5 Periscope Tips for a Successful Broadcast

Live streaming is becoming more and more popular day by day and it’s attracting the interest of PR and SMM specialists. They are not the only target audience. Many famous YouTubers and Instagrammers are using live streaming as a form of communication with their fans. Not to mention, many brands are starting to integrate live streams as a form of promotion. Periscope is still a fresh platform that has only been launched last year. There are still many things we have to learn about it. One thing that’s quite clear is that it’s an amazing tool to create a strong community with an active following and a high engagement.

However, many questions arise once you decide to go into broadcasting. What content do you start off with? How do you attract your first audience? A lot of people are scared to jump into it and start their first live stream. Of course it’s scary in the beginning, but aren’t all things in life?

Here we have collected a few recommendations from the representatives of the companies that have already tried live streams as a means of promoting their brand and we’d like to share them with you.

1. Do NOT Neglect Your Profile

Many people underestimate the importance of setting up a quality profile that catches attention. Your profile on Periscope is your face. It shows others that you’re worth following. The first impression is always the strongest, so play it smart.

Periscope does not allow you to post any clickable links; it’s tailored for other purposes. This means you have to find ways to promote your website in an effortless yet an effective manner. I’ve seen a good number of people with quite an impressive following miss out on one crucial fact – none of them mention their URL in the bio. Below is a good example of how your bio should look like.

Another small tip – don’t be lazy and keep your Twitter info the same as your Periscope one. You have to tweak it to fit your Periscope aim. A simple question such as “What do I enjoy talking about?” will solve your problem. Once you answer it, mention it in the bio section together with the URL to your website.

2. Come Up With an Awesome Title and Connect Your Profile to Twitter

How important are titles of your content? Perhaps, you’re reading this article exactly because of its title. Same thing happens on Periscope.

Quite often people make a decision of joining a live stream solely based on the title of the broadcast. If the title doesn’t explain the purpose of the broadcast, chances are the person will not join it. Moreover, you can re-tweet your broadcast and the title will appear on your Twitter page. This is why it is absolutely necessary to connect to your Twitter account. All your followers will be able to keep up to date with your broadcasts and watch them live. Also, if you have other people joining you in your live stream, don’t forget to mention them as well, using the format @username.

Lastly if you happen to be live streaming some important event, try to find out whether they have an official hashtag for it (for instance, #CakeParty or #DogsForTheWin) and use this hashtag in the title of your broadcast.

3. Work with the Comment Section

Live stream is a great way to attract the target audience for a real time dialog and answer all the questions your followers have been waiting for you to answer. The most convenient part about it is that you don’t need to answer prepared questions; you can answer the questions asked by your followers on the spot. This increases the engagement and trust by your fans.

For example, if you had an event and some of your followers were unable to attend it you could use a broadcast as a way to answer any of their questions. More often than not the physical event will attract less people than your broadcast. Quite often due to the distance and other personal reasons not many people can make it, but everyone can afford to watch it online. Many YouTubers like to do Q&As in order to interact with their subscribers, increase the activity and create a more personal bond.

Before finishing the broadcast never forget to thank your audience for their comments and likes. Always make sure you’re as polite as you possibly can be.  Your followers have to know that you appreciate them and understand their value.

Furthermore, if there are any instances when some hateful comments are left and you don’t want it to disturb your live stream you can always block the user. Sometimes it’s necessary in order to keep the peace and the balance of the broadcast.

4. Increasing Brand Awareness through Periscope

These tips will be useful for both regular people who use this platform and the companies that use it as a means of promotion. Many worldwide brands have already created accounts on Periscope and they successfully use it to promote their brand. For example, Adidas live streamed how the footballer James Rodriguez is signing a new contract with their label.  General Electric used this platform to live stream a backstage video of the talk on StarTalk Radio by an astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and the science guy Bill Nye.

You could live stream the opening of a new store or some other event that the company is organizing. Periscope can also be useful when you’re introducing a new product or service to the market. In this case you can pull off a whole show, making a presentation and showing how the product works meanwhile answering all your customers’ questions. In addition you can organize a masterclass, a seminar or a conference. You can talk about your company’s aims and objectives; show your customers around the offices, manufacturers and how the product is produced. To increase the loyalty of your audience you can make a sale, give out promo codes or have a giveaway.

It’s very important to create a personal bond with your consumers. This is the only way to increase loyalty and trust. Through Periscope you’re able to get your message out and show the people how your company operates. This way your customers feel like they’re a part of the journey and the team.

5. Prepare Everything Before the Broadcast

It’s super important to have everything ready before you actually broadcast. Many people start panicking when they see the button “Start Broadcast”. It’s a normal reaction to feel stressed to do something for the first time. However, there are many ways in which you can prepare yourself to have a successful broadcast.

There are four major settings you have to pay attention to before you go live. So grab your notebook and start taking notes.

The first one is Location Arrow – this setting allows your viewers to see where you’re broadcasting from. In the past it has raised some concerns regarding security. Since then it has changed from giving a precise location to just mentioning a broad estimate. Before turning your location settings on, you have to make sure your privacy is not disturbed or the privacy of others.

The second one is Lock Symbol – if you want to have a private broadcast for a few targeted followers, this setting is for you. Usually broadcasts are mostly public, but in case you need to broadcast to some specific members just use the lock symbol. It can also be used if you want to have a group of people you’re providing a bonus for or there is something you want to mention only to your giveaway winners.

The third one is the Speech Bubble Symbol – this option allows you to only let people you follow comment and chat on your broadcast. Not many people use this feature, but it’s helpful if you have a more private broadcast and you want to avoid any hateful comments or other unplanned questions.

The last one is the Twitter Post – this feature is very useful for those wanting to increase brand awareness. Since Periscope is a relatively new platform, quite often brands have a bigger following on Twitter. This is why it’s important to connect your Periscope profile to Twitter. This way all your broadcasts will immediately be re-tweeted and all your followers will be up to date with your news.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Broadcasting live might be intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really rewarding and fun. As long as you’re prepared in advance and you know what you’re going to talk about, there is nothing to fear. The platform is new so this is the best time to get on it and in a few years’ time you’ll be a Periscope veteran. A live stream will increase the bond between you and your audience. Many companies use it to their advantage and so can you.