Live streaming by brands has leaped in popularity this year with Twitter’s purchase of the Periscope app and its subsequent relaunch in March, and after the debut of rival live streaming app Meerkat at this year’s South by Southwest.
You may be asking—or someone with influence in your company may be asking—if live streaming, and Periscope in particular, is right for your brand or organization. Live streaming apps feel like an inevitability, so sooner or later it will be right for your brand. It’ll be a matter of how you use it, rather than when.
So when the time is right to use Periscope for a live product demo, a fireside chat with your CEO, your nonprofit’s fund-raising event or a day-in-the-life look at your company, you’ll need some pointers about the technical details of a Periscope broadcast. Kristine deGuzman, digital marketing director for LEWIS Pulse, and a presenter at PR News’ July 9 webinar on Periscope, lists a few here:
Tips for choosing your location:
- When you’re shooting using a mobile device you don’t have the luxury of long zoom lenses or external mics. If you’re broadcasting at an event, sit as close to the action as possible so that you can get a good shot of the event, but more importantly, so you can capture the audio as loudly as you can.
- When streaming in portrait mode, be aware that the amount you can capture in your frame is limited. Adjust accordingly.
Video tips:
- Investing in a stand or tripod will immediately make your video look more professional.
- Lock the device off in a stand and give the viewer a smoother watching experience.
- When buying stands, be careful that they don’t just let you attach the devices horizontally. For streaming apps you need to be able to attach the phone or tablet vertically to the stand so that you can film in portrait mode.
Systems check:
- Making sure you have enough hard drive space is especially important if you want to save your stream for viewing later.
- Three hours of footage can take up about 2GB on an iPad’s hard drive.
- Three hours of streaming can also take you from 100% to 45% battery life.
Register now for the PR News webinar "How Periscope Can Broadcast Your Brand," featuring presenters from Adobe, the Human Rights Campaign, LEWIS Pulse and Southwest Airlines.
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Are you sure about 3 hours of streaming will only take 55% of the battery life? Perhaps some differences are whether you are streaming through WiFi next to router vs. in a distant corner with lots of other users in a Seven Bucks coffee or using your cell plan with 2 bars or 4 bars. Key is an external battery for $25 on Amazon can greatly extend your streaming. Also be aware that battery drain will also be impacted by heat of the streaming device. If the phone or iPad gets too hot it tends to freeze up. Another tip is to shut as many apps as possible before starting.