How brands can make live-streaming work

This post is sponsored by Wild Advertising & Marketing.

The pandemic has accelerated the use of live-streaming across brands. If you’re looking to get started, here are some things to keep in mind.

Think it through before you start

Behind every successful live-streaming session is a lot of prep work. First, you’ll need to think through the purpose of the live-stream and whether it offers clear value for your consumers. Once you’ve decided to proceed, it is important to plan for both the pre-publicity as well as the operational details of the event in tandem.  

For example, here are some questions you can ask yourself:  

• Why would people tune in and stay engaged throughout the hour?
• How do you build hype for the live-stream? Which channels can you tap on?
• Do you have enough clout on your own, or do you need to tap on someone else’s reach to attract more viewers for your live-stream?
• Do you prefer to work with a partner, who can help you from scripting to hosting to video production, or would you rather manage and co-ordinate various entities yourself? Budget and timeline would also play a factor here.

Decide on the production set-up

While it isn’t quite as straightforward as simply setting up your iPhone, the good news is the set-up for a live-stream doesn’t require much. You just need a soundproof room (because it’ll be awkward if you accidentally capture your colleagues discussing next quarter’s business forecast in the next room).

The actual set design can be as simple as a plain backdrop and two chairs. You can scale up or down depending on expectations and level of investment.

While you may wish to experiment with many things during a live-stream, you’ll also need to be realistic. Find out if what you have in mind is achievable. For example, if you’re looking to live-stream across accounts simultaneously, you’ll need to consider the different camera orientations (that is, landscape versus portrait).

The right hosts make all the difference

Unlike pre-recorded videos, there is no room for mistakes and no chances for post-production, so be sure to engage experienced hosts who are comfortable on camera and can keep people entertained, and cater for several recces, script readings and rehearsals. 

People are easily distracted and it’s easy to lose your audience, so you’ll need to think of fun ways to keep them engaged enough to stay through, or even tune in again. One simple, but effective trick is to hold a contest at the beginning of the session and give out prizes towards the end. Or have a hero segment which you promote heavily, but only introduce near the end of your live-stream.

You’ll also need to make sure the banter is natural on the live-stream and doesn’t come across as scripted. Hence, you need to give the hosts leeway on what to cover, and that’s where OB markers come into play. Trust the hosts to manage deviations and changes. Having room to improvise makes the Live more engaging and fun! 

Stay prepared

While we can stress test all possible scenarios, unexpected things may still crop up during the Live itself. For example, there may be technical issues or hosts going off script, so you’ll need to be able to stomach some level of risk and be prepared to solve problems on the spot. Make sure your host is adaptable and able to fill time or cover up mistakes.

Also, with COVID regulations constantly changing, it is a must to lay out contingency plans. Think through all the possible variables and map them out. For example, if the cameraman is down with COVID, can you still proceed? If the host is down with COVID, do you have a back-up host? Do you have a back-up venue in case the original location is no longer available because of COVID? 

Last, to run a live-stream smoothly, don’t forget it requires a team of people working behind the scenes:

• A team of moderators replying to comments, flagging comments that hosts should pay attention to, etc.
• If there is a contest going on, someone to consolidate entries, and quickly pull out the winning ones to award.
• Timekeepers to make sure you are moving along as scheduled.

With live-streaming becoming more prominent across various platforms from Instagram to TikTok, more brands will need to start considering jumping on the live-streaming bandwagon. To make your live-stream a success, you’ll need to embrace the above mindsets and marry them with the understanding of the technicalities and best practices of live-streams across various platforms.

We can help you with that. If you’re ready to plan your first live-stream, or are simply curious to know if it’d work for your brand, get in touch and we’ll be happy to chat.