Secrets To Becoming An Instagram Live Professional
Instagram may have first gained popularity as a place to show off your greatest photography, but today videos are a major aspect of the service. Since the introduction of Instagram Stories and IG Live in 2016, the platform and its users have shown great enthusiasm for both short- and long-form video.
There is much evidence to suggest that you should adopt a video approach on Instagram if you haven’t already. For instance, a study by Socialinsider discovered that Instagram videos receive twice as many comments than Instagram photos from the most popular accounts. Video posts have twice as much interaction as other post kinds, according to a separate research by HubSpot and Mention.
This article delves into Instagram Live, a section of Instagram Stories that lets users broadcast videos to their followers and engage with them in real time. With IG Live, marketers can easily create live broadcasts that engage brand audiences without spending a tonne of time or money thanks to the feature’s ephemeral nature.
The fact that users are showing an interest in live video is merely one of several arguments in favour of incorporating it into your approach. Enhancing visibility and participation, Instagram Live is a wonderful tool. Some more ways in which this functionality can be helpful are as follows:
The newsfeed will prioritise live video over previously recorded content.
Put your content at the top of people’ feeds by having it appear first in Stories.
Followers who haven’t disabled notifications will be notified when you’ve gone live.
Having face-to-face conversations with your audience may do wonders for establishing rapport and credibility.
Now that you understand why IG Live is so crucial, you should read up on the best practises for using it.
Prior to Being On Air
Choose Interesting Instagram Live-Streaming Subjects
Instagram Live is a great way to connect with your audience, but you need to give them a compelling reason to watch before they will. Even if your live video may only be around for a few hours, it’s still important to have a plan in place before you start broadcasting.
Need some Instagram Live guidance? Some of the most common justifications for throwing such a party are as follows:
- Publish the arrival of a new offering
- Provide directions on how to make use of a good or service
- Have a question-and-answer session with the people who are listening to you.
- Find a friend-of-a-friend to interview.
- Show your viewers what goes on in your office, at a business function, or on a business vacation.
- Do a digital trunk display or sample sale.
- Please summarise your most recent piece of writing.
- Write a review on something that would be of interest to your target market.
- A look at the proceedings behind the scenes as you prepare to present at a conference or event
Think about what you want your viewers to do after watching your live broadcast, and keep it in mind as you go. Establish the parameters through which the success of the live broadcast will be measured.
Exercise and Preparation
Having a strategy in place is often helpful, but your films shouldn’t be excessively written or prepared. It’s a good idea to draught out a rough script of your planned remarks and practise delivering them in advance of your live stream. Errors in real time can be minimised with enough preparation. Knowing how long your live broadcast will last is also helpful.
Do some test videos after you’ve gone through your script a few times to see where you might enhance the viewing experience for your target demographic. Consider the following while you watch through your practise test videos:
Do you find the ambience to be annoying?
Could you tell whether I spoke clearly?
How stable is your camera?
How bright is your video?
Get the word out before you go live
Notify your followers in advance of your Instagram Live by choosing a day and time and deciding on a theme. This way, they’ll know when to tune in and be prepared. Instagram Stories is a great way to build buzz before a live event since users often check their Stories for new content from their favourite brands. It is also suggested that you use your other channels to promote the live broadcast. Including a “add to calendar” link in an email’s body may be really helpful.
Recognize the Transient Nature of Instagram Live
Remember to let your viewers know ahead of time and while you’re streaming that the video is time-sensitive and that they can only get special discounts if they tune in. Use the fear of missing out (FOMO) of your viewers by making them feel like they can’t miss the live stream. To get people to watch your live stream, you might do something like make a major announcement or provide a special discount code that is only good at that time.
Using Instagram Live Properly
Save the Title of Your Video
As your video advances, so too will your audience size. If you pin the title of your Live broadcast, viewers who tune in later will have some idea of what’s going on. Here are the steps of pinning a title:
Kick off your Instagram Live broadcast.
Choose the “pin comment” option in the Live Feed, and then label your video with its title.
To save the remark for later, tap the heart icon.
Explain again why you made the video
Potential viewers probably noticed an announcement about your live broadcast and made plans to watch ahead of time. People will have come onto your live broadcast for various reasons. Perhaps they are interested in what you have to say since they have seen your material previously.
One of the best ways to get people interested in your IG Live broadcast is to remind them of what you’ll be talking about and responding during the broadcast itself. It provides viewers confidence that they have found the correct spot to watch and encourages them to do so.
After the Stream: Next Steps
Upload the clip to your Instagram story
Save the video to your Stories so that viewers who missed it have a chance to see it within 24 hours. It’s also possible to make an Instagram post warning viewers that they only have a limited amount of time to watch your movie before it’s deleted forever.
Check your private messages and respond to anyone who has contacted you
During your Livestream, your viewers may have sent you questions or comments via direct messaging. It’s vital to answer these messages as soon as possible so that your audience continues to think of you as an accessible resource. Keep the one-on-one discussion continuing as long as possible with these DMs by soliciting comments and getting to know the other person.