Livestreaming is one of the most exciting ways that a nonprofit can engage with the community. Livestreaming is the process of transmitting a video in real-time to an online audience.
Harness the power of this digital method of communication to increase awareness and understanding of your cause. Use these five tips for livestreaming a nonprofit event.
Set a Goal and Choose a Format
As with any undertaking, you need to set a goal for your livestream event. Do you want to raise funds, increase exposure, or announce partnerships? Livestreaming can help you achieve any of those goals and more.
Once you’ve set a clear goal and know how you’ll measure your achievement, you can decide on the content and form of the livestream. Some of the most popular livestream formats include virtual auctions, interviews, Q&As, and partnering with an influencer who conducts the livestream.
Understand Your Streaming Platform
Once you know your goal and format, choose your platform. The most popular platforms for livestreaming are Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube. The best factor for making this decision is knowing how your target demographic uses these platforms.
Rather than attempting to livestream from several platforms, optimize your offerings on one strategic platform. You’ll grow a following and viewer awareness on that site. And by focusing on one platform, you’ll more easily keep up with comments, increasing your engagement.
Promote the Event
The next tip for livestreaming a nonprofit event is to spread the word. If you want a good turnout, you’ll have to promote your livestream.
You can publish an event page with important details on your website. Post exciting information on your social media channels to reach out to your followers. Share the news through an email newsletter.
You can also ask partners, speakers, and sponsors to promote the event to their followers. And you can increase notifications via word of mouth with hashtags or by providing links so that people can share your event information readily.
Use the Right Equipment
The quality of your livestream depends on your equipment. The camera, microphone, and lighting are the most important pieces of equipment. Choose equipment based on your budget, quality, and how you’ll use your physical space.
You can find equipment that meets many of your needs. For example, with a PTZ camera, one operator can remotely control the pan, tilt, and zoom of multiple cameras. Another important thing to know about the PTZ camera is that you can mount it to a wall or the ceiling, saving floor space.
Engage the Audience
Don’t take a one-way approach to your livestream event. You can open the livestream event with a question and have the audience type their answers in the chat box. And as you receive answers, respond to some of them and acknowledge the people who left the comments.
Communicating directly with the audience helps your event feel more fun and dynamic. Interacting with your viewers gives you the opportunity to show the personalities behind your organization. And higher engagement helps your audience feel like they’re part of a caring community.