Part 3 - Going Live
This the simplest part of the process. But also the hardest.
From a technical point of view you only need to press the “go live” button.
And that’s sort of it.
But you need to be ready. I get that. So let’s go through all the prep so you feel confident.
Where to go live?
Biggest decision is the platform you’ll be using to go Live.
All of these are options:
- Tiktok
- Youtube
- X
Ideally you should go live on your primary platform. Where you audience is.
However, going live is much easier on some platforms than on others.
On Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook it’s basically one button.
On X and LinkedIn there are additional setup steps. So I don’t recommend starting there. Go for whatever offers the least friction.
In the next Part I’ll show you how to “restream” to all your eligible platforms. I currently stream on Tiktok, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and X. All simultaneously. So your primary platform ultimately won’t matter that much.
What’s important now is just choosing one where it’s easy to go live and using that. Start now, refine later.
Tech setup
Don’t immediately go out and buy a “streaming rig” - an expensive gaming PC with a $2000 graphics card and all the bells and whistles.
We don’t need it.
Instead use your phone initially. Your phone has a great camera and is more than enough for your first streams.
We’ll use the social media platform itself to go live. The apps recommended above all have a “go live” button in them. Google how go live in your app of choice for detailed instructions if needed. In most cases it’ll literally be a big “go live” button!
Get yourself a tripod. This is probably the main investment I’d suggest at this time. I use a DJI Mimo. It’s overkill. Remember that no-one can see your tripod - as long as it holds your phone it’s doing its job. You can get a perfectly fine phone tripod on Amazon for $20.
Lighting. Also don’t sweat the details here. Yet. It’ll add a lot of professionalism later but right now it’ll only let you procrastinate more. Later look into “three point lighting” and get yourself some lamps you can clamp around your recording space.
Background. If you have a beautiful curated house use that as your background. If it requires you to “tidy up” before streaming that’s just another excuse to procrastinate. So instead buy a popup screen or just find a neutral wall to sit against.
With all of these technical setups if it’s going to take you longer than a few minutes ignore it and keep moving. You need momentum and just to get your first live done and in the can.
Finally going live
Best advice here is just to press the button and go live.
First time I had planned a special time and date to do my live. But then I realised I was just procrastinating and doing myself a disservice.
Instead “just do it”.
That’s a good slogan eh? Wonder if anyone uses it…
Your first live will be scary no matter how long your prepare. So get it over with.
You have your prepared topics (from the last Part) so if necessary you can fall back on that.
But otherwise just invite questions and when they come in answer them! Imagine that you are sitting with someone over coffee (or tea. Or beer!). They’ve asked you about something you know a lot about. Just answer their question - give them value.
When people ask questions thank them for the questions. That’ll encourage other people to ask. Also greet people as they come in. Their names will appear on stream so just say hi and welcome.
This is all you need initially as interaction. It’s still your show. You choose the questions. You choose the pace. You are the focus.
I’d also recommend (initially) not bringing on random guests. You can do so easily from the interface but you are adding too much uncertainty. You have no idea if they are a good speaker. No idea if they’ll add value. No idea if they are even wearing pants. It’s too much uncertainty to deal with initially so just ignore requests to come on camera or politely decline saying that “it’s your first live”.
Keep your first live to 15 minutes or so and then bring it to a close. No need to go on for hours. The main thing is have done the darn thing! Thank people for coming and tell them you are planning on more. Then close it out and go celebrate.
Success?
The only success you are looking for here is whether you do the live or not.
How many people came, how much engagement there was, how fluidly you spoke, how many cash tips (yes people can pay you) you made…
…it’s all irrelevant.
Main thing is you did what 99% of entrepreneurs won’t do. You went live.
In the next Parts we’ll look at how to expand and refine from here. That’s easy after getting over the hump!
Premium Prompt - Personal Suggestion for Platform
If I was starting lives today there’s one platform I’d really focus on.
I’ve tested them all and hands down it’s the best place to start and grow.
That’s TikTok.
Obviously there’s a caveat here because right now it’s potentially being shut down in the US. Or at least pushed to a forced sale. If reading this later you’ll know the outcome of this!
TikTok pushes its lives really hard and will ensure you get viewers. Even when starting out.
This is because live video is such a large part of their business model via TikTok Shopping.
But because we’re not doing lives for TikTok Shop this gives you an advantage.
You’ll be one of the few live streams that isn’t just selling face creams. You get all the algorithmic boost of TikTok lives but your content will be differentiated. This is what nabs you the views.
Will this always be the case? Nope! Nothing stays still in social media or digital marketing. Hell, TikTok may not even exist in a year!
What is vital therefore is you TEST.
I’m able to tell you that right now TikTok is killing it for lives.
Next year maybe it’s YouTube. Or maybe Amazon launch a live shopping platform and become the livestream platform of choice. Or maybe it’s something that doesn’t even exist yet!
All you can do is survey the options and run tests.
With live-streaming it was pretty easy because there are immediate reactions.
Go live on Youtube for 15 minutes- 2 views.
Go live on Instagram for 15 minutes - 10 views.
Go live on X for 15 minutes - 80 views.
Go live on TikTok for 15 minutes - 1000 views.
OK then! First platform confirmed!
Later as you do more content marketing you can worry about which platforms convert best. You get that from your analytics which is beyond the scope of this guide. But you only get data from analytics by running experiments and driving traffic!
Also, here’s a powerful PS. The traffic from TikTok is great quality. It’s currently my best traffic for i) newsletter sign ups ii) newsletter premium subscriptions and iii) speaking/workshop requests.
I assumed it would be low quality traffic that wouldn’t lead to revenue. But I was very wrong about this. And this is why you need to test!
Pulling it together
In the next Part we’re going to hit Go Live. We’ll cover the tech, the setup and finally get rolling.
A reminder of what we’ll be covering :
- Part 1: Live and Kicking
- Part 2: Your own TV show
- Part 3: Going Live
- Part 4: Reach explosion
- Part 5: Frozen in Amber