Whether it’s just for socializing, to give updates on your products and services, or for educational purposes, live streaming can be beneficial for everyone.
Going live is one thing but getting and retaining an audience is another. We have carefully curated some steps for you to take that will help you to increase your viewership for your private live stream events. But, first things first…
What Is A Private Live Stream Event?
We’ve all seen live streams on Instagram or Facebook. While most live streams on social media platforms are public, private live streams are live streams meant for a specific group of people, most of the time by invitation-only. Examples of live streams that are usually held privately would be Annual General Meetings, paid events/webinars, or press conferences.
Now, you might be thinking: ‘How do I privatize my live event?’. There are three technical ways to make a live stream private: imposing password protection, geo-blocking, or paywalls on the live stream. Not many free-to-use live stream platforms offer these features, but live streaming solution providers such as BeLive Technology do offer these features as part of their end-to-end solutions. Being a white label service, BeLive will also be able to customise the features that you require for your private live event.
A live event, private or not, still requires viewers for the benefits to be maximised. Here are some tips to retaining viewers.
1. Publicize That You Are Going Live
After deciding to have a live stream, it’s time to create ‘buzz’ about your live event. If you want your audience to tune in, you need to build anticipation, get them excited, and develop a strategy that will get the word out. These days people are not just part of one platform. It is best to promote your upcoming event on as many platforms as possible so that it is always in your audience’s eyes and minds.
Because you are hosting a private event, you might also require pre-registration. You can send out reminders and updates earlier as well as passwords if there will be any. Be sure to also share the link to the private live stream beforehand. On that note, keep in mind that you should share the link to the event on all platforms.
You can also consider using social media influencers or KOLs to help you reach a wider audience, as this can help increase your viewership for your private live events.
2. Use ‘Catchy’ Titles Or Teasers
The plus point of having a private live event is that you can market your live event using keywords or phrases such as ‘exclusive access’ or ‘premium access’. This sparks more interest from your audience and could speed up registration. People love to feel part of something that is set apart from the rest.
You can also create a fun and unique #hashtag for the duration of your promotions and during your live event. Encourage your audience to use these hashtags if they are posting or tweeting about the event; whether it’s in anticipation of, during, or after the event. By encouraging this, you will be able to keep track of all the engagements that occurred.
If you are considering teasers to build anticipation, you may want to consider the following:
- Eye-catching images
- Funny but relatable GIFs
- Short but engaging video clips
- Bite-size tweets
Ensure that all of these teasers have engaging content that will build anticipation and leave your audience wanting more.
3. Provide Value To Your Audience
Today’s modern thinking audience wants to know ‘what’s in it for me?’. Now that you know that you’re going live, what content will you be sharing with your audience and what are you willing to give away?
You can provide free consultations to one or more lucky viewers if you offer those types of services, discounts on your products and or services (using a promo code), coupon giveaways and many more creative things. Think about what you can offer that you know your audience will love you for. This will surely promote loyalty and increase your viewership for other events to come.
Ensure that the content you are providing is excellent and relevant and always engage your audience. Read the live comments, answer questions, and thank them for staying tuned.
An important tip to longer live streams, the higher your viewership for your private live event. Don’t pile up all your good content in the first few minutes of your event. Viewers do take some time to join and they wouldn’t want to know that they missed out on some good content.
4. Use A Professional Platform
BeLive Technology’s live streaming service is always an excellent choice when considering professional platforms. Being a custom solution provider, they are able to create your very own live streaming platform. What this means is that you will have complete control of the design, keep to your branding, and implement your own monetization models. Their end-to-end solutions cover platform architecture, development, and design. Essentially, they create your dream live streaming mobile app or website from scratch.
In addition to choosing a platform, be sure to keep the time of day that you want to host your event in mind. You may want to consider reaching out to your audience to have a gauge of what time and day is in their interest.
And Finally…
Depending on the type of content you will be bringing, you should make sure that you have a call to action. Encourage or challenge your audience and keep them on the edge of their seats. Consider these tips to increase your viewership for your private live events and you will surely see a difference. For more information on how you can leverage live video streaming marketing for your business, contact BeLive Technology for your free consultation.
