Live streams are a great way to connect and engage with your audience. It creates a stronger connection because the video is not recorded beforehand. Whatever the audience is seeing, is happening in real time. The live stream market is estimated to reach $184.27 billion by 2027. This is a great insight to understand the magnitude of live streams. 

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The other side of this story is how to stand out in this huge market. How to promote a live stream and capture more viewers? This blog aims to answer these questions.

Three phases of promoting a live stream 

Promoting a live stream is now a one-step process. It happens over three phases:

Pre-stream promotions 

Promotions begin even before the stream starts. This allows you to prepare well and promote your live stream, thus gathering as many viewers as possible. Here’s what pre-stream promotions look like:

1. Define your objectives

Start by clearly outlining what you want to accomplish with your live stream. Your objectives could vary based on your specific needs:

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• Brand awareness

If your goal is to enhance brand visibility, your content should showcase your brand's values, voice, and uniqueness. This could involve sharing stories, demonstrating products, or hosting interviews with key personnel.

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• Product promotion

For product promotion, the live stream should focus on demonstrating the product's benefits, showing it in action, and possibly offering exclusive deals or discounts to viewers.

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• Educational content

If you aim to educate, prepare informative, well-researched, and structured content. This can include tutorials, workshops, or expert panels that provide valuable knowledge or skills to the audience.

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• Entertainment

For entertainment-focused streams, consider engaging activities, performances, or discussions that are likely to captivate and retain an audience’s attention throughout the session.

Identify and understand your audience

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• Demographics

Use analytics to decipher the age, gender, location, and other demographic details of your audience. This information helps tailor your content and choose the right platform. For example, a younger audience might prefer Twitch or TikTok, while an older demographic might be more active on Facebook.

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• Psychographics

Learn about the interests, values, and attitudes of your audience. What do they care about? What problems do they need solutions for? This understanding can shape the way you interact with them and the content you produce.

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• Online habits

Analyze when your audience is most active online, which platforms they frequent, and what type of content they engage with most. Tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, or specialized software can provide this data. This information helps in scheduling the stream and formatting the content to increase engagement.

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• Preferred platforms 

Not all platforms cater to the same audience or content type. For instance, LinkedIn is ideal for professional and business-oriented streams, whereas Instagram might be better for lifestyle and casual content. Choosing the right platform where your audience already spends time is crucial for maximizing reach and engagement.

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💡Related read: Why Video Content Marketing is so important in the age of AI

2. Utilize audience insights

• Feedback and surveys

Before planning the live stream, consider gathering feedback from your potential viewers about what topics they're interested in and what format they prefer. This can be done through social media polls, email surveys, or direct engagement.

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• Segmentation

Based on the data gathered, segment your audience to tailor specific parts of your live stream  to different groups. This personalized approach can increase viewer satisfaction and engagement.

3. Schedule your live stream well in advance

You might be wondering, "How does scheduling my live stream early help with promotion?" The answer? It's a game-changer. Here's why:

• Planning makes perfect

Scheduling in advance gives you ample time to plan your content, rehearse if needed, and ensure a smooth execution.

• Building anticipation

Early scheduling allows you to talk to your audience and promote your live stream. Creating teasers and social media posts can help build anticipation for the live event. Knowing the date in advance lets you generate excitement with a countdown or highlight key topics viewers can expect. 

• Avoiding clashes

Scheduling strategically helps you avoid conflicts that could steal viewers' attention. By checking calendars for holidays, major events, or competing live streams, you can pick a time that maximizes your reach.

• Leveraging platform features

Most live-streaming platforms allow you to schedule broadcasts in advance. This lets you lock in the date and time, craft a compelling title and description, and even set up automated reminders for viewers. This ensures they don't miss out on the action!

4. Optimize live stream for SEO

Google and other search engines cannot crawl through a video for keywords. Here’s how you can optimize your videos for better visibility:

• Keyword magic 

Conduct keyword research to identify terms your target audience might use to find content related to your live stream topic. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Semrush to find relevant keywords. Integrate these keywords strategically throughout your title, description, and tags.

• Thumbnail power 

Design an eye-catching thumbnail that accurately reflects your live-stream content. It's a visual first impression that can grab attention in search results.

• Description on point

Craft a compelling description that entices viewers. Briefly explain what the live stream is about, highlight key topics, and mention any special guests or interactive elements.

• Hashtag harmony

Utilize relevant hashtags to categorize your live stream and make it discoverable by people searching for those specific topics. 

Take a look at this LinkedIn insight to learn more about how to use hashtags effectively in live streams.

5. Invite an industry expert 

We spoke above about building anticipation. One of the best ways to do this is to invite an industry expert or an influencer to your livestream. 

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• Boosted credibility and authority

Having an industry expert or influencer on your live stream will automatically make you more credible as they bring with them a wealth of knowledge. Viewers are more likely to trust the information being presented and see your brand as a thought leader in the industry.

• Increased promotion potential

Industry experts often have their own social media channels and influence within their community. Their participation will rope in their followers too and expose your content to new audiences. 

• Enhanced SEO 

An industry expert is likely to be associated with relevant keywords in your niche. Their participation can strengthen your live stream's SEO by naturally incorporating those keywords into the content and potentially attracting organic search traffic.

6. Harness the power of social media

Social media is a goldmine for promoting your live stream, but it's important to go beyond simply copying and pasting the same message across platforms. Here's how to leverage each platform's unique features to generate excitement before you go live:

• Craft compelling posts

Tailor content to each platform. For Twitter, keep your message concise with a catchy hashtag and eye-catching visuals.

On Instagram, utilize Stories features for behind-the-scenes glimpses and interactive polls to gauge audience interest.

Longer-form platforms like Facebook allow for more detailed descriptions and sneak peeks at the live-stream content.

• Spark conversation starters

Don't just announce your livestream. Start a discussion by posing questions related to the topic. Ask for viewer input on what they'd like to see covered during the live stream. Run interactive polls or quizzes to spark engagement and anticipation.

• Live Q&A Sessions

You can host a short live Q&A session on platforms like Instagram or Twitter specifically to answer questions about the upcoming live stream. This builds a sense of connection and exclusivity for those who participate.

• Utilize Paid Promotion

Social media provides you with marking options too. Consider running targeted social media ads to promote your livestream to a wider audience. This allows you to tailor your message to specific demographics and interests.

Promotions while streaming 

Promotions do not end once streaming starts. You can and must continue to promote your live stream even after it starts. This can help you reach a wider audience and also get some real-time insights. Here are some effective ways to promote your live stream during the broadcast itself to keep viewers engaged and spread the word:

7. Social media sharing 

• Incentivize Sharing

Encourage viewers to share the live stream on their social media using a designated hashtag. To sweeten the deal, announce a surprise giveaway for one lucky viewer who shares!

Example: "Loving the rise on our sourdough loaf? Share this stream with #SourdoughSecrets and one lucky viewer will win a surprise sourdough baking kit!"

• Leveraging engagement features

Take your live polls and Q&A sessions to the next level. Ask viewers to share the results or the most interesting questions on their social media, tagging you and using the live stream hashtag. This sparks conversation beyond the broadcast.

• Highlighting collaborations

If you're collaborating with another streamer or brand, give them a shout-out and tag their social media handles. Ask viewers to check out their channels for further engagement and potential cross-promotion.

8. Additional tips

• Call to action

Prompt viewers to subscribe to your channel, follow you on social media or join a mailing list for future updates.

• Live chat engagement

Actively respond to comments and questions in the live chat. This interaction builds a community and encourages viewers to stick around.

• Tease upcoming content

Briefly mention upcoming live streams or content you're planning to pique viewer interest and encourage them to return.

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Post-stream promotions 

There is a lot to take from a live stream once it is over. The concluded live stream is a goldmine waiting to be repurposed for continued promotion and audience engagement. Here's how to maximize the value of your live stream beyond the broadcast: 

9. Extend the conversation

Your live stream may be over, but the engagement doesn't have to stop there! Here's how to extend the conversation and keep your audience buzzing:

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• Post Highlights

Share key takeaways, interesting moments, or fun bloopers from your live stream on social media. Use eye-catching visuals and concise captions to grab attention.

• Pose Questions

Encourage viewers to continue the conversation by asking follow-up questions related to the live stream topic. Respond to comments and spark discussions to build a sense of community.

Example

"Did you know [insert surprising fact from the live stream]? If you missed the live stream, you can still catch the replay! Link in bio. What other baking questions do you have for next time? #SourdoughSecrets".

10. Promote upcoming events and reward engagement

• Capitalize on Momentum

Ride the wave of excitement from your live stream! Promote any upcoming events, webinars, or future live streams you have planned.

• Offer incentives

Incentivize viewers to stay engaged. Offer early-bird discounts or exclusive content (like bonus tips or downloadable resources) to those who engage with your post-stream content, This keeps them coming back for more!

Example:

"Feeling inspired to bake your own sourdough bread? Our next live stream dives into shaping techniques! Set a reminder and get early access to our new sourdough ebook by liking this post and subscribing to our channel! #LiveStreamLove"

11. Content repurposing 

Repurposing your live stream allows you to extract valuable nuggets and transform them into fresh, engaging content for multiple platforms. Here's how to unlock the full potential of your live stream content:

• Bite-sized magic for social media:

Turn captivating moments, key takeaways, or funny bloopers into short, attention-grabbing clips perfect for platforms like Instagram Stories, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts. These bite-sized pieces will entice viewers and potentially lead them to the full live stream recording.

Example:

"Did you catch our live sourdough baking demo? Here's a sneak peek at how to achieve the perfect golden crust! #SourdoughSecrets [Link to full live stream]"

• Blog posts and articles for in-depth learning:

Extract important information and insights from your live stream and transform them into informative blog posts or articles. This allows you to delve deeper into specific topics raised during the live event, catering to viewers who prefer written content.

Example:

"Mastering Sourdough Starters: Unveiling the Secrets from Our Live Bake Along" - a blog post that expands on the starter creation process discussed in the live stream, including detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips.

There is so much that you can do with your live stream once it has ended. vidyo.ai is one of the best content repurposing tools that automate content repurposing and help you extract every drop of juice from your content. We’ll talk more about vidyo.ai in the following section. 

Repurpose content with our social media autopilot

vidyo.ai is a great and easy-to-use content repurposing tool. Once you upload a video, vidyo.ai automatically creates smaller snippets perfect for social media. vidyo.ai also allows you to edit and prepare your videos for social media. Given below is a detailed description of how vidyo.ai can help promote a live stream: 

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• Creating more content using vidyo.ai

vidyo.ai helps you transform your videos into detailed blog posts, boosting SEO and catering to readers. You can condense key points into newsletters to keep your audience engaged. For podcasts and live streams, create show notes with important points and timestamps for easy navigation.

• Turning transcripts into more content

Transcripts are valuable resources that can be used in multiple ways. You can compile transcripts from a series of videos on a particular topic into an e-book or guide, providing a comprehensive resource for your audience to download and refer to conveniently. You can also use key data points and insights from your video transcripts to create engaging infographics that make complex information more digestible.

• Social media

Using vidyo.ai, you can extract quotes, tips, and highlights from your transcripts to create engaging social media posts, including text posts, quote graphics, or short video snippets. vidyo.ai’s paid plans offer robust features for scheduling and publishing video snippets across multiple social media channels. Identify key moments in your videos that will resonate with your audience, create short, engaging snippets of these moments, and ensure each snippet provides value on its own, encouraging viewers to watch the full video.

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💡Related read: CEO Achieves Viral Fame Publishing 7 Shorts Weekly Using vidyo.ai

Takeaway

Live streams are a great way to connect with and engage an audience. However,  gathering a large audience requires promotion. Hence, learning how to promote a live stream is important. Promotions usually happen in three stages. Understanding the nuances of each phase—from pre-stream preparations to post-stream repurposing—is pivotal for success in this burgeoning market. By carefully defining objectives, understanding audience demographics and psychographics, and strategically choosing platforms, promoters can lay a strong foundation. 

FAQs

1) Why should I bother with live streaming?

Live streaming is a fantastic way to connect and engage with your audience in real-time, creating a stronger bond compared to pre-recorded content.

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2) How can I stand out in the crowded live streaming market?

By carefully defining your objectives, understanding your audience, and strategically choosing platforms, you can set a strong foundation to stand out.

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3) What are some key steps for promoting a live stream before it starts?

Pre-stream promotions involve defining objectives, understanding your audience demographics and interests, and scheduling your stream well in advance to build anticipation.

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4) How can I optimize my live stream for search engines before it goes live?

Utilize SEO techniques such as keyword research, crafting compelling descriptions, and using relevant hashtags to make your stream more discoverable.

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5) Why should I invite an industry expert to my live stream?

Inviting industry experts boosts credibility, increases promotion potential through their followers, and enhances SEO by associating relevant keywords with your content.

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6) How can I effectively use social media to promote my live stream?

Craft platform-specific content, start discussions, host live Q&A sessions, and consider utilizing paid promotion options to reach a wider audience.

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7) Should I continue promoting my live stream while it's ongoing?

Absolutely! Promoting your stream during the broadcast keeps viewers engaged and can attract more audience members in real time.

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8) What should I do after my live stream ends?

Post-stream promotions involve extending the conversation with highlights, posing questions, promoting upcoming events, and repurposing content for different platforms.

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9) How can I make the most of my live stream content after it's over?

Repurpose your live stream content into shorter clips for social media, informative blog posts, and articles to reach a wider audience and maximize its value.

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10) What is vidyo.ai, and how can it help with content repurposing?

vidyo.ai is a tool for automating content repurposing by creating smaller snippets, transcribing videos for accessibility and SEO benefits, and helping you make the most of your content across platforms.