First person: Hot topics help me connect with my friends on the other side of the screen

About four years ago I hosted a series of webcasts on a social networking platform in my hometown of Shenyang in the northeastern province of Liaoning.

As the livestreaming industry had just started, I didn't have much information about how to get work on the internet. I was inspired by a friend who introduced me to livestreaming.

I received "tips" from my viewers, mostly virtual cars or roses, which they bought with real money. During webcasts, which were usually held at night, I turned on the microphone and sang songs requested by the audience.

I didn't do it for long because I felt it was more about how I looked rather than what I said or did. What you could achieve or earn was based on whether the viewers liked you or not.

I quickly became bored, so in 2016 I left home to relocate to Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province.

In May last year, I started working as a livestreaming saleswoman for Qinling Tianxia, an ecommerce company in the province.

I do two live broadcasts a week. They run from four to six hours each on average.

Livestreaming agricultural produce is different from being a webcast anchor as it requires you to talk about the produce all the time.

I'm not someone who talks a lot, and I often suffer from speaking too much as I have a constant sore throat when livestreaming.

Gradually I discovered that if I first talk with the viewers about topics from my life they show more interest in the goods I am selling.

I am 30 years old, so I often talk with my customers about Nothing But Thirty (a popular TV series in China) to start my livestreams.

Local specialty cuisines and the environment around the Qinling Mountains are among the topics I often mention to the viewers.

In May, I was promoted to the post of deputy manager of the marketing department at my company.

For the next step, I hope to turn my focus from livestreaming sales to management, as I believe such a career move will be important for me in the future.

Zhao Linyuan spoke with Xin Wen.