Smart Tricks & Savvy Tips For Successful Livestreams
3...2...1...Action: And we’re LIVE from sunny California!
We aren’t filming a movie, but you might consider livestreaming to be a subcategory of movies. After all, they do have similar features: an exciting storyline, virtual promotions, and most importantly, stars of the show!
The livestreaming industry has been booming recently, with more people using livestreaming platforms and even more watching live videos. Especially given the current situation of the world, live videos have become even more popular -- so popular that the industry grew 99% in just one year! The streaming video-on-demand industry is really in demand right now!
Due to the surging popularity of livestreaming, it’s also leaving its mark in the business industry! Many marketers now include livestreams into their digital marketing strategy because audience engagement from livestreams is more important than ever in the changing economy. Most importantly, leveraging livestreaming platforms offers a new way for businesses to grow their brand and online presence!
Looking to #LevelUp your livestream game? We’re here with livestreaming experts Mike Allton @Mike_Allton and Stephanie Liu @heystephanie with great advice on how to kickstart your livestreams and how to build and grow your brand with live video!
Missed the Tweet Chat? Here’s a recap:
Q1: Timing is everything! What are the benefits of establishing a livestream routine / schedule? How do you decide what days / times to regularly go #live? What is the target length of time for a livestream?
Mike Allton: Going live on a regular basis gives your target audience the opportunity to set aside that time to join your stream, just like this #WinnieSun tweet chat. The frequency could be daily or monthly or anything in between, driven by your availability of time & topics. For some, having a strict schedule for live streaming also helps them reaffirm that commitment. Like having a deadline for publishing content or completing a project. That schedule makes sure that you actually do go live when you say you will.
Stephanie Liu: You want your audience to look forward to your livestream. With a consistent time, viewers can plan their schedules around your event. Viewers sub to our calendar events so the time is already blocked on their calendar. When #LightsCameraLive first launched, I created a poll in my Facebook group to ask my target audience what time would work best for them. That’s when I realized that they preferred shows later in the week because they have more flexibility.
Q2: How far in advance do you share what’s coming next? When is the best time to start promoting an upcoming livestream? How do you find your authentic audience, and how do you promote your livestreams to them? What promotion strategies have generated the best results for you?
Mike Allton: Most shows only promote the next show & typically that's just the week of the show. However, if you can give your audience a taste of what's coming in the future & like @heystephanie, give them a way to add those shows to their calendar, they'll appreciate it. First things first: Identify your ICP - your Ideal Customer Profile. You must know who you're trying to reach before you can ever hope to actually talk to them and promote your show and brand. There are lots of ways to promote a show, from paid to organic social, but the most effective is likely to leverage other people's audiences. Identify others who are reaching your ICP and then invite them to be on your show and vice versa. This kind of collaboration and cross-promotion can not only grow your audience, [but] it can [also] build rapport and relationships with other brands and influencers and is a technique you can employ again and again.
Stephanie Liu: We usually promote 7 days in advance. This gives viewers enough time to block out their calendar and for our guest to promote the show with their audience as well. In addition, it’s a great window for us to crowdsource questions to prep for the show. We schedule in advance using @Restreamio. This allows our audience to RSVP on their platform of choice (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube). You can then promote that scheduled link in your eblast, social media posts, etc. Try it: https://restre.am/heystephanie
Q3: A long, long time time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. How important is the skill of storytelling when going live? What tips are the most helpful for interviewing a guest on your livestream? What are the best ways to practice and improve your storytelling style?
Mike Allton: Props to @WinnieSun for the Star Wars reference, a nod to George Lucas who studied Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With A Thousand Faces." This is critical because the best interviewers make their guest the hero of the story. Campbell: "A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fab forces are there encountered & a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." Every show, @heystephanie shines a spotlight on the best & brightest marketers. In her shows, she delivers a platform for the guest to tell their STORY of what forces they've encountered & the victories they've won, shared with their fellow men & women watching. To practice and improve, other than doing more live interviews, the budding interviewer can study other live shows and the written interviews that are common in magazines like Rolling Stone and Variety.
Stephanie Liu: Storytelling keeps your audience engaged. Metaphors allow you to convey vivid imagery that transcends literal meanings + create a bond between you and your viewers. My favorite form or storytelling is letting them in on a secret. When livestreaming, create a separate scene where you can highlight your guest with you off camera. This creates an opportunity to create a 1-minute video clip to share later. Here are more helpful tips from my friends at @Ecammtweets: https://ecamm.com/blog/12-must
Q4: How do you select a winning topic? How do you decide what you’ll be sharing next on your livestreams? What challenges will you be helping your audience solve? How do you create catchy and dynamic titles / descriptions / social media posts for your livestreams?
Mike Allton: If you're running an interview format, your shows and topics may be based on who you connect with and schedule, and therefore somewhat random. Or, alternatively, if you are following a content plan for your site such as a Content Pyramid, and planning to repurpose your lives into blog posts, it would be best to identify the topics that will lead to traffic and conversions. Interestingly, catchy titles are nice but the best titles and descriptions, over time, tell the viewer what they will gain from investing the time to watch your video. Keep in mind that you'll be reaching more replay viewers than live!
Stephanie Liu: Start with the 10x10 exercise. Write down the Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions about your business, product, or service. Then jot down the Top 10 Should Ask Questions - questions that customers should be asking but they don’t know bc YOU’RE the expert. By the time you’ve done the 10x10 exercise, you’ll have 20 ideas that you can turn into a livestream. Share these ideas with your audience and have them vote on which one they're most interested in.
Q5: What does a successful livestream look like for you? How do you achieve that vision? How do you curate an exciting, informative, and engaging livestream?
Mike Allton: The most important element of a livestream is CONNECTING with your audience. I can write thousands and thousands of words of text and none will ever develop the level of rapport I can create with a single live stream. Video, particularly live video, lets you make eye contact with your audience and call them out by monitoring their comments, even bringing their comments on screen, which activates all these happy brain chemicals that @heystephanie talks about. Therefore, a successful live stream has live viewers who are reacting positively and leaving comments and overall being ENGAGED by the experience. That leaves an impression in their psyche that lasts.
Stephanie Liu: A successful livestream is one that delivers on the promise for their audience. When you respect your viewers’ time and are able to answer that question that they’ve been struggling with for so long, then that’s what matters most. Create a run of show that adds all the things you want to cover but add in elements to surprise and delight your live viewers. Things that you can add to your show: 1. Overlays, 2. Sound effects, and 3. Music!
Q6: How do you increase your livestream viewers? What are the most organic ways to promote your livestream to your social media followers and grow your audience?
Mike Allton: And that's why having a schedule is powerful. If I read your blog post recap of a show you did, love it, and want to learn more, and see that you're going live again next week with another terrific guest, I may subscribe. Create a cycle of promotion → creation → repurposing → promotion for your content. Promote your live, broadcast, repurpose into a blog or email, distribute that and in the process, promote your next live.
Stephanie Liu: Having a promo plan to get viewers buzzing about your show before it starts is ESSENTIAL. We create a calendar event, schedule the stream via @Restreamio, create an event on our FB Page + Group. In addition, you might find that streaming multiple platforms can help grow your audience. @Restreamio allows you to stream live to 30+ social platforms at once. We broadcast to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Check them out: http://restre.am/heystephanie
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Q7: Let’s set the stage! What must have equipment could your livestreams not live without? What are your favorite software / apps / tools to use while going live? How has the production evolved over this past year with growing popularity of livestreams?
Mike Allton: Here's what I mean by a 'professional stream' - use a high-quality webcam or, better yet, a DSLR camera connected to your system as a webcam (here's how: https://lightscameralive.com/blog/how-to-us). Pair your good camera with the best directed light you can. If you're blessed with California sunlight, just face a window. Otherwise, make sure you have lamps with great bulbs behind the camera illuminating your face. Next, make sure you have a solid microphone and headphones so that your audio is clear. People will forgive lower quality video but if they cannot hear or understand you, they'll tune out. And as I mentioned earlier... can't stress this enough... use a wired Internet connection! Even if that means temporarily draping a Cat5 patch cable across your house so you can plug directly into the router for the 30-60 minute broadcast.
My preferred livestreaming tool is @EcammTweets plus graphics made in @Easil or even Keynote for fun animated effects. I use Ecamm even for meetings and webinars to pull in my DSLR feed. My team at @Agorapulse has also used @StreamYard and @Restream particularly for interviews.
Stephanie Liu: Invest in an external webcam/DSLR and mic. Most of our clients got their hands on the @ElgatoGaming Key Lights since they can mount to your desk and save so much space. The Rode PodMic is a mic we recommend often. More importantly, when you’re livestreaming make sure that you’re connected to an ethernet cable. Check your internet upload speed to make sure that you have AT LEAST 5mbps upload speed. This year I upgraded my studio and invested in an Apple Mac Mini M1 to be my dedicated livestreaming machine. I also have an IKAN hooked up as a teleprompter, so I can maintain eye contact with a guest and read a bio if needed.
Absolutely love @Ecammtweets for producing all of our shows and using @Restreamio for multicasting. These days we are creating animated overlays in Keynote - yes Keynote! I'd be lost without my @Elgato Stream Deck too. Being able to seamlessly switch between scenes and trigger [sound effects] is what makes the magic happen!
Q8: Sharing is caring! What valuable pieces of livestream advice changed your life, and what are some things you wish you knew before? What tips drastically improved your livestreams?
Mike Allton: In 2012, on Google+, I started tuning in to weekly shows by livestreaming legends @MiaVossOnTheGo. With smart comments I made an impression and soon I was invited on to be a guest again and again. This helped explode my audience and my career! While many say not to get hung up on the gear, I find that I'm more comfortable going live when I know that my video and audio are amazing. I know I'm delivering a professional-grade broadcast and that gives me confidence.
Stephanie Liu: People generally want to see you succeed on a livestream. Reach out to your favorite livesteamer for advice on how they started. The livestreaming community is very supportive.
Livestreaming is one great way to grow your business, so we hope the advice from our livestreaming pros will help boost your brand and social media presence! Everyone has their own unique style when it comes to livestreaming, so make sure to explore and figure out what works best for you. As always, we’re here to help you, so feel free to reach out!
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