If content is king, then video content is…emperor? You get the idea: it’s important. If you’re not pushing video content, you’re missing a huge opportunity to reach more eyeballs on your social posts. Video often performs better across all channels and tends to generate more reactions. One easy way to introduce more video into your content calendar is to host Facebook Live Streams. Seem daunting? Don’t stress: we’re bringing you the top 5 tips to hosting a successful livestream:

Find a Good Videographer
This one may seem simple, but it’s often overlooked. Not every videographer has Facebook Live experience specifically. This makes all this difference – you need someone who knows how to make the audio sound right on the livestream platform, for example (and someone who is flexible enough to be able to adjust if something like audio isn’t sounding right when live). It’s also helpful to work with a videographer who has experience incorporating drone footage or other shots into a livestream as this will make for a more engaging and dynamic experience for your audience. Check out how this videographer used drone footage to capture the incredible New Year’s Eve fireworks show over Reykjavik, Iceland.   

Plan Ahead
Once you’ve got your videographer nailed down, it’s time to start prepping the flow of the live stream and the copy you want to accompany the post. What time are you planning to go live? Will you have a countdown running before the video starts? If so, what will the graphic and copy be? These are all important questions to align on prior to starting your stream. It’s also helpful to send your videographer exactly what title and description you want the post to have so there are no discrepancies in messaging. You can simply send this info over in an email beforehand so they have the info readily available to copy, paste. 

Promote it Ahead of Time 
Let your audience know in the days and/or weeks leading up to your livestream that the video is coming! We typically recommend starting promotions about 1-2 weeks before the livestream. You can create a Facebook event ad and cross-promote on other social channels to get as many folks as possible over to your page at the time you plan to go live. This is a great way to ensure your video is reaching people as soon as it starts.

Engage with the Viewers
It can be helpful to post a prompt in the copy of your post description that encourages your audience to engage with the video. Something as simple as, “let us know where you’re watching from!” is a fun way to create a stronger sense of community among the folks collectively watching the livestream together. From there, you can respond to any questions that may arise in the comments or simply react to people commenting how much they’re enjoying the show!

Boost it Afterwards 
Just because you streamed a video live doesn’t mean it’s limited to that timeframe. Boosting the video on Facebook after the live stream is over is a great way to reach more folks who might not have been able to tune into the video at the specific time it went live. Any amount of budget is helpful in boosting the post across Facebook, and since it’s video content, there’s a good chance it will perform well on the platform.

Remember to keep an eye on the comments to see what people enjoy most about the kind of content you’ve created and incorporate that feedback into your next video. It can be helpful to debrief with your social team and/or videographer afterward as well to talk through what worked well and what you can improve on next time.

Did you find these tips helpful? Let us know in the comments below or on LinkedIn!