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Required Reading:
Plan
A livestream, like other forms of media, should cater to a story: it should have a beginning, middle, and end. You don’t want to drag on too long and lose your audience. Understand the goal of the livestream and plan a storyline to achieve it.
Identify the products that you will be showcasing during the stream, and make sure that the product information in your Firework Store is up to date. Review the products. You need to be able to describe what makes these products desirable and push those emotions into your viewers.
Use sense language in at least the primary sense your product caters to. A plush blanket? How does it feel? A perfume? How does it smell? What does it make you feel when you use it?
Use note cards or cue cards to have your most important points available should you need them.
Include clear calls to action (e.g., “Click on the product card below to find out more”).
Video Quality
It's important to consider the video quality of your livestream. You want the users who attend your livestream to have the best viewing experience possible.
If you're using the Firework Camera App, livestream videos stream at a maximum resolution of 720p. This is because a resolution of 1080p is a large file that will take up about two times the amount of internet bandwidth.
We cannot change the resolution of the video once the video is live (we can change the bit rate, however). If your internet connection is slow, changing the resolution of the video will cause more artifacts and a lower frame rate.
On the Firework player, videos with a resolution of 720p videos can play at 1080p due to upscaling.
If you have a bad wifi connection, the video will revert to what is best. This means the resolution of your livestream video could be as low as 360p. As long as you have strong wifi and you are using your own equipment while broadcasting in 1080p, the Firework player will support a resolution of 1080p.
The Firework player has a full dynamic bit rate and can be adjusted based on the end users' needs.
Define Your Space
Where will you be streaming from? Is this a moving tour or a stationary stream?
If you are going to be in a singular space for the duration of your stream, see what the space looks like on camera. Identify your boundaries so that you only exit the frame when you intend to. Remember, this is a vertical stream; you have less horizontal space than you think you do.
If you will be showcasing products, define a space where they will be kept while you are not displaying them on camera. For example, you could use a table or have another person hand you the products as you prepare to display them.
Practice
Rehearse your presentation beforehand. Do it to a mirror, do it to your phone, and run through it multiple times. You want to feel confident with your material before you present it live to an audience. As you practice, you can practice to avoid using filler-words, such as “ums” and “uhs”.
In addition, you should practice smiling and your cadence (the speed and rhythm with which you speak). Create a few test streams and be confident in your ability to start the stream on time. Make sure that all your technology works beforehand and that you’ve tested your internet connection.
If you are using products, practice displaying them for the camera. You’ll want the logo or the label in focus and easy to read for your viewers.
Have an Assistant
We get it – a lot of people like to fly solo. But you can’t really host the livestream, review all the chats as they are coming in, and launch your interactions at the same time. To account for all of these moving parts, designate someone to be your livestream assistant. They can use the Livestream Assistant Mode feature to pin products while you’re presenting, they can respond to chat messages and moderate the chat, and launch and close interactions.
Make sure your livestream assistant practices on their own and along with you, too. You’ll want smooth transitions when you transition from one product to the next and when interactions should be launched and closed.
As You Go Live!
Greet your audience. Let them know who you are, who you represent, and whether or not they can expect any guests or surprises in the stream. Inform them of any giveaways, specials, or contests that are being held during the stream to get them excited and engaged.
While Live
Try to relax!
It’s OK to be nervous. But if you’ve practiced and conducted a dry run of the livestream, you should feel reassured that your livestream will go well. Body language makes up about 55% of communication, so you want to display the emotions that you want your viewers to feel. Smile. Don’t fidget or sway as this could draw attention away from the products that you are talking about and displaying.
Engage your audience. Viewers can chat with you (and/or your assistant) and like the stream. Remember, viewers can come and go as they please. If you give them reasons to stay, you will have a more dedicated audience. Build interaction by asking questions that they can answer. Launch polls to encourage them to vote on something that interests them. Do giveaways!
Read some of the chats that most highlight the points that you are making and answer some of the questions that your viewers have on your products. If one person had the question, odds are more will have the same question as well.
Please keep in mind that there is a bit of latency between when you ask something to your viewers, interactions appearing on the screens, and when viewers answer the questions. So have something prepared to fill these small bits of time.
With these tips, you should be able to put on quite the livestream show! Happy Streaming!