Why Brands Are Spending Big on TikTok Shop… But Underinvesting in the One Thing That Actually Sells
There’s something I’ve been watching happen again recently, and if I’m honest, it frustrates me. Check out my post on LinkedIn here.
Brands are spending hundreds of thousands of £pounds on TikTok Shop!
On ads.
On traffic.
On samples.
On studios.
On discounts.
On shiny tech.
And then they squeeze the budget when it comes to the presenter.
After 28 years in live selling, and more than 15,000 hours producing and directing live shows, I can tell you this with complete confidence:
Your presenter is your only true link to the customer.
At Live Sell Academy, we’ve built our entire approach around that belief .
Because when you strip it all back, in that live moment, the presenter is:
Your brand representative
Your product advocate
Your tone of voice
Your conversion engine
And the only person who can actually influence the sale in real time.
The First 30 Minutes Decide Everything
On TikTok Shop live selling, the first 30 minutes matter more than most brands realise.
If you lose that window consistently, you may as well burn the budget and save yourself the time.
The algorithm is watching.
The audience is judging.
The metrics are forming.
Enter Room Rate.
Average View Duration.
Click Through Rate.
Conversion.
If your presenter doesn’t know how to handle that opening phase, the drop-off starts early and it rarely recovers.
This isn’t theory. It’s lived experience from decades in high-pressure live environments.
“Buy Cheap, Buy Twice” Applies to Presenters Too
One of the comments on my recent LinkedIn post summed it up perfectly.
When you pay properly, you don’t just get talent.
You get:
Research
Preparation
Emotional investment
Product buy-in
Commitment beyond the script
A presenter who feels valued will:
Learn your product properly
Understand your customer
Stay longer
Care more
Represent you better
And that care shows up in the results.
Live presenting is a skill. It’s draining. It takes focus, stamina and emotional intelligence.
Expecting someone to stand there for hours, holding energy, handling comments, driving urgency, reading sentiment and converting viewers… for pennies?
That’s not a strategy. That’s a gamble.
You Can’t Automate Presence
Another comment compared this to webinar hosts and B2B demo teams.
Everyone wants the tech stack.
Nobody wants to pay for the human layer.
You cannot automate presence.
You can optimise funnels.
You can tweak creatives.
You can improve lighting and studio quality.
But you cannot automate:
Trust
Warmth
Timing
Instinct
Emotional connection
The best presenters don’t just broadcast.
They breathe.
They lean in when the chat sparks.
They answer with confidence, not panic.
They make a cold frame feel warm.
That “expert signal” isn’t scripted.
It’s embodied.
What the Best Presenters Actually Do
The very best presenters make it look easy.
That’s the dangerous part.
They don’t look frantic.
They don’t sound salesy.
They don’t chase the sale.
They:
Connect
Pace
Build trust
Control energy
Know when to push and when to pause
This is exactly why we created the REAL™ Method at Live Sell Academy :
Radiate on-air presence
Engage with authenticity
Align products with storytelling
Lift buying barriers
It’s not hype.
It’s structure.
And structure is what gives confidence.
The Real Cost of Underinvestment
When brands underinvest in presenters, here’s what usually happens:
High impressions.
Low ERR.
Weak CTR.
Flat GMV.
They blame the algorithm.
They blame the time slot.
They blame the product.
But rarely do they look at the delivery.
Your presenter is not a cost line.
They are a performance asset.
If you’re serious about TikTok Shop live selling, stop thinking in terms of:
“How cheaply can we get someone on screen?”
Start asking:
“Who can hold the room?”
“Who understands live psychology?”
“Who can turn engagement into revenue?”
Because once customers check out of your Live, they don’t always come back.
And that’s a much bigger cost.
If You Want Better Live Results…
If you’re a brand, ask yourself:
Are you investing more in traffic than in the person converting that traffic?
If you’re a presenter, ask yourself:
Are you being treated like a professional… or a placeholder?
At Live Sell Academy, our mission is simple :
To power the future of retail by delivering end-to-end live commerce solutions that connect brands with customers in real time.
And that future starts with professional presenters.
Because in live commerce, the heartbeat closes the deal.
Not the budget.
If this resonated, I’d genuinely love to hear your experience with presenter investment in TikTok Shop Lives.
Let’s raise the standard together!
If you’re serious about raising the standard of live selling in your brand, let’s talk.
Click this link to book a free strategy call and we’ll map out what professional presenter performance should look like inside your TikTok Shop Lives.
~ Phil
