Going Live

Question, have you ever thought about going Live? I've got another question. Does going Live make you feel kinda nervous? Okay, I feel you, I've been there. My name is Kennedy and I am here to put you on game to all the things that I've learned about going Live and hopefully make you feel a little less nervous and a little bit more comfortable in front of your camera. Let's talk about it.

Let’s talk live

Now, I know what you're thinking. "What does she know? What could she tell me about going Live?" I'll tell you what I know. I've been going live since 2018 hosting my show, Live With Kennedy, pop. Now, I'm the type of girl who's always wanted my own show. I love communicating with my audience and talking about topics that make me laugh. Like my relationship status (laughs). You shouldn't be laughing. I also like to talk about pop culture. I like to talk about what's going on within my community. These are just different conversations that make me feel good to talk about and make my audience feel heard and give them an opportunity to talk back to me. It's just, it's fun.

Preparing for your Live

Now, let me tell you how I prepare to go Live. First of all, I make sure the Wi-Fi is top tier. That Wi-Fi has to be turned on. So make sure you're in good standing with that. I also make sure that the lighting is amazing, and I make sure I'm showing up looking and feeling good. My next tip to you is to make sure that you are fully prepared for whatever topic it is that you're going to be talking about. I always like to come in with notes. Keeping notes handy will make sure that your Live stays nice and flowing. You feel me? Another great way to prep for your Live is to use the tools on your Instagram Stories, like the countdown sticker. The countdown sticker will let your audience know that you plan on going Live, it'll know what time you're going Live and when they tap it, it'll notify them when you're actually going Live. This is great to keep people informed and also showing up when they need to. Now, listen, I know you probably heard all of that and you still might be a little nervous about going live. Let me put you onto this new tool that just came out. It's called the Practice mode. When you go live on Instagram, you have the option to adjust your audience setting. When you tap that, you can click the Practice mode and it'll just be you and whoever you choose or it could just be you and you practicing going live. This is great for people who are not comfortable yet going live and this is also great for folks who plan on interviewing people because you can really go through the run-of-show, get all the kinks out and go live for your audience.

Engaging your Live audience

Now that you got the setup for your live down, let's talk about how you get your audience engaged with your live. Boom, the question sticker. I don't know if you've ever seen that before but it's in your Instagram Stories and when you use that, your audience is going to get excited about your Live. I use the question sticker, like, let's say you watched an award show, I'll use that question sticker to ask, "Did you see blah blah blah's outfit? What did you think?" Folks will give me their answers and when I go live, we can discuss it further. I also use this for movies, television, anything pop culture. The folks go crazy. Now, another way that you can really engage with your audience is by hosting a Live Room. When you host a Live Room, you'll have up to three people in the space with you. Yeah, it'll be four of ya'll there including yourself. This is great for people who wanna host a panel style Live or you want multiple perspectives in a conversation. Now, when I host my show Live With Kennedy, I host talent show Lives. So I take calls from people with amazing talents. I've had a fire play artist call in, he was putting the fire in his mouth, putting it on his arms, it was crazy. I have people call in who are rappers, singers, poets, you name it, I've had them on my show.

Make your money

All right, now let's talk about how we can make a little “shmoney” on your Live. There's a tool called Badges and this gives your audience an opportunity to support you monetarily. So when you go live, you'll see at the bottom, there's something that says Badges Earned. Your audience will see it as well. And as you're going live, they can contribute by giving you a little sum sum. Now, I know the conversation around money can be a little awkward, we wanna tiptoe around it, but let me tell you something, as a creator on this app, you deserve to make your money. And little do you know, I'm sure there are folks who are waiting for an opportunity to support you. So let them know when those Badges are on, let them know that they can support you monetarily. I'm sure they have been waiting for the day, so tell 'em.

Key takeaways

1/ All right, I know I gave you a lot of information in this video but if you heard nothing else, hear me when I say this. These are the key tips I want you to walk away with. I wanna make sure that you are prepped and that you are promoting your Live. So remember, Wi-Fi, good lighting and no noise. And also make sure you are using those tools in your Instagram Stories. Countdown sticker, question sticker, poll sticker. Promote your Live, you need to do it.

2/ Your second key tip, make sure you are engaging with your audience. When you go live, use that questions toolbox, answer those questions in the comments. Let them know that you see them. Take calls, use the Live Room. Really engage with your audience in conversation. It's there, use it.

3/ And my last key tip for you is to make sure you are using those Badges. Those Badges are there for you so you can feel that support. Let your audience know that the Badges are on and they are able to support you and let them know that you see them when they do. (sighs) Now, I know you are going to be sad when I leave but I gots to go. I've had a really good time sharing all the things that I have learned about Instagram Live and I truly hope that you use them the next time you decide to do it. It is your time to shine. I am passing you the mic. Do what you gotta do. I'll see you next time, bye!