Why Bloggers Should be Using Live-Streaming

It is quite clear that live-streaming content is embedded into the future of blogging. There are so many live platforms out there and new ones crop up frequently. So I thought I would do a run down of the most popular live-streaming platforms bloggers are currently using. This may help you decide whether to take to the plunge into live-streaming and which platform to focus on. Each platform comes with it’s own advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately the decision lies with each individual blogger. I would strongly recommend focusing on one live platform as your primary one but experimenting with each until you find that perfect fit. After you decide on which live platform you want your presence to be mostly on it’s totally fine to continue to engage with your audience on the other platforms too. Different viewers and followers may find you on each platform so mix it up and see what works for you.

My Live-Streaming Strategy

Needless to say I am a Periscope girl. I have been on the twitter owned live-streaming platform since shortly after the app was released in April 2015 broadcasting everyday and I absolutely love it over there! I can also be found on the other platforms I have mentioned below too. Snapchat is something I am starting to enjoy a lot more lately and have been putting more effort into my content over there too. Although I have attempted Facebook live on one occasion I don’t think it’s for me at the moment. Finally Instagram stories is one I have given a go of, since it’s obviously the newest!

I ran a poll over on Twitter to try and understand which live-streaming platform bloggers are currently using and the results were interesting. I expected Snapchat to win hands down but my good friend Periscope came out on top followed closely by Snapchat. There also seems to be a bit of interest in Instagram Stories from the blogging world so I am curious to see where this will take us.

#Bloggers let me know which #Live platform is your fave for creating content on! (Blog post research)

— BecBoop (@BoopFashionista) August 4, 2016

Periscope

Periscope is without a doubt the best live-streaming platform for creating an engaged community. It works best for bloggers who are interested (and have the time) in getting to know their viewers and followers as you interact live with their comments in the broadcast. I find Periscope is also great for sharing coverage of an event or a behind-the-scenes look. Some bloggers prefer to do sit-down-chat style broadcasts on Periscope which also seems to work well.

With Periscope you can tag people or brand accounts in the broadcast title which gets tweeted out. Thus notifying a brand that you are sharing content about or for them. With Periscope I have been able to build an engaged community that in turn enjoy visiting my blog and sharing that content too.

Snapchat

Snapchat is such a fun way to create content. It’s a great way to share your daily adventures with your viewers in a creative manner of live-streaming. I like to share snaps of different snippets throughout the day on my Snapchat account Bec_Boop whereas I will do 1-2 Periscope broadcasts at specific stages in my day, Snapchat is more of a daily summary and update for me. It’s also an incredibly quick and easy way to create content and engagement although with the incredible effort bloggers are putting in (in creating content on snapchat) I am not trying to talk it down at all. To me it requires a lot less commitment to create a great 10 second snap which your viewers will enjoy than to do a live-stream with constant engagement for a specific time period. Thus Snapchat is a less intrusive way of incorporating live-video into your blog strategy.

Facebook Live

Facebook live is a bit of a funny one. It hasn’t been a major area of focus for me on the BecBoop Facebook page but I can definitely see it working well for bloggers who already have a large presence and engagement on their Facebook page. The elusive Facebook algorithm is clearly pushing live-streaming content at the moment so I would recommend giving it a go if you find most of your blog engagement and traffic comes from Facebook. I would also be interested in hearing from any bloggers who have been using Facebook Live, let me know in the comments how this works for you.

Instagram Stories

Instagram stories aka Snapchat on Instagram. It was interesting to see how bloggers quickly took to this live-streaming platform last week after it launched. In my opinion it will work well for the vast majority of bloggers who have worked hard to build up an engaged instagram following. Now without creating a new audience you can engage this same audience in a live manner and show them the blogger behind that instagram theme. Instagram has a reputation of representing a perfect blogger visual and I think the incorporation of instagram stories into this platform will encourage a lot of bloggers to start using live-video. Personally I have only touched on Instagram stories briefly on my Instagram account Bec_Boop, the day after it launched. I just don’t have the time to dedicate to creating content on all of these platforms but without a doubt the next year is going to see a lot more bloggers embracing live content.

I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Have you tried any of these platforms? Which is your favourite for viewing content and which platform do you love to create live content on?

Periscope // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter