Ever watched a Facebook Live video that seemed out of context? Of course, you have.

While it’s been years that the platform launched its live video streaming service, many brands are still figuring out how to make the most of it. If you’re too, know that you’re not alone.

As you continue your pursuit of knowing all about this interesting feature, you’ll be amazed at how it’s more than just live broadcasting anything from anywhere. It’s more about patting yourself on the back for jumping on the bandwagon. It’s about making a connection with your audience – in real-time.

Think of it as a golden opportunity.

The question remains: how to get the most out of it?

Let’s tackle it with this easy guide.

How to use Facebook Live

Whether you want to live broadcast an event or a Q&A session with your audience, using the Facebook Live functionality is easy. Apart from a “Profile”, you can go live on a Facebook “Page”, in a “Group” or an “Event”.

Steps for going live on Facebook:

Step 1 – To start the live stream, navigate to the profile, page, group, or event you wish to live stream from.

Step 2 – Go to “Create Post” and choose the “Live Video” option.

This is how it looks if you go live from the Facebook mobile app:

Step 3 – Next, add a description, tag people, check in to a location, and add any elements you may want.

Step 4 – Start the broadcast by selecting “Start Live Video”.

Step 5 – When you are done with the broadcast, tap on the “Finish” button to end it.

Step 6 – Post your video replay and save the video by tapping on the download button.

Tips on promoting your Facebook live stream before the broadcast

Ask your community

Always plan your live broadcast with participation in mind. To help your audience join your live content, ask your viewers what they want to see by running a poll or publishing a post on your profile asking for topics. When your viewers realize that their comments can lead to some on-screen action, they will engage more and better.

Create an event

Another terrific way to promote your Facebook Live session is to create an event. You can then add News Feed posts on your Facebook page to inform your audience about your event. And you can even boost these posts by going on the paid advertisement route and garner the attention of a bigger audience.

Make a teaser video

We all know that video captures people’s attention like no other type of content. That’s why it makes sense to promote your upcoming Facebook Live with short teaser videos. Include an introduction of the host or guest, topics that will be covered during the session, and the time and date of the live stream. Take this video template as an example:

Inform as you remind

When it comes to posting updates on your page about your broadcast, don’t just focus on the reminders. Add value to these reminders by sharing information and insights about the subject of your live stream. Think of it as the cornerstone of creating valuable content for your community – one that engages them and keeps them hooked for more.

Check out how The Explorers Club informs its audience about what they will learn from its Facebook Live session. The Club’s post is comprehensive and leaves no surprises there – except, of course, the video content itself.

Promote via email

Your email list is powerful. Tap into it by promoting your live stream through email. Schedule your live broadcast and share the link to the live stream in an email. But don’t forget to send it out to your list at least 24-hour in advance.

Leverage cross-channel promotion

Restricting your Facebook Live video’s promotion to Facebook is a rookie error most of us make. So, go above and beyond and promote your upcoming live stream on other channels too. Think Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. The more you expand your promotion tactics by leveraging cross-channel promotion, the more is the interest you’re likely to generate.

Cosmo Prof Beauty does a fantastic job here. The brand promotes its Facebook Live on Instagram with a compelling post and a CTA that also brings more likes on Facebook. Talk about flexing your creative muscles.

 

Tips on increasing the engagement during the streaming

Reiterate and reinforce

One of the first things people do after going live on Facebook is introducing themselves and the broadcast’s purpose. But some do it just once. While you may think that’s enough, the reality differs. You need to reiterate the context of your live stream throughout the broadcast to reinforce the message you’re trying to convey.

So, consider reintroducing yourself or other speakers that may be sharing the screen. You can do this after an interval of, let’s say, 10-15 minutes, which is an excellent practice considering that many viewers will join your broadcast along the way.

Interact

Alright, this is a given. But, hey, interacting with your live audience has more to it than just reacting to the comments. Address some of the viewers by their names and answer as many questions as you possibly can. Giving shoutouts is another interesting way to show that you’re responsive and out there “reading” the comments. This makes people more curious to share their thoughts and is a great way to boost your viewership as you stream.

In this Facebook Live on “Learn to Recognize Common Bird Calls”, National Geographic ensures that the viewers’ comments are acknowledged and addressed throughout the broadcast. No wonder their ability to deploy live-streams with superb audience participation is commendable.

Embrace authenticity

Live streaming is not the same as marketing. Understand the subtle difference between the two and act accordingly. While concluding your broadcast with a call to action is okay, don’t try to oversell your brand. Think of it as the chance to build trust and relationships with your viewers while giving them a takeaway that they could benefit from.

It’s your go-to tool to provide your target audience with the benefit they seek by getting to know you up close and personal. Don’t spoil it for more revenue. Driving engagement is critical here. And for that, you need to be as real as you can.

Add visual interest

When broadcasting your video, make it visibly appealing. In fact, that’s something you need to take care of throughout the stream – not just at the beginning. Because let’s face it, your live audience seeks visual interest just like the non-live audience.

And you can easily spark that visual interest with better planning. Add a stunning backdrop. Enable high definition. Move. Go outdoors. Incorporate interactive elements like polls. Try engaging animations or overlays. There are plenty of options worth trying.

Experiment and see what works best for you and your audience when it comes to making your live sessions a visual treat on Facebook.

Hootsuite is one brand that never underestimates the power of visual appeal during their live streams. They make sure to engage their live audience with excellent backdrops, and the following Facebook Live video is a solid example:

Call for the “likes” and “shares”

As soon as you get live, and start interacting with your viewers, ask them to share your live stream for a better reach. And, while you’re at it, ask for likes as well. Additionally, ask them to subscribe for live notifications too. Collectively, all these actions will help you get more mileage out of your Facebook Live.

Tips on repurposing your Facebook live stream recording after the broadcast

Embed on your website

Facebook Live doesn’t mean your finished broadcasts have to live on the platform forever. Download your saved live streams and embed these to your website for acing your video marketing game. You can also repurpose them into blogs and cater to your audience along the sales funnel.

Pro Tip: Turn your Facebook Live videos into separate landing pages using Wave.video’s video landing page generator and achieve your marketing goals like a pro.

Share in newsletters

Give your email newsletters a refresher with embedded Facebook Live videos. And up your live audience base for future broadcasts.

Again, Wave.video can help you share your videos via email in only a few minutes. Learn more on this here, and you’ll be all ready to include your Facebook broadcasts into your emails, taking the conversations wherever you want.

Post on YouTube and other social media channels

Let’s face it: YouTube is the OG video content platform. And so, you need to capitalize on it by posting your saved Facebook Live video. Just ensure you edit your live replay to suit a non-live audience. For example, consider adding custom intros and outros for a polished look.

And don’t forget to edit your saved broadcast video into short clips and share them on other platforms, like Twitter, Snapchat, and, especially, Instagram. For information on Instagram video length, read this article: How Long Can Instagram Videos Be.

Oh, and yes, you can also post your Facebook Live videos as they are on IGTV, without trimming them.

Create longer-form videos

Queue up a couple of related Facebook Lives and merge them to create a rather longer-form video, best suited for that playlist-seeking-audience. Post it on YouTube or Facebook and generate more traction through playlists or series-based video content.

Turn it into a podcast

Create evergreen content by converting your Facebook Live videos into podcasts. You can use tools like Keepvid, Zamzar, or CloudConvert to turn your videos into audio versions. Then edit them with a podcast editor. And that’s how you can repurpose Facebook Lives into studio-quality podcasts that are ready to go to your preferred podcast hosting platforms.

The Final Word

Facebook Live helps you offer more value to your audience.

Go ahead and get live with this essential guide that we hope has answered all your Facebook Live related answers in no time flat.

And if you have any tips to share, do that in the comments below! We’d love to read them.