Guest Bio:
Jess McAleese is a freelance Live Selling Host. She has been working in the live shopping industry for years, partnered with some of the largest Brands, and is generating Millions of Dollars in revenue in the process.
Summary:
In this conversation, Jess discusses the nuances of engaging storytelling in live selling. She emphasizes the importance of starting with a hook, addressing the audience’s needs, and creating emotional connections through personal experiences. The dialogue highlights the repetitive nature of effective communication, especially in a dynamic environment where new audiences are constantly joining.
Takeaways:
- Live Shopping isn’t a TV show.
- You start with your hook and expand from there.
- Talk about the product, why they need it and why they need it NOW.
- How can you make it emotional as well?
- You literally just go and go and it feels like you are repeating yourself. but dont forget that new audience is constantly joining.
Full Transcript:
Moritz Schröder (00:02.414)
It’s nice. Just lovely to meet you and really great to have you on the podcast. I’m excited to talk to you because you work as a professional live seller for many brands, but including L’Oreal, which we’re going to talk a lot more in depth about later on. I think it’s one of the largest brands that is currently using live shopping and TikTok shop. But let’s dive into your very beginnings of how you ended up.
getting into live shopping, live selling. Can you give us a little bit of your background and what got you interested in live selling in the first place?
Jess (00:38.469)
Of course. Thank you so much. No one welcome. I’m so excited to be here and it’s an honor to be on your podcast. So thank you. but I’m really excited to dive in because it’s a real journey to be honest. I get asked that all the time. Like how did I get to where I am today? So I actually started in marketing. I started at a premium haircare brand as the social media assistant and Tik Tok had just launched.
it wasn’t the dancing app anymore. know, brands were jumping on it and I was set the task of, okay, Jess, go and just like post on Tik TOK. So just went with it. And I was so lucky to grow within that company and I became the social media manager and my role just really evolved with the platform. We were sort of one of the first brands as well to jump on Tik TOK lives and naturally where
I was creating content as the social media manager, sort of being the face of the brand. They were like, you can go on lives. And it was like, what is this? Like it was so brand new. I had never had any experience before, no live selling experience, no talking to a live audience sort of situation before.
Moritz Schröder (01:56.585)
Just to clarify, that was already live selling or was that just live streaming back then? Wow. It’s a big jump.
Jess (02:01.157)
That was live selling. We just went straight in. It was a big jump. was amazing though. I’m so grateful for everything the whole journey. So it just, yeah, my role evolved. So where I was in-house at this brand, not only was I presenting for the company doing all of these long shows, mega shows, I was then also on the other side of the camera.
organizing the live streams, getting new presenters to come in and join me on the lives. were going live for like eight hours at a time doing these massive shows. was organizing the schedule and then also organizing the deals that were on the live because there’s so many aspects of live shopping, especially on TikTok. You’ve got the presenter, the set, the products. Like what are you going to…
that makes it exciting, free gifts, like it’s a whole beast of a platform. And then in July, I actually decided to go fully freelance as a presenter because it’s just my passion. feel like I love it so much. I loved all aspects of my job before, but I do think that this is my thing, if that makes sense.
Moritz Schröder (03:22.706)
Yeah, totally. I can see the passion already bubbling up. And that’s fantastic to have found something like that that you’re so passionate about. Also very early in your career, a lot of people are not that lucky.
Jess (03:35.217)
Yeah.
Moritz Schröder (03:36.01)
but was it obvious to you when you decided to venture out on your own that there would be enough demand even in the market to get hired frequently enough to make a living off of this? Or was it that you were also just betting everything on live shopping, taking off in the UK as it ended up doing?
Jess (03:53.935)
So yes, that’s a good question actually, because of that context, I was at the premium haircare brand for four and a half years. So I was working on the live selling specifically on TikTok. We did dabble a little bit on live selling on the website as well. So I was doing that for about three years and I can obviously see how TikTok.
shopping and live shopping was just growing and growing and growing. And I thought, no, there’s, there’s space here for this to be my full-time job. was getting contacted by other brands and I was like, this is huge. So I was like, I’m just going to do it. And I’m so glad that I did because yeah, it’s just so much fun. And yeah, I love every single day working in my job.
Moritz Schröder (04:44.151)
Did you then rely on an existing network of brands that maybe you had contact before or that you already worked for at some point? Or did you have to build that network from scratch? I assume you probably also got to know some agencies working in that space and that might have helped. But can you walk us through how you would actually find your first clients once you decided to start your own business?
Jess (05:01.147)
Yes.
Jess (05:07.439)
Yes, I was very lucky from where I was in and amongst all of the presenters because I was hiring presenters to come and
join me and the brand that I was working for at the time. So I sort of knew the process of how other presenters out there who were doing this, whether it was full-time or part-time, like you have to reach out to brands and, know, try and get a portfolio together or just you speaking in front of a camera, like show to a brand that you could do this. So I sort of knew lots of presenters and I was just very lucky in the fact I think lots of brands had seen me.
live and I did get quite a lot of inbounds in asking if I would be their presenter so I was very lucky in that sense. But yeah, lots of groundwork went into it as well like I definitely worked so hard to get to where I am if that makes sense. I’ve been live for days probably if you count up all of the hours probably months but I think it is just all networking it’s definitely you know
word of mouth and also if a presenter can’t do a particular job because they’re booked or they’re busy we’re all really such a good community it’s like oh but I know this presenter I know this presenter it’s just very like you know recommending recommending people
Moritz Schröder (06:31.4)
Right, Yeah, I mean, that sounds super exciting. How would it work for a presenter like you to collaborate with TikTok? Are they involved at all in the events that you’re then hosting or are they more like the platform in the background and then agencies as well as brands are the ones that are really managing the events? How does it look like?
Jess (06:58.373)
Yeah, I think it is really brand dependent. Obviously, the bigger the brand, TikTok are more involved. They offer their support. So I have been on a few lives before where there is a TikTok representative there whilst we are live, mainly for the big shows, know, where you’re live for like 12 hours and there’s like a whole operation. It’s amazing. Like the amount of…
people behind the camera, think lots of people would be surprised. There’s so many people, there’s so much to think about. So the bigger brands, yeah, there is TikTok presence there. But when I’ve done smaller brands before as well, and it’s mainly just the brand and also just like a joint effort of.
whoever is on the brand side and the presenters working together to be like, should we try this, you know, and just like giving it a go. The best thing is to just test and learn, go live. You don’t know what’s going to happen. It could just explode and you could just skyrocket in sales.
Moritz Schröder (07:58.066)
Right. mean, live’s shopping is so interesting in the sense that you basically only need your phone and an internet connection to go live. So there’s very little barrier to entrance. But then of course, if you want to go to the other end of the spectrum, you could spend a lot of money, a lot of resources, have a huge team around it. And both can work. Both are viable options. Also depending of course on the brand and the kind of image they want to present as well as how big they are.
Jess (08:15.997)
Yes.
Moritz Schröder (08:28.131)
But you mentioned how big the crew can get and I’m not an insider. I would love to learn more about it. Can you walk us a little bit through how that looks like before you actually go live? Who is involved? Who takes responsibility? What does the team do while you’re presenting up to 12 hours? Give us a peek behind the curtain.
Jess (08:47.091)
Yeah, definitely. I think it’s worth to note that I’ve done both big productions and small. I still go live from my little home studio where it’s just me. So it’s good to do both. Both are fun. But I think for the bigger shows, you obviously have the sets. That is like a massive part of it as well and how it looks to the viewer. You know, it has to be engaging.
Moritz Schröder (08:58.93)
knife.
Jess (09:13.809)
People’s attention spans are so short. I know they’re getting a little bit better, but for a viewer to stop on your live and come in, like it has to be eye-catching. So there’s that whole aspect of the visual engagement of it. You then obviously have the entire team who are creating the bundles, the whole TikTok shop set up of it, the pricing, pricing strategy, how low can you go? Are you gonna do a free gift?
you know, there’s so much to think about. You have the design element as well, which goes with the visual. Is there going to be stickers? Is there like a moving banner on the live? You have the camera crew. And then also you have a producer who is, you know, pinning the products or doing the flash sales in real time. And then you’ve got the presenters as well. Like I’m sure I probably missed one aspect, but it’s so fast paced.
you have to just be like a collaborative team, if that makes sense. think most presenters will be, you know, stuck in and involved as well. It’s not like we’re just talking to the camera. We need to know what’s going on. need to understand as well about what’s going on.
Moritz Schröder (10:26.406)
Right, right. And I could imagine that that might get also distracting, right? I mean, you’re the one in front of the camera and you’re live and you’re trying to keep the audience’s attention and make sure that everything runs smoothly while behind the camera, maybe things are not going as smoothly. Things might go wrong and you then have to just make the best out of it.
Jess (10:27.315)
Yeah.
Jess (10:42.963)
you
Jess (10:47.589)
Yeah, definitely. This happened quite a few times before when in previous years when I would be on the screen, but then also coming off the screen, sending another presenter in and sorting out all of the issues because I was both in the camera and behind the camera. So yeah, it’s definitely a whole process, but it’s just wild. Like honestly, TikTok shopping and live selling is just expanding every single day. Like you open up the app and there’s
So many people live, like not just brands, know, affiliates as well are going live at home. Like it’s just like the future of shopping.
Moritz Schröder (11:26.616)
Yeah, I certainly agree. I think it’s going to be a major pillar going forward in terms of shopping and how we discover products as well. It’s going to be very interesting to see how that keeps unfolding in front of our eyes. And it must be so exciting to be at the very epicenter of it and see it all happen in real time, right? And at the same time, be able to ride that wave. mean, you’re probably getting booked left and right as the demand picks up.
Jess (11:35.302)
Yeah.
Jess (11:47.111)
Yeah.
Jess (11:53.787)
Yeah, definitely. It’s a busy schedule, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I’m really happy that I’ve sort of been around, you know, TikTok live from the start, I would say, from when I was in-house. I’ve just watched it grow. And then now I’ve started my freelance journey and I feel like it really is like, it’s been a while, like been around for a few years, sorry, but I do think that this is like the start where it is just going to like catapult and it’s just…
amazing to be working with like insane brands like the the efforts that go behind every single show is crazy like it deserves that effort as well so yeah
Moritz Schröder (12:38.641)
Do you think that with more and more larger brands entering the space and obviously more resources being spent of it, more effort being put into those shows, there’s still gonna be space enough for people just filming in their mom’s basement and maybe being an affiliate or maybe just going live for even other purposes. Or do you think the large brands are gonna see the potential and just gonna take over?
Jess (13:04.493)
I know I think it’s for everyone. Honestly, I think as well, us as consumers, we really sort of buy into, you know, emotion. So if there’s like a new brand, it only takes like one video for it to be viral and everyone to be talking about it. So I definitely think, yeah, lives in general, whether you’re shopping or just like talking on there or talking about your brand, it is for everyone. Like you, you don’t know what could happen unless you actually.
click go live. So I definitely think everyone should do it. I know it’s probably quite intimidating seeing these massive brands and like, you know, they’ve got big budgets, you can create these big sets, but I feel like the small brands, have big potential to grow 100%.
Moritz Schröder (13:51.345)
Yeah, I think there’s definitely a long tail like on any other social media platform, right? I mean, you be a YouTuber and get hundreds of millions of views, but then you can also be a small YouTuber and still have fun with it and maybe even make a decent living, even though you’re not becoming a millionaire through it. And I see the same happening with live shopping. But you mentioned that…
Jess (14:13.149)
Yeah.
Moritz Schröder (14:16.443)
There’s a lot going into captivating the attention of the audience and being able to do so very quickly. Obviously it’s the name of the game. Can you tell us a little bit more about the tips and tricks that you’re using and that your production team is using to make that happen and make sure that you keep the audience’s retention?
Jess (14:25.212)
Yes.
Jess (14:38.149)
Yeah, it’s honestly all about the sort of like scripting cycle. You want to be sort of hooking as much as you can. People are scrolling constantly so you never know when you’ve got a new potential buyer just joining. So everything that you’re saying needs to be, you know, emotion led, problem solution.
it’s just constantly having hooks in what you’re saying. You cannot really afford to sort of like be chilling for like five minutes because I always say when I was training sort of presenters to become hosts for the brand that I was working for, I was like, this isn’t a TV show. It’s honestly like.
tiny little circles, I always used to go like this with the girls and they’d be like, what are you doing? But it’s like, you start with your hook and it’s like, talk about the product, why they need it, the problem solution, how can you make it like emotional as well, like captivate them, talk about your personal experience with the product and just go again, like you literally just go and go and it feels like you are repeating yourself because you are, but for the new people coming in constantly.
Moritz Schröder (15:24.87)
you
Jess (15:49.467)
That’s what you have to do. You have to constantly cultivate them.
Moritz Schröder (15:51.236)
Right.
So you keep re-hooking them. Are there other ways that you try to keep their attention, maybe gamification through pricing and otherwise? What’s the strategy behind gamification and other psychological tricks that you might be using?
Jess (15:56.199)
Yes.
Jess (16:02.675)
success.
Jess (16:11.067)
Yeah, definitely. So on TikTok, as probably everyone knows, there’s always a discount somewhere, flash sales, live flash sales, gift with purchases, like vouchers. There’s so many ways that you can use tools to actually like…
Moritz Schröder (16:18.245)
You
Jess (16:27.409)
you know, encourage the person to buy on the live because people can go out anywhere. There’s so many different platforms of buying. Why do they need to buy here on TikTok shop with you right now on this live? It’s because of the best discount and yeah, it’s, you have to sort of create this like FOMO effect. So there’s definitely a huge pricing strategy.
Moritz Schröder (16:46.892)
Right, right.
Jess (16:50.855)
whether it’s going to be on a constant flash sale and you’re doing an extra freebie with it, or it’s a limited edition bundle, or, you know, has it just dropped for like the best price ever? Like there’s so many, like five pound price drops, like crazy discounts on TikTok. So that’s a massive part of it as well. And that would just go into your sort of hooking cycle. So you’d obviously introduce the product, what it is, the discount is in there as well. And just sort of like.
have to tell the viewer why they need this product here now and like not anywhere else. Don’t wait till tomorrow. Even though the discount could still be there tomorrow, you want them to buy with you right now.
Moritz Schröder (17:34.296)
Sure, sure. And is that something that you all have to keep in your head or are there people behind the camera like holding up signs saying, Jess, now it’s time to give another $5 discount? How does it look like?
Jess (17:47.015)
Yeah, I think it depends who you’re working with for sure on what brand, but I feel like most presenters always know, like, tell them about the price. It’s TikTok live shopping. It’s all about how it’s the best price. But when there is a big production, yeah, they’re either sort of talking to you in your ear, if you’ve got an earpiece in, or, you know, they might be shouting out like, don’t forget the voucher or like, flash sales dropping in 30 seconds. Like it’s so fast paced and…
You can have fun with it, you know, it’s not like strict, it’s not just you talking. If you’ve got someone behind the camera shouting out like, don’t forget this or we’re doing something huge in two minutes, it’s like all part of the fun, if that makes sense.
Moritz Schröder (18:27.8)
Yeah, totally. And I can see how it can also be attractive for the audience to see that it’s not overly polished, right? I mean, that’s sort of the gimmick of TikTok anyways, that it’s more UGC, it’s more relatable, it’s not the same as Instagram, for example. And I think live should probably adhere to that.
Jess (18:48.603)
Yeah, you want to be relatable as well. Like you don’t want to be unapproachable. We want to really sort of like lean in to the consumer. I always like to say on my lives, like see this as like a one-on-one shopping consultation. Like I’m your shopping assistant. Like how can I help you? Tell me what are you looking for? Like what are your goals? And like we’ll find the product in the, in the basket. That’s always what I like to say.
Moritz Schröder (19:17.86)
You have been doing this for a while and obviously now are very experienced because you’re doing it so frequently, you’re training other people as well, you’re really all in with this. But at the very beginning, did you get any professionals to train you in selling and especially live selling or was that all learned on the job and on the go?
Jess (19:38.375)
Honestly, for me, it was all learn on the job. I think I’ve probably watched days and months worth of live streams. So I really absorb. I’m quite an absorber. So I just watch and learn. was watching the big lives. Like, what are they doing? What’s working? How can I implement that in my own live stream and my own strategy? And also just like learning on the job. Like you might say a particular hook or there might be a particular deal that people love. And you’re like,
that worked, just repeat, like rinse and repeat, do it again. But I think definitely from being behind the camera, doing the live strategy for the brand that I was working at, I was just exposed to so much and I’ve just like.
Moritz Schröder (20:09.773)
ride.
Jess (20:21.615)
learnt it all sort of on my own, but I definitely would, you know, go for more training, but it has just been sort of learning as I go. And I learn every day. I learn from so many incredible presenters around me as well. And like we’re all sort of helping each other.
Moritz Schröder (20:39.315)
That’s probably also the best way to learn to just immerse yourself and see what works for you, but also for other people and have that daily exposure hours on end. I think there’s no better way to really have that learning curve go crazy. I had a live-selling coach on my podcast recently who has been on national television in Canada for many years doing the more
Jess (20:56.24)
Yeah.
Moritz Schröder (21:06.036)
you know, traditional QVC style, live selling, and now is coaching people to do live selling more through social media. It was really interesting to also talk with her about the generational differences between someone who’s been doing this like from the, since the nineties, essentially on national television compared to the fast paced world of TikTok live selling. But it seems like actually what applied back then still applies now, like selling is selling and what
Jess (21:24.496)
Yeah.
Moritz Schröder (21:35.963)
worked with the audiences back in the day still works to this day. So it’s, I think, a really useful skill to acquire because it’s only going to become more important as we continue down this road of social commerce, right?
Jess (21:50.075)
Yeah, 100%. Like it’s just only getting bigger. think, you know, people buy from people. That’s why I think live selling is doing so, so incredibly well, because you’ve got a person talking to you directly, you know, calling you by your name, because you can see all of the comments. It’s just like a game changer. It’s not like a cold, like selling experience. It’s literally as warm as you can get. It’s so personable.
Moritz Schröder (22:18.197)
Right, right.
when we look at the business side of things, especially with you who is self-employed doing this, it’s a very interesting setup, I think, where you’re not in-house working for a brand. And I think it gives you that extra edge and extra commitment to keep improving and keep pushing the envelope. Are you paid on a retainer for the brand? Is it commission-based? How does that financial structure actually look like?
Jess (22:49.947)
Yeah, it’s, it’s different from different brands. Obviously some brands do actually hire in-house presenters. That is an option to go for, but then you would be exclusive to that one brand. Whereas where I only took the jump in June, July, I kind of want to be freelance work with more brands. So I am in a locked in retainer with quite a big brand and then others it’s more, you know,
just booking in when they need me, they might be like, Jess, what’s your availability for November? And I can be like, I can do these dates. But it’s normally just a fixed rate. However, I feel like commission is a funny one. I’ve never really done it, but with one of the brands that I’m working with at the moment, we have started to use commission on top, which is obviously very motivating if the live does well. But I think normally.
in this industry for presenters, it is just sort of a fixed hourly rate. And then if you’re in a retainer, it’s just X amount of hours of lives in a month or two months, three months, et cetera.
Moritz Schröder (23:59.745)
Okay, do you on top of what you’re normally doing for brands that book you have time to maybe go live on your own? You mentioned that you have a small studio at home. Do you do that on an affiliate base then like other affiliate creators out there or what’s your setup around that?
Jess (24:17.873)
I wish I could, I just don’t. I feel like when I go live for a brand, I give it everything. So afterwards, I’m actually normally just like, I’m content, I need to rest. I need to rest my voice. I do a little bit of like UGC creation on the side for brands. So that’s sort of, if I do have a spare moment, I might be filming for them, but affiliate.
on the affiliates on TikTok shop is next level. Like the most brands that is the domination of where their GMV comes from, like it’s huge. So I really take my hats off to all of the affiliates because they’re incredible. And what they’re doing probably actually helps us on the lives because the more people…
Moritz Schröder (24:57.429)
Right.
Jess (25:08.261)
talking about a product, you’re seeing it, you’re getting served it constantly on TikTok. They then see the brand going live with us. It really does help because they’re like, my goodness, I’ve seen this all over my For You page. And then they’re buying with us on the live. So it is good. Yeah.
Moritz Schröder (25:21.95)
nice yeah i think this is really what makes it
TikTok shop so powerful and so unique, right? That you have this closed loop of on the one hand, the affiliate UGC creators, then you have the live shopping aspect. And then it’s all one closed system where you can do the checkout there. You even do the logistics behind the actual purchase to then bring the product to the customer. So it’s all in one place. And I think it’s very hard to compete with that for anyone out there.
Jess (25:56.347)
Yeah, it’s so incredible to be honest. I buy so much from TikTok shop, me personally as well. I will buy into anything and I’m like, do I really need this? But they’ve persuaded me so I’m like, I’m gonna buy it. I honestly fall into this TikTok cycle as well. So it’s doing well.
Moritz Schröder (26:03.646)
Hahaha
Moritz Schröder (26:19.187)
Yeah, it’s definitely working. I’m looking forward to TikTok Shop expanding further. As I mentioned, I live in Sweden. We don’t have TikTok Shop yet, but I’m hoping that…
Jess (26:28.103)
Yes.
Moritz Schröder (26:30.011)
sooner rather than later, we’re going to get access to it because it seems like such an amazing opportunity. And honestly, especially for someone like you who works professionally with it and learn so much every day, I would think that doing a little bit of UTC on the site or doing live selling on the site, you would have such an amazing advantage over like 99.9 % of anyone who is doing that out there because you do it every single day and you learn what works and what doesn’t in real time.
Jess (27:00.049)
Yeah, I should work.
Moritz Schröder (27:00.326)
So don’t you want to give that a little bit more consideration for live maybe going forward?
Jess (27:03.923)
Yeah, I would definitely give that a go, 100%. I just feel like I’m constantly live for the brands. So, but yeah, I know I will take that as a sign to give it a go myself.
Moritz Schröder (27:13.481)
Right.
Moritz Schröder (27:20.049)
If we look at what you’ve been doing for L’Oreal specifically, I know you are…
not allowed to go too much into details in terms of maybe their successes with live shopping, but how did you end up working for them in the first place? Was it just through word of mouth? Was it recommendations? How did you get in contact with them? And then how did that relationship evolve over time? Can you explain a little bit more how the business side looked like as well as the relationship side?
Jess (27:46.289)
Yes.
Jess (27:52.379)
Yeah, so very lucky that it was through a recommendation. I did sort of have like a little audition. I went live on their account for the first time, which I was so nervous for. I was like, this is huge. But.
Moritz Schröder (28:08.521)
Did they already have a huge following at that point or how did that look like for them?
Jess (28:12.537)
Yes, so I only started working with L’Oreal in August. That was when my audition was, but then I started, I’m basically on a retainer with them now. I started in September. So yeah, it was just so scary doing that audition, but I managed, I landed it, I got it, which is amazing. So yeah, I’m now working with them.
whenever they need me really. Obviously they have so many brands but we have just the main ones L’Oreal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline and NYX. So I’m mainly on L’Oreal Paris and I’m going to be starting to do Garnier very soon which I’m really excited about. But it’s honestly like just a huge machine. Like L’Oreal is obviously massive. There’s a main studio space and that’s where we go live from all of the equipment, all of the products, the backdrops. It’s
it’s all there. So we just come in, we get set up, we put on our, you know, branded outfits or like every brand has a particular look and feel sort of a persona as well, how we speak to the audience, you know, all of those brands have different audience members, different demographics, what they’re into. So we sort of get into that persona and then we just go live. So that’s how it’s kind of working at the moment.
Moritz Schröder (29:39.58)
I could imagine that with a brand this big, everything is next level. They must take things further than most other brands probably would and they have the resources to do so. How long are those sessions typically?
Jess (29:56.083)
So we normally go live, I think it’s like four hours really, it’s like a standard live. We normally do those about three to four times a week maybe, but then when we do the bigger shows, so like campaign weeks, or if it’s like a super brand week, then we’ll be going live between like six to 10, 12 hours maybe. I think we normally stick to around the 10 mark.
And then sort of like a rotation, there’s sort of normally about five presenters, we all have our little slots so we don’t get burnt out. And yeah, that’s sort how it’s working.
Moritz Schröder (30:35.664)
And the lives, are they placed strategically to sync up with other campaigns that they do alongside the live or shortly after maybe? How do they plan the lives and how often do they want to do it throughout the month typically?
Jess (30:54.973)
So yeah, it always differs. There’s always like a product drop and obviously we’ll be on the live talking about it, especially as well with TikTok and like TikTok live, sorry, and the affiliates, depending on what is going viral and you know, what the affiliates are loving and talking about, that’s then what will influence what we push on the lives because it’s also what…
the viewers are coming in and asking about on the live stream. So I think it definitely, it all goes hand in hand. Like I’m not fully in the behind the scenes at L’Oreal, but I just know that there’s so many incredible people working behind the scenes to make it all work. It’s massive.
Moritz Schröder (31:39.368)
Do you also feel like they’re doubling down on that investment, maybe building out their facilities, their team? Do you get the feel that this is maybe just the very beginning of what large brands are going to be willing to invest into live shopping going forward?
Jess (31:56.177)
I think 100%. Live shopping is just sort of expanding every single day. So yeah, even with me joining, you can sort of tell there’s like a few of us who are there all the time and it’s like, yeah, we’re going live more, like this is getting bigger. So yeah, definitely.
Moritz Schröder (32:18.621)
Okay, do you think that that’s gonna be?
a trend that large brands are just gonna have their own live selling crew in-house and they’re gonna hire people like you in-house to do live selling on a regular basis? Or do you think that’s gonna be exclusive to some brands where, you know, the fit is really good. Obviously the audience is on the platform. That’s the kind of target audience that they have. How broadly do you think this strategy can be applied?
Jess (32:49.843)
Yeah, I think it’s really down to the brand as well on depending on what they want to do and what they have the capacity to do. think, yeah, it depends on the brand and the capacity because there’s so many incredible agencies, especially in London, Manchester, Birmingham, that
Moritz Schröder (32:59.644)
Capacity?
Jess (33:12.221)
will literally do the whole live shopping experience for a brand. And then, you they might also do the affiliate marketing as well. So it depends whether a brand is like wanting full ownership on it.
you know, wants to build out that team. Obviously you would need to get in-house people who would do that for you. Or you hand over potentially your baby, you know, brands are parts of, you know, people spend years building these brands, handing it over to an agency to look after it and go live. It’s probably so scary and intimidating because you might not know these presenters and they could say anything. This is live.
So yeah, I think there’s two ways to do it. Definitely you could go down the agency route or build it out yourself. I definitely think a tip for all brands is that everyone should definitely give it a go. And it’s hard to start out with 100%. Like you can’t just expect to explode. I’ve been working with, you know, smaller brands, startup brands, but you just have to.
Go live, honestly, just start. It’s huge and you can grow so, so much on TikTok lives as well. Like your followers will increase if you are going live and it’s awesome. They’re just going as live as much as possible because on a live stream, you can set up giveaways where to enter the giveaway. They have to follow you and yeah, giveaways are huge part of live streaming as well. Every, some viewers are there just for the giveaway.
Moritz Schröder (34:51.995)
Right. So there are these tricks that you can use to incentivize the audience to then also follow and obviously get notified for the next live. And so it becomes a cycle of repetition where you can bring in more and more and more people.
Jess (35:10.823)
Yeah, 100%.
Moritz Schröder (35:13.264)
I can also see how it’s a…
a level of trust that is needed from the brand side to hand over the live to a presenter, but also to an agency working with it. And it’s a huge responsibility, frankly, for a presenter like you to really know their products and do your due diligence before. How does your research process look like? Like, do you get all the information you need from the brands and the agencies, or is it up to you to inform yourself and basically sit down and study?
Jess (35:44.061)
So I will always get given the information, the branding, the brand voice, who the audience is. Yeah, the brand would always give that to us, which is amazing. But then I will go away and do my own research and revise like.
Honestly, I was back at school. I have my notepads, I have my highlighters. I have it all stuck up around me when I’m just like, you know, walking around my house. Sometimes there’s just like notes of like a random product and my friends will be like, is this? And I’m like, oh, I just read it every time I go past. Cause I like it to be in my head. Like I always sort of position myself as I am.
Moritz Schröder (36:20.73)
Yeah.
Jess (36:28.227)
working in this brand. Like I’m not Jess when I go live, obviously I am and I show my personality, but I am part of this team. So I need to know the products inside out. And I always like to know the answers to the questions if someone asks it, because it just builds that trust. And I really want to just know the products inside out just for my benefit as well. So I’m not stressed out and panicky or, know, come across nervous on the live. want to feel really
Moritz Schröder (36:55.045)
Right.
Jess (36:58.181)
comfortable and also I want the viewer to feel like no I trust Jess and I’m gonna buy
Moritz Schröder (37:06.084)
Yeah, think that’s the professional way to approach it, right? And you have to bring that level of seriousness to be able to work with huge brands like L’Oreal, like you do. And I’m sure that’s gonna have a ripple effect throughout the industry that people know, hey Jess, she does her work. She sits down and study, even though that’s maybe not the most fun part of being a live selling host, but she does what is needed to then really excel once she does go live.
Jess (37:33.979)
Yeah, definitely. Thank you.
Moritz Schröder (37:36.154)
I do imagine though that it can get scary when first of all you don’t know what kind of questions you might be asked by the audience but then you also
just might forget some details, right? Especially in the moment that you might need those the most and then the camera is on you. Do you have some ways to cover up these moments? Because I’m sure they happen to anyone. I know there are musicians that talk about forgetting the lyrics to their famous songs when they sing in front of 100,000 people. It does happen. Do you have some ways to cope and ideally cover up?
Jess (38:09.427)
Yeah.
Jess (38:14.525)
So I’m really lucky that with most of the brands and when I go live, there’ll be someone behind the, like the screen that might be able to be like, there you go. And then I’m like, thank you. Or if I’m at home in my own home studio, I will have like maybe something on my lights that just has like the little points. If I do go blank, I’m like, okay, quickly look and just, or I just move on quite swiftly.
Moritz Schröder (38:23.931)
Hahaha
Moritz Schröder (38:41.434)
What do you see in the industry and the people that you work with that separates the good live sellers from the great ones? Are there any traits that you might either have to be born with, frankly, or things that people can learn to improve their live selling skills?
Jess (39:02.735)
I honestly think it’s just the energy that you bring on to a live stream is a massive part of success and being an amazing presenter. And also just being like authentic, natural, and just like building that trust. And also just…
you know, hooking constantly. There’s like, sometimes you can go scrolling and of course there might be times where on my own live, you know, I might be setting up a giveaway if I’m at home and I’m sort of setting it all up myself. And there might be like maybe 30 seconds when I’m not talking, but I really try to constantly be engaging. And it’s just trying to not let, you know, even if the sales aren’t doing good, you can’t let that affect you. No one knows.
other than you and the brand. And also it’s just such a good moment to build these connections with viewers in real time. So say if you don’t make sales, you might have, you know, sparked or planted a seed in someone’s head like, I remember, you know, that sounded like a really good product. I’m gonna think about that one and I might come back or I might look them up elsewhere. I might see them out and about in store. I can think that ripple effect is huge on TikTok.
But definitely I think for successful presenters it’s just all about the energy, being approachable, smiley and yeah just I think being warm if that makes sense.
Moritz Schröder (40:35.981)
Yeah, totally. think that…
personality really does come through even through the screen. And that’s, think the reason why live shopping will be even bigger than it is now because people crave that personal interaction. They crave that authentic vibe of the seller, especially as we enter an era where AI is everywhere and people are talking about buying through AI agents. ChetGPT probably very soon will fill
Jess (40:43.217)
Yeah.
Moritz Schröder (41:08.193)
that void. So I do think we have that extreme and then on the other hand of the spectrum we do have live shopping where people want a real human and they want someone who is willing to, you know, have an actual conversation and let their personality shine.
Jess (41:14.662)
Yes.
Jess (41:23.891)
100%. Sometimes I get asked on a live, like, is this real? And I’m like, hey, I’m real. Like, I’m not AI. Like, I, real interaction. It’s quite funny how much that happens on TikTok. But yeah, I completely agree being able to be like, you know, Sarah, how can I help you today? Like, what is it?
Moritz Schröder (41:47.074)
Right.
Jess (41:47.581)
What are you struggling with? Obviously depending on what brand you’re working for but say if it is a beauty product It’s like this is how it would change you. These are the results that you would see it’s being so personable and I think it it’s so nice in a world where there’s so much like automation and AI like you said to be able to shop with a real person and It’s it’s so nice. Like I love it as well. I buy on lives all the time
Moritz Schröder (42:12.824)
You’re paying it forward. Very nice. It seems like just you’re really taking this live selling as a whole skill set and a tool set that you’re constantly evolving and developing. Are there some skills that maybe people might not initially think of, but that you’re…
Jess (42:17.233)
Yes.
Moritz Schröder (42:36.0)
working on honing. I could think of, I don’t know, things like vocal projection, like tonality, things like storytelling, things like incorporating humor and comedy. Like there are so many things how you can become a better presenter, a better public speaker, frankly. And there’s almost no limit to how much you can keep developing, right? Even though you’re already in this for as long as you have. So are there things that you’re working on right now?
Jess (43:04.847)
Yeah, 100%. I think definitely the storytelling is a massive thing for me. And it’s very easy as well to sort of get swept up in the in the chaos of alive. And you might just find yourself sometimes just like talking and it’s like, wait, I need to just get back to like,
what is the reason why we’re here? What is the product? And get back to that storytelling. Because sometimes with the giveaways and the flash sales, you might just be like, the discount, the discount, the discount, but someone joining the live might not understand why do I need to buy this product? Like I know it’s on sale, but what is it? So I think definitely for me, I’m working on that storytelling and also like tone of voice is a massive thing. Like knowing when to…
expand like flash towers live and then when to be you know serious we’re talking about problem solution product right now for example so that’s what i’m definitely working on at the moment
Moritz Schröder (44:02.679)
you
That’s so cool to be in a space where you have all these tools at your disposal and you’re constantly working on them and you know there’s no ceiling to it, right? I mean, you can keep getting better for years and decades as a lot of people do that are entertainers, that are comedians or public speakers, politicians, like all of these people that we see on television and on the media, right? They have spent years probably honing their skillset.
and I think live shopping and live selling is a fantastic way of getting all these skills.
Jess (44:38.811)
Yeah, definitely. I watch so many lives as well. I’m just like looking at the best of the best, even when I’m at L’Oreal looking at the other presenters that I’m working with and going live, I will watch their live and I’m absorbing and it’s just the best way to just be fully in it and just be watching and
And you can see as well in real time what works and like adapting that and using it straight away. You know, even if I’m live for like, say three hours and something does really well in like the first hour or so, I’m then learning in real time on the live and doing it again and again. but yeah, it is amazing. There’s so many talented presenters out there as well, especially like in London and Manchester and the UK. It’s yeah, there’s such a.
Moritz Schröder (45:26.123)
Right.
Jess (45:29.211)
It’s a new world really. TikTok presenting specifically is obviously, there’s been QVC for years and years, but TikTok is much faster, if that makes sense. It’s a different type of presenting, I think.
Moritz Schröder (45:45.056)
Definitely. Is there a real community around this trend of live selling? Like, do you get together in a pub and talk about the industry and talk about what hooks worked and what didn’t? How does it look like?
Jess (45:58.383)
Yeah, there is. feel like, especially when you’re working with brands or inside agencies, you’re like meeting presenters and like, like I said earlier, we’re all there for each other, if that makes sense. And if someone’s not available to do a live, I’m always like recommending people as well. I’m like, if a brand reaches out to me, can you do this live? I’m like, I can’t, but I know the XYZ it’s so nice. There’s a big community of us. It’s lovely. Yeah.
Moritz Schröder (46:28.233)
Are there some superstars that are developing where everybody knows like, my God, that person is really taking this to the next level and kind of trailblazing for the rest of the industry. Does that exist or are you all in one boat and exploring it together as we go?
Jess (46:46.951)
think we are all exploring it together because it is, you just don’t know what’s next. Like it is growing so fast and this is so new. But there’s obviously definitely like the big brands and everything like that. And we’re always trying to just like, you know, get everyone involved. It is really so lovely.
Moritz Schröder (47:06.118)
You
Personally, it seems like you are fully committed to this in the short term. Do you see this just being your career for eternity or as long as it’s possible? Or do you have some plans to, I don’t know, evolve this into another step of your career? How does that look like? Because it’s so uncharted territory, you know, it’s such a new profession. Nobody has been doing TikTok live selling for 20 years. So how do you think about that?
that.
Jess (47:41.051)
And a really good question. And I get that asked a lot by friends and family. Like, you know, how long are you going to do this? Because also if you’re not in this industry, you don’t get it. Like I do this every day. Obviously where I have been behind the camera, like sort of producing as well. Previously, there’s obviously that avenue I could go.
behind the camera or, you know, things might open up for TV. I’m very just sort of like going with it at the moment. I’m so grateful for where I am right now. I’m trying to really be like present. I don’t want it to just like wash by me. And I’m like, do remember when I was working for like one of the biggest brands ever on TikTok shop? And like, I really want to be present, but I think definitely looking to the future.
Moritz Schröder (48:20.488)
Hahaha
Jess (48:29.351)
I don’t know, like honestly, I feel like maybe behind the scenes or your TV, we’ll see. I’m very much a go with the flow. I’ve been in jobs previous and they’re like, where do you see yourself in five years? And I was like, I don’t know. Like I just am a yes person. I will say yes to any opportunity and here I am today.
Moritz Schröder (48:50.834)
Right, and probably five years ago, you wouldn’t have believed if somebody had told you, you’re gonna be a live seller for these enormous brands going live on a regular basis.
Jess (49:00.439)
No, no, definitely not. And even because I was obviously in a social media background, they would like, could you see yourself, you know, staying in marketing? I was like, I don’t think I don’t know. was like, I’m just going with it.
Moritz Schröder (49:12.66)
You
Yeah, no, I mean, since this is all so new to everyone, really, it might just become a whole industry, right? It might be that five years or 10 years from now, every mid-sized brand, even in the middle of nowhere, it’s mandatory to have a live selling team because it’s where the audience is and what the audience demands, right? So I think in that sense, you’re very uniquely and very well positioned to ride that wave all the way.
Jess (49:40.563)
Thank
Yeah, I love it. I definitely feel like that. It’s my strong point as well in my career, even when I was working in-house, I would just always want to spend time working on the lives, the live strategy and TikTok shop in general. Like what can we do different? You know, live exclusive bundles that you can only buy on the live. Like I definitely would just zone in on this. I feel like this is my little niche for me personally and like the whole broad spectrum of.
marketing and commerce and stuff like that. But I definitely think for all brands out there, if you can get a live selling team, it’s the future. If you can start soon, that is the best thing you can do.
Moritz Schröder (50:27.316)
Yeah, I would say that’s probably also one of the misconceptions that you need to, you know, spend huge amounts of money and time and resources to get this off the ground when in fact you can start very small and then just scale it from there. Do you have any other misconceptions that maybe you would like to rectify around live selling?
Jess (50:49.119)
good question. I feel like it, how do I put this? I feel like lots of people may think that, you know, it’s
easy and that obviously you can just go live of course and just give it a go but you do need to think about it there is a strategy behind the success and just if you’re aware of that and you understand you know it’s not just going to take off on your first live you need to actually like look at the data what’s working for your brand specifically because it might not be the same as another brand or the biggest brand in the UK
like your brand is so niche and like what’s working for you because it will be different and even as a consumer you don’t want to see the same thing on all of the brands like how can you differentiate yourself so yeah I think did I answer your question?
Moritz Schröder (51:53.956)
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Since live selling is so new and unique and there’s not really a clear career path laid out because it’s so novel, what would you recommend for anyone who wants to dip their toes into live selling or really has the ambition to make that their full-time job? Is there anything they can do to at least increase their chances to have a similar successful role in live shopping as you do nowadays?
Jess (52:26.597)
Yeah, honestly, I think just put yourself out there, you know, post on LinkedIn, reach out to brands, reach out to agencies like live shopping agencies and because someone’s got to start from somewhere, you know, and there’s so many new presenters coming in and just going live and just like loving it and succeeding. It’s so amazing to see. So I just think if you want to.
a career in live selling or even just like do it on the side or work for a brand that you love like if you really love the product.
go for it, just reach out. Especially as well, some brands, you know, they’re hiring their affiliates to go live because they’re the ones that know the products inside out. So, yeah, definitely just get yourself out there. And you can even be so honest, like I’ve never done it before, but you know, if you want to put me on the live and someone’s next to me, just get experience. And then obviously just screen record all of the times that you’re on the live and just create your little portfolio. And it will just
soon unravel. There are so many brands out there, specifically now in Q4 with Black Friday around the corner being like we need presenters. definitely yeah, get learning now and get yourself out there.
Moritz Schröder (53:44.208)
Yeah, you just mentioned that you can build your own portfolio.
rather easily that way. I think that’s actually a really important point because I mean, there are so many skills out there that nobody really can test until they hire you. Right. I don’t know if I claim I’m great at Excel or PowerPoint, then nobody will really see until I work for that company. Unlike a live seller that can have their whole TikTok feed showcasing what they have been doing in the past. And then you can share it across other social media channels. So it’s very easy to put yourself out there and then
Jess (53:57.02)
you
Moritz Schröder (54:17.3)
just see who is interested in your skills.
Jess (54:20.147)
Yeah, definitely. also, if anyone is sort of like worried that a brand won’t say yes or won’t take them seriously, like I was on the other side saying yes to, you know, girls who have never done live presenting before. But if you get on a call with them, you can see if they’re enthusiastic. You know, you can tell if like, if they’re passionate about this and they want to go on the live, like give them the chance because they’re probably going to absolutely smash it and be amazing.
Moritz Schröder (54:49.231)
Yes, I think enthusiasm really is what it comes down to, right? And then there’s a whole skill set around that and we covered that, but that’s what, that’s the prerequisite to go live. And I think at least captivate the audience enough to then keep selling and keep improving and keep building that momentum.
Jess (54:55.793)
that you can learn on the job.
Jess (55:08.753)
Yeah, 100%.
Moritz Schröder (55:11.183)
Just where can people reach out to you if they want to work with you and if they want to maybe learn more about what you’re doing, how you can help brands take their live selling to the next level. Where do you want to redirect people?
Jess (55:24.081)
They can find me on LinkedIn. My name is Jess Angel-McAleese or my socials, my handle is Jess underscore angel underscore zero.
Moritz Schröder (55:35.289)
Awesome. And I’ll be adding that of course to all the content that comes out of this conversation. Just thank you so much for coming on. It was really a pleasure to dive deep into the very novel ways of selling live on TikTok. And it’s been fantastic to see how well you’re doing with it.
Jess (55:40.296)
Thank you.
Jess (55:51.453)
Thank you so much for having me. It’s been amazing.