Radio station best practices for Facebook Live

Facebook Live is becoming the hottest new live-streaming platform for both publishers, and regular people.

For a radio station, it gives you easy option of being viewed, and not only heard. It can spice up your morning show. Or highlight event you are doing.

While it is new and hot thing, some best practices are already emerging.

Knowing the tools

Apps

While available both on iOS and Andoid platform, app is little bit different. On iPhone you can broadcast both in horizontal and vertical mode, while on Android at the moment only vertical.

So chose your perspective first. What you don’t want to do is change it in between the broadcast.

Comments
One of the best things about Facebook Live are the comments and reactions that are showing on the screen as you are broadcasting. If you can, make sure to have some watch over them and react while you are broadcasting (or you can do it). It gives your live broadcast, extra live feeling. This is something that TV doesn’t have. You are connected with your audience that is engaging with you while you are broadcasting. In a way it is radio on steroids.

Be warned that this comments can not be deleted afterwards as they will be uploaded with the video on your wall if you chose that. And that other people can add on those comments later.

Perspectives
To make your broadcast more lively you can change the perspective from the front to back camera. This is something that can be planned, and some people just do it naturally. Make sure to use it if it makes sense.

When you are in “selfie” mode it gives you more personal touch, and other one is more commentary. If you use it right, it could be powerful way of pointing some things out.

Light
You are shooting with your smartphone. For it to work the best you need good light conditions. Unless it is some dark arty thing you are doing.

Sound
You are radio station. It is OK if your Facebook friends broadcast is not understandable. But you? Sound needs to be good. So, if needed use some kind of external microphone.

Other equipment
Nobody likes shaky videos. If you plan doing more of these investing in some tripods and other equipment could help you make your videos look better.

Or just squeeze the phone between few books. 😄

Connection
Wi-Fi or 4G is needed. You need to make sure that it is working right. But if it happens that you lose connection, just wait. The app will try to reconnect and the viewers will get the message.

Before going live

Purpose/Point
Before what you are doing, and how are you doing it comes the question — what is the point? Why are you doing it?

How does it fit to your overall activities? What is the purpose?

Prep
There is not much difference here between going on air and going Facebook Live. Without prep it will just not sound good.

As usual — prep is hard. But really — if you don’t know what to say before going Live, how you expect doing it well when you do go Live?

Having some sort of script really helps. Plan what you are saying when, how you introduce the topics. And the most important thing — how you finish.

Promote
Facebook says that Live broadcasts that are promoted before have more viewers than those that are not.

Promoting should be done on Facebook and on air. You should tease when you are going live. Your listeners can tune in from anywhere.

Description
Before going Live, Facebook will ask you to write down the description of your broadcast.

Better the description — more potential viewers you will get.

While doing it

(this sounds dirty) :)

Give context
Make an introduction.
Explain what you are doing and why.
Make it clear.
Don’t forget to introduce yourself. Some listeners may see you for the first time.

Be yourself
The tricky part is not overdoing it. Be authentic. Be real. Don’t forget that you are invading their personal news feed. You and your brand there are among the posts of their friends and love ones.

Be normal.

Engage and acknowledge them
This is where the comments come handy. Watch what people are saying and react on that. Give shout outs. Make them feel important.

Have reminders from time to time
This depends on how long are you broadcasting. People will tune in and out all the time. So there will always be new people watching. So make sure you have prepared more simple and short ways of explaining what you are doing and reintroducing the context every so often.

Wrap it up
Don’t just finish the broadcast. Make it clear that it is done. Short outro for those who stayed till the end is great. You could use this to tease something happening on air? Little bit of cross promotion doesn’t hurt.

End..

It will take some time to master all the things, just like it took you to master how you speak, or use play out software. But, investing your time in this can give your brand another platform to shine.

Don’t forget that nothing beats actually trying the stuff.

Experiment. Fail your way to success.