How to Live Stream Successfully: A Preparation Checklist
Live streaming is just as easy as picking up your phone and streaming live. However, if you wish to make it appear professional, we advise taking the time to plan your live stream.
The right strategy and good live streaming services can enhance your reputation and help your brand reach a broader audience. It can be a bit daunting to go live, so we’ve put together these strategies to aid you in planning the most successful live stream.
1. DEFINE YOUR GOAL
What do you want to accomplish with your broadcast live? Determine what you wish to achieve. If it’s to increase your reach and generate leads or increase sales, the initial step should be to narrow down your goal.
Understanding your goal prior to going live can help determine what your live broadcast should appear like. For instance, if the intention is to increase sales, it might be beneficial to introduce a brand new service or product in the broadcast.
2. SELECT YOUR TOPIC
Choose the topic you wish to discuss and the type of conversation you’d like to engage your viewers in. Being knowledgeable about the subject will allow you to manage your broadcast in a confident manner.
Once you’ve decided on a topic and the format, you must decide what. This could include a question-and-answer session, a tutorial video or interaction, or behind-the-scenes material, or even product or service announcements. An effective webcast service provider is needed for this, as not every live streaming platform offers you such features for customising the Q&A, interaction, and others.
3. DETERMINE YOUR PLATFORM
When choosing which channels you’d like to be broadcasting on, make sure you keep the goal in your mind. Who is your audience and where do they reside? Are they using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, or all five?
With the best live streaming service, you can broadcast to all of the above social media channels, in addition to Amazon, Microsoft Teams, and Workplace through Facebook, Dreamcast ON24, Wix, Vimeo, Brightcove, Qumu, and Yammer. There’s no limit on the number of channels that you can broadcast to.
After you’ve decided on the live streaming platform, decide on the most optimal time to go live. Be aware of time zones, work schedules, as well as other factors that might hinder your viewers from watching.
Pro-tip The live video you stream should be consistent with a set time. In order to build an audience, you must adhere to a set timetable when you stream live to establish expectations about the time your viewers can access new content.
4. CHOOSE YOUR EQUIPMENT
For the majority of live streaming services, your phone or computer that has a built-in microphone and webcam is a perfect choice.
To ensure you have the best experience, make sure all your tools, including tripods, cameras, microphones, cameras, and audio equipment, are in working order.
5. PREPARE AN OUTLINE
To ensure that your live stream stays on the right path, create an outline of the essential talking points to ensure that you’re aware of the topic. Avoid using scripts since they are usually rigid and may detract from the credibility of your live stream.
A framework of important points can not only provide the broadcast structure but will also help you escape the pressure of being spontaneous all the time.
6. PROMOTE YOUR CONTENT
Promote your live stream a few days before by spreading the stream via your social media pages as well as email newsletters and different distribution channels.
If you’ve invited guest speakers, request that they advertise the live stream through their channels as well. Be sure to include the channels you’ll go live on, the time and date, as well as the subject you’ll be discussing.
7. PREPARE YOUR GUEST SPEAKERS
To avoid any confusion or troubleshooting it’s best that you prepare the guest speakers ahead of time. Here are some tips to assist them prior to the live stream:
- Check that your guest meets the system requirements for joining the broadcast.
- Make a calendar invite with specific instructions on how you can be a part of the live broadcast.
- Include an outline of the questions you’ll have for your guest ahead of time to ensure they don’t get caught by surprise.
- If you plan an exercise day prior to broadcasting live, you should encourage your guest to participate.
- Encourage your guest to be on the air within 10 minutes of beginning to allow for the time needed for testing.
- Your speakers should be reminded to turn off their mobiles and close any computer programmes.
8. REHEARSE
Rehearse all the things you prepared for the live stream before going live. This is a good chance to test your equipment, sound, and internet connections all at once.
Be sure to conduct some tests in the space where you’ll be using the equipment. The internet, especially WiFi, is a bit unpredictable. It is essential to ensure you have a reliable connection to stream videos.
To test the way you sound and look on camera, you can record yourself while you are practising your speech. It is best to be ahead of anything that might be a problem.
9. SET UP SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING
During your broadcast, you should be in contact with your audience. Comments can have a limited shelf life, which is why it’s recommended to read and respond to comments when you can.
Comments can come in quickly and become difficult for the speakers. If this happens, it’s a great idea to designate someone to supervise questions throughout the live stream. This will allow you to establish a stronger bond with your viewers. It will also increase engagement and give your viewers a reason to watch future live streams.
Wrap up
Having live streaming with your viewers is a great way to engage them. Additionally, it enables you to connect with more people and reach a larger audience without spending a fortune.
To make live streaming work, you’ll need the best live streaming services loaded with features and tools that can help you to achieve all your targeted goals and make the visualisation into reality. Hope this article added some value to your knowledge.
