6 Tips for a Stress-Free Instagram Live
Why do IG Live and business tax season give off the same vibes? The fear of public speaking is totally real, don't worry we feel you. However, we are here to state our case today about why you should be using Instagram Lives and how to take the stress out of the concept (But sorry, we can't help you do the same with tax season)!
What is an Instagram Live by the way? Instagram Live is a live broadcast video to your followers under Instagram stories.
Lives can be amazing for generating engagement, establishing trust, connecting with your audience on a personal level, expressing urgency, and building up your brand personality. Plus, 80% of audiences would rather watch a live vs read a blog, 1 million people watch a live per day, and there was a 70% increase in lives in 2020, yet only 14% of marketers used Lives in 2021. This creates a huge opportunity for creators who use this feature!
You can start your live by going to the "plus" in the right-hand corner of your feed, from the drop-down menu you select "live" and you're there!
1.) Start Small!
For your first few IG lives, start small to get a feel for what it's like. You don't have to promote it, you don't have to do an hour-long live stream. Whatever it takes for you to get used to the process, do that! If you are camera shy when it comes to showing your face on camera, you can even start out showing just your screen and doing a voiceover instead - a fun little tutorial or a "come to work with me."
2.) Use a ring light or phone stand
Bad lighting can kill confidence real quick - so we recommend using a ring light! Also, try to use a phone stand if you have one or even prop your phone up in some way so you don't have to hold it the whole time. Your followers don't want to see a shake-y video, and you don't want that type of arm workout!
3.) Tape a paper with some talking points to something to stay on track
It's important that you don't write out a word-for-word paragraph because unless you're a news reporter used to a teleprompter, reading things verbatim never looks natural! Instead, write down a short, easy-to-read list of talking points/topics, notes, etc. to help you refresh your memory! You can even tape it directly to your ring light, phone stand, or someplace close to your camera, so you don't have to look from the live stream.
4.) Do a practice run
Practice makes perfect; but honestly, no one is expecting perfect! Before jumping on live, record a regular video of yourself going through what you want to say and watch it back. I know that watching yourself on video is a cringey process sometimes, but it can help you improve and learn.
5.) Be real and genuine!
A live is just conversation, so take a deep breath and pretend you're on a FaceTime call with your bff! This isn't your Grammy's acceptance speech or a Presidential address, this is you having a fun chat with your audience to get to know each other in a casual setting.
6.) Engage
During the live, you'll see notifications when people join, comment, or engage in any way. Be sure to be interactive! Consider this just like any other post, try to respond to comments, welcome those joining, or ask and answer questions. It's a conversation after all!
Need some Instagram Live ideas? Follow us on Instagram for content inspo!
