How to Host a Facebook Live Video

Facebook live is a creative, interactive, fun way to reach out to your audience. It is a great platform to use because you can interact with your audience in real-time, even if they live halfway around the world. We want to help you prep and positively slay your entire experience. Let’s get you started!

7 Tips for Hosting a Facebook Live Video

Pre-Tip before we even get started: You can create a Facebook Live video event from your personal page, or you can create one from your business’s page by downloading the Facebook Pages Manager app. It is available for iOS and Android.

Promote the Video.

Before you even start diving into the preparation for your live event, you are going to need to think about how you are going to advertise and market it. You will want people to know it is coming so that they can look forward to it and so that you can reach more people. We suggest that you start with trying to reach people organically. For further reach, use paid boosts, especially as your event date gets closer. (More on Facebook Ads Here: Best Practices for Facebook Ads, More Best Practices for Facebook Ads)

Not only should you be reaching out to your Facebook followers, but you should also be utilizing all the other social media platforms you have as well. You may have followers on Twitter that would be interested in watching your Facebook live video, who didn’t follow you on Facebook before. So, added bonus! This is a great way to persuade people to check out your Facebook page if they have not already.

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Practice, Practice, Practice.

Your Facebook Live video is not an impromptu speech or an improv show with an audience you won’t have to audibly be boo-ed by. You are going to need to practice the things you are going to say. This is no longer high school speech class where you can do well if you have a clear introduction and conclusion. Bummer, we know. Figure out what you want to say, and make an outline for it. Then practice. Do not memorize it. That would seem unnatural and if you lose your place… well, that’s just awkward then. Be chill in the video. Showcase your winning personality. People are going to continue watching you if you are personal and enjoyable to listen to.

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Be sure you time out your speech so you know about how long you are going to be speaking for. We recommend you talk for at least 10-15 minutes, but Facebook will allow you to go as long as 90 minutes. Note that people may have questions before, during and after your talk, so you may want to leave time for those as well.

Set Up Your Location.

As you are prepping for your big event, be sure that you have the perfect location for your talk. You’ll want a place that has a strong Internet connection, so walk around your office with your phone in the air and test it out. But, seriously, avoid any areas that have weak network connections.

You’ll also want to find a location that has minimal background noise. Since you don’t have all the high-tech equipment that a TED Talk would have, you are going to want to make sure that your audience can hear you.

Decide How You Will Be Taped.

Are you going to hold your phone in your hand with your front facing camera? Do you have a phone mount you can hold while you speak? Is someone else going to videotape you? These are things you need to think about before getting started. No matter which option you choose, just make sure that the video camera is held steady so your audience doesn’t get motion sickness from watching you speak. 

(If you are going to holding your phone, you may want to forward all your calls so that you are not distracted while you are speaking.)

Use a Mediator for Comments.

While you are giving your talk, you are likely going to have people come to you with questions. It is a good idea to have a mediator go through the comments on your live video while you are speaking, so that you don’t have to stop talking every few minutes to address the questions. The mediator can also ensure that the questions are being answered. If there is a question that is frequently asked, your mediator can bring it to your attention, and you can address it live.

Having a mediator answer questions in real-time also encourages other people to react to and comment on your video as well. This, in turn, will boost your engagement and increase your organic reach.

Thank Your Audience.

After your Facebook live video has ended, be sure you comment a “Thank You” to your audience. You can also encourage them to continue posting questions if they have them. This will ensure that you answer everyone’s questions. Plus, it will keep your post “active” longer, so you can keep reaching more people.

Analyze Your Results.

This should go without saying, but we will say it anyway. Be sure you analyze the metrics from your event! Facebook Live has new metrics here. You can see what percentage of people watched your video all the way through, how many people only watched for a few seconds, how many unique views you had and more. It is a great tool, so be sure to check it out.

You can then use this data to plan your next Facebook Live video. Would you try doing your next one on a different day or at a different time? How can you get your average percent completion rating up? You now have a gauge for your next plan of attack!

Need help with Facebook live, social media or digital marketing? We’ve got you covered. RedMoxy specializes in digital marketing and so much more. Contact us here.

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