How to Use LinkedIn Live: The Complete Guide for Marketers

Lights. Camera. Action! Are you ready to join LinkedIn Live but need help figuring out where to start? We have you covered.

You might be thinking: what is LinkedIn Live?

It’s LinkedIn’s video streaming hub, designed to connect marketers and their communities in real time.

Think of LinkedIn Live like Facebook Live, but with a professional twist.

In this article, we will provide all the tips and tricks to help you get the hang of working on LinkedIn, such as:

• How to Use LinkedIn Live in 10 Easy Steps
• Practical Tips for Mastering LinkedIn Live
• Content Ideas for Engaging Live Streams

How to go live on LinkedIn

Before we get started, it’s important to note that LinkedIn Live is only available to pages that meet certain criteria, including:

• Subscriber count. You need more than 150 followers and/or connections to use LinkedIn Live.
• Geographical position. LinkedIn Live is not supported in mainland China.
• Compliance with the LinkedIn Community Policies. Because no one likes to break the rules, right?

If you (or your organization) think you meet these criteria, find out if you have access to LinkedIn Live by clicking the Event button on the home screen. If there is a drop down menu, you can go live. Oops!

To create your first LinkedIn Live broadcast, follow these simple steps:

1. Make sure you have at least two devices before you start streaming.

Why? Because two screens will give you the freedom to stream live video, and monitor and moderate incoming comments live – essential to connect with your audience, build community, and build conversation.

2. Sign up for a third party streaming tool

For a seamless experience, LinkedIn invites you to choose one of our preferred partners. However, for beginners, we recommend Socialive or Switcher Studio.

3. Connect the tool to your LinkedIn account.

Once you’ve chosen the right third-party tool, you’ll need to connect it to your LinkedIn page. The steps for connecting a streaming service to your LinkedIn account may vary. Make sure you read the instructions carefully.

If you’re stuck, the LinkedIn website has some helpful information.

4. Create Your LinkedIn Live Stream

Ready to go live on LinkedIn? Go to the admin panel of your LinkedIn page to create a broadcast. Here you can choose a name for your live video and set the time zone, start date and time.

Source: Linkedin

5. Customize your flow

Once you’ve created a video stream on LinkedIn, go back to your third-party streaming platform and connect your stream to your event.

6. Get Support

Anyone who has gone live will tell you that it is difficult to respond to comments during a conversation. We recommend using a fast typist to track comments as they come in so you can focus on creating the best content possible.

Why do we recommend it? Because comment monitoring is a very important way to keep your viewers interested, create conversations that are a two-way street, and build a community.

Oh, and don’t forget to let your colleague know as soon as you launch Steam so there’s no delay in staying on top of the viewer experience.

7. Optimize your settings

First things first: check your internet speed. Ideally, you want download speeds above 10 Mbps. In addition, you need to optimize your setup so that LinkedIn Live video runs as smoothly as possible:

• Lighting: Bright natural light is best.
• Camera Position: Get close, but not too close. Consider a tripod to keep everything stable.
• Camera quality: The higher the quality, the better! (Your phone’s rear camera provides a higher resolution than the front camera.)
• Audio: Always check the audio before going live.
• Body Language: Turn to face the camera, smile and relax.
• Background: Make sure your environment looks clean and professional. Include subtle branding in the background, such as a logo mug.

8. Go live

You now have everything you need to start your LinkedIn Live Stream… there is only one thing left to do: hit the broadcast button and start your LinkedIn Live Stream!

Are you experiencing crashes in your stream right away? We recommend keeping the third party broadcast platform’s support contact details handy.

This way you can quickly troubleshoot and resolve the issue with minimal disruption to your broadcast.

9. End the broadcast

Make sure you hit the end stream button when you’re done. LinkedIn will then automatically post the video of your stream to your feed.

This can be useful for getting more attention from viewers who couldn’t watch the broadcast.

Source: HootSuite

LinkedIn Live Best Practices

Choose a relevant and attractive topic for your audience

It is important to create content that your audience will love. So remember, when streaming video on LinkedIn, you will be primarily interacting with an educated, business-oriented audience between the ages of 25 and 34.

Stick to topics that work well on LinkedIn and are connected to your brand in some way. You can also take inspiration from the LinkedIn Blog to discover popular content for your LinkedIn Live events.

Knowing your audience is also key to creating relevant content. Here are some tips to help you better understand who you should talk to:

• View your Page’s analytics. See the demographics of your audience and what type of content they like the most.
• Use the Content Suggestions tool. Filter your target audience by industry, function, location and seniority level and see what topics are trending in real time. Then use these ideas to brainstorm for your next live stream.
• Try the community hashtag feed. The Communities panel is on the right side of the Page admin window. Here you can link your Page with up to three hashtags (try a mix of niche and broad). Click on any of the hashtags and you will see a content feed that uses the same hashtag. This is useful for understanding trending content in your industry.

Try to create original content for LinkedIn and include topics you wouldn’t cover elsewhere.

For example, Hootsuite uses LinkedIn Live to share partner announcements, Q&A with various teams within the company, hiring initiatives, and insights.

Set a schedule and exercise

It’s important to plan ahead. LinkedIn recommends setting up your event at least 2-4 weeks before broadcast.

This will help you outline the theme of your live broadcast and prepare a free script to organize the entire show.

Once you’ve planned the structure, don’t forget to practice, practice, practice!

You can minimize oversights during live broadcasts by arranging for a thorough review with the key stakeholders involved in the project.

Ask them for feedback on how things are going and make changes to your script accordingly.

But don’t overdo it! A livestream with an over-scripted script can feel wooden and inauthentic and leave little room for spontaneity, so try not to memorize your video word for word.

Promote (and cross-promote!)

Plan ahead and announce your upcoming broadcast to your followers so they know when to expect your show and ensure maximum viewership.

You can even schedule posts to be posted a few days before you schedule your broadcast so none of your contacts miss the news.

Make sure you tag all your featured guests in your posts and don’t forget to add some relevant hashtags to maximize your reach, including #LinkedInLive.

Lindsey Pollak’s post is a great example of an effective LinkedIn Live promo.

Running more than one social media channel? Cross-posting is the process of posting similar content across multiple platforms and tailoring content for each channel and audience.

And don’t forget to promote your LinkedIn Live event on your website and newsletter.

Go long (but not too long)

According to LinkedIn themselves, fifteen minutes is the perfect time. This is enough time for your audience to understand your message and give them time to comment and participate.

Of course, you can stream longer. But keep in mind that running longer than an hour will greatly increase audience fatigue. If this happens, your important, well-planned content may not be received.

Make sure your messages are clear

Since your content is live, you may have viewers who come in after seeing your broadcast. To keep new attendees up to date, repeat the topic of discussion throughout the broadcast.

You must also write a compelling description for your live video. Remember that LinkedIn hides most of the description in search, so load the description at the top of the page with the most important information.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence

A great video can generate a lot of traffic, so make sure you have a LinkedIn presence to handle it.

If you are an individual. Review your profile and make sure it accurately reflects you. Use a professional portrait and upgrade your work experience. Write a short informative headline that will grab people’s attention.

If you are an organization. Make sure you complete the entire page. According to LinkedIn, full pages get 30% more views than incomplete pages.

To create the perfect LinkedIn page, start with an attractive profile and banner images. Add an attractive About Us section, including relevant keywords where possible.

Keep the conversation going!

When it’s time to wrap up and say goodbye, remember that broadcast doesn’t have to be the end of your message.

Depending on the specific campaign or topic, continue broadcasting by sharing resources and emailing registered members.

Pro tip: LinkedIn will automatically publish your broadcast after it’s finished. You can cut the video into small pieces and share the highlights on your feed. (And you know short videos are trending, right?)

LinkedIn Live Stream Ideas

Host a Fireside Chat

Fireside chats are informal conversations or presentations. Done right, they can be an effective lead generation strategy.

If you are an individual. Hosting a chat will allow you to showcase your expertise. Talk about a topic that you know well and that is relevant to your industry. Use materials from past conferences or presentations to save time and energy.

If you are an organization. Invite employees or guest speakers to chat and show you behind the scenes of your business.

For example, we broadcast this LinkedIn Live video from our Recruiting and Sales Development team discussing the role of Sales Development Recruitment in Sales and working on Sales Development in a global SaaS organization.

Launch or showcase a new product

LinkedIn Live is a great channel to launch products or services.

Getting on LinkedIn allows you to step-by-step introduce potential customers to your latest offer. This gives your audience a new way to interact with your release.

Remember that colleague you invited to help earlier? Ask them to show you insightful questions from comments as they come up and answer them in real time.

Interview with an expert

Interviews with experts can help you demonstrate authority in your field. Questions and answers are also a great way to promote your professional services to your interviewee’s clients.

Examples of interview ideas include:

• Connect with an industry celebrity whose customer base is related to yours
• Interview someone from your company to showcase your own experience
• Emphasize positive customer experiences. Ask customers to rate your services, almost like a live video review.

Overview of industry highlights

Everyone likes to keep their finger on the pulse, and staying on top of industry trends is a brilliant strategy to prove your worth.

For example, you can broadcast weekly or monthly news bulletins that are important to your community. Or you could comment on controversial issues or highlight upcoming events.

A great example of industry reviews can be found in our quarterly Global State of Digital series.

Holidays and seasonal trends

Finally, try switching to seasonal. Holiday videos can bring in new viewers and make your LinkedIn presence more human. Plus, they can be fun!

But remember: even relevant content should be useful and relevant. Your idea for a Valentine’s Day Q&A might be amazing. Just make sure it also offers real value.

Easily manage your LinkedIn page and all other social channels with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and share content (including videos), reply to comments, and interact with your network. Try it for free today.