Plan and promote your live stream
Whenever you have a live event stream planned, announce it in advance to your target audience and create a buzz around it using social media platforms, email, and other channels. A well-promoted event will attract more viewers.
Have hosts create short videos on their phones saying they look forward to presenting and seeing everyone there. If you had a similar event previously, edit up a teaser video that showcases just how much fun and engaging it was last time. Get attendees engaged even before the event, and you are halfway there.
Use an attractive title and thumbnail
Craft a catchy title and create a thumbnail that accurately represents your content. Be Bold! and make these stand out. This will help draw viewers in and keep them interested.
Interact with the audience
If you plan to use a platform like slido.com or similar, engage with your viewers by responding to their comments and questions in real-time. This interaction will make them feel valued and encourage them to participate more actively in the discussion. If viewers see you engaging online, they are more likely to engage with you.
Use great visuals and graphics
Incorporate appealing visuals, infographics, and animations to illustrate your points, making the content more dynamic and engaging. Try to make any PowerPoint more engaging by turning them into motion graphics. Viewers don’t want to witness ‘Death by PowerPoint’ – they want to feel like they are watching a TV show, so make sure your on-screen graphics reflect that.
Use larger fonts in any graphics so that people watching on a mobile device can still read them.
Be consistent with your on-air graphics. Give all contributors a list of colours/fonts and logos to use so that the attendees will get to watch a cohesive program. Nothing worse than ten different graphics styles in one virtual event. If you are using a video production partner to help with your event, talk to them about how to bring everything together.
Make sure your on-air talent or hosts are energetic and personable
A good host can make or break a live stream. Their enthusiasm and charisma can be contagious. Help them speak passionately and maintain a positive attitude to keep your audience engaged throughout the live stream. Make sure they know the event content and that they practice before sitting in the hot seat.
If you plan to host a hybrid event, with an in-person physical event and a virtual component, ensure your host doesn’t forget about one of those two audiences. They’re both important.
Encourage viewer participation
Invite your viewers to participate in polls, quizzes, or contests during the live video. This will give them a sense of ownership and make the session more interactive. We recommend slido.com for this.
Slido can run polls, and viewers can add questions. If other members of your virtual audience like the question, they can upvote it to push it toward the top.
If there’s a Q and A component to your show, consider having a topic expert working as a question moderator on the day so that only questions worth asking make it through to the host.
Have great sound
Dodgy sound is a real turn-off; in fact, more people are likely to turn off a live stream that has bad audio over one with bad video … not that you should neglect either! Make sure that all of your virtual and in-person hosts have access to good microphones and – importantly – that they know how to use them correctly. Test with your hosts in the days leading up to the event so that you are comfortable that they know what they’re doing and that you know that they sound great.
Prepare talking points and structure
Organise your live stream production into a clear structure, with key talking points. This will help you and your talent stay on track as well as ensure that your presentation is much more coherent and engaging.
Collaborate with guests or co-hosts
Invite industry experts, influencers, or other personalities to join your live stream, either in-person or remotely. This can add new perspectives and insights, making the content more interesting and engaging.
Utilise multi-camera setups
Experiment with different camera angles and different numbers of cameras to provide a more professional and immersive viewing experience. This can keep viewers visually engaged and make your content more dynamic. Imagine watching a professional basketball game with only a single camera – not good! The many cameras used for such high-profile events makes it much more watchable.
The Jasper Picture Company has been providing professional online event live-streaming services to organisations throughout Australia since 2020. They can provide live-streaming services for you from their fully-equipped Melbourne studio, but they are also able to travel to wherever your event is.
They bring their own internet and all of the latest technology to make sure that your event goes off without a hitch. Contact Matt Jasper today if we can help with your next event.