I recently told you about the number one reason why my clients are not leveraging Live Video on Facebook. Once they've identified what they will talk about, the number two reason people are not going Live is that they are nervous about what exactly to say. When it comes to Facebook Live, a script is not necessary for broadcasts, however an outline can be really helpful. That's why I've created an easy-to-follow checklist for structuring your Facebook Live broadcast.
Note: If you are nervous and want to practice first, you can practice going Live by setting your audience on your personal profile to “Only Me” before you go Live – then, just remember to change it back before the real deal!
1.) Begin by thanking people for joining the replay
since it takes a moment for Facebook to serve your Live video, people will not see the first second or two live, so thank them for joining you before you move on to other things.
2.) Hook them with something exciting
give them a reason to stick around. Tease what you are going to tell them, what value they will receive from investing a couple minutes with you.
3.) Introduce yourself
who are you, and why should they listen to what you have to say?
4.) Ask engaging questions
it's not unusual, especially when going live for the first (few) times, for you to not have people watching live, that is OKAY! You still want to act as if you are standing right in front of your ideal customer. Remember that people like talking about themselves, so ask them a question to get them chatting, so you can get to know them better and interact with their engagements:
- Where are they joining from? Share their location in the comments.
- What are their biggest pain points? By sharing them in the comments, you can address them now, or on a future video…consider asking questions that will help you on future Live broadcasts
- Topic related questions:
- Discussing food? Ask for favorite recipes
- Discussing pets? Ask what type of pets viewers have
- Discussing kids? Ask how old their children are
- Discussing business? Ask what type of business they have (avoiding self-promotion)
- Are you outside? Ask about the weather
- Random questions. “To get to know our followers better, today I want to know, what is your favorite color/movie/band?”
- Make it a little more exciting and offer a giveaway to one person who guesses YOUR favorite color (or whatever the random question is). Announce the winner Live NEXT week.
5.) Deliver value
Make sure that people learned something from the video and identify 3 points you will discuss during your broadcast. Try to make each of these 3 topics something you can linger on for a minute or two, especially since we're aiming for 10 minutes Live!
6.) Provide a call to action
Think about what you really want your viewers to do today? When people get to this stage of your video, they are engaged and likely grateful that you've decided to share the content with them. Now is the perfect time to ask them to do something for you! Consider some of the following ideas:
- Leave a comment answering a question
- Visit your website to read your latest blog post
- Like your Facebook Page
- Share the video with a friend that would benefit from the info
- Message your Page
- Opt in for a Freebie
7.) Ask for a follow
Let your audience know that they can tap on the Follow button on live videos and videos that were live, and then opt-in to get notifications the next time you go live. Once they've made it this far, they're likely to want to see more of you!
8.) Establish consistency
Thank everyone for spending a few minutes with you and let them know you'll be live again next week – at the same day/time – make sure you say the day and time with time zone (Wednesday at noon central time, for example). Showing up consistently is a great way to build trusting relationships with your fans.
9.) Say “Bye!”
Also, it may seem obvious, but make sure you say “Bye!” just like you would if you were hanging up a phone call. This is not a pre-recorded video, your viewers feel connected with you on social media, and it's most polite to be conversational throughout the broadcast, and end it in a similar conversational way.
Wish you had a printable version of the checklist?
Or, an easy to follow getting started guide?
I’ve got you covered!
I have assembled a FREE downloadable workbook that will walk you through the process of going Live quickly, easily, and effectively! This is the exact strategy I am implementing in my business, especially given the recent algorithm changes on Facebook. Plus, I recorded video files to support you page-by-page through the guide. Get the Figure Out Facebook Live Strategy HERE!
Meg Brunson is a former Facebook employee with a passion for helping bootstrapped businesses figure out Facebook so that they can promote like the pros! She left the 9-5 in 2017, so that she could be the mom she wanted to be to her 4 young daughters.
She is a firm believer in the power of entrepreneurship and is the founder and CEO of EIEIO Marketing, a digital marketing agency focused on Facebook Marketing.
After helping her daughter launch her first business, Storytime With Kiki, at the age of 10, Meg began hosting the FamilyPreneur Podcast: an interview-style podcast for parent entrepreneurs, raising entrepreneurial children.
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