Thinking of live streaming but don’t know where to start? In this article, we will share our best expertise through the top 10 tips for creating great content for your live streams.
1. Promote!
The most important thing to keep in mind before you “go live”, is to make sure you actually have viewers. Most online social media platforms such as Facebook Live, for example, allow users to target your own network to set up events such as your live stream date and time for others to watch and listen in. However, there are plenty of other ways to let people know when your live stream is coming up such as newsletters or tweets. You can even try sending out smaller videos to prospecting audiences and see how they respond to it. This way, you can predetermine who your audience will be.
2. Plan Out Your Video
The next step to creating a better broadcast is to actually consider and plan what your video is going to be about. The best way to plan this to write up some rough drafts and lists of what you should cover in it. In addition to your drafts, you also want to make sure you set aside a list of pages, people, or questions you want or need to promote during your live stream.
3. Livestream on Time
Another important thing to keep in mind is that being on time is crucial towards your success. This doesn’t just mean starting on time, but you should even consider starting at least 15 minutes early. This way, you don’t have listeners leave early because you’re not there already. Also, if you plan to keep repeating your live stream videos, be sure to keep consistency. People aren’t going to like having to constantly adjust their schedules to view your live streams. Opt in for one specific time on a set number of days during the week instead.
4. Use a Strong Wifi Connection
The last thing you want to do is live stream on a weak wifi signal. No one likes choppy images or lagging. If you notice beforehand that your wifi signal can be flaky at times, get another wifi adapter where you plan to live stream for a better wifi signal. Also, if you notice your wifi signal dropping, let your viewers know. You never want to put your audience in the dark, especially over something as comical as a bad signal. Plus, if you notice a bad signal try switching over to 4G. In some areas, using your data can be even better than using wifi, although it may cost you extra on your phone bill.
5. Pick a Good Video Description
One of the biggest factors that decide whether or not a viewer will watch your video depends entirely on your live stream video description. In fact, the description of your video has the same level of importance of your title of your video that people will look up to find it. It’s highly suggested that you make your description before you plan out your video, but you can just as easily make one after your drafts are completed.
6. Be Relatable
Always remember to relax and smile during your live stream. Don’t worry about your audience watching you, just have fun! After all, this isn’t live TV, just you talking to your peers and trusted audience.
First, plan to introduce you and your company. Then, you can get into what you plan to cover and everything that follows. Since this is not a prerecorded video, your viewers won’t know how long the video will be and you don’t want to lose their interest by having a messy presentation aka looking nervous. In addition, feel free to tell your viewers to leave comments and feedback on what they liked or didn’t like so you can improve on your next live stream. Plus, at the end be sure to tell your viewers what you plan to do in your next video so they know that they’re coming back to. Put plenty of links on your description of the video screen as well so people can look at your blog or company page and reflect on your live stream video.
7. Interact And Communicate With Your Viewers
One of the best features of a live stream is the ability to interact firsthand with the audience. This gives you more of an opportunity to interact with your community and start a conversation. This sort of immediate feedback is fantastic. You have the chance to really get to know your audience so you can tailor your content to their needs. And, your audience can get to know you a little better, too. All around, live content gives social media a more personal feel. However, this level is engagement is all dependant on you. You are in control, so don’t squander this opportunity. Make it clear from the very start of the video that you want to engage with your viewers.
Here are a few tips about engaging with your viewers:
– Address commenters by their name.
– Ask questions to them, like where they are watching from.
– Get personal. You should be prepared to share a little bit about who you are.
– Write some questions you want to ask your viewers ahead of time.
– Block off a chunk of time solely for answering audience questions.
– Encourage viewers to share their own answers to other people questions.
Remember, you do not have to spend your whole video interacting with your viewers. It is absolutely okay to engage more at certain times than others. However, you should spread your engagement throughout the video.
8. Ask Viewers To Share Your Video
Doing so will help you to expand your reach and gain a few more viewers. Within the first few minutes of your video, ask people to share your video with their followers. Give them simple instructions to follow and hopefully, they will.
9. Use The Proper Equipment
True, you can just use your smartphone and call it a day. However, with the right gear, you can take your broadcasts to the next level. The first thing you should think about is your lighting. Proper lighting can really enhance the quality of your videos. You may choose to invest in a real lighting setup to provide a solid level of artificial light. If this is not your style, try using natural lighting to your advantage. Film your video close to a window or in an otherwise well-lit area. You should also think about the audio quality. Though the visuals are most important in a live stream, the audio is a close second. You should try to limit background noise and ensure that all your viewers can hear you loudly and clearly. Find a nice, quiet spot to film. You may also choose to invest in an external microphone that can pick up your voice a little better. Lastly, think about buying a tripod. There is nothing more distracting than a shaky video. If you regularly take videos on your phone, this is a worthwhile investment. Holding your phone up for longer than 15 minutes can get very tiring. A tripod can steady your camera for you and give your arm a rest.
10. Analyze and Learn
After your live broadcast ends, you should be able to see certain statistics. You will likely be able to see how many people watched your video live, how many liked and commented, and how many shares you got. You may also be able to see the points in your video that had peak viewership and where people started to tune out. Pay attention to these numbers and use them to learn about how you can improve for next time. Perhaps you didn’t promote your broadcast enough beforehand or maybe you could interact with your viewers more. No matter what, there is always room for improvement.
Now that you are more informed about how to make great content for live video than when you started reading this article, now is the time to put these tips into practice. Remember to plan out what you are going to say in advance and pay attention to the details. In no time at all, you will be the best broadcaster you can be.