June 26, 2025
TikTok is continuing its push into livestreaming by testing a brand new feature called Fan Clubs. This update is designed to encourage more interaction between creators and their audiences, by turning livestreams into a more gamified and community-driven experience.
With livestream shopping already booming in markets like China, TikTok is clearly looking for ways to replicate that success in other regions. And features like Fan Clubs could be a key part of that strategy.
What Are TikTok Fan Clubs?
Fan Clubs are an evolution of TikTok’s earlier “Creator’s Team” feature. They aim to make livestreaming more interactive by giving fans a reason to stay engaged and support their favourite creators.
Here’s how it works: to join a creator’s Fan Club, a viewer simply needs to send a virtual gift during a livestream. That one action automatically enrols them as a Fan Club member. From there, they’re presented with a list of tasks they can complete — such as watching more livestreams, commenting, or sending additional gifts. Completing these tasks earns them points which help them level up in the community.
Essentially, TikTok is giving fans a way to turn passive watching into an active, rewarding experience — one that’s similar to gaming.
According to TikTok:
“Fan Club levels allow your followers to unlock different perks. As they complete missions to earn fan points and level up, they’ll earn rewards and access to exclusive gifts to send during a creator’s livestreams.”
What Perks Can Fans Unlock?
As users level up within a Fan Club, they gain access to a range of exclusive rewards, including:
- Special gifts that can only be sent during livestreams
- Member badges displayed next to usernames in the live chat
- Entry lights that make their name stand out during broadcasts
- Exclusive chat rooms that are only accessible to higher-level members
These features not only offer fans a sense of status, but also create a competitive element that encourages them to stay active in the creator’s live sessions.
However, to keep your Fan Club membership active, you must keep earning points. If you haven’t interacted within seven days of the creator going live, your membership will be paused — though TikTok will send you a reminder beforehand.
Why Is TikTok Doing This?
TikTok’s aim here is simple: boost engagement on its livestreams. And the numbers suggest that this approach could be effective. In previous versions of this feature, fans who joined Creator Teams:
- Sent three times more virtual gifts
- Spent four times longer watching livestreams
For creators, this means more support and more revenue. For TikTok, it means longer session times and more potential for in-app purchases — particularly as the platform leans further into live commerce.
With livestream shopping already a huge industry in countries like China, TikTok is clearly trying to establish similar habits among its global user base.
What Else Is TikTok Testing?
Fan Clubs aren’t the only new livestream tool being tested. TikTok is also rolling out a new feature called LIVE Journey, which focuses on encouraging creators — not fans — to stream more often. It works by setting specific goals for streamers and rewarding them for meeting activity milestones.
This two-sided approach — motivating both creators and fans — could make TikTok’s live ecosystem more active and lucrative.
When Will Fan Clubs Be Available?
Right now, Fan Clubs are being promoted mainly in Asian markets, and TikTok hasn’t confirmed when or if the feature will roll out globally. As always, TikTok tends to test features in select regions before expanding more broadly.
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