Livestream apps are hot. You make a video with your smartphone and your followers tune in live, looking through the lens of your camera. With apps such as Periscope, Facebook Live, Twitter, ... this is child's play. And that's not all. You can also chat live with your viewers, at the same time. So plenty of interaction. And what are the pitfalls of such a livestream? We give you the pros and cons here.
Livestream apps offer you extra options to communicate live with your audience, or to give people who are not physically present the possibility to enjoy your event. If you approach it cleverly, you will considerably enlarge your audience.
Applications before, during and after
How can you use these apps wisely? Encourage your audience to buy tickets or to subscribe to your event. Show them a livestream of the construction of your event or take them on a tour through the location. Make live interviews with speakers and panel members. Or give them a taste of a show with a livestream of the rehearsals.
Keep interacting with the viewers even during your event and give them a sneak peek backstage or interview the speakers there just before they get onstage. Fat chance that those absent will marvel at the sight and will get the feeling that they're missing out. They will definitely show up next time.
There are also some risks
Be aware that making videos with a smartphone still does not lead to prime video and audio material. And poor material could damage the image of your event. This is something to consider. Try thinking about resources that could make your livestream as high-quality as possible.
Be careful with copyright infringement. Consistently ask for permission to broadcast something. Inform your audience in advance about these copyrights. However, it is not easy to detect these infringements, because these are live broadcasts and not YouTube videos that you can play again and again, to detect whether there are infringements or not.
With these livestream apps you also risk undermining your official livestream or your pay-per-view livestream. Because your audience can of course also livestream and thereby spread your content freely. No livestream can replace the experience of being there, so you shouldn't worry unduly about absentees. Make sure the experience of your event is great and you will have no trouble beating the competition.
To conclude, three more tips
- Don't forget to extract your video material from the app. Both Periscope and Meerkat offer the option to save your broadcasts on your device in the gallery. However, you can only save it in portrait mode, not in landscape mode. Make sure you do this.
- Choose your vantage point and your frame well. Icons of your followers and live comments will appear above and below and can block the view. Make sure you take this into account.
- Livestreaming chews through broadband rapidly. Make sure you provide a solid Wi-Fi connection at your event.
Although they are not explicitly made for the event industry, it seems that these apps offer quite a few advantages for event organizers. Live interaction with your audience, promotion of your event, enlarging your reach... And the story isn't even over yet. The developers are creating new features, the number of users is growing rapidly and the integration with other media is increasing rapidly. So make sure you keep an eye on them and that you try them out. And don't forget to tell us about your experiences.
