Let's Go Live! (Or Not)

To get a sense of the livestream's context and setup, nail down a tone. For guidance, define your streaming goals using the following questions:

• Why are you livestreaming?
• Who is your audience?
• What is the value you provide to your audience?
• What does a successful livestream mean for you?

Consider whether the answers to these questions direct the tone to something formal, informal or a mix of both. Express this tone through choices of a host and setting.

A host has to carry a lot of energy with an audience that lives almost entirely behind a screen. Depending on the formality of the event, decide if the host should appear in uniform (such as for an interview with a special guest) or out of uniform (for an after-hours, more transparent conversation with a smaller audience).

The host's clothing and general demeanor will also depend on the streaming setting.

You can set up a livestream in virtually any physical location. Consider lighting and sound limitation factors. If you can have a live event professionally produced, you can save a lot of heartache. Match the setting to the host and general tone.

Note that, depending on the event, the setting and host don't necessarily need to both be formal or informal. For coffee talks, it's common practice to dress in uniform but set the stream in the host's living room to undercut some of the formality.

Ensure all participants are checked for uniform issues. Your audience will notice it and call you out on it. All distractions can take away from the overall intent of the broadcast.

Your platform choice depends on your audience because they all cater to different demographics and niches. Each platform has its benefits and limitations to consider as well.

• YouTube is good for high-quality streams that draw large audiences.
• Facebook has lower quality but is simpler to operate and can build upon a large existing audience.
• Instagram is simple to use to add live content to your brand's account.
• Vimeo has a suite of livestreaming tools for videos and events.
• LinkedIn requires broadcast approval from LinkedIn and, comparatively, attracts a more specific age range than, say, YouTube.
• Zoom/Google Meet/Teams are for those events that aren't ideal for social media but the command desires to make available to families or remote participants.

Without promotion, even accounts with a huge following will only grab a fraction of streaming hits. Get the word out! Announce the event in advance with clear context.

Tip! Having a timely “why now” hook will give your video an urgency that more evergreen content will lack — like a one-night-only event, a seasonal special or an exclusive scoop.