Live streaming has become a big rage among the current generation. There has been a meteoric rise in its implementation. In the past,the live streaming feature was only limited to news channels and major companies with latest technologies, but, with the advent of technologies, anyone with a phone or laptop can host a live streaming event and make it accessible to the entire world.
Live streaming has become popular due to many advantages associated with it. It has the potential to reach a larger audience base. It also provides a medium where the viewers can directly interact with the broadcaster through live chat and Q&A sessions. With the help of live streaming, presentations, conference, and sales pitches can be streamed quickly without any hassle and cost.
Live streaming has achieved a great popularity among all social media platforms viz. YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. These billion-dollar companies invest a huge amount of money in enhancing their own live streaming platforms, and this shows the importance of live streaming.
Seeing the great opportunities in this field, you might be triggered to jump into the arena. You may also have a great idea which you think will click with the audience. But, you are worried. Are you confused regarding how and from where to start? Do you fear whether the audience will like your live streaming or not? Do you know how to start a live streaming? Fret not, in this blog we will provide you the ultimate cheat guide that will surely help you to achieve a broader fan base and become popular. Here, we are outlining 10 valuable tips to increase your viewership for your next live streaming.
- Interact with the Audience
Interacting with your audience during live streaming is the most effective way to increase your viewership base. The interest of the viewers is not only limited to the broadcasting and its content, but they are also eager to know about your personal life and your experience during the making of the video. Thus, live streaming offers a fun and friendly medium to interact and engage your audience. Interaction with your audience at a personal level enables you to build a strong relationship with every viewer, and they are more likely to come back for your next sessions.
- There are many ways by which you can interact with the viewers:
- Initiate a live chat session so that the viewers can give their comments about the broadcast and ask questions.
- Begin a Q&A session after completion of broadcast and allow participation of the audience in asking questions to you and also interacting with other viewers.
- Embed your broadcast links to various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter where users can give comments, and also share it with others.
Be Consistent
Consistency is an essential factor in increasing as well as maintaining your viewership members. It is necessary that the audience knows the date and time of your event in advance so that they can catch you when you go live. Thus, it is your responsibility to inform the audience about your broadcast schedule and stick to it.
You should be prepared to go live few minutes before the scheduled time. This will ensure that anyone who visits your live streaming link early will not encounter a blank screen. You should respect the fact that the audience devotes their precious time to your broadcast and it is your moral responsibility to fulfill their expectations. All these things will help you get a larger fan base.
Live streaming on a regular interval is always recommended as constant interaction with your viewers will keep you more connected with them. This will keep their interest to your live streaming intact, and you will achieve an increase in viewership. If there is a big gap between your live streaming, the audience might lose interest and will deviate to other options available. Thus, being consistent with your routine will help you in the long run.
- Promoting on Social Media
The role of social media platforms in today’s world cannot be overlooked. They provide the simplest and most economical medium for promotion of content through live streaming. It is essential that you plan out your event in advance. Then, you can regularly update about it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other popular platforms regarding the date, time and theme of the event. This will generate curiosity and hype among the viewers, and they will wait eagerly for the telecast of your broadcast.
The role of social media is not only limited to the initial phase. After the broadcast is telecasted, you can share the links on social media for the people who missed the live streaming, or for repeated viewing. This promotion will not only benefit the broadcast but will also increase the fan base of the broadcaster.
- Using Proper Equipment
Just imagine you have thoroughly prepared for your main event and inform the audience about the schedule. You expect the event to be a big hit, but at the time of broadcasting, viewers encounter poor quality video/audio and buffering issues. It will surely frustrate your viewers, and there is a possibility that they may not return for your forthcoming events anymore. You may not gain any new viewers, and may also lose your current fan base.
Thus, selection of reliable equipment is essential. It is recommended to opt for equipment that hosts videos using a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN enables to generate video and audio with a higher bitrate, and will bypass any buffering issues and server congestion by streaming on a global network and servers. Thus, it allows for a smoother experience for the viewers.
- Choosing your Broadcast
You may be a frequent broadcaster or may be live streaming events at intervals. It is usual that if you belong to the first category, you will have higher chance to increase your fan base. But, if you are not a frequent broadcaster, but want to enhance your viewership, then you have to select your event tactfully. Your event should be unique and interesting so as to grab the curiosity of the viewers. You should constantly search for interesting ideas based on current situation, sports, etc.
- Video on Demand
Your job is not just over after live streaming your broadcast. There may be some viewers who could have missed your broadcast due to some reasons. There will also be some users who enjoyed your live stream very much and would like to watch it again. In such cases, Video on Demand is the solution. Uploading Video on Demand on your network will enable the viewers to watch your past videos repeatedly and with ease. This will ultimately help you to build a loyal fan base and also attract new viewers.
To enjoy this feature, you need to go for a platform that will enable you to host live streams as well as video on demand. Using this platform, you can create playlists for VoD content that will provide access to your viewers to watch the content according to your time frame.
- Countdown to Event
This is an interesting and effective way to capture the attention of the audience. When the event schedule is fixed, you should send out regular reminders on various social media platforms, be it Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. The process is to be continued till the event date comes up. You may increase the frequency of reminders on the day of the event so as to make sure your viewers watch the broadcast. The countdown helps to generate curiosity among the viewers.
- Length of Broadcasting
You can categorize your broadcast into two segments – live streaming and video on demand. Live streaming broadcast should be kept lengthy, as the longer duration will enable the viewers to become more interested and engaged. Video on demand should be shorter in duration and catchy as the interest of the audience is based on the first few seconds of the video. The difference between live streaming and video on demand from viewer’s perspective is that the viewers must have decided in advance to watch your live streaming. Live streaming your event for about 30-60 minutes is ideal to grab the attention of the viewers.
- Promoting through YouTube
YouTube is the most popular video sharing website and hence proves to be the best online platform to promote your live streaming. YouTube has a very user-friendly interface for easy searching of your broadcast and enables the users to watch your videos as many times as they want. At the end of each video, you can thank the viewers and also inform them about your next live streams.
- Creating a Buzz
No event is successful without promotion, and this is also applicable to live streaming. It is not enough to provide the event schedule to the viewers, you also need to provide them reasons why they should watch it. You can give details about your event, what the audience can expect from it, and your experience while planning the event. Releasing teasers and trailers can be very effective to create buzz and hype around your event.
Use these amazing tips to increase your viewership by 999% for your live streaming.If you are planning to go live so as to convey important messages to your audience, you should look for a scalable and one-stop solution such as StreamNow. StreamNow has all the features to transform your venture into the next Twitch or Ustream clone. Peer communication and user engagement are facilitated through live commenting and chat features. Known for its multiple monetization options ranging from subscriptions and advertisements to sponsorships, your live streaming event will be a breeze. Users can opt for web and mobile push notifications to keep themselves abreast of your upcoming live streaming event.
If you have any doubts or concerns, feel free to drop a line or two in the comments section. We shall reply in a day or two. Keep watching this space for further insights on live video streaming and video marketing strategies. Subscribe to our newsletter to know more about tips and tricks on live streaming. My best wishes are with you and your live video streaming venture. Cheers!