A day in the life of a live broadcast host like Zhang can include more than six hours of nearly uninterrupted conversation with the camera, time spent doing her hair, applying makeup and doing post-broadcast debriefs.
Despite the busy schedule, Zhang is one of millions of young Chinese, who are facing a record youth unemployment rate of more than 21%, trying to forge live sales success stories on platforms such as Tmall and Alibaba’s Taobao and Bytedance’s Douyin – TikTok’s Chinese sister site. .
“For live broadcasting, the threshold to enter the industry is very low. I can pick up my phone and I live broadcast,” Zhang said.
“How to stand out is difficult. This industry is very competitive, but if you can persevere, you can get better and better. I think whether I can stand out is just a matter of mentality and ability.”
Zhang isn’t the only one determined to pursue a career in live streaming hosting.
A survey of more than 10,000 young people on social media platform Sina Weibo last month found that more than 60% said they would be interested in working as internet influencers or hosts. live broadcast.
The live-streaming industry employed 1.23 million hosts in 2020, according to iResearch, and a pandemic-era boom in live-streaming sales helped the industry generate $480 billion in revenue. business in China last year.
To facilitate an increasingly professional and competitive live-streaming landscape, agencies have sprung up to train stables of young hosts and connect suitable anchors with brands.
Zhang works with Shanghai-based agency Romomo, a branch of brand partner Buy Quickly, which helps connect companies such as Lancôme and Under Armor with its 150 full-time hosts.
“Today, live streaming is one of the most important communication methods for the international brands we work with,” said Romomo Vice President Shining Li. sales, but also helps brands to promote their values and products in a very effective way.”
Indeed, the way brands approach live streaming in China has also evolved rapidly. From an initial focus on massive sales via deep discounts, storytelling and longer-term consumer engagement has increasingly become the goal.
For livestream host Shi Jianing, 28, building a relationship with the consumers she communicates with during broadcast sessions for brands such as Hugo Boss is key to sales success.
“We’re like friends with consumers,” she said. “If you can communicate with some personal affinity, that creates a kind of trust, and that relationship makes the consumer want to make the sale.”
