Facebook Live: How to Get Started With Live Video
Facebook Live is a proven way to boost your engagement, grow your audience, and increase your brand awareness. Still, many are intimidated by going live and being on camera!
Whether it's your limiting beliefs or lack of confidence, here are my pro tips on overcoming those fears and getting started with live video.
5 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED WITH LIVE VIDEO
1. FACE YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS
Afraid that you may not look good on camera? We've all been there. In fact, we are our own worst enemies when it comes to the way we look on camera or sound on recordings.
Create a Power Playlist with tracks that get you pumped and listen to it for an hour before your broadcast. You can also think about the moment in your life you felt the most powerful - was it at your graduation or maybe when you received that much deserved promotion? Whatever it is, remember the state that you were in and it will help you face your fears and limiting beliefs.
2. USE THE 10X10 FORMULA
Not knowing what to talk about is yet another very popular limiting belief and here's an easy way to come up with 20 ideas and topics for your live broadcast - use the 10x10 formula.
Take a piece of paper, fold it in half, and write down 10 FAQs about your business, product, or service on one side and 10 questions that your audience should be asking on the other. Boom! Now you don't have to worry about running out of topics to discuss live. Remember, if you don't know what you're going to be talking about, don't go live until you do.
3. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TECH THE VERY FIRST TIME
It is easy to get frustrated with all of the sophisticated live video technology and software that is out there. But don't let it stop you! It's easy to get started with just a tripod, a ring light, and your smartphone.
It’s not about the tech the very first time, but about establishing a desired outcome and accomplishing it. What’s one thing that you want your viewers to do for a specific broadcast? What's one thing that you'd like to focus on this time? Figuring this out will help you better than a fancy webcam or an expensive mic.
4. FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET INTO A STATE OF CONFIDENCE
If you are confident, audience will follow. Figure out what gives you the most confidence and do that! Whether it's creating a Power Playlist and dancing it out or imagining that you're catching up with your best friend, capture that state of confidence with a psychological anchor and use it.
Another way to help you feel more confident on camera is to invite friends to your broadcast. In fact, I often show up to my students' broadcasts so that they see a familiar face!
5. PRACTICE
There are some lessons that you can only learn by practicing. For example, I learned that an adrenaline rush can throw off your live streaming game, so now the first scene of Lights, Camera, Live! is me in a desktop, playing music and dancing to let the adrenaline even out.
We didn't get the perfect selfie the first time either, it took some practice and patience. When I first started I kept looking away from the camera, which is not a good way to engage, but you will almost never see me do it now.
Pro Tip: Don’t look at yourself on a screen when going live, look at the camera. That way it feels like a one-on-one conversation with your audience.
Get your foundation first, figure out your desired outcome, and get into your confident state. The only way to get better at live video is by practicing, and I hope these tips will help you get started!