5 Tips for Broadcasting Live on Social Media

Once upon a time, live on-air video shoots only happened in a television studio. Today, with the popularity of Periscope and Facebook Live, anyone can record and share live broadcasts right from their smartphone.

As with many new tech trends, brands have been eager to take advantage of live video to boost their following and audience engagement. Business News Daily is no exception: Over the last couple of months, we've been hosting regular livestreams on Facebook, talking about small business and career development topics that have done well in article form on our site.

I admit, I was a little intimidated when BND's social media manager approached us about doing Facebook Live videos. I have no problems appearing on camera, or even doing live performances — I grew up doing theater and dance, I've created and starred in YouTube videos, and I've given plenty of presentations in school and at work. And yet, I was still incredibly nervous about my first BND live video shoot.

I'm a perfectionist by nature, so maybe it's just the idea of potentially messing up and having those live trip-ups and foibles preserved for all the internet to see? Regardless, my nerves definitely showed in that first video, and I still cringe thinking about how fidgety and shaky I was.

Since I'd agreed to continue doing these livestreams, I knew I'd have to figure out how to get better and more confident. If you're thinking about doing a live video shoot for your brand (and you're as nervous about it as I was), here are a few things you can do to make your broadcast go smoothly.

Write a script

Half the challenge of live video is knowing what you're going to talk about. "Winging it" rarely works out the way you want it to — you end up with a lot of stalling and filler words (e.g. "um" and "uh"), and you may end up talking in circles. Take time to write down your thoughts and major talking points in advance. I've actually found it helpful to create and print a formal script, and tape it to the tripod we use, so I have the words right in front me. Live news anchors read off a teleprompter during their broadcasts, so there's no reason you can't read off a script during your videos.

Promote the video 

To increase your reach, post about the video on your social media channels before it happens so your audience knows to tune in. You might want to do a couple of promotional post: the day before, a few hours before, and right before you go live. Make sure you include any relevant links or social account info so your followers know where to find the video.

Rehearse and test 

Like any other live performance, a run-through just prior to broadcasting will help you iron out any awkward or confusing sections of your script. You'll also feel more confident during the livestream, having read through the material once before. You should also use this pre-broadcast time to test your internet connection (oh, the stories I could tell you about our office WiFi cutting out during our shoots!), check any equipment you may be using, and adjust your hair, wardrobe, makeup, etc. so you look your best on camera.

Have someone monitor comments 

The longer your video streams, the more likely it is that viewers will post comments and reactions as they're watching. It can be pretty difficult to read and react in real-time if you're shooting the video by yourself, so it helps to have someone else in the room, monitoring the feed and letting you know if anything comes up that should be addressed on-air. My BND videos now include a short Q&A moderated by our social media manager to go more in-depth on the topics I've discussed.

End with a call-to-action 

Have you ever noticed that almost every YouTube star ends their videos by telling people to subscribe and comment? It seems so obvious, but if you don't leave your audience with a clear reminder to engage when they've finished viewing, they might not think to do so. After we wrapped on my first BND live video, I realized I'd forgotten to tell viewers to leave comments, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. I've since included this at the bottom of every script I write. After all, the whole point of doing these live social media broadcasts is to encourage interactions and audience growth, and calls-to-action will help achieve that.

I'm sure many of you have more experience than I do with live streaming, so I'd love to hear your tips. Feel free to share your advice in the comments. (See what I did there? Following my own advice!)