Live streaming enables you to hang out with your audience in real time. However, you may feel awkward talking to someone you can’t see face-to-face, especially if you’re still new to live streaming. Even if you’ve been doing live streams for a while, you might struggle to make it into a conversation with your audience instead of a monologue. Any issues you have building or keeping your live stream audience can be solved by keeping your viewers engaged.
Here are three fun and easy ways to engage with your live stream audience.
1. Promote your stream as a live Q-and-A.
An easy way to start a conversation with your audience is to invite them to ask you questions. Rather than wait until your stream starts to ask for questions, you can promote your stream as a live Q-and-A from the get-go. Encourage your viewers to come with questions prepared or ask you in advance using a dedicated hashtag on social media.
To drum up more interest, you might give your Q-and-A a dedicated purpose. For example, you might use your stream to give advice, talk about a recent project, or answer your fans’ burning questions. You could even bring in a partner, best friend, or sibling to help you answer questions.
2. React to fan art, videos, or comments.
Reaction videos are popular on YouTube, so you could apply a similar format to your live streams. Before the stream begins, ask your audience to send you links to their favorite fan art, fan-made videos, and other fan-created projects. Then, you can follow the links and react to them live.
Alternatively, you could react to the comments on your latest video. This would be especially interesting to your viewers if your most recent upload was a music video, a short film, or a storytime. If you have an older upload that was hugely viral, then viewers would be interested in your reaction to its comments as well.
3. Open fan mail or PR packages on camera.
Unboxing videos are another popular format on YouTube. If you have a P.O. box for fans to send you packages and letters, then you should open some of your mail on a live stream. As an additional benefit, you’ll be able to get to more packages in a live stream than you would in a video because you won’t be worried about time.
Similarly, you could unbox any PR package you receive in a live stream. Not only will your viewers enjoy seeing what you got, but the companies will be happy with you, too. You might even start receiving more PR packages from brands in hopes you’ll open them on your next live stream.
Keeping your audience engaged during a live stream requires a little bit of pre-planning. However, once you get into the rhythm, the conversation between you and your viewers will flow effortlessly.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
