Instagram Live was just added to my Instagram Stories section and as the early adopter I am (LOL not) I jumped right on to… watch. Haha. I have experience with Periscope and Facebook Live and as a content producer, I tend to think I ramble.
But I love the idea of creating Live videos for my audience and connecting with them that way — it seems more natural.
The problem with Periscope is that it’s not a widely used app, like Instagram.
And the problem with Facebook is that is has too many moms and friends from high school.
Instagram is the trifecta of apps where 1) everyone in my target audience uses daily and 2) is curated with only the parts of my daily life in which I allow — i.e. minimal family members commenting on all my photos (With Love, you Auntie Sally xoxo)
Using Instagram Live
Upon realizing my Instagram viewers may actually be within my target audience (UNLIKE with Facebook and Periscope) I got the courage to actually jump on Live today. But only for like, a minute.
Here is how I did it:
- Similarly to adding a photo to your story, you will have to go to the bottom and toggle the triangle over to LIVE. (psst… if you want tips on how to add still photos to your story, Click Here —> Add Gallery Pictures to Instagram Story)
This is a tip that may or may not apply: I was actually not able to access Instagram Live until I watched their IG Live Tutorial.
You see where that Instagram logo says “New!” ?? That’s Instagram’s new promo video for Instagram Live. I watched it on my account, WindyCityKristi, and then was able to go live. But then, I switched to my boutique’s account, Shop522Envy, and without watching the video, I didn’t have the “Live” toggle option when in My Story. Not sure if this is just a glitch, but after I watched the IG promo, I had the Live option. Hope that helps someone out! - Before you actually hit “Start a Live Video,” READ THE MESSAGE!! I didn’t, haha. This is where Instagram varies from Periscope, and I was a little disappointed at the end:
Unlike Periscope, Instagram Live is only available during your Live session. Since I totally skipped this message, I didn’t realize that. - Pro Tip — when you’re broadcasting live, you should stall a bit at the beginning to wait for people to get on. Also, you should repeat yourself a few times in case people jump on late. Of course, I didn’t do those things during my video, because I thought there would be a replay for people to watch. There wasn’t, uhg!!
- Interacting is just like Periscope where viewers can give you hearts on the right side, and comment on the left. I don’t know if people commented because, honestly, I can’t multi-task like that.
- After you end your IG Live, you will be given a brief summary of your video. But I mean brief — as in, just how many people watched it. No recap of the comments or anything. I couldn’t even click on the icons of the people and go to their profile. Kinda disappointing!! I hope they add more to this later.Below is what it will look like — but BE CAREFUL because once you leave this screen you can never go back!!
Takeaways of Instagram Live:
- The disappearing nature of these videos mean, at the core, my content was different from other broadcasts vs. Periscope or Facebook. I was less “informational” and less scripted. I found I was more focused on entertaining the users while they are on, while still trying to squeeze in some information. Why? Because I didn’t have to make sure the video was worthy of being re-watched later, so I was much more natural.
- But still — from a marketing perspective I really dislike that the Live videos disappear. I can’t reuse them and they don’t have a lingering longevity factor. BUT, on the flip side, I think the camera-shy part of me is a little relieved that I can just fly under the radar if I said something stupid. That may actually encourage me to do Live videos more.
- Length is key. My first video above was about 45 seconds, and only got 3 viewers. My second try was a lot longer, probably 2 minutes, and I got 18 viewers. Hoping those numbers increase as more people start using it!
- This is the real deal in terms of interaction. I mean, Instagram notifies people when you go Live!! And I assume that the Instagram Algorithm is going to reward those users who use live video in their content, just as Facebook does.