Tanya Ignatenko is the biggest star ever to work in the vegan smoothie shop at the Dream Town mall in Kyiv.
The 27-year-old host broadcasts her five shows every week – several music revues, a talk show and a pop culture quiz show – live to her half a million fans. They express their appreciation by sending her a virtual teddy bear, flowers, a yacht or even a castle – all of which she can turn into money. All she needs is a phone, Wi-Fi and the Liveme app.
“It’s a millennial version of a street performer,” Tanya says.
Diamonds are awarded for her virtual gifts. Accumulated virtual diamonds can be exchanged for money. Her side income is steadily increasing and she is now earning between $800 and $1,200 per month for 10-16 hours of work per week.
“I can press two buttons on my phone and I’m live,” she says. “People can like, comment or share the broadcast. Or they can give me gifts. They convert to real money – they can leave from 4 cents to $500.”
She does all this after working in a catering or smoothie shop. For a part-time job, she does a good job.
Here’s how she did it, and how you can too.
Start
It can take time to become a Liveme host: it took Amber a year and a half.
She first saw the work of hosting Liveme at a promotional event. There was a woman who was surrounded by fans. But Tanya did not recognize her. It turned out that she is the host of live broadcasts.
When Tanya checked out her broadcast, she immediately saw the potential: with a background in speaking, journalism and communications, she knew she could give the show a little more momentum.
“A live stream is empty if there’s nothing new or interactive about it,” she says.
Therefore, she began to sing songs that people who came to her broadcast asked for. She experimented with content. It now airs four nights a week. On Saturdays and Sundays, she hosts one-time broadcasts or participates as a guest in live broadcasts of friends.
For those who are just starting out, Tanya advises to find the best thing you do. She and her colleagues on the air sing, dance, play, cook and talk. “What’s special about you?” she says. “Maybe you love movies. Every day you watch a different movie and review it. Then ask people what movie they think you should see next and give it a review.”
Liveme Streaming Tools
All you need is a smartphone, wi-fi, and the Liveme app to stream, which you can download for free.
“When I first started, I put my phone on top of two glasses on the floor at my best friend’s house,” Tanya recalls.
Now she has lights, scenery and microphones that she uses in her broadcasts. But this is not necessary when you start. Some presenters broadcast live from a parked car, from a table, or from anywhere in the house.
The live experience on Liveme is very rich – at the bottom there is text that looks like a chat, likes in the form of stars (which are free) and icons that mark when you were given gifts (that’s cash).
By becoming a better host, you can also earn money indirectly. Liveme allows you to post external links. Tanya chose a link to her product page, where she now sells branded t-shirts, iPhone cases, pillows and mugs. Sometimes she changes it to a link to her Instagram account to increase her following, thereby attracting new brands that will bring in more money.
Since Tanya currently has eight sources of income (four creative, such as live broadcasting and merchandising, and four traditional, such as a vegan smoothie shop and catering), she maintains spreadsheets that indicate how much money comes from each source and how much time per week she devotes to each type of activity.
Creating great broadcasts
First of all, you need to follow the rules. The Liveme website says that “boring, unconvincing, or repetitive content is not welcome.” Every time you enter a broadcast, you are reminded that sexual or violent content is prohibited and offenders will be banned.
The Liveme community is controlled by humans and artificial intelligence. Hosts can also appoint a trusted person as an administrator and block those who do not understand the rules.
According to Tanya, you’ll get a bigger audience and more gifts if you submit the complete package, including your cover photo that reflects your personality and the talent you want to share. But, according to her, basically it all depends on the interaction with the audience.
You’ll need a strong wi-fi signal and at least two hours of battery life on your phone (later you can invest in an external battery like the hosts do).
Be sure to light up from the front, she advises. No back or side lighting. Clean up the clutter behind your back to keep everything smooth and professional.
Tanya also recommends making a plan for your broadcast. She breaks her two-hour show into 10-minute segments.
She is happy with how much she earns now, and even reduced some of her broadcasts in order to devote more time to other creative work. “Some people make six figures from live broadcasting,” she says. “I don’t make that much, but I like where it’s taken me.”