How to Turn On Viewer Ranking on TikTok

Ever wondered who your top fans are during a TikTok LIVE? Viewer Ranking is a simple but powerful feature that creates an instant leaderboard of your most engaged supporters, gamifying the experience and helping you recognize the people who make your community thrive. This article will show you exactly how to turn on Viewer Ranking and share some strategies to use it effectively to build a more interactive and loyal audience.

What Exactly is Viewer Ranking on TikTok LIVE?

Before we get into the how-to, let's quickly cover what this feature is and why it matters. Viewer Ranking is a real-time leaderboard that displays during your TikTok LIVE stream. It specifically ranks viewers based on the value of the Gifts they've sent during that particular session. The person who has sent the most virtual Gifts (measured in Diamonds) sits at the top spot.

Think of it as the VIP section of your LIVE stream. It serves a few important functions:

• It Identifies Your Supporters: At a glance, you can see who is most invested in your content, allowing you to give them personalized shout-outs and acknowledgments.
• It Encourages Friendly Competition: Human nature loves a good competition. A public leaderboard can motivate viewers to send more gifts to claim the top spot or climb higher on the list.
• It Boosts Gifting: For creators, gifts are a direct way to monetize content. The ranking system is a built-in incentive that can significantly increase the number of gifts you receive during a stream.
• It Strengthens Community: By recognizing and rewarding engagement, you make your supporters feel seen and valued. This is a fundamental part of building a strong, long-lasting community around your brand or profile.

Ultimately, it's not just a feature to make more money, it's a tool for community management and engagement, helping you turn passive viewers into active participants.

How to Enable Viewer Ranking During Your TikTok LIVE

Turning on Viewer Ranking is straightforward and can be done right after you start your stream. Follow these simple steps, and you'll have it up and running in seconds.

Step 1: Start Your LIVE Stream

You can't change LIVE settings until you are, well, live! To get started:

1. Open your TikTok app and tap the create (+) button at the bottom center of the screen.
2. Swipe through the options at the bottom until you get to "LIVE."
3. Give your stream an engaging title, add a cover photo, and adjust any other preliminary settings like effects or topics.
4. When you're ready, tap the "Go LIVE" button.

Step 2: Access the In-Stream Settings

Once your stream has started and viewers are beginning to join, look at the bottom toolbar of your LIVE screen. Here, you'll see several icons representing different features like Effects, Comments, and Share.

• Find the icon that looks like three dots (...) or sometimes a gear icon labeled "More" or "Settings." This is where all the in-stream moderation and feature controls are located.
• Tap on this icon to open the settings panel.

Step 3: Toggle On Viewer Ranking

Inside the settings panel, you'll see a list of real-time options you can control during your stream. Scroll through this menu until you find an option called "Ranking" or "Viewer ranking." The wording can sometimes change slightly with app updates.

• Next to this option, you will see a toggle switch. By default, it's usually turned off (greyed out).
• Tap the toggle switch to turn it on. It should slide over and change color (typically to green), indicating that the feature is now active.

Step 4: Confirm It’s Working

Exit the settings menu to return to your LIVE stream view. You should now see a small, discrete icon on your screen, often shaped like a trophy or a crown. This is the Viewer Ranking button.

Viewers can tap this icon to see the full leaderboard. As the host, you'll also be able to see the top viewer(s) displayed on your screen, making it easy to see changes in real-time and give shout-outs without interrupting your flow. And that's it! The ranking is now active for a more connected and competitive stream.

Beyond the Toggle Switch: Using Viewer Ranking to Boost Engagement

Simply turning the feature on is just the first step. The real magic happens when you actively integrate the Ranking into your live content. Here's how you can make the most of it to foster an even more exciting experience for your audience.

Acknowledge Your Top Supporters (The Right Way)

The number one rule of Viewer Ranking is to acknowledge the people on it. However, a generic "thanks to everyone on the board" doesn't have much impact. Get specific.

• Give Genuine Shout-Outs: Call out usernames clearly. A personal acknowledgment feels rewarding. For example, "Wow, @SocialSageSarah, thank you so much for the T-Rex gift! You've just taken the top spot on the leaderboard!"
• React to High-Value Gifts: When someone sends a particularly impressive gift, like a Lion or a TikTok Universe, make a big deal out of it. Your genuine excitement reinforces their action and shows everyone else that their support genuinely matters to you.
• Don't Forget the Others: While the number one spot gets the most glory, don't forget to thank people in the second, third, or even tenth spots. Spreading the love encourages more people to participate without feeling like only the top spot is winnable.

Create Themed Goals and Challenges

Gamify the experience by creating goals or challenges tied to the leaderboard. This transforms passive gifting into an active, collaborative game.

• Set a "Top Tipper" Goal: Kick off your stream by setting a goal for the number one spot. "Tonight, our goal is to get the top viewer to 20,000 Diamonds! Will we make it?" this gives everyone a collective mission.
• Offer Rewards for Top Ranks: Give the top three viewers a tangible reward at the end of the stream. This could be a follow-back, a special personalized post, a fan sign, or even exclusive access to a future Discord AMA. Announce the prize at the beginning to set the stakes. For example: "The Top 3 members in the Viewer Ranking by the end of this stream will get their comment pinned on my next video!"
• Connect Rankings to Your Content: Tie the leaderboard to what you're doing. If you're a performing musician, maybe the top supporter gets to request the final song. If you're a gamer, they get to name a character in your next RPG playthrough.

Use the "About Me" Field in the Ranking Panel

This is a little-known feature that can make a big difference. Within TikTok's LIVE settings, often near the Viewer Ranking toggle, there's an "About me" or "Ranking Goal" section. This lets you add a short description that appears inside the ranking panel for all viewers to see.

Instead of leaving it blank, use it to set the rules. For example:

• "Tonight's Top Gifter picks tomorrow's stream topic!"
• "Help us reach our goal of 100k Diamonds to unlock a surprise!"
• "Top 3 on the leaderboard get a special shout-out in my story."

This text clarifies the incentives and reminds everyone what you're all working toward, so new viewers can quickly get up to speed.

Troubleshooting: What if You Can’t Find the Viewer Ranking Option?

Sometimes technology doesn't cooperate. If you're having trouble finding or activating the Viewer Ranking feature, here are a few things to check.

Is Your App Updated?

The most common culprit for missing features is an outdated app. TikTok updates its interface and features constantly. Head to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and make sure you are running the latest version of TikTok. Oftentimes, a quick update is all you need.

Regional and Account-Based Differences

TikTok is known for testing and rolling out features on a region-by-region basis. It's possible that the feature has not been fully implemented in your country yet, or it might be undergoing changes. Similarly, some features are first granted to creators with a larger following before becoming universally available. If you've updated your app and still don't see it, this could be the reason.

LIVE Access Requirements

To enable Viewer Ranking, you first need to be able to go LIVE. As a quick reminder, TikTok's requirements typically include being at least 16 years old to launch a LIVE and at least 18 years old to send and receive gifts. There is also usually a follower minimum (often around 1,000 followers, though this can vary by region).

Final Thoughts

Enabling and using Viewer Ranking on your TikTok LIVEs is an easy yet impactful method for recognizing top fans, motivating audience participation, and building a stronger sense of community. By looking beyond the toggle and actively incorporating it into your stream, you can turn a simple feature into one of your most effective engagement tools.

Balancing immersive LIVE streams with consistently scheduled content is a constant challenge for creators. To keep everything tidy and on track - from outlining TikTok video ideas to seeing our entire content plan on one screen - we rely on the visual calendar in Postbase. It allows us to manage all our scheduled posts across every platform, freeing up more mental space to focus on creating authentic, in-the-moment connections with our audience.