Best practices for going live on social media

Going live in social media is a great way to make your products, experience and opportunity more engaging and relatable!  Below are my best tips for using this platform!  These are specific to Facebook Live, but are applicable to other mediums like Instagram or SnapChat.

Before!

• Choose your "destination"
• Going live in your VIP group will be more personal and private (Hot Market)
• Going live on your profile page can reach anyone that you're connected with (Warm Market)
• Going live on your business page is public and could reach anyone on Facebook (Warm and Cold Market)
• Tell people ahead of time when you're going to broadcast. 
• Dress appropriately
• Choose attire that is authentic for you and comfortable
• Be mindful of things like plunging necklines, straps that slip off your shoulders or other distractions
• Keep your hair/makeup/jewelry simple.  You want people to focus on YOU and your message, not a bunch of other things
• Choose your location carefully! 
• Do a test shot to see what you look like. You can do a practice run by setting the privacy setting to “Only Me,” you’ll get to see your efforts before everyone else does. (just don’t forget to adjust your privacy settings when it’s the real deal!)
• Ensure that you are well lit.  Avoid sitting in front of large windows, or add a light shining on your face.
• Be thoughtful of what is behind you – will it be distracting?  (For instance, children playing in the background, a television or computer screen, traffic on a busy street, etc.)
• Whenever possible, your phone or computer should be stationary.  Holding it becomes uncomfortable and produces a shaky visual.
• Eliminate as much background noise as possible
• Close the doors and windows
• Turn your phone or computer volume off.
• Silence notifications
• Go live when (and where!) you have a strong connection. There’s nothing worse than dropping your signal and trying to get everyone back on!
• When going live from your phone, test whether it is better to use wi-fi or your cellular network
• It is often helpful to turn on “airplane mode” and then only turn on wi-fi
• If you do lose connectivity during a live, it will pause and automatically try to reconnect.
• Prepare short notes to help you stay on topic.  This is especially helpful if you tend to ramble or lose your train of thought.
• Consider what you want people to most remember from your presentation
• Follow the rule of presentations:
• Tell them what you are going to tell them
• Tell them
• Tell them what you’ve told them
• (Repetition is your friend 😊)
• Prepare some of your own Q and A in case you don’t have a lot of interaction
• Minimize distractions for while you are going to be live
• Forward your calls
• Turn on airplane mode
• Turn off unnecessary electronics
• Put a sign on your door
• Get the kids occupied 😉
• Write a compelling description before going live.
• Put on your marketing cap!  What problem are you going to solve for them today?
• People want to know “what’s in it for me?” 

During

• The first few minutes:
• Have 2-3 minutes of non-critical information to share at the beginning.  Peak viewership starts around this time, and you don’t want to be in the middle of something really important when they join.
• For instance: tell a little about yourself, something you’re working on, a book you’re enjoying, the weather outside, a preview of the information to come.
• Don’t say hello to commenters by name and welcome them to the live.  This is an annoying way to fill the first 2-3 minutes 😉, especially for those who are watching on a replay!
• Don’t say “let’s just wait for more people to join us”.  This can make those who are early feel like they aren’t valued.
• During the live
• Avoid watching yourself on the video screen!
• Instead, look directly into the camera
• This will help minimize the temptation to adjust your hair or glasses 😉
• Do your best to speak directly into the camera, rather than while your face is turned.
• This will help those who need to read lips to better understand what you are saying
• Encourage interaction
• Ask questions
• Ask for feedback
• Ask if they have any questions
• DO mention people by name, read the comment (or applicable questions) and respond to comments during the live if you are able.
• You do not have to answer every question or address every comment. 
• RELAX and have fun.  You are there to be you and share your knowledge, not to be perfect!
• Ending the live
• Make sure that you wrap up the broadcast nicely.
• Don’t ramble on for minutes!  When you’re done, wrap it up!
• Consider a closing line like “thanks for watching” or “see you next time”.  Mine relates to my branding: "I can't wait to see how YOU #PlayWithYourJams!"
• Once you’ve said your closing, mentally count to 3 before pressing “Finish”
• After you’re done, click to “publish” your live, so that others can watch on a replay.

After your live

• You can edit the description of your live video to include any links or resources you have mentioned.
• You can "pin" a comment to the top of the comments thread.
• This is a great place to put links!
• Go back through the comments and "like" and reply.  This keeps you more personal and relatable.  People need to be "heard" and liking their comment helps to build trust and relationship.
• Consider uploading your live video to YouTube so that it is easily sharable across other platforms