With more active Instagram users than ever, you’ve undoubtedly noticed an increase in IG Live broadcasts over the past 6 weeks. The feature has been around for quite some time, so why the sudden increase? Let’s dive in on what makes Instagram Live so popular right now, how to use the feature, and ways your business can get in on the Live streaming craze while it’s hot.

Why Should My Business Go Live?

Almost 3.5 years after its launch, Instagram Live is hitting its stride. So what’s the draw?

It’s simple: human connection.

Featuring completely unedited video and real-time broadcasting, IG Live offers influencers, musicians, brands, and even gyms the opportunity to connect with their audience and showcase the human side of their business in a time when human connection is limited.

IG Live also increases your account’s discoverability in app. IG Live feeds can now be viewed both in-app and on web browser, making it easier to view longer videos and join class-type broadcasts.

Users are craving human connection, and broadcasting with Instagram Live offers a direct and transparent line to your brand that gets your audience directly involved.

How To: Your First Live Broadcast

Before the Broadcast

There are just a couple settings you’ll want to double check before your first broadcast. First, check your comment settings to be sure that inappropriate comments are automatically filtered out. Comments show in real-time and are overlayed on your screen, so you’ll want to be sure any spam is caught.

Going Live

To go live, open the Instagram Stories Camera and swipe across to “Live” mode on the far left. From there, you will be able to see how many of your followers are currently active, and you can add a fundraising aspect for any non-profit if you so choose. Tap the “Live” icon to start your broadcast.

Save Live Videos

This is important! Unlike IG stories, which automatically save to your archive, IG Live videos will not be saved unless you do it manually. With Instagram’s recent addition of the direct to IGTV feature, you now have two options to save your video—but both must be done upon ending the broadcast.

Immediately after ending your livestream, you will be prompted with the option to download the video to the device that was used to broadcast, share to IGTV, or delete. This will be the only time you are given the option to save your video, and only the broadcasting device will receive this prompt.

From Later’s How to Share an IG Live to IGTV — From Later’s How to Share Instagram Live to IGTV

If you choose to share your Instagram Live to IGTV, you can do so with or without a feed preview by toggling “Post A Preview” on or off. Be prepared with your IGTV cover image ready to go when sharing, as this will be your only opportunity to add one. Everything else is pretty much the same as a regular IGTV post! Just keep these tips from Instagram in mind:

Live video replays won’t include any likes or comments from your original live video.
The number of viewers for your live video will restart once you share it to IGTV. (i.e., live viewer count won’t carry over to the new IGTV post)
You won't be able to edit or trim your live video before sharing it to IGTV.

Broadcasting Tips

Alright, you’re ready to go live. Now what? Here are some helpful tips while you broadcast:

Keep it steady. Use a tripod, gimbal, or other form of stability to keep your video smooth.

Wait a beat. Give your audience a minute or so to tune in, and plan to ease in rather that jump right to the point within the first minute.

Introduce yourself! Whether you’re an influencer broadcasting from your own account or an individual taking over a brand account, let your audience know why you’re on their screen and what you’ll be doing/talking about on your broadcast. And if it’s interview-style, you may want to give intermittent reminders for people who are just joining.

Pin a comment. Use the comment pin feature as a description box for anyone that joins your broadcast late in the game. This could be an intro to the video, important information about the stream or subject, or a CTA to ask questions.

Encourage questions! Like we mentioned before, A big draw of IG Live is human connection. Help your audience feel more connected by encouraging them to ask questions using the IG Live question box. If a viewer asks a question this way, you’ll be able to share that question to your screen during the broadcast and answer in real-time.

ASK questions, too! Unlike IG Stories or feed videos, an IG Live view is not a trackable engagement. This may mean more to your paid team if they’re looking to retarget your engaged users, but it also means that simply racking up viewers isn’t counting towards your account engagement. An easy fix? Ask your viewers questions and prompt them to respond in the comments, or use a CTA in your pinned comment.

Outline talking points. Be sure to prepare an outline for the speaking portion of your Live, whether that’s a simple intro before you get to the action or a detailed interview flow. Don’t forget to think ahead to how you plan to end your live, to avoid awkward trail-off.

Join forces. Your Live can be partnered with one other account at a time, and when it is, your Live broadcast is viewable on both accounts. This can be a great tool to expand reach by combining your account’s reach with an ambassador’s account reach, as opposed to ambassador takeovers on your account which only reach your followers. Only one account can join your broadcast at a time, which will split the screen horizontally.

Add a backdrop. You can add an image to your livestream which will appear behind a minimized view of your camera. This can be a great branding tool for businesses, but keep in mind that the image will take over most of the screen and minimize your camera feed. To add this image, click the square at the bottom right of the screen. This will grant access to your camera roll where you will select your image background.

Instagram Live Topics

The possibilities for your IG Live topic are virtually endless! We’ve seen yoga classes, cooking tutorials, interviews, happy hour hangs, crafting how-tos, fundraisers, you name it, it’s probably been broadcasted. The name of the game is entertainment and right now, our audiences are thirsty for it. If you don’t feel comfortable taking the spotlight just yet, reach out to ambassadors to get the ball rolling. Instagram Live is a great way to offer new value to your followers and keep them coming back for more.

Why Should My Business Go Live?