Are you using live video to engage your audience? I mean REALLY engage them?

Are your viewers sticking around for your entire broadcast, or are they getting bored and bouncing?

Are they asking questions and leaving comments throughout your broadcast, or are they just watching it passively?

The whole purpose of live streaming is to make your videos a two-way street – not just a one-way broadcast.

In this post, I’ll share 7 of the most engaging types of live broadcasts you should be doing…as well as 7 BONUS tips for making those live broadcasts as engaging as possible.

7 Types of Live Video Broadcasts You Should Be Doing

Let’s dive in!

1. Behind-the-Scenes, Spontaneous Videos

The beauty of live streaming (as opposed to sharing pre-recorded video) is that you can share your thoughts and ideas in the moment. There’s a certain degree of unpredictability and spontaneity that you just don’t get with recorded video.

Leverage this spur of the moment sharing by showing live behind-the-scenes clips (office tours, candid interviews, random thoughts, etc.).

These types of videos are great for showing the personal side of your brand, and for getting your audience emotionally invested in your business.

2. Live Training

If you regularly provide any type of training, why not offer those training sessions via live streaming? I can see this being useful in many different niches:

• Hairdressers: Give a live hairstyling demonstration
• Graphic designers: Explain how to use a DIY graphic-creation tool
• Chefs or food bloggers: Show how to cook a certain dish
• Business coaches: Provide tips or strategies for finding new customers or clients

3. Troubleshooting/Customer Support

Have a social media follower who’s struggling with using your product or needs instructions for how to perform a certain task? Live stream your explanation rather than trying to write it out.

Not only can this be a more effective way to explain a process, it will be a great resource for your other followers who may be struggling with the same issue.

4. Giveaways or Contests

This is a great strategy for getting engagement from existing followers, as well as for attracting new followers. Periodically hold live giveaways to generate a buzz around your brand.

Here are some possible contest ideas:

• Ask a question and the first person to correctly answer it gets a free product
• Give a gift certificate to someone who left you hearts or commented during your Live
• Announce and give details about an upcoming contest. Looking for contest ideas? See my post 13 Killer Facebook Contest Ideas.

5. Enhance Live Events

If you regularly speak at conferences or other events, why not share your talks with your online audience as well?

Sharing your video later is great, but allowing your followers to watch live takes things to a whole new level.

You can even respond to questions asked by your followers so they really feel like they’re part of the action.

6. Announce Deals and Other Promotions

Live video can be a great way to announce promotions in a way that engages your audience and attracts new followers.

Some ideas for promotions:

• Coupons (or coupons codes)
• % off discounts
• 2 for 1 sales
• Discounted services
• Free samples giveaways

You can even hold the sale online (as Payless Shoes did above), with your viewers claiming certain products while you stream!

7. Share and Respond to Time-Sensitive Events Quickly

When something big happens in the news – whether that’s world news or industry news – you probably won’t have time to quickly churn out a blog post.

Instead, strike while the iron’s hot by sharing and responding to this news via a Facebook Live, Periscope or Live video on Instagram.

7 Bonus Tips for Getting More Engagement on Your Live Broadcasts

These 7 types of Lives are GREAT for getting engagement…but how you actually DO your Live can make a big difference in engagement levels as well!

That’s what I’ll end this post with bonus 7 tips for getting as much interaction and engagement as possible on your Lives.

1. Have a Purpose for Your Live Broadcast

There’s nothing worse than watching a Live broadcast that goes on and on, with no clear purpose or direction.

Before you start your Live, determine what your purpose and end game are:

• What general topic are you going to talk about?
• What’s the main benefit you want people to get from your Live?
• What do you want viewers to do during or after your Live?
• What key talking points are you going to cover?

This isn’t to say you can’t be spontaneous or go “off book” during your broadcast…but having a basic plan in place beforehand will at least prevent you from rambling or moving too far away from your goal.

2. Break Your Viewers in Gently

I don’t have stats on this, but most of the time it takes viewers a minute or two to tune into your live stream (and often it can take even longer than that).

For this reason, make sure you take a bit of time at the beginning of your Live to gently break your viewers in. Take some time to introduce yourself, welcome viewers, and set the stage for what you are going to share in your live broadcast.

One word of caution: please do not say something like “let's wait on more people to join in”. This de-values those that are live with you in the moment. It's basically saying that they aren't important enough to get started.

3. Greet Your Viewers Personally

You don’t have to go overboard with this. For instance, I’ve watched some live broadcasts where the host mentions each and every viewer by name and this can be frustrating for viewers if there is a ton of people watching. That said, welcoming your viewers periodically throughout the broadcast is a great way to connect personally with your viewers.

Even just keeping an eye on who’s joining and using a blanket, “Glad to see so many of you joining us….welcome!” can add a more personal feel to your broadcast.

4. Share Something Personal About Yourself

Part of the beauty of video in general is that you can really up the “personal” factor.

Don’t be afraid to throw little personal tidbits or anecdotes into your live broadcast…these details are what will set your broadcast apart from all the dry, boring and impersonal live streams so many business owners put out there!

5. Give Brief Overviews “For Those Who Just Joined Us”

As already mentioned, you’ll find many of your viewers will hop on a bit late…and some will join you REALLY late.

And if these viewers can’t quickly get the gist of what your live is all about, they’re likely to disengage and click away.

To prevent this, give a brief, 2-3 line overview of your broadcast to get late-comers up to speed.

You probably only need to do this 2-3 times during your broadcast (or even less if your broadcast is really short), but it can make a big difference in terms of keeping people engaged and making sure they stick around.

6. Get Your Viewers Involved

One of the best things about a Live video is the ability to interact with your audience. But sometimes your viewers will need a bit of encouragement to engage with you!

Throughout your broadcast, be sure to ask questions – even really simple ones like, “Drop your thoughts in below”, or “Let me know where you’re all from”.

Even these small bits of interaction can move them from passive viewer to active participant…and they’ll get A LOT more out of your broadcast this way!

7. Give Them a Reason to Stay to the End

Having troubles getting your viewers to stay until the end of your broadcast?

Both at the beginning and in the middle of your live stream, let your viewers know exactly WHY they should stick around to the end.

Some ideas:

• Announce a prize winner at the end
• Promise viewers you’ll tell them how to do something (“Stay tuned to the end when I’ll tell you the secret to….”)
• Give the details of an upcoming promotion or contest at the end of your broadcast

Final Thoughts

I hope these strategies have given you some ideas for engaging your audience via live streaming. I regularly livestream some of my BEST marketing tips and tricks for business owners….so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Looking for more help with your live streaming? Check out these helpful resources:

Top 22 Ways to Use Facebook Live to Market Your Business

37 Ways to Build a Huge Brand on Periscope

5 Ways to Broadcast Live on Facebook on any Budget

The 10 Best Live Streaming Apps

Are you using live video for your business? What are your best tips for engaging your audience? Share below!

About Author

Kim Garst

Kim Garst is a renowned marketing strategist and speaker who is trailblazing the use of artificial intelligence in digital marketing. With over 30 years of experience as an online entrepreneur, Kim helps entrepreneurs grow their business and authority online by using AI technology. She is leading the way with proven AI frameworks that help entrepreneurs build authority in their space.

She is keynote speaker and an international best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up, Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media.

Named by Forbes as a Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer, Kim is well-known for her skill to simplify complex technology and make the use of AI understandable for business growth. Her relatable, actionable advice helps guide new entrepreneurs to harness the power of AI to succeed in digital marketing. Kim is leading the way in combining human and technological skills to create a new model for AI-powered marketing.

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