- Be prepared. Sure, you could be spontaneous and click the “live” button without an agenda, but logistically, you should have some things prepared. Make sure to have good lighting and sound. This doesn’t have to be a Hollywood production, but having a bright video, sound that is clear and not muffled, and limited background noise will make a difference in whether people tune in. Be sure your phone is on airplane mode – incoming calls will interrupt and disconnect your live video. And turn your lock screen off! If you lock your phone screen to be in portrait mode but turn your phone to landscape for the live video, your video will be sideways!
- Tell people when you’re going live. Get people excited about your Facebook Live video! It’s a good idea to tell people a few days before you’re going live and then to remind them again 10 minutes before the live video. By letting people know you’re going live in advance, viewers get hyped about watching and listening to all the valuable information you’re about to share…
- Share valuable information. Live videos may pop up to the top of Facebook users’ newsfeeds, but users won’t tune in unless you have something valuable to share. Plan your live in advance by creating an outline of all the information you want to cover. Keep in mind that you need to be live for at least 10 minutes to have the most impact. That means you’ll need 10 minutes of content – whether people are watching or not! If you do have live viewers be sure to interact with them. Greet your viewers by name and be personal, respond to comments, and encourage them to share your video.
- Have fun! As PSMA FB live instructor Derek McClain says – you talk like you do and act like you do, so get over it and go live! In other words, don’t be embarrassed about how you talk or act. Be genuine and tell your story. Work through the bloopers – if you mess up, laugh or make a joke and move on. Get your creative juices flowing and do something interesting so people WANT to tune in. You got this!