How to Live Stream Successfully: A Preparation Checklist for Marketers

Raise your hand if you’d rather watch a video to learn something new than read about it.

Go ahead — you’re not alone. 59% of executives say they’d instead watch a video than speak text, too. And actually, that amount builds sense — we are a society of video streamers.( I entail, hello, Netflix .)

But if you’re not sure how to run a live brook occurrence on social media, dread not. We’re here to make sure you don’t just made the “Live” button on Facebook and stare at the camera like a deer in headlights. Instead, we’ve come up with a comprehensive checklist to help you plan your first — or next — live flow.

How Live Streaming Works

Live streaming is a way to broadcast your events to an online audience. It’s a digital alternative to something like selling tickets to an in-person event and allows you to reach people near and far with live video.

Brands use live streaming for a few cases different reasons, but are consistent with a Brandlive survey, 74% of businesses used it to engage with their consumer base. So instead of being the proverbial “man behind the curtain, ” you’re allowing observers to put a face( or faces) to your organization’s name, all in real time.

Live streaming can be used for a number of different event kinds, as well. Everyone from the White House to fashion houses to chefs have live-streamed videos of economy briefings, runway proves, and cooking demos, respectively. Here at HubSpot, we’ve used it for things like interviews with remember commanders. So feel free to be creative — simply make sure you’ve got your foundations covered.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Live Streaming

When you’re ready to start learning how to live stream successfully, follow these steps πŸ˜› TAGEND 1. Plan your live brook like you would any other event.

Think about some of the most popular talk evidences. Can you imagine if the guests, decides, lighting, and schedules for something like “The Tonight Show” weren’t planned in advance? To say the least, it might be chaotic.

You’ll want to set the same thought and due diligence into your live creek that you’d put into an in-person event of its kind. And you’ll want to have your goals in brain as you start to stimulate those schemes; those will dictate a lot of the logistics.

Who

Knowing your target audience will determine a few articles of the planning process. If it includes an international population, that should factor into the date and occasion of your brook — is secure to think about time zones or holidays that might not be top-of-mind in your home country.

What

Then, think of what category your live flow falls into, and create a title for your event. In suit you don’t find any of the above examples fitting to your business, we’ve got some ideas for ways businesses can use live videos.

HubSpot’s Social Media Marketing Manager, Chelsea Hunersen, stresses the importance of thoroughly researching matters of your live brook in advance.

“Decide important points or stats to hit, ” she says. And if you’re going to feature guests, “designate a moderator/ host who can make sure these points are made and can wrap up the conversation if necessary.”

Where

The platform you use( which we’ll get to in a little) can also be dependent on who you want to opinion the brook. Different audiences use different channels, so you’ll want to pick the one that’s most likely to draw the crowd you want.

Finally, picking an optimal location from which you’ll broadcast your torrent. Buyers have a low-pitched tolerance for a bad stream, watching for at most 90 seconds if the connection is spotty or poor-quality, so make sure your setting is conducive to a positive consider experience. Does it have good lighting? Is it prone to a lot of noise? Is there a chance that your hound baby-walker will barge in screaming, “Who’s a good boy? ” loud enough for the entire audience to hear?( Not that that’s happened to me .)

Think of these contingencies, then pick a streaming venue that insulates you from them.

2. Choose your platform.

Here’s where you’ll truly need to have your goals in head since different platforms can achieve different things.

YouTube Live

YouTube Live Events tend to have “two purposes, ” says Megan Conley, HubSpot’s Content Marketing Strategist. “Registrants and attendees.”

So, if you’re looking to boost revenue — which 75% of marketing professionals are using video to do — YouTube Live is one of very good platforms to use.

Here’s how that works. First, if you don’t have one already, you’ll need to create an account on Google, which you’ll then use to create one on YouTube.

YouTube Live Events

Once that’s done, you can use YouTube’s Live Streaming Events dashboard to schedule a future brook — simply click on “Enable live streaming, ” if you haven’t already set it up.

YouTube requires a 24 -hour buffer between the time that you enable live streaming and your first live. Once that 24 -hour interval is up, all you have to do is log into your YouTube Studio.

Then, click the “Create” button in the top right corner.

Screenshot of YouTube Create Button

This will motivate a drop-down that asks you to choose between uploading a video or proceeding live. Choose “Go live.”

Screenshot of YouTube's Go Live Button

YouTube will then inspire you to complete some basic info such as its title and what age group the video is induced for. You’ll likewise need to decide if you’re proceeding live right away or scheduling it for a certain time.

Screenshot of YouTube Live Information

After that, you’ll need to indicate if you crave your occurrence to be public or private — here’s where you’ll decide how you want to use your live stream to generate leads.

Screenshot of YouTube Live Privacy Settings

The Unlisted option fulfills two things πŸ˜› TAGEND

I’ll be able to generate a relate that attendees will get only after they fill out a registration kind.

It won’t stream immediately onto my YouTube page.

Once you’re done, click “Next” You will be asked to smile to take a thumbnail, so make sure you’re camera-ready. From there, you have the option to “Go Live” or “Share” your content.

Screenshot of YouTube's Share Option

Click “Share, ” and that will generate your event’s URL. As I mentioned above, you can stop that behind a landing page where attendees fill out a figure to register.

Conley says that, generally, this type of live stream is embedded on a thank-you page behind a landing page form.

If you use the HubSpot COS, all you’ll need is the connection, and the system will generate the embed code for you.

Insert Media

Create Embed Code

Just click “insert media, ” paste the link you imitated from YouTube, and you’re done.

If embedding isn’t an option, you are able merely set a connection there — the embed code simply creates a seamless design that you can place right on your thank-you page. Either way, be sure to use the thank-you page as a region to remind your attendees of the date and occasion of the event.

There’s likewise the option to make your YouTube Live Event completely open to the public. That’s a good option, Conley says, for a important event that you “want anyone and everyone to be able to find.” But if you make your flow public, she points out, make sure you use the event to promote gated content you want your audience to download.

“An image CTA would do, ” she mentions, as would holding up clearly published short relates throughout the stream( Make sure you have those printed out in advance !). In the image above, you’ll likewise see that you can add a message to your video — you can mention your gated content there, too.

Facebook

Facebook Live has been stimulating quite a few headlines lately, and firms stand to ensure that there is it — Facebook Live videos develop 6 times as many interactions as traditional videos.

Even without pre-registration, you can definitely promote rivers on this platform in advance, which we’ll touch on later. In the meantime, if you haven’t utilized it before, check out my colleague Lindsay Kolowich’s overview of Facebook Live.

The interface for Facebook has recently changed, so you’ll have an easier hour live streaming from your mobile Facebook app.

Depending on your device, you are eligible to understand the “Live” option privilege under the Composer when you open the app. Alternatively, you may need to click “Create Post” at the top of your News Feed, then select the three horizontal dots in the Composer.

Screenshot of Facebook Composer Live Button

You’ll have a chance to write a comment about your video. Once you’ve done that, you can select “Go Live” in the bottom left corner.

Screenshot of Facebook Start Live Video

Instagram Live

You can also live stream on Instagram. With Instagram Live, a functionality in the Instagram Stories feature, you’re able to broadcast video torrents and save the replay to your Stories. Users are able to engage through likes and notes during the stream.

This is a great platform for live streaming since Instagram Stories are used by 500 million customers per period, and one-third of most-viewed Stories are from jobs.

Keep in mind that you cannot post to Instagram from your browser, so open the mobile Instagram app to begin your live brook. Then, select the camera icon in the top left corner next to the Instagram logo.

Screenshot of Instagram Live Camera Icon

At the bottom of the camera viewer is a menu that scrolls horizontally. Select “Live.”

Screenshot of Instagram Live Camera Viewer Live Button

The shutter button will change to a broadcast icon. This will immediately take you live if you tap it, so make sure you’re camera ready.

Screenshot of Instagram Live Broadcast Button

Twitter Live

Twitter’s advantage is that you can easily share and promote content to a large audience, even if you don’t have a large following. In addition, red-hot topics spread more rapidly than other media outlets.

If you want to hit the ground running and make buzz, Twitter is a great choice. However, you cannot go live on Twitter from your browser, so open the mobile Twitter app when you’re ready to start your broadcast.

Once there, open the Tweet composer by clicking the button with the feather and plus sign.

Screenshot of Instagram Tweet Composer Button

Select the camera icon.

Screenshot of Twitter Camera Icon

At the bottom of the camera viewer is the choice between “Capture” and “Live.” Choose “Live.”

Screenshot of Twitter Capture and Live Options

The shutter button will be replaced with a button that says “Go Live.” This will immediately take you live, so make sure that you have everything set up before pressing it.

Screenshot of Twitter Go Live Button

TikTok

Since 2018, TikTok has had major buzz as the newest big player in the social media game as a platform for short-form videos. While TikTok’s audience trends younger with 41% of users between 16 -2 4 years old, more people and brands are taking to the platform, as evidenced by its place as the fourth most downloaded app in 2018.

One big-hearted drawback is that you can only go live on TikTok if you have 1,000 followers. For accounts where this isn’t a problem, here’s how to broadcast live:

Open your TikTok mobile app and select the plus sign at the bottom of the screen.

Then, participate the title of your brook and select “start.”

It’s that easy!

The live streaming options certainly don’t end there. Major labels have also used platforms like Periscope, Livestream, and Twitch. They all have their own gives of the characteristics and advantages, so emphatically take the time to look into which one best dress your needs.

3. Choose your equipment.

When it comes to the actual hardware required for your live river, some of it is fairly intuitive: A camera is pretty standard, for example, or a device with one installed( like a laptop or phone ).

But if you do use your phone, Conley says, be sure to use a tripod. “There’s nothing worse than recording a Facebook Live and having your limb start to fall asleep five minutes into the recording, ” she admonishes. “Use a phone tripod to give your live streaming a professional look.”

Consider how professional you crave your clang quality to be, too. Your camera might have its own microphone, but if your specify is more prone to noise, form mics might not be a bad hypothesi, either.

And when you’re applying an external camera, says Hunersen, you’ll likewise need some sort of encoding software( Facebook has a great step-by-step guide to that ). That’s what converts the camera footage into a format that your streaming platform understands and can broadcast to viewers. The software you use might depend on your budget, but about to begin, check out this one from Adobe.

Also, think about setting up a professional backdrop, like one with your symbol. That can help to brand your videos and give them some visual consistency, which is a particularly good practice “if youre going to” do a lot of live streaming in the future.

Want to take that a stair further? “Set up a makeshift studio in its term of office to speed up the prep day for all of your future transcriptions, ” Conley says. “A beautiful, labelled backdrop “couldve been” just what your Facebook Live needs to help grab “members attention” of someone rapidly scrolling through their News Feed.”

4. Promote your live stream.

Congratulations! You’ve now completed a lot of the major planning and setup for your live river. Now, how do you get people to watch it?

As we’ve embraced, employing a landing page is a good way to get enrollment on a platform like Hangouts On Air( or, as of September 12 th, YouTube Live ). Here’s an example to seeing how we recently used one at HubSpot πŸ˜› TAGEND

HubSpot_CRO_Hangout.png

There’s a clear CTA here — “View The Video” — which, when clicked, takes the visitor to a enrollment figure.( And check out this rundown of which channels drive the best conversion rates — it’s got some tips-off on getting people to your arrival page in the first place .)

Form-2.png

Once someone fills out the form on your arrival page, it should lead them to a thank-you page, where you can share some promotional informed about the live stream.

HubSpot’s Co-Marketing Demand Generation Manager, Christine White, intimates creating a “Next Steps” section here with actionable items like “add this event to your calendar” and “check back here on[ the date of your occurrence] ” to remind observers that’s where they’ll go to view the live stream.

And once you have contact information for your registrants, Conley reminds us, “you can email the people on that list on the day of, and remind them when it’s going to go live.”

FB_Live_Promo.png

But to promote your Facebook Live creek, says Conley, “It’s really about doing a social image and spreading the word that “youre going” live at a specific time.”

Don’t rule out employ social media to promote live streams on other platforms, too. Some of them, like YouTube, allow you to link your social accounts and push content in multiple places. And if your guests are active on social media, leveraging that by including links to their manages in any related content, and ask them to promote the occurrence with their own networks.

5. Do a dry run.

There’s a reason why we do dress rehearsals. When I was in a high school show choir — a humiliating but factual part of history — it was to make sure I didn’t trip over my dance partner in high-heeled tap shoes.

In the world of live streaming, though, we do dry runs to avoid more technical, but evenly embarrassing, blunders. Improv can be funny, but not when it means you’re verbally unprepared or your equipment stops running and you don’t have a backup plan.

6. Prep any guest loudspeakers.

Is there anything worse than a moment of awkward, dumbfounded stillnes?

As part of your dry run, make sure your guests are prepared for any questions they might be asked. Don’t over-rehearse, but do what you can to prevent catching them off-guard.

“It may help to give some questions in advance to a potential guest, ” says Hunersen, “but save some follow-up or in-depth questions for on-air, so that you’re able to let them be both are developed and react in the moment.”

7. Test your audio and internet connect.

You might want people to talk about your live creek, but not if all they’re going to say is, “We can’t hear you.” Make sure all of your audio equipment is working both during your dry run and on the day of the stream. Having an extra microphone and batteries on hand probably won’t hurt, either.

Make sure your network can handle a live stream, too. If you’re streaming high quality video, for example, you’ll need both a wire contact and a 3G/ 4G wireless associate, according to Cleeng.

In other words, make sure your WiFi is working, but also, “grab an ethernet cord, ” says Conley. “One thing you can’t help is if your internet connection unexpectedly moves out.”

We know — even the music of “ethernet” seems atrociously old school. But if your WiFi suddenly drops, you’ll be glad you busted that cord out of storage.

8. Set up social media monitoring.

One great thing about live streaming is your audience’s ability to join the conversation and commentary in real hour.

Juliana Nicholson, Sr. Marketing Manager at HubSpot, advises to “Have a plan for audience engagement. Know when and how you plan to incorporate audience feedback and Q& As and then clearly communicate that information to your attendees.” This will make it so much easier to encourage participation.

But that’s not all you should do with regard to engagement. If you’ve watched any Facebook Live feed, you’ve seen that the comments roll in fast. So while it’s awesome to invite and answer observer questions, it can be overwhelming, especially if you personalize your responses.

That’s why it’s a great idea to dedicate someone to monitoring social media, notes, and questions during the live feed.

That task can be made a bit easier with something like a branded hashtag have been set up for this live creek. For platforms with built-in comment feeds, for example, you can ask your viewers to preface issues and questions with it — that can help qualify what needs to be answered.

You could even take that a stair further and use the hashtag throughout the planning process, attaining sure to include it on your arrival page, thank-you page, and promotional contents leading up to the event. That helps to create buzz around the live torrent. And if you use HubSpot’s Social Inbox, here’s a great place to take advantage of its monitoring feature, which lets you prioritize and responded to social messages based on things like keywords or hashtags.

After Your Live Stream

It’s ever nice to follow up with your attendees after your live torrent has ended. Thank them for their period, give them a head’s up about your next occurrence, and invited members to download a piece of relevant content. If you’ve followed these steps, you’ve probably done a great job of using your live stream to generate results, so keep up the momentum and nurture them.

Read more: blog.hubspot.com

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