Photo: “Bosch Live 2” (CC BY 2.0) by dylan garton

Marketers have increasingly turned to video to get their message out over the last few years, but a particular subgenre of video content has developed a significant amount of buzz around it: live streaming.

For those that think live streaming is only for gamers or podcasters, think again!

Brands as diverse as Dunkin Donuts, Nissan, and Marc Jacobs have had success with the format. Not only is live streaming a cheap and easy way to produce content, it’s great for SEO and it can offer a more intimate connection with your audience.

However, successful live streams are still about producing great content. So before you press that big red button, take a moment to read these 10 live streaming content tips…

1. Headlines are Still Vital

When we embrace a new technology, sometimes we become enthralled by the novelty and forget all those hard-won marketing lessons. Just like a blog post, YouTube video, or podcast, you’ll need to hook your audience in, and the best way to do this is still with great headline. If you’re stuck for inspiration, check out popular live streams from other brands or viral sites like Buzzfeed.

2. Develop an Attention-Grabbing “Hook”

It’s not hard to come up with ideas. What is hard is making those ideas remarkable enough for people to pay attention to them. In today’s content-saturated world, another “best of” or explainer just isn’t going to cut through in the way it used to. When coming up with ideas for your live streams, try and develop an unusual “hook” that will intrigue your audience.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Make Looooong Live Streams

You’ll find plenty of articles online telling to keep your live streams short in order to avoid boring your audience. This is wrong!

Anyone who says this does not look at their analytics or understand how social media algorithms work.

In fact, it’s the opposite. Social media sites like Facebook or YouTube want to people to stay on their platforms for longer, so they love long-form video content, especially if it’s engaging.

There’s no need to be excessive, but don’t shy away from live streams that are 20-30 minutes in length. Just make sure there’s enough “meat” in there to keep people watching.

4. Use Keywords in Titles and Descriptions

Search engines love fresh content, and livestreams are the freshest! But first, they need to understand what your stream is about. You want people to watch your content, so make sure you do your keyword research and use relevant keywords in your title and description so that your video will be indexed correctly.

5. Quality Sound and Vision are Essential

Nothing will kill your engagement quicker than poor sound quality or glitchy video. You don’t have to spend thousands on high-end cameras and microphones, but make sure you at least do a couple of tests to ensure your live stream is watchable before you go live.

6. Capitalize on Events

Next time you’re at an industry event or conference, whip out your phone and grab some exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. You never know, you might inadvertently stumble upon an amazing viral moment, or a key insight that will bring a ton of value to your followers.

As a bonus, if you happen to be the only one broadcasting from the event, you’ll have a pretty good chance of snagging the number one search result on sites like YouTube, Google, and Facebook.

7. Interview Celebrities or Industry Power Players

Live streams are the perfect medium for interviews. If you can, pick industry leaders or influential power players to interview for your live streams, then ask them to share the details with their followers to maximize your audience. This is also a great way to generate links to your site.

8. Borrow From Successful Live TV Formats

Live streams are different from other types of video content we create for marketing purposes. In fact, live streams have much more in common with live television, so this can be a great place to look for inspiration. Things like cooking shows, performances, sports events, “man on the street” style interviews, and comedy skits can work well for live streaming.

9. Interact With Your Audience

Another benefit of live streaming is the ability to easily interact with your audience and respond to comments and questions in real time. The more engaged and connected your followers feel, the longer they are likely to stay watching, which will boost your engagement stats.

Make an effort to show them that you’re listening and that you care about their feedback. Also, offering free advice or talking through people’s problems during the stream can be a great way to showcase your expertise and generate leads.

10. Offer Prizes, Discounts, and Freebies

Sometimes, a little incentive goes a long way. Giveaways are a great way to get people to log on to your live stream. Give a teaser via social media before you go live, and stagger giveaways throughout the broadcast to keep people engaged. Even better, deliver discount codes or coupons via email so you can collect you prospect’s contact details and send them follow-up offers.

For more great content marketing tips, tune in to my Marketing Speak podcast.