TikTok Live Algorithm:

• Top signals: Gift velocity + completion rate (percentage of viewers who stay through the broadcast).
• Secondary: Creator tier (TikTok has internal classification levels that affect discovery boost), short-form clip performance, follower count.
• Penalizes: Short broadcasts (under 30 minutes), low-energy content, content moderation flags.

TikTok Live-specific quirks:

• Gift velocity is the singular most important signal on TikTok Live. A stream with $50 in gifts in 30 minutes outranks a stream with $50 in gifts over 3 hours.
• The For You feed pulls clips from live broadcasts and amplifies them. A live stream that produces a viral clip during broadcast gets discovery amplification both during AND after the live session.
• Creator tier system: top creators get exposure to more high-spending gift senders. New creators have to climb the tier system through gift velocity demonstrations.

TikTok optimization priority: energy and pacing (the gift-trigger emotional moments) → broadcast duration (90+ minute sessions) → clip performance (For You feed amplification) → consistency.