Doing a live video stream? Here’s how to think about it
Livestreaming is a way to bring audiences who are stuck at home to places that they can’t go, and show them what’s going on there, says Simon Kearney at Click2View.
Takeaways
Livestreams are getting more popular — especially with Covid keeping us apart and in our homes.
Behind every good livestream is lots and lots of planning… and backup.
Context
The pandemic has shifted attention to livestreaming — for breaking news and journalism, entertainment, or conferences and networking events.
Simon Kearney co-founded the video production house Click2View about a decade ago. As our technical partner, C2V has been helping us with our video needs at Beta. C2V is our go-to for all digital video workflows. If you have a live production you want done, chances are these guys know how to put it together.
Before you go live…
Think about what you want to say. What’s your audience into? What’s your area of expertise? What access do you have that makes a live experience meaningful and important to your viewers?
What platform are you going to use? There’s plenty: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitch, etc. The platform is just as important as the content — you want to be relevant to your audience, wherever they are.
“There are all these amazing things going live out there and I’m quite hooked by it. Just the ability to grab it and use that opportunity is an amazing discovery, and there are so many things to learn.”
#protips
Make sure you have a good internet connection!
Always have a backup tech set-up and contingency plan — imagine the worst-case scenario (what if the power goes out? What if the internet goes down? What if a producer gets in an accident? 😱). Plan for that.
No matter how fool-proof everything is, something is going to screw up; you’ll want to be prepared for that so no one panics when that happens.
The tech stuff is really important: understand video and audio signal routing. Don’t do last-minute edits or changes, because they throw a spanner in the works and create the potential for more things to go wrong.
Make sure you’re 100% focused on pre-show prep.
There’s a difference between talking to an audience, and interacting in a way that’s more engaging and intimate.
It’s always good to respond to comments that appear live on air — it ensures interactivity.
Don’t let your presentation be dry — keep it lively and fun. Laugh with your audience.
Use webinar analytics to understand how people are consuming your content. Evaluate and adjust accordingly.
Pre-recorded sessions can also be useful: they minimize the chances of errors and mishaps — but be aware that audiences can usually tell it’s not really live! If you have a longer show, some pre-recorded bits might be good to help break things up and give your presenters a break, or help them ease into their on-camera personas.
Watch Click2View’s video on multi-cam streaming using different apps.