Live streams on Instagram are still a pretty rare format of content, but the potential of this idea is actually huge. Of course, Instagram isn’t the best platform for gaming or sport streams which are usually associated with this type of content, but that’s the charm of Instagram Live – the number of views that you get here can reflect the genuine interest of the audience and the number of loyal subscribers. In this article, you will discover some practical tips and hacks that can help you to wield the IG live streams like a pro and drive more viewers to them.
Be Authentic
The key to increasing the amount of views on your streams is that in this format on Instagram, you have to leave behind any scripts and plans. A live session is a great way to humanize a brand or get closer to your audience. So, you have to make the atmosphere of your live stream friendly, relaxed, and comfortable for all participants. Dont make it an official meeting for product presentation – try to create a cozy and accessible space for communication instead. Of course, you would still need a plan that you could follow – but leave some time for free speech and unexpected twists of your conversation. And yes – this is a conversation where your task is to make friends with the viewers. If you fulfill this task, your streams will be gaining more and more attention from users.
Create Waypoints
Although Live session on Instagram has no place for scripts, you still should have a plan for your stream to keep up with the topic. When you have a lively conversation, it is easy to lose the direction of your speech, so a good tip for you is – make notes for your upcoming stream, just to stay within the topic range that you want to push in your Live. Maintaining a single line in your sessions has a reason: this way, you can expand a range of topics to cover in your following streams. Hence, you can include this type of content in your schedule, improve your performance.
Turn Streams To Series
This tip logically emerges from the previous paragraph. As we have learned that we should plan our streams, the conclusion is that the most appropriate and effective method to attract more views to live sessions is creating a consistent series, just like one would do on YouTube. For example, let’s talk about culinary blogs. You can create a weekly workshop, where you will provide valuable information about a single recipe or group of similar recipes in Q&A form, which is comfortable for your followers. This method works for any industry and blog niche on Instagram – the only rule is to save up some material for the future.
Make Announces
Another proven method to gain views for your stream is to promote it beforehand. Luckily, Instagram has many tools that can be helpful in this task:
- Regular feed post – a detailed description of the upcoming event, with a relevant picture and call to action
- Stories sticker “countdown”, that shows the time left before you start the stream
- Sticker “Questions”, also from stories, can be used to collect questions and propositions from your followers to use in your stream as a topic.
- You can ask your followers to leave their ideas in the comment section, which will have a positive impact on your statistics as well.
Consult, Don’t Sell
Streams on Instagram aren’t a method to increase sales. It is essential for businesses. It would be best if you built a community and improving your relationship with the target audience. So, try to avoid sales and finance topics, concentrating on entertainment and education instead. Give your viewers a possibility to decide if they want to purchase your services or products by themselves, without your impact as a salesman. However, you may introduce exclusive discounts for active users in the form of a contest or a sudden surprise. Such motivation can also drive your viewership higher.
Give Your Audience What They Want
Although you have a lot of ideas to expose in your streams for sure, you must operate on public preferences and interests. Giving your audience what they want to hear is a certain way to gain a steady flow of new people coming to watch your live sessions. As mentioned before, you should collect information from your subscribers about what they would like to hear from you and implement it in your script.
Ask your followers to suggest a topic for the next stream. Such practice will help you understand your audience’s needs and improve your tactic not only for live sessions but your progress on Instagram in general.
Don’t Start Immediately
When you have set up your session and are ready to start, take a minute for people to gather. Remember that your stream icon appears in the feed at the beginning of the Stories line, and your followers will get a push notification about it, but they still would need some time to finish other activities and join. Of course, you should pay attention to users who have already joined but still have some time to spare as your audience gathers.
Run A Rehearsal
To provide the best impression about your live stream, train a little before you actually start it. This practice will assist you in selecting the perfect place and lighting for your steam. And correct your behavior as you speak, as well as the smoothness of your conversation plan. Besides, this way, you can make sure that no technical details make your stream worse. Train the voice power so your viewers get a clear and pleasant sound.
Go Live On Events
Spontaneous streams are a great entertaining technique for engaging the audience when you are visiting a fun event! Many bloggers are using such methods to communicate with their audiences, sometimes gathering sudden meetings around. Announce that you are going live before actually starting the stream to ensure that more people will join the session.
Create Tutorials And Workshops
To increase the value of your stream, give it an educational purpose. Giving out something interesting and valuable will maintain the audience engaged and looking forward to your following Live. In such a context, streams can be an excellent tool for collaboration with brands or services – you can represent them on air, providing a personal experience and growing the awareness of your partner brand.
