How to Promote Your Live Stream: Tips for Guaranteed Success
A famous proverb goes like this, “If a tree falls in the forest, and there’s nobody to hear it, does it make a sound?” This proverb goes very well in the case of online events. If you hosted an online event, and nobody attended it, did you even host one? Promoting an event, be it a webinar, online conference, or even a live stream, is as necessary, if not more, as planning and hosting it. After all, it is promotions that will get you the attendees for your event.
If you have been in the online event industry for quite some time now, we are sure you have an idea of how important it is to promote the event efficiently. In this blog, we will talk about top promotional techniques event organizers swear by for their live streams. So, if you are someone who is planning to host a live stream, this blog is for you. Read on.
Top Techniques to Promote Your Live Stream
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Before
The most preferred and impactful techniques you should use for promotions before the live streaming are:
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Start as Soon as You Schedule Your Stream:
The first and foremost thing you should keep in mind is to begin with your promotions as soon as you have scheduled them. It is simply because promoting the event isn’t a one-day thing. You need to have a proper plan, and promotions happen over time and take weeks and months. Hence, you should start promotions as soon as you have scheduled your live stream. It will give a hint about your stream to your audience and allow them to mark their calendars accordingly in advance.
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Leverage Social Media:
The world we live in is highly dominated by social media and we all know the power and impact of social media live-streaming platforms. Use social media to make ways for your upcoming live streaming in your audience’s calendars. Here are a few things and factors you should focus on while forming your social media promotion strategy.
- Create Thumbnails: While creating your social media posts, create eye-catching thumbnails for them. Make them attractive enough to catch your audience’s attention.
- Title: The titles of your posts would be the first thing your audience sees; you need to make sure they hook your audience to read your entire post.
- Relevant and Enough Information: In the posts, add information so that the audience gets to know everything about your live stream.
- Hashtags: The hashtags you will use will actually decide the reach of your posts. Hence, you should add enough hashtags based on the industry and its trends.
Tip: You can use special media live streaming platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to stream your event and reach the maximum audience.
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Join Communities and Groups:
All the free special media live-streaming platforms are filled with communities and groups which are open to all. These groups actually help you connect with others. You can be a part of these groups and ensure the word about your live stream reaches the maximum audience.
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During the Live Streaming:
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Stream On Multiple Platforms:
If you want your live stream to reach the maximum audience, you should leverage other platforms too, other than just streaming it on the online event platform or a single live stream platform. As we mentioned, the reach of social media is extensive, and you can use free social media live-streaming platforms. It will boost the number of views, reach, and engagement on your stream as well as your brand.
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Get the Hold of Your Audience’s Attention:
One thing you need to know is as soon as your viewers join the live stream, it all comes down to the next 10-15 seconds that will decide if the attendee will watch it further or not. Hence, as an organizer, you need to deliver captivating content which keeps your audience hooked to your live stream.
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Engage Your Audience:
One advantage that live streams possess over video-on-demand is more audience engagement rates. Audiences prefer attending live-streaming events more than regular online events. It is because they allow them to interact with fellow attendees as well as the organizers in real time. If you wish to have a constant audience engagement rate throughout the stream, you need to provide the audience with some tools and features that keep them engaged.
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After the Stream:
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Provide the Audience with Recordings:
Several online event platforms let organizers record their entire events, download the recordings and share them with the registrants and even on social media platforms. Make use of the recording functionality to ensure maximum reach of your live stream. You can create snippets and post them on your social media channels. It will ensure that your audience comes across your live stream even after it gets over.
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Utilize Your Content In Multiple Ways:
As an organizer and a marketer, you need to ensure that the content you plan to deliver to your audience reaches its maximum potential. For that, you need to utilize multiple channels and platforms. One such way is creating podcasts. Bifurcate your content in multiple playlists, and upload them on some podcast platforms. It will boost the reach of your live stream; also, it will make it easier for the audience to share it across.
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Follow Up:
One of the most common mistakes people make while hosting online events or live streams is they don’t follow up with their attendees. However, it is one of the most impactful ways to boost the reach of your live stream and your brand in the longer run. Reach out to your audience once your event is done and collect their feedback. It will not only help you know your mistakes and positive points but it will also strengthen your bond with your audience.
We are sure you leave no stone unturned when it comes to planning and executing your online events or live streams. However, one thing you should equally focus on is how you promote your event. As an event organizer, the biggest mistake you can make is underestimating the power of promotions. Refrain from it, and promote your event effectively with the tips and techniques we have shared in this blog.
