Video Broadcasting couldn't BE any hotter right now. Not just video but live streaming video. Sharing our world in real time with the world.
Periscope has fast becoming the video broadcasting tool of choice and is huge along with Facebook Live. Here are 21 things I have learned from jumping in on Periscope and Live Video, so that you can jump in too!
Checkered Flag – by Protasov AN on Shutterstock
I am no Periscope expert. Far from it. In fact I am still learning every day when it comes to Live Video. But Periscope has survived the battle of the LIve Streaming tools (and even the introduction of Facebook Live) to remain a huge platform for sharing your message and connecting with your ideal audience.
What I can say is that it's a great platform – super engaging, followers come thick and fast and you can build an active community very quickly. I am not saying this just from my own experience. Many people I know are saying the same thing.. some with huge followings.
But what I hear often from Periscope and Facebook Live users is that they are hesitant to take the plunge and do their first broadcast or “scope”.
It is intimidating at first… to press that BROADCAST Button.
But it's also a bit like ripping off a bandaid – the earlier you jump in, the easier it is, and I hope these tips make it quick, easy and fun for you!
So before we jump in, grab my Live VIdeo Checklist – it will help you with getting ready, broadcasting, and finishing a periscope broadcast.
Ready?
Periscope Tips for a Winning Broadcast
Preparing to Broadcast
#1 Set Up Your Profile the Smart Way
Your profile is one of the most important parts to get right on Periscope, so let's start the Periscope Tips there.
Periscope is NOT a “link” heavy platform. In fact there are no clickable links. The only link you get to display is the link on your profile.
Yet I am surprised that many people with big followings do not do one simple thing on their bio – list their URL or website. Here's a great example from a friend of mine, Dustin W Stout (follow him by the way.. he's @DustinWStout on Periscope).
Add a link in your bio!
Note how Dustin has his website URL in the bio? He can easily refer to it during broadcasts and his followers know where to find him should they want to follow up on his content.
And don't just leave your Twitter Bio as your Periscope Bio – tailor it for periscope. Edit it as you get more comfortable with broadcasting.
On my bio I decided to use a bi.ly link to shorten my website link – it makes it much easer to say during a broadcast:
Ask yourself this: what do you like to broadcast about (or talk about)? Add THAT to the bio along with your website URL and some emojis to catch attention (see #4)
#2 WAtch Broadcasts First
If you are ready to jump in, then do so. But if you are hesitant, start by watching some broadcasts while you wait to take the leap.
You will see how other broadcasters are doing it well, what you like and don't like, how the chat works, what the hearts are all about… just get a general feel for the platform.
You'll also make great relationships with established (or beginner) scopers by engaging with them. You'll feel more comfortable doing your own scope just by getting to know the platform.
#3 create a Catchy Title for yOur Broadcast
It just takes a few minutes, but try to come up with a title for your broadcast that draws us in. Either be super obvious (tell us exactly what you are going to talk about or show us) or leave a little mystery (announce you are going to reveal something or share something new on your broadcast).
Either way…make us want to watch your broadcast.
#4 add emojis to your title
Emoji's catch attention 👀 and make your title😄 stand out😄. Winning!!! 🠅 so I had to include them in these Periscope Tips.
Add some relevant emoji's to your scope title to make it stand out on the periscope feed. You'll get more 👬ðŸ‘👬 on your 🎥📹 and you will have more 🎉🎈😃 and probably get more 💙💜💚
Here are some of the titles from my broadcasts – with emojis:
And notice how on the following feed of latest broadcasts, scopes from @drwaltersims and @PagingFunMums stand out by containing emoji's?
@AngelaCounsel‘s title above is a great example of keeping it simple to stand out. She included just one emoji for impact, repeated 3 times. There's just enough “red” in her question marks to stand out and catch my attention. What does this mean for you? Add a little colour!
#5 Be Discoverable
There are 4 settings you can control BEFORE you start the broadcast. Now I have stated “before” in capitals because this is where most people panic.
They panic at the big red “Start Broadcast” Button. Full disclosure, I did too the first time, too!
You are NOT broadcasting until you hit that button, so don't freak out.
Take your time and check that you have the settings how you want them. These 4 settings can be seen on the screen below and they are:
Location Arrow – if you have location services on, with this arrow checked, then your location will be broadcast. This has raised security concerns but apparently the location has been updated so that it is not “precise” but is instead “broad”. Your “location” should be something you consider carefully before broadcasting – with regards to how much information you want to give away, so please consider your privacy and the privacy of others.
Lock Symbol – You can organise a private broadcast by inviting only those that you follow that you wish to broadcast with. Most broadcasts are usually public but this might be useful for some sort of special bonus or small group that you wish to speak with.
Speech Bubble Symbol – If you set this setting to “ON”, then only users that you follow can chat and comment on the broadcast – you can set this feature if you want to have a more exclusive chat with your followers only. Most people don't use this – but it's an option if you want it.
Twitter Post – you can have this function set to post an an annoucement of your broadcast to Twitter as you start the broadcast (if you are building your brand and following on Periscope I highly recommend you have this set to share to Twitter).
Broadcasting
Before I get into the Broadcasting tips, here's a quick tip. Get some basic equipment when you can, to work with your iphone. I recommend a tripod of some sort or a selfie stick (I use this cool little gadget too) and a handy clip on microphone. Then you will be good to go.
#6 STart Simply
When you are ready to jump in, take it easy on yourself. It doesn't have to be War and Peace on your favourite topic. Instead keep it short.
Allow enough time for people to come on to the broadcast, to say hello to a few people, talk for a while and say goodbye. Just a few minutes is fine.
And remember, it will take time to work out how the camera works etc. If you want to change camera direction from front to rear camera, just double tap the screen. There is a slight lag while the screen changes direction. You'll get used to it. Also remember to start talking as soon as you hit Start Broadcast… even if it is just to welcome people in!
#7 Consider not Showing Your Face … at First
“Wait, What? Periscope's awesomeness comes from seeing people”.
Yes it does, but not everyone is an extrovert. Too scared to show your face? Easy….Don't.
Start out by showing what you see through the eye of your camera. You don't even have to show your face if you are not ready… just scope what you see – a tour, your office, the view outside. And talk as you do it – your voice is just as welcoming as your face.
One of the most successful Scopers right now is a guy called @EuroMaestro. He broadcasts around Paris… and he is rockin' it. Here's a screenshot of one of his broadcasts:
Guess what? I don't know what he looks like!
While everyone else is showing their face, EuroMaestro is keeping his a mystery.
YOU can start out with a little mystery too! Then you can show your face the next time – whatever makes you feel comfortable.
#8 Take Time to Welcome People (but don't take too long)
Part of the fun of Periscope is seeing who will turn up on your broadcast. Even those with just a couple of hundred followers are getting up to 100 people in a scope at one time.
Take a few minutes to say hi. Welcome them, ask where they are from, interact a little.
It's like letting everyone come into the room to sit down.
Announce that you will be starting soon but you are just welcoming people in – this can help people to know that you are just at the start of your broadcast, while acknowledging those that want to say hi.
I find that by talking to people first you can let them know they are acknowledged and then they will understand if you don't respond to every comment while you are talking.
#9 Learn to Multi-task
There's no denying it. Periscope is a non-multi-taskers nightmare.
If you find it hard to have two conversations at once you will struggle with responding to comments while talking or trying to make a point.
This is fine if you are purely there to chat with the people on the call like a Q&A scenario, but if you want to say or present something it's good to follow some guidelines:
- let people know that you are welcoming them in and then will talk after.
- focus on talking when you are talking and occasionally stop and then go back to chat. If you try to talk and respond to comments for the entire broadcast, you run the risk of sounding like you speak in half sentences. This is common for periscopers, so if you can work out a way to satisfy both needs, then run with it (I am still working this out!).
- Spend some time to finish up at the end, again responding to chat/comments on screen and to say bye!
#10 Give Hearts to Other Broadcasters
Part of Periscope's attraction is that each person viewing the broadcast can tap the right hand bottom corner of their screen to release a stream of hearts (up to 500 in one session).
Start out by giving hearts to others. “What goes around comes around”, as they say. Those people you give hearts to will often notice and reciprocate on one of your broadcasts. Focus on “giving”.
#11 Heart the Hearts but Don't Beg (Please, I Beg You!)
I love the heart function on Periscope. Receiving them is fun. They are pretty, they flow, it's kind of fun. But there's one thing that is bugging me about these little heart rainbows of fun. People have become obsessed with them already and for the wrong reasons.
By all means love the hearts, thank your followers for giving you hearts (as it means they love your broadcast) but … don't beg for them or ask people to give them to you to reveal information. Running competitions for the person that hearts the most (yes, some people then sit there tapping so hard they don't even hear what you have to say!) is a fine line.
And it can look kind of tacky.
Hearts shouldn't be your primary goal on Periscope! Asking for hearts is like asking for a client to like you. A client can like you a lot, but if they refer and share about you… that's what you really want. Then you know you have a super fan on your hands. If you do ask for hearts, do it sparingly and unconditionally.
It's pretty well accepted that begging for likes or retweets or re-pins is not the coolest way to market your business on other platforms. I hope hearts will go the same way. Saying that, there is a “social proof aspect” to them, so time will tell if they remain the thing that everybody focuses on. I hope not, but again, ask for them but don't beg. And don't withhold information for hearts. Love the hearts, be grateful for them, thank people for them.. but get more excited when someone watches your broadcast, comments, shares it with their friends and clicks through to your website.
#12 Write Down What You Want To Cover in Your Scope
You don't need to recite a novel. Just jot down 2 or 3 points on a piece of paper or sticky label and use them to refer to. Trust me, when you are juggling an iphone + key points + bunch of fun people wanting to interact with you, you will be glad you wrote down some notes!
#13 Have a “Welcome” Screen Saver
This can be a simple graphic on your screen like the one below from Kim Garst (@KimGarst). Follow her… she does super-awesome and helpful broadcasts).
Or perhaps holding your camera on a teaser view like i did here before going on a mystery walk to my “happy place” ..or any nice view will do.
and just in case you were wondering… of course I ended up on my favourite beach here on the Sunshine Coast:
Why have a “placeholder image?
Because the camera defaults to the view that you see. You need to double tap the screen to flick it back to face you, so you may as well start out with a view of something on the screen that is useful, informative, sets the scene or is just nice to look at before you flick the camera over to your headshot!
#14 ask People to Share the Scope with Their Followers
I am adding this here because this is really important to ask your fans to share your scope, either as you are starting the call, or midway through or even at the end.
If and when you do it depends on how comfortable you feel. I know I said don't beg for hearts, but this IS something I do think you should do.
This is about your followers being reminded that if they love your content then they can easily share it with their followers:
- ask them to swipe right (iOS) or swipe up (Android) to share the scope and invite viewers.
- they can share with specific people, all of their followers, or to Twitter.
- during a replay you can also swipe as above and share then too so that your followers can watch it within 24 hours.
