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Making the most out of our content matters and can help us drive reach, share of voice, and make our content performance culture successful. Live can be differentiators. I’m sharing what I learned from my LinkedIn Live broadcasts in this article.
I’ve been doing live content for many years, and most social networks have some functionality. LinkedIn joined the club and rolled out LinkedIn Live. You can stream to your personal or company pages – provided the company page has more than 150 followers and isn’t brandnew.
Article sections
- What is LinkedIn Live?
- How does it work?
- Guests or solo?
- Content integration
- How to download a live video
- Editing the replay
What is LinkedIn Live?
With LinkedIn Live, you can stream directly on the platform. Here’s how that looks for my weekly “The Business Storytelling Show” livestream.
Susie Bills, owner of the Virtual Rx Agency, on “The Business Storytelling Show,” emphasized the benefits of using LinkedIn Live: “What I love about it is a lot of people are not currently taking advantage of the live feature. And so it really helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace. So definitely worth the time, the effort, and it’s fun.”
By going live on LinkedIn, you can establish yourself as an authority in your field while interviewing other leaders in your industry. It’s an effective way to boost your personal brand and your company’s presence on the platform.
While LinkedIn Live offers numerous benefits, many people are still hesitant to embrace this feature. According to Susie, there are two main reasons holding people back: lack of awareness and fear of showing up live.
Firstly, not everyone is aware that they can go live on LinkedIn. The feature was initially rolled out as an invite-only beta, which may have contributed to the lack of awareness. However, the platform has since made LinkedIn Live more widely accessible.
Secondly, the fear of appearing live can be a significant barrier. The thought of speaking in front of a camera without the ability to edit can be daunting. However, Susie encourages people to push past this fear.
“The main reason that people just aren’t doing it anywhere is scared of showing up live, scared of what people are going to think, scared of sounding stupid or messing up,” she said.
Being authentic – and a bit entertaining – is key for live video content. People connect with real, relatable individuals who aren’t afraid to show their human side. Susie emphasizes this point: “That’s what people connect to because we’re all human. We all say ‘um,’ most of us, right? We mess up, we fumble over words, but that is just being human. And so it’s attraction marketing at its best when you show up real and talk about what you know about.”
Lean into yourself, your expertise, and your personality, and you can overcome the fear of going live and create content that resonates with your audience on LinkedIn.
Read next: How to use two webcams at the same time – a step-by-step guide
How does LinkedIn Live work?
To stream to Linkedin, you must use a third-party tool – like Restream.
LinkedIn also recommends that your LinkedIn Live is at least 10-15 minutes to allow people a chance to gather. I think that’s good advice. Also, keep in mind that there likely will be many more views of the replay, so try to keep the content relevant for those audiences as well. I’ve been using LinkedIn Live to livestream my podcast. So, I planned to livestream and then use the content elsewhere. Since I now also use the episodes on the DB&A Television Network, all of my episodes are currently 24 minutes, the time slot I get on the station.
Read next: Should I publish my podcast on television?
Is LinkedIn Live free?
There’s no cost for you to go live on LinkedIn, and there’s currently no function to charge people to attend a LinkedIn Live.
LinkedIn live chat
Once you go live on LinkedIn, people can comment on the live post, and those comments show up as a LinkedIn live chat. You can consider responding to those comments while on air. And even show them on screen.
How to go live on LinkedIn with the right software
Restream is web-based, and I can stream from my browser after I enter the Restream Live Studio. Click on ADD CHANNELS and then toggle LinkedIn on. Make sure you update the title by clicking edit before going live.
Once my LinkedIn live is done, I download the file from my Restream account. I can then easily upload that to Spotify for Podcasters to get my podcast episode ready.
Stream on a company page or personal account?
You can stream on your personal page or a company page. Each has advantages and disadvantages. The biggest is that you may get more reach on one or the other. For example, if your company page has just a couple of hundred followers but you have thousands or more on your personal page, consider going the personal page route first.
Streaming to multiple LinkedIn accounts
Restream rolled out Restream Pairs in 2021, allowing users to stream to multiple channels. For example, when I go live from my account, I can send the simulcast link to my guests, who can stream to their LinkedIn profile.
Where are LinkedIn Lives promoted?
LinkedIn Lives show up in your followers’ feeds. You can push that reach farther by scheduling streams. LinkedIn Lives show on top of your profile while live. Here’s an example.
LinkedIn also promotes your posts in the feed, like any other content. In addition, scheduling posts can drive additional reach and I would recommend scheduling posts a week or two out.
LinkedIn Live posts can’t currently be boosted, but livestreams scheduled as an event can.
Read next: How do I know if I have LinkedIn audio?
LinkedIn Live as Events
Scheduled livestreams on LinkedIn now show up as events. That can potentially increase your audience, though I haven’t seen that effect yet.
But here’s why I like it. When you schedule your stream, it appears on your page or profile. And people can click “attend.” Once they click, they can add the event to their calendar. Things being on my calendar is usually half the battle.
LinkedIn Live – with guests or solo?
I’ve done two types of livestreams. The first one was just me talking on LinkedIn Live. But, most of my LinkedIn Live streams are with guests. I love having experts on my podcast; the most popular episodes have had guests on them so far. In my opinion, it makes the show much more interesting, too. Plus, it’s a built-in promotion, as most guests share the stream.
Both versions have their challenges. I play the roles of:
- Host
- Producer
- Director
I’m doing all this production in Restream and trying to listen and talk myself. It can be exhausting. If you have another person available who can play that role and the host can focus on hosting only, that would make it easier.
Read next: How to start a podcast – Spotify for Podcasters hosting review
LinkedIn Live integration into overall content strategy
After tens of thousands of views, I’m definitely on board with using livestreams as part of my overall strategy.
In addition to livestreaming to LinkedIn, consider where else you can use the content. That can include:
- YouTube version of the livestream
- Podcast version
- A blog post that summarizes the show or uses pieces of it
- Quotes from the show in other articles
- Email marketing tie-in – Don’t forget about promoting the content or pieces of it.
How to download a LinkedIn live video
Downloading the LinkedIn Live video is currently not possible on LinkedIn, but you can download the video from your Restream library. Go to the recent videos (recorded and streamed) and then click the three dots to download. You can also trim the video before downloading.
Editing previously live LinkedIn video
LinkedIn also allows the editing of previously live videos. This is a great tool when you want to cut out the initial chit-chatter with arriving viewers. Or a countdown clock. That early small talk is relevant for live but not for the people watching on the replay because they can’t participate. I often have a “starting soon” screen up at the beginning, which could also be shortened for replay viewers.
It’s super easy to trim the video once the livestream has concluded. Go to the video and click edit video in the top right.
From there, you have a chance to trim the video.
At the end of the day, it’s worth integrating into your strategy. Restream or Streamyard are easy ways to try it. Having authentic conversations on LinkedIn with your company leaders and experts, as well as external guests, can really make your content so much better.
Follow me on LinkedIn to get notified of my next livestream.
And look at the numbers. If you get 500 views on LinkedIn but your podcasts get 100, LinkedIn Live could help you drive audience reach even when it’s a bit more work. If nothing else, I find live conversations usually very authentic and an easy way to kickstart podcasts.