I hate doing LinkedIn Live videos. Absolutely hate doing them. But I do them, because they work! Honestly, you’ve got to give them some thought. I can tell you that ever since I started doing them, I’ve seen my incoming inquiries for media relations and PR work rocket up. The truth is, I’m just in front of people a lot, reminding them what I do here. Doing that has made me more successful. It’s that simple.
You can do it, too!
I’ve gotten more comfortable doing video over the last five years. I taught livestream yoga classes during the pandemic. I’d be teaching a dozen students at the yoga studio where I worked, over the Internet. I learned to set up the room to look good and make sure I connected with people across the airwaves.
Now, most weekday mornings since Trump took office, I’ve done a five-minute LinkedIn Live broadcast where I read the newspaper and give my insights into the reporting. I do it alongside a written newsletter. The broadcast breaks most of the rules of LinkedIn Lives because I don’t tend to have guests on, and I don’t promote it too far in advance. Even so, I get plenty of views and engagements. There’s no wrong way to do it, basically. It’s a great reason to get out of bed in the morning at a time when the news is pretty depressing—to do people an act of service by reading the paper for them.
It’s been great practice to do all this live video, like building up a set of muscles. The more I do of it the more I recommend it to my clients. I can re-watch the videos to learn what works and what doesn’t. The biggest thing I’ve learned is to have a glass of water before I go on. I also take a few deep breaths and calm down a bit first. That helps me be sharper on broadcast. It’s not rocket science, any of this. I’d suggest fighting your urge to be perfect. Try a bit of an experiment and tweak things based on the results.
If you haven’t yet considered incorporating LinkedIn Live into your digital strategy, it’s high time you did. It also offers a unique opportunity to interact with your audience in real-time. Your viewers can ask questions, provide feedback, and engage in discussions while you’re still on air. The LinkedIn algorithm also prioritizes live content, giving it higher visibility compared to other types of posts.
Hosting live sessions on LinkedIn allows you to showcase your expertise and knowledge. It’s invaluable for personal branding and can lead to numerous opportunities, including collaborations, speaking engagements, and consulting gigs.
LinkedIn Live is incredibly versatile. Whether you’re conducting product demos, Q&A sessions, live interviews, or virtual events, the platform supports various content formats. Producing live content is also relatively affordable. All you need is a good quality camera, microphone, and a stable internet connection to get started. Basically, you just need a MacBook pro or a good mobile phone. Plus, a $25 a month Streamyard account, which integrates with LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Live also provides real-time analytics, allowing you to monitor viewer engagement, feedback, and demographic information. These insights can help you tailor your content to better meet the needs and preferences of your audience.
Here’s How to Get Started
- Set Clear Goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your LinkedIn Live sessions. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or provide value to your audience? Having clear objectives will guide your content creation process.
- Plan Your Content: Outline the topics you plan to cover in your live sessions. Make sure your content is relevant, engaging, and offers value to your audience.
- Promote Your Live Sessions: Use your LinkedIn profile, groups, and other social media platforms to promote your upcoming live sessions. The more you spread the word, the higher the attendance. I think a couple of weeks of advance warning is the ideal. Use Canva to make a nice poster promoting the event.
- Engage with Your Audience: Encourage viewer interaction by asking questions, responding to comments, and acknowledging their contributions during your live sessions. Practice all this before you go live for real.
- Analyze Your Performance: After your live session, review the analytics to understand what worked well and what didn’t. Use these insights to improve your future live broadcasts.
Stop waiting and start your LinkedIn Live journey today. If you’d like to chat through any of this stuff I’m happy to help you get your LinkedIn Live strategy going. Thanks for reading, as always. Please share this email with anybody you feel might appreciate it.
