Go Live! 8 Tips To Make Sure Your First Facebook Live Isn’t Your Last!
Facebook live has many benefits, in particular to shelters and rescues with limited resources. It is a great way to communicate with your fans and also share a unique experience, but somethings you may not think about ahead of time, such as battery power or Wi-Fi. So, thanks to experience and Facebook, here are some tips to check out before you do a Facebook live:
- Try to anticipate what could happen ahead of time and prepare.
Filming dogs playing can be popular, but what if a little scuffle breaks out? Make sure to have a second person around if you’re filming animals in case you need someone to help redirect the animal’s attention while you’re filming. - Let staff and bystanders know you’re filming.
Doing this lessens the chance of someone interrupting and asking you a question while you’re filming. Taping a sign to your back saying “I’m filming” can be helpful at busy events, and also help prevent someone walking in front of you while you’re filming. - Tell fans when you’re broadcasting ahead of time.
Build anticipation by letting your audience know when you’ll be going live with a written post. One day’s notice is a good place to start. Let fosters and volunteers know too, so that they can help spread the word. - Go live when you have a strong connection.
Check the app to make sure that you have a strong signal before going live. WiFi tends to work best, but if you can’t find a nearby network, you’ll want a 4G connection. If you have weak signal, the ‘Go Live’ button will be grayed out. Make sure that your phone is set to “Do Not Disturb” so that you don’t receive texts or calls during the stream. - Write a catchy description before going live.
Think ahead as to what your description will say – and a suggestion from Facebook is to start it out with “We’re LIVE!” - Broadcast for longer periods of time to reach more people.
The longer you broadcast, the more likely people are to discover and share your video with their friends on Facebook. Facebook recommend that you go live for at least 10 minutes, although you can stay live for up to 4 hours at a time. - Use a closing line to signal the end of the broadcast.
Be sure to finish with a closing line, like “Thanks for watching!” or “We’ll be going live again soon.” After you’ve wrapped up, wait a few seconds until you hear the “ping” indicating your broadcast is complete. - Music.
Keep in mind that if your video has music playing in the background (such as a live performance) that Facebook may remove it for copyright reasons.
Now that you’re ready to do a Facebook Live, need some inspiration? Here are three very different takes on Facebook Lives, all with great outcomes!