How to Leverage Facebook Live to Get on TV

If you’re not already hosting a weekly Facebook Live show, it’s time to start putting yourself out there. That handy-dandy LIVE function at the top of your newsfeed is not only a powerful marketing tool for boosting your business and brand, it’s a free, simple, and convenient way to demonstrate your on-air potential to producers.

Not to mention you’ll get much needed practice capturing an audience’s attention—and a clear sense of what makes them keep scrolling.

So here it is. Your step-by-step guide to hosting your own show on Facebook Live!

Step 1: Set Up Your Space

First things first, be sure you have a Facebook Page for your business—and not just a personal page. You can—and should—share your professional page posts via your personal profile. But having a business page will allow you to track the analytics of engagement—vital information for growing your following.

Second, having the right gear can make all the difference in quality. Putting your iPhone on a tripod, setting it in widescreen, and using a wide lens accessory can make your shoot look more professional. We  swear by this microphone from Amazon and this stand. If you want to be fancy, here’s a great clip-on lav mic that we use. And the right lighting and scenery can make you look like a total pro. Don’t be afraid to experiment in your home with what makes you look best!

(Pro tip: Do NOT shoot directly into a window or direct lighting (meaning, don’t shoot with a bright light or window behind you) – it will make your shot dark and unusable.)

Step 2: Plan Your Broadcast

The beauty of Facebook Live is that it doesn’t have to high production quality, it just has to deliver high value to your audience. Use our media-readiness test to make sure your content will resonate.

Get creative about what you share. The next wave of social media influencers don’t just share their wisdom, they are all about demonstrating the process—just look at the impact of Snapchat and Instagram stories. Don’t be afraid to give your viewers a behind the scenes look at what you do and how you do it!

Keep in mind that FB Live isn’t only live: Create your content with the repost in mind. People will be watching this way after you hit stop.

Step 3: Go Live!

Here’s a structure to keep you on track throughout your broadcast:

1. 1. Give a brief, powerful introduction. Give 1–2 sentences about what you’ll be sharing—and why you’re the person who is qualified to share it. “Hi guys, today I’m going to share with you the five reasons your business isn’t getting enough attention. I’m a video producer with 25 years of experience in helping brands boost their visibility.”
   2. Get into the meat of your content. This is where you deliver on the promise of the premise. Give the people what they want and share your wisdom here!
   3. Have a Q&A. Encourage viewers to post their questions in the comments. And look, if you’re new to this and no one tunes in the first time, don’t sweat it. Skip the Q&A until you’ve got a following of even a couple of people—or get your network to jump on and ask some good questions!
   4. Call to action. Ask them to subscribe to your page or mailing list, check out your site, message you with questions or topics they’d like you to address, and follow follow follow.

Finally, and this is a biggie, share it with your network well in advance so they know when it’s happening, can get excited, and are sure to attend!

Step 4: Edit and Share

Once you’re finished, your broadcast gets posted as a video. But here’s a beautiful insider tip: You can (and should) edit that video! See that cute little drop down in the top right hand corner of your post? Click Edit Video and it will let you change the title, thumbnail, add subtitles, etc. Here’s a quick tutorial.

Be sure to pick a fun and flattering thumbnail. Edit your post for posterity—change any “LIVE NOW” text to simply reflect the title.

And, most important of all, be sure to follow this tutorial to add captions to your video. The truth is, 80% of videos on Facebook are viewed with no sound at all! (Raise your hand if you watched videos at work with captions only. Yea, we thought so). That visual component can make all the difference in quality and capturing views moving forward—don’t skip it!

And now that you’re up and rolling, keep your viewers coming back for more.

Plan out weekly broadcasts and keep evolving your content based on the response. In no time, you’ll have a devoted following—and plenty of media worthy clips to share with producers.

If you’re interested in a new FB Live training we’re putting together click here and add your name to our early notification list. You’ll be the first to know when the step-by-step training class is happening!