Most live video beginners struggle with some of the components of live streaming, from internet speed, streaming settings and other technical aspects to audience interaction, presentation skills, and content. No wonder. With so many elements to focus on, it can be challenging to get started with live streaming. That’s why we’ve put together this list of dos and don’ts for live video beginners to help you start your live streaming journey on the right foot.
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The dos and don’ts for live video beginners
Don’t: Go in unprepared
When it comes to live video, preparation is key. With any live interaction, being prepared can be the difference between achieving your goals with your live video and falling flat on your face. Have an outline of what you plan to talk about, come up with the call-to-action you will use and keep all the equipment you might need nearby.
Preparation doesn’t exclude spontaneity. In fact, being prepared gives you more self-confidence, which in turn, allows you to be more spontaneous.
Do: Check your Internet upload speed
Live video demands a lot of resources and, since it’s an online broadcast, the Internet is vital. When you watch a live stream that keeps buffering, lagging or has low-quality, one of the causes could be the broadcaster’s internet speed isn’t high enough.
We talked a bit about internet speed on our Beginner’s Guide to Live Streaming. Keep in mind, the internet is only one of the components of a successful broadcast. To figure out the best live streaming settings for Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and other platforms, you’ll need to consider video resolution, bitrate, encoding, latency and much more.
Do: Make sure your equipment works
Equipment malfunction is one of the most common issues of live streaming. In video production, when something goes wrong, they just do another take. With live streaming, we don’t have that luxury. Which is why it’s critical to make sure your live streaming setup is working correctly before the broadcast. More specifically, test your camera, microphone, computer, lighting and internet access.
Here is a Live Streaming Checklist to help you ensure your setup is on point.
Don’t: Depend on one piece of equipment
Even when everything seems to be working well, live video beginners are often surprised by how unexpected things can happen. The best remedy in this situation is having backup equipment ready to go.
Do: Test everything beforehand
Some live video beginners tend to rely too much on their setup, which might work out most of the time, except when it doesn’t. Testing is, by far, one of the most important parts of live streaming. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube also allow you to go live in private mode so that you can do a dry run of your entire broadcast.
Don’t: Read an entire script
It’s normal to get a bit nervous before your live stream. From live video beginners to pros, no one can escape the nerves. But, the solution is not to write an entire script and read it aloud. Instead, you should have an outline of what you plan to say, teach or show during your live stream and keep it natural. The outline will help keep you on track while delivering your content. Over time, you’ll become a better broadcaster, and your audience will grow.
Do: Interact with your audience
Interaction is at the heart of live streaming. Your audience will tune in live expecting to interact with you in real time. Whether they are watching live video beginners or professional streamers, the viewers want to feel acknowledged and part of the show. Your goal as a presenter is to sound natural, apply some audience interaction techniques and create a connection with your audience.
Do: Answer questions
An easy way to increase interaction during your live streams is to answer questions. Ask your viewers to send in the questions they have related to the topic you are discussing and reply to some of them live. Some content creators do only live Q&A sessions instead of preparing the content of a live streaming. It can be an effective strategy to grow your audience with live video without too much prep time.
Don’t: Do it alone
Live video beginners should not run the entire show by themselves. Neither should live streaming pros. It’s a lot to deal with. If you want to achieve the best possible results with your live video, getting someone to help you manage the stream is ideal. While you focus on presenting the live stream and interacting with your audience, the other person can monitor the stream, making sure everything is working as it should and moderating the chat.
Do: Keep your audience engaged
When viewers tune in to your live stream, they are giving you their most valuable asset, their time. In return, you need to keep them engaged and deliver high-quality content. If your audience isn’t engaged, they will, most likely, jump onto the next thing.
If you want to increase engagement on live streams, creating a dynamic live video experience is the way to go instead of talking to a camera the entire video.
Don’t: end without a call-to-action (CTA)
Whether you’re part of a business or a personal brand, your live stream has a purpose. (Or it should.) If your objective is to get more subscribers, you need to push your viewers to take action. Ending a live video without a call-to-action is a huge missed opportunity. Live video beginners that use CTAs will be miles ahead of their competition.
Do: Follow up with your audience
Do you want to make the most out of your live streaming efforts? Then, the follow-up is a must. Whether you do it via an email list, a Facebook group or even the comment section of your live video, reaching out to your audience after your live ends can have a massive impact.
For instance, you can go through the comment section, thank people that commented and reply to some of the questions that you didn’t get to answer live. Also, via email, you can send replies to the most asked questions and a replay of the live video.
If you want to build relationships with your audience, to grow your online reach and profit, make sure you follow-up with your viewers.
Key Takeaway
Among the many things that can be scary about doing a live stream or that could go wrong while live, most of them can be avoided as we can see throughout this blog post. Though live video beginners won’t be able to avoid all the issues, it’s still possible to be prepared to solve them.
If you want to start live streaming, but you want to start on the right foot, this list of dos and don’ts will serve you well.
What are your dos and don’ts when it comes to live video?
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