Since covid-19, events and conferences have been transferred to Zoom conference rooms and Skype calls. Live streaming on social media has become more essential than ever before due to social distancing and lockdown orders. 

For the best outcome, we suggest working on a social media live stream strategy in four simple steps. Each step has many details, and pros and cons, but we will try to keep them very straight forward in this blog. 

1- Preparation

Create a Poster

 The basics of a poster include, title, subtitle, logo, speaker names and images, time, place (if applicable due to Zoom livestream) and call to action. 

Each social media platform has a different dimension for virtual poster/image and livestream thumbnails. Make sure to check the updated sizes for each platform separately. 

Consider creating an event hashtag or adding a relevant hashtag to your poster. Also add the speakers’ Twitter handles below their name and title. 

Choose your Platforms

Depending on where you have your audience or on which social media platforms you have the most followers, choose one or multiple platforms to stream on. It is advised to stream on multiple platforms to gain the most total number of views. Some prefer keeping all the viewers on one single platform and avoid spreading out. 

Schedule and Plan

Have a detailed plan about when to announce the event and the number of posts, clips, and stories you are going to publish about the event. One post per day or one post every two or three days about the event should be enough. 

If you are announcing an event two weeks in advance, you need to have a plan to keep your audience updated.

Content Creation

Create a social media post template. Pick your color codes and fonts that represent your event. Make sure you use the same template throughout the event. 

A promo video clip about the event can play a key role. Consider using footage of the previous year’s event if applicable. 

2- Announcement

Whether you announce the event one month or one week in advance, the announcement is an important step towards your event. 

If you have an email campaign prepared, send it at the peak time. If your event is work related, you would want to send it on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday around 10 AM or 2 PM when employees have the least distractions. If it is a social event, you might want to send it between 6 to 8 PM when people are at home. Same rules apply to social media posts. 

If you are having an international event, a time between 9 AM to 3 PM EST could be a good option not to exceed the afternoon or evening time in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. 

Social Media Posts

Make sure to post an update once a day or every two or three days. These updates can contain behind the scene images, preparations, event goals, short interviews with the speakers and much more. Tag your speakers in your posts to increase the chance for re-tweet or share. 

Sending out more than one email is not advised but if you have a Facebook Event, keep it up to date and have a discussion started there. 

Pitch Letter and Press Release

Depending on the size and importance of the event, you can issue a public press release or just a pitch letter to journalists and editors and include all the event details with the broadcast information. 

3- The Event 

Live Broadcast

To broadcast on Social Media accounts, you need to be subscribed for a Zoom pro account. 

With Facebook or YouTube, you can just connect your Zoom account directly. However, to broadcast on multiple social media platforms, Restream could be a good option. Restream allows you to sign in and broadcast with all your social media accounts simultaneously.

Management Tactics

Make sure your speakers have a good lighting, background, camera level and sound. Log in at least 20 minutes before the live event for checks. 

The broadcast title should be short and contain your hashtag or keywords. It is great to post behind-the-scenes images or short clips especially before the event starts. 

You maybe want to have a list of influencers whom you think could be interested in sharing your event on their pages and accounts. 

Live Tweets 

For Live broadcast on Twitter, have a team prepared to write short quotes from the speeches. In case of an international event, add a team of professional translators to either translate the tweets or do live interpretation. 

When writing tweets add the speaker’s twitter handle and a link to the broadcast. 

Periscope and YouTube allow a specific starting point throughout the timeline. This way when viewers click on the link, they will not have to watch from the beginning. 

Post at least one quote, in your previously made template, from each speaker on all social media platforms during the event. 

4- Post Event 

Once the event is done, there is still a lot to do. 

Pitch Letter and Press Release

Prepare a draft of a pitch letter or press release in advance with title, topics and contact information. Add the speech quotes and details at the end of the event. This will save you a lot of time and support the reporters for a quick coverage. 

News Reports and Blogs 

Create news reports or blogs about the event, each specific speech or subject discussed during the event, and post it on your website. 

Communicate with news reporters and provide them all the information they need including the speeches converted to text and video clips. 

Short Video Clips

Creating short one or two-minute video quotes from the speakers will play a key role in getting the event promoted. 

Take out an important part of a speech, add a subtitle, event logo or hashtag, and if relevant bring that part of the speech to image.

Post short quotes from each speaker with a link to the full speech or the event report on your social media accounts, using the previously made post template.

Following the above steps for live streaming, will give you the best result in promoting your event.  

For more information and to coordinate your live coverage, send us an email or leave us a comment below.