Twitter Live Video: How to Use It to Expand Your Reach

When you think of live video, does Twitter Live video come to mind? Check out these reasons why it should be included in every social media manager’s toolbox.

Twitter Live video has been around for a while, but Facebook Live seems to have gotten most of the attention.

The good news is that you haven’t missed the party. Twitter Live is a fantastic tool to extend the reach of your video content in a new way and engage with your audience.

In this article, we’ll cover how to get started with live video, maximize your videos for Twitter, and find content ideas.

Before you go live on Twitter

Sometimes, you want to capture a moment as it’s happening. But it’s worth spending just a minute of planning most of the time to make sure you get the widest possible reach.

Some of the tips below hold true for all live video efforts, but some are specific to Twitter as well.

Choose your theme

Who are you trying to reach? What do you mean? How do you mean it?

Think about what you want to talk about before you go on the record. Want to be ready right now? Then make a quick checklist of what you always need.

Select your invitation list

Are you using Twitter lists? If not, now is a good time to start!

Just like you can tag people on Facebook Live, Twitter will give you the option to invite a few people to your Live feed of your choosing before you start recording.

Depending on who you’re targeting with your live video, you might consider:

• Potential customers you want to build a relationship with
• Influencers who will appreciate your take on this topic
• Current customers who will be interested in a new feature or offer
• Specific accounts that have expressed interest in live videos you’ve made

Choosing the right people at this step can have a huge impact on your achievement!

Choose effective hashtags

Using trending hashtags can get you extra views, but you should also have a list of industry and company specific hashtags to fall back on at a time like this.

Light, camera, action!

Little things can make a big difference in live video:

• Is background music playing that could cause trademark issues?
• Is the lighting good enough for people to see what you’re showing them?
• Can you reduce background noise so people can hear you clearly?
• Are there any props you wish you had on hand?

Once viewers start watching your video, they will decide within seconds whether to keep watching or move on. Make sure you’re doing your best to get their attention!

Beginner: How to Create a Twitter Live Video, Step by Step

Now, you’re ready to go live!

The good news is that live streaming on Twitter is as easy as 1, 2, 3. But first… an important clarification. You will only be able to go live on your mobile device. Not available on the desktop version of Twitter.

Step 1: Compose a Tweet

Get started just like creating any other Tweet.

Create a Tweet.

Now, click on the camera icon.

At the bottom, you’ll see an option for Capture or Live.

Don’t worry, when you click live, you’ll still be able to fill in additional details before you start streaming.

Step 2: Set up your Live Twitter video

You have several different options to decide at this stage:

Choose to stream with video and audio, or just audio. Remember that the “audio only” option will only show a black screen, so that the description becomes even more important.

Add a description for the video and your location so viewers can immediately understand the context of the video. This is the perfect place to attract them!

Invite the people you want to join your stream.

Step 3: Go Live!

You are now live to your audience!

You will continue recording until you choose to stop streaming.

Once you’re done streaming, you’ll be able to leave it as a video in your feed for others to see later. From your news feed, you can retweet it, pin it to your profile page, or embed the Tweet elsewhere on the web.

Advanced: Live Twitter video content ideas and pro tips

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start working on more advanced strategies.

Twitter recommends using a minimum file specification of 1280×720. You may find that shooting your videos with the phone on its side fits better with the preferred horizontal size for Twitter.

There are about as many topics for your live videos as there are possible Tweets. So here are some ideas to get you started:

• Live stream your podcast recording session.
• Create real-time reaction videos to what’s happening.
• Share your thoughts on current trending hashtags.
• Give a shout out to one of your followers.
• Share a milestone.
• Showcase a new product or feature you’re launching.
• Take your followers on a tour of your facilities or office.
• Do a quick interview with the CEO or another person in the country.
• Give your audience a chance to choose between two possible new designs or options.
• Ask for their feedback on favorite colors, flavors or other features.
• If you’re an artist or creative professional, give your audience a chance to see you work.
• Authors can read aloud a portion of your recent writing.
• Nonprofits can share some of your wins and successes.

Whatever the topic, whenever you’re doing live video, make sure you have a clear understanding of your organization’s social media policy. This can help inform what makes great content and what is off-brand.

Stream on more than one platform

If you’re already investing in other types of video, like LinkedIn Video, Facebook Live, or YouTube, you might think it’s too much work to add another platform.

The good news is that there are many API partners that will allow you to register on several social media platforms simultaneously.

Some of the options that Twitter recommends include:

• rerun
• OBS
• broadcast
• The creek yard

These are just a few of the options, so you’ll want to research which one is best for you, or if there’s another tool that might work better for your unique needs.

When you’re streaming to multiple platforms, you’ll still want to take time afterward to go back to the recorded version that’s now live on your stream and finish the finishing touches like adding subtitles to your videos.

Pro tips to keep people watching

Need more ways to maximize your live video presence on Twitter?

Here are some that Twitter has shared on them Creative studioalong with tips I’ve used with clients in the past.

• If your final video is under 60 seconds, then it will be autoloop in your feed after you complete the registration. Just like the 280 character limit of a Tweet, there are some distinct advantages to keeping it short and sweet!
• Use Threaded Tweets to join shorter clips and provide context and direction along the way.
• Embed your live videos to your Twitter Moments collections.
• Use videos along with polls to see what people think about the topic of your video
• Follow up on any comments or retweets you get on your video as soon as possible. Don’t shoot the video and then leave it for the rest of the day… Build on your momentum!

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