going live frequently. The community has observed that accounts that go live frequently from their phones on TikTok tend to have an easier time getting a stream key from the platform once they meet all the requirements.

Going live on your phone without any streaming tools can be a challenge, but it's also an opportunity for you to explore different creative concepts, develop your live show and improve your content's quality. That way, when you do eventually get access to a stream key you'll already have the skills you need to explode in popularity.

We highly recommend that you start going live on TikTok at least a few times a week for a while before you apply for the stream key. This shows TikTok that you are serious about being a live content creator on their platform and that you will make full use of receiving stream key access. If you aren't sure if you've been going live enough or not, feel free to reach out to us at Opus, and we can review your channel to determine if we think you're ready to apply for a stream key or not.

How to get a TikTok stream key: The 2 main ways in 2023

Not too long ago, the perception amongst the community was that getting access to a TikTok stream key was more of a game of who-you-know rather than fulfilling specific requirements and then submitting a formal request. There was also the infamous Streamlabs google form claiming that everyone who filled in their info would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for access by TikTok. The current state of the form alone (it no longer exists) says everything you need to know about how that process worked out for creators. It's no surprise, therefore, that at the time a lot of creators weren't exactly thrilled about the lack of clarity on how they could get their hands on a stream key for their channels.

TikTok has now improved the process to make it more transparent and fair. Since Opus is largely made up of former TikTokers, we recently reached out to TikTok about getting access to stream keys on behalf of some of the creators in our community. When we met, they made it clear that they were no longer accepting requests for stream keys directly. However, they did give us all the info on how we could help creators get their hands on a stream key. There are now only 2 routes you can take to earn your stream key in 2023.

Path 1: The hard way

While TikTok may no longer accept direct appeals from creators seeking a stream key, they still do hand out stream keys to their favorite creators. Although it appears to be somewhat rare, dedicated TikTok Live creators who are showing strong viewership numbers and fulfilling all the pre-existing requirements sometimes log in to discover a stream key option magically appear. Getting "discovered" by TikTok appears to be a combination of time, hard work, and luck, but you can find examples of creators who have received their key through grinding like this creator with nearly 47k followers.

There doesn't appear to be a specific follower threshold or any other specific numbers a streamer needs to achieve in order to win the TikTok Live lottery. However, there are a couple of clear commonalities that we have noticed among streamers that have magically received a stream key. First, they are all very active on TikTok, producing new content daily and going live at least 4-5 times per week. Also, they all consistently earn live viewership numbers far above what you'd expect based on their follower size.

The ability to garner a large live audience through nothing but organic discovery on users' "For You" live page is exactly what TikTok wants. TikTok knows that its discoverability is its single biggest draw for up-and-coming creators over established livestreaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. In summary, if you can go live on your phone and make content entertaining enough that you consistently punch above your follower weight class, TikTok will most likely eventually take notice. To summarize, this is why we recommend you stream as much as you can on TikTok if you want to receive a stream key, because there is always a chance that TikTok will notice you and respect your hustle.

Path 2: Work with a TikTok-partnered agency, like CarterPulse.

Carter Pulse is an Esports Management agency led by a duo of entertainment lawyers who have partnered with TikTok to establish the first proper application process that is officially backed by the platform. Carter pulse originally landed the agreement because TikTok is hungry to find a way to break into the livestream gaming market, but not long after announcing the program they discovered just how large the demand for stream keys was across the entire platform.

As a result, submitting a stream key application to Carter Pulse can often take a while, but eventually, you should expect feedback letting you know whether you ended up qualifying or not. We should warn you that applying with Carter Pulse and fulfilling the basic requirements does not automatically qualify you for a stream key, but following the advice in this article will give you the best chance of receiving a key.