Category Archives: live video

SWITCHED ON: A basic guide on how to run a live broadcast on social media

Live video is very much a thing yet it surprises me how it’s often not part of the comms tool box.

If you’re making data-led decisions then live needs to be part of the mix.

Here’s some fresh Ofcom data around who is using live and in what channel.

If you think live is just the arena of young people you’d be very wrong.

Who uses what

The broad figures from Ofcom are really useful in decision making. The only complaint I’d make is that LinkedIn is very much part of the live video mix which the regulator’s snapshot misses out on.

Leaving the LinkedIn issue aside, 16-24-year-olds are the heaviest users with more than half regularly watching YouTube and TikTok lives narrowly beating Instagram as their favoured platform.

For 25 to 34, around half regularly watch Instagram and YouTube lives and as you reach the over 45s, around third of 45-year-olds are regularly watching Facebook lives falling to a quarter as you reach 55-year-olds.

Live video stops being a meaningful proposition to over 65s.

How do you choose a channel for live video?

The data around who uses what is your starting point. If your audience is on Facebook then head to Facebook. If you’re looking to reach a younger audience then look to use something like Instagram or TikTok. If you’re looking to reach a professional audience then head to LinkedIn.

How do you plan it?

You need to plan out a rough shape for the broadcast – and yes, lets call it by the right term – and you need to shout about it in advance so people can head to that spot at that time. There’s things to do afterwards but we’ll save that for a second.

The plan needs to be who is taking part, what ground and what you’ll cover in what order.

It’s also a good idea to think of some questions to get the ball rolling in the first few minutes of the broadcast.

During the planning stage, there’s a couple of other things to think about. The BBC have good guidance on what they plan for for live broadcasts. Included is being aware of strong language and stage invasions. That’s certainly something to be aware of. Start a live broadcast in the middle of Pride and the chances are someone will shout something. So, think about where you film it.

Have a plan for if something goes wrong. I’d say switch it off.

You’ll also need to be aware of GDPR. You need contributor’s permission. They’ll also need to be aware its live.

Whatever you do, run a test beforehand and if the participants aren’t used to live broadcasts this will be especially beneficial. You can test the tech, too.

Lastly, have someone in your corner, too. That’s someone from the team who can keep an eye on the broadcast and can WhatsApp you if there’s a problem. If you do that, keep your device with WhatsApp near.

What tech should I use?

You can use a smartphone or a tablet. It’s certainly authentic. But if its more than just you I’d look at something like Streamyard. This is a tool that can plug into your platform and you can broadcast using it. All you need is a webcam and you can invite guests to join from their webcam too. You can add titles, have a ticker running along the bottom and you can pull in questions from the platform while ignoring others. Its a real game changer.

Not only is Streamyard a handy platform but there’s a free version and you can run it with Facebook groups and pages, LinkedIn profiles and pages, YouTube and Twitter. There’s a pro version for more functionality.

How do you get an audience?

Shout. Tell people about it beforehand not just on the channel but in every way possible online and offline. If you’re looking to run an explainer on how to apply for your child’s senior school place then tell people and signpost people towards you ahead of time.

Create an event if you’re able on the platform in question.

What to do when you’re live?

When you go live leave a bit of a buffer. You press the button it’ll take a few seconds for the stream to work. It’s one of the reason I like Streamyard because it gives a 30-second countdown clock at the start.

There’s a few basic tricks the presenter can think about.

Welcome people.

Acknowledge a cross section people when they join.

Ask them to say where they are watching from.

Ask them to ask a question in the comments

Sell forward. Say what you are heading to and sell your sword of Damocles.

How do you end it?

Thank people and then end the broadcast. From experience switching to a short piece of footage is useful as there’s a few seconds of uncertainty.

Then what?

Once you’ve executed the broadcast, make the most of it. Facebook say that seven times as many people often come back and watch the live broadcast if its available than those who saw it live. People are busy so that makes sense.
Facebook gives the ability to re-post the live video. If you can, do it. Then embed the broadcast on a relevant webpage.

I hope you found the post useful. Live video is included in my ESSENTIAL VIDEO SAKILLS REBOOTED workshop. For more information head here.

UPDATED: What are the best lengths for social media video?

All video is no the same… it really does depend on what channel you are looking to post it to.

Where your audience is should frame what channels you are looking that.

In turn, those channels should have a big say in how long your video should be.

So, if you are aiming at people on Facebook, 15 seconds for video that is likeley to drop through the timeline is best. Longer than that and your audience is likely to be evaporating.

Here’s an update on the optimum times.

Notes and queries on the research

YOUTUBE: The maximum length of 15 minutes can be increased to 12 hours through a straight forward verification step.  Optimum length is much shorter.

FACEBOOK: Facebook maximum length against Facebook’s own suggested lengths for ads. INSTAGRAM: Maximum length was increased from 15 seconds to 60 seconds with research via Newswhip suggesting a much shorter length. TWITTER: Maximum length of 240 seconds   is comfortably within Hubspot’s suggested 45 seconds.

SNAPCHAT: Maximum length is a mere 10 seconds but Hootsuite suggest five seconds is the sweet spot.

PERISCOPE: A maximum length and the sky is the limit but there is no research on what the optimum length of a live broadcast is.  FACEBOOK LIVE: Can run for 240 minutes but 19 minutes is best say Buzzsumo.

LINKEDIN is the new kid on the block with native uploaded video. Five minutes is the most you can upload and there is research that the best length is 30 seconds.

Other platforms

There’s a number of other ways to present video I’ve not touched upon. VIMEO has fallen behind in recent years but still has fans and you can upload via VIMEO LIVE with a premium account. You can go live via YOUTUBE LIVE but there is little accessible guidance for the amateur. FLICKR can take video of up to 1GB but will only play back the first three minutes.

360 & VR Facebook and YouTube in particular are chasing this new way of shooting video but there is little out there on maximum and optimum upload times.

I’m @danslee on Twitter and dan@comms2point0. If you hate missing out on the good stuff subscribe to my weekly email here.

Picture credit: Documerica / Flickr

LIVE ALIVE: Four ways how to use Facebook Live to reach your audience

It’s a fascinating time to be a comms person… new tactics emerge and old ones fall away.

But like anything, your decisions should be driven less by the shiny and what will get you results.

So, Facebook Live. It’s something I’ve been fascinating by for some time.

The idea is quite simple. You post to Facebook and you have the option to create a live broadcast from your device’s camera as simply as posting some words.

But where does it fit into the landscape?

It’ll help you beat the Facebook algorithm

Being admin of a page used to be such fun. You posted something and your audience saw it, liked it, commented on it and shared it. You sat back and took the applause. But since Facebook Zero and Mark Zuckerburg’s announcement earlier this year that you’ll see less from pages and more from friends and family that’s long gone.

Right now though, use a Facebook Live broadcast and you’ll be reaching more people.

Cool.

But what do we do?

Here’s where it gets interesting because you are really not hemmed in right now by convention. We’re all learning but please, for heaven’s sake, look outside your sector to see how others are doing it.

Sure, think calls to action. But also see your broadcast as educational, fun and interesting that will build your audience for a time when you really want them to do something. A social channel that’s just one long call to action isn’t fun.

Broadcast because the value is to be in the right place at the right time

English Heritage look after Stonehenge. This collection of Neolithic stone tablets has fascinated people for thousands of years. At the moment of winter and also summer solstice the sun shines perfectly at an angle. It is a special place to be. So a live broadcast of the moment and the build up to it makes sense.

Broadcast because you’ve got something visually interesting

National Rail celebrated the longest day of the year with a live broadcast from a GoPro in the train driver’s cab of the Aberdeen to Plymouth service. This is the longest in Britain and runs through some stunning scenery.

It says that the country is amazing, that as a feat of engineering its incredible and also that National Rail understand how the internet works.

Some kickbacks emerged when it was admitted that the video was not as live but the playing of a video recording. But I get that. But then again, what would a livestreamed suicide do for anyone? Or for the organisation’s reputation if the train broke down?

Broadcast because you are commenting on breaking news

Look at what newspapers are doing. They don’t call themselves newspapers anymore. They’re media companies that happen to produce some print.

When the football fixtures were published my team Stoke City’s local media company ran a Facebook Live to run through them.  Leeds away is first up. They incorporated comments from readers – or should I see viewers – too.

The camera work wasn’t amazing. It doesn’t have to be.

Broadcast for a Q&A

Over in the Public Sector Comms Headspace Facebook group I’m admin of, we ran a Q&A ahead of GDPR on how they may affect websites.

From the more than 2,000 members of the group we had more than 900 views and more than 50 questions and comments which was fine with us. We’re a niche but highly active forum.

If you’re a member you can see the broadcast here.  But as the stream went into a closed group we can’t embed it elsewhere on the internet.

The topics you can live broadcast are pretty wide and vast. I’ve blogged more than 30 of them here.

So, if that’s the topic, how do I do it?

I co-deliver workshops on live video skills that goes into the planning and the delivery using some handy BBC principles.

Before you go live, run a test broadcast where you broadcast only to yourself. You can select ‘only you’ from the settings before you hit post. This allows you to see if your device can be help landscape or has to be held in upright portrait mode. At a big set-piece event like an election count you’ll need to be aware that media companies will more than likely be broadcasting.

But what if my audience isn’t on Facebook?

Then don’t use Facebook, you big silly. With Twitter, Periscope is the live app of choice and instagram and YouTube have their own functionality. But the numbers behind Facebook make it important.

I’ve heard it said that people are leaving Facebook. The stats don’t support that globally although I’ve heard of people leaving the platform in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica saga. That’s fine. I get it. But until there is a better way of sharing cat videos the mass audience isn’t leaving Facebook anytime soon.

I’m @danslee on Twitter and dan@comms2point0. If you hate missing out on the good stuff subscribe to my weekly email here.

LIVE TALES: Live streaming and Hurricane Irma

There’s always moments when a new digital platform comes into its own. 

In 2011, it was Twitter that really came into the mainstream during the London riots. It was where middle managers in the organisation and the public could find out what was happening.

Twitter and Hurricane Irma

In 2017, Twitter is the bread and butter of emergency communications. The US Government department FEMA have been using it and have been using this and the web to shoot down rumour.

In 2017, live video and Hurricane Irma seems to have made a similar transition.

Both platforms allow you to use your phone as an outside broadcast unit and stream to the internet.

Both platforms end up feeding in the media by providing eye-witness reporting from the scene. In an environment where fake news has undermined trust in text, video is hugely important for communications people.

Case study #1: Behind the scenes news room tour

A journalist takes a tour of the TV news room that is keeping people informed of what is taking place.

Case study #2: The calm before the storm

Residents took to walking around deserted streets to show what was happening.

Case study #3: The eye witness

Views from the balcony showing the hurricane as it is striking.

Case study #4: The professional storm chaser

In the US, storm season is met with enthusiasts chasing down tornados and extreme weather. People like Jeff Piotrowski have been using Periscope to connect with people and give a realtime sense of the storm.

 

 

 

LIVE COMMS: 35 things you can use live video for

More than a fifth of Facebook users have used the new live feature and the numbers are growing.

Back in 1952, the BBC used every camera at their disposal to cover the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Today, it would take one person with a smartphone to start a basic coverage of the occasion.

For the last two years, I’ve helped deliver video skills for comms training. Just lately, we’ve also offered skills and advice on how to use live social media broadcasts. It’s been fascinating to think how this can be used.

1. For election results.

2. For a behind the scenes tour of the art gallery.

3. For an advance view of the new exhibition.

4. For a Q&A on why you should apply for a job here.

5. For a first hand realtime walk through a scenic beauty spot.

6. For a tour of potential redevelopment sites with planning and regeneration sites.

7. For a trip to the top of the bell tower with a local historian.

8. For a public open day where you are demonstrating what you do.

9. For a public meeting with an opportunity to ask a question.

10. For a workshop on how to complete an application for a school place.

11. For consultation with residents in a geographic area where something new may happen.

12. For an explanation of what things you can do as a carer of a loved one who is struggling to get about.

13. For an explanation about what keep fit moves you can do in the comfort of your own home.

14. For a press conference.

15. For a talent competition.

16. In an emergency to keep people updated.

17. For a behind-the-scenes tour of a fire station with some fire safety advice.

19. For the view from the top of a mountain or hill.

20. For an event in a park.

21. For an event in the street.

22. For a street party.

23. For a tour of the museum stores.

24. For a an author visit to a library.

25. For a tour of the farm or urban farm.

26. For a chance to hear what the budget may entail.

26. For a Q&A on what council services a new parent may need.

27. For tips on how to encourage wildlife in your garden

28. For a walk around the town centre with a history expert.

29. For musical performances as part of a talent show.

30. For an explanation about what bin to use for recycling.

31. For a civic celebration.

32. For a tour of the Mayor’s Parlour.

33. For an update on what work has been done to protect a community from flooding.

34. For a tour of a river that’s been improved for wildlife with a wildlife expert.

35. For a chance to meet and ask questions of a senior politician, official or police officer.

Workshops in Skills You Need for Live Video will be held in Leeds on June 20, Birmingham on July 18 and Edinburgh on October 19.

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