Six tips to build deeper engagement with Facebook Live
Over the last two years, Facebook has made user video a high priority. The reason is simple: video content is incredibly engaging and sharable — and part of that democratization of video has been through the widespread introduction of Facebook Live.
Facebook Live helps bring your supporters and friends into the moment. Whether it’s sharing the scale and power of public events like Saturday’s Women’s Marches across North America, or holding a Q&A to more deeply engage your union’s membership, FB Live makes live video super-accessible.
I’ve produced dozens of livestreams using a range of platforms including Facebook Live — and I want to share my experience in this unique space. Here are six tips to help you up your Facebook Live game.
1. Get close (really close!)
Facebook Live makes use of your smartphone to broadcast live video. The camera in most smartphones is very high quality, but they typically have a wide-angle lens. That means that objects (or people) that are far away appear very, very small — and are hard for your audience to see (especially on their phones!).
When setting up your Facebook live, consider your framing. Can your audience clearly see the speaker? Are they the focal point of the shot you’re broadcasting?
Try to get as close as possible to the speaker in your Facebook live. Avoid using digital zoom — if you’re at a rally, walk up as close as you can to the stage. If you’re an event organizer, try to set your phone on a tripod nice and close to the podium.
2. Engage with your audience
Facebook Live gives you an incredible toolset to engage directly with your viewers. Every time someone joins, you get a notification — just as you do when they comment or ask a question.
Try to respond to comments and answer questions. If you’re on-camera, read out and respond to comments, or have a helper read them to you from off-camera.
For larger events, consider having a volunteer dedicated to finding great questions in the comments and providing written answers from another smartphone.
This one-to-one engagement can deepen your relationship with your supporters, and make the Facebook Live experience feel that much more personal for them.
3. Go live for as long as possible
As soon as you go live, anyone who follows you or your page will get a notification to join. But wouldn’t you find it frustrating if by the time you joined, the Facebook Live was over?
Try to go live for as long as possible to give your audience time to join and enjoy your live event. If you’re live streaming a rally or other public event, consider going live 5–10 minutes in advance and engaging with your audience, introducing the event, welcoming them, and encouraging questions or comments. Once the event begins, you can turn the camera to the on-stage speaker. After the event concludes, stay live, take questions, and give your supporters a way to get involved.
Make sure you welcome people to your Facebook Live throughout the event (think talk radio, “If you’re just joining us, we’re live at the Vancouver Women’s March where thousands of people have turnout out at Jack Poole Plaza…”).
4. Make sure you have a strong connection
Good quality video requires a strong internet connection. Make sure you’re in a location with as many bars as possible. If you can, join a wifi network as well — your phone can make use of extra data. Consider scouting the location ahead of time to ensure you’re not in a dead zone. There’s nothing worse than a bad connection to ruin a great Facebook Live.
5. Pre-schedule your broadcast
Facebook allows you to pre-schedule your Facebook lives — giving your audience a notification about when you plan to go live, and on what topic. This gives your supporters a heads-up, and lets them plan to participate.
You can also promote the Facebook live through a boost (i.e., paid advertising on Facebook), or through an email blast to your supporters.
6. Sound is everything
Nothing ruins video like bad sound. Most people will accept poor quality video, but they won’t stay on long if they can’t hear what you’re saying. Bad sound can mean low volume, echoing, or too much background noise.
There are lots of simple audio devices that can up your Facebook Live game.
Tripod — OK, not an audio device. But avoiding shaky video is important. This tabletop stand from Joby is great ($40 from Vistek) — and there are many other options available that mount on a regular photo tripod.
Rode Clip-on Mic — This simple directional mic by Rode clips on to your smartphone. Its a directional mic — which means it will ignore background noice from around you, and “focusses” in on the direction it’s pointed. It’s not magic, though — you still want to get as close as possible to your speaker! ($80 from Vistek)
Rode XLR input — originally designed for audio recording, this accessory will let you plug-in to the sound system with a professional XLR input. It’s great if you’re an event organizer and want to get clean audio from the mic and the podium. Often the sound company will have a feed for TV stations — you can just plug into that. ($240 from Vistek)
Sennheiser Lav Mic — This clip-on lapel mic plugs into the lighting port on your iPhone or iPad, and captures crystal-clear audio at an interview. This is also great if you’re speaking in a crowd. It’s a bit pricey, but it will really up your game. ($200 from Vistek)
Taking advantage of new outreach tools like Facebook live is a great way to bring your supporters into the moment, and making them a part of the campaign.
