We don't take hosts on from a CV. We ask for a TikTok handle and three replay links, then we watch. Here is what we're watching for, in the order we notice it.
1. Do they hold a room?
Within two minutes we know. A good host talks to the camera as if someone is there, even when the viewer count says four. They don't go quiet when the chat goes quiet. They give you a reason to stay: a reveal in a minute, a deal about to drop, a question they'll answer after this product.
2. Do they read and use the chat?
Names. "Hi Sarah, yes it comes in black." "Jay's asking about shipping, it's two days." A host who names people turns watchers into participants, and participants buy. We also watch what they do with a rude comment: ignore it, move on, keep the room warm.
3. Pace
Live selling has a rhythm: product, price, why, link, countdown, next. Good hosts keep it moving without rushing. They repeat the price and the link more than feels natural, because new people are arriving every thirty seconds and none of them heard it the first time.
4. Product confidence
Can they pick something up and say three true things about it without reading? Do they know what it costs? If they're demonstrating, do they actually demonstrate: apply the lash, try the jacket, run the blender? We're not looking for an expert in every category, we're looking for someone who prepares.
5. Setup and presence
Lighting on the face, camera at eye level, a background that isn't distracting, audio you can hear. None of this is expensive. All of it says whether the host takes it seriously.
6. Reliability
This one we can't see in a replay, so we ask around it. How often do they go live? Do they keep a schedule? We don't take hosts who stream less than three times a month, because a host who isn't in the habit of showing up for their own lives won't show up for a brand's.
What we don't care about
Follower count. Streams run on the brand's account, so the host's own audience is beside the point. Age, accent, look: brands want someone their customers trust, and that's a much wider range of people than casting agencies assume.
If this sounds like you, send us your replays. If you're a brand and you'd rather we did the watching, that's the service.
Published 2026. Hosts for Hire is an independent UK agency and is not affiliated with TikTok.