Live Streaming Best Practices: 7 Keys & Legal Considerations

In the previous blogs we’ve covered the benefits of live streaming events and the basic equipment needed to get things started. However, what are live streaming best practices that businesses should follow to ensure success?

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Not only have we listed best practices, but we’ve also highlighted legal considerations that can hinder the success of your live streaming production.  

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[#section1] 7 Best Practices in Live Streaming [#section1]

Planning is key:

To ensure a successful live stream, planning is key. Prepare your content, test your technical setup, and schedule in advance. A suitable location, good lighting, functioning audio and video equipment, and a backup plan in case of technical difficulties are non-negotiables. If a multi camera set up is necessary, make sure your team, equipment, and logistics contain all capabilities.

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Multitask to engage with your audience:

Even though multitasking is losing its popularity, during a live stream it’s inevitable if you want to engage with your audience. Depending on the format, for example a Q&A vs a product demo, interacting in the comments section, asking for feedback, or responding to questions should be leveraged as much as possible. This helps to build a loyal following and keeps your viewers engaged.  

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The easiest one - be authentic:

Ever heard the saying “Be yourself”? In live streams inauthenticity will be exposed right away so we recommend keeping it real. Showing your personality either by being more transparent, flexible, or responsive helps to create a personal connection with your audience and makes your content more relatable.  

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Be useful & provide value:

Ensure that your live stream provides value to your audience, whether it’s entertainment, education, case studies or other types of information. To save some time you can repurpose old but relevant content like blog posts and embed it in your livestream. For example, showing how things are done in practice or extending on that if applicable. This helps to keep viewers engaged and coming back for more.

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Promotion, promotion, promotion:

To ensure a decent audience we recommend promoting your live stream in advance on social media and other channels, such as e-mail marketing, to attract viewers and increase engagement. Creating urgency or announcing hot topics are a great way to stir excitement in advance.

 
Quality over quantity:

Another saying that seems to be universal. To keep users engaged your live stream should be concise and focused on the main intention, while still allowing time for interaction with your audience. Here rules and a run time in the beginning helps shaping expectations and reduces misunderstandings. This keeps viewers engaged and prevents the live stream from becoming dull or repetitive.  

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Leverage Data Insights:

No monitoring, no improvement. Make sure to have the tools in place that collect relevant data such as engagement, average engagement time, viewer count, traffic to your website and technical issues. Analyzing these datapoints afterwards help identifying areas for improvement and ensure a better experience for your viewers in future live streams.

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[#section2] 4 Legal Risks in Live Streaming You Must Avoid [#section2]

As if live streaming equipment, the technical setup, and the multitasking weren’t enough sources of risk, there are also legal risks that dwarf the other problems once they are reality:  

Old but gold - Copyright infringement:  

Just as for images and text, copyright - of course - also holds for audio visual content. If you use someone else's content without permission or proper attribution a copyright infringement can be the (unfriendly) answer and some platforms will even shut your stream down. Formats to double check are music, images, videos, or other creative works.

To avoid this legal risk in live streaming, secure permission to use any copyrighted material or content that you did not create yourself by obtaining licenses or use royalty-free content.  

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Privacy protection:  

Ever got caught up in the camera lens of a stranger? Live streaming in public places or with people who haven’t given their consent can be a violation of privacy. The same holds for private conversations or events.  

To make people aware that they might unwillingly become film stars, use disclaimers that a live stream is being produced, that it’s for entertainment purposes only and that any statements made are your personal opinions. Additionally, obtain consent from anyone who will appear in your live stream, and make sure they got the memo – meaning they understood how the footage will be used.  

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Be nice to people:

Of course, we assume that this legal risk isn’t relevant to you but making false or damaging statements about individuals or businesses during a live stream can lead to legal action. Once said, it cannot be taken back – another universal saying.

Moreover, you must not only double check your tongue but also those of your visitors, so we recommend monitoring the comments section for any inappropriate comments and remove them immediately.

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Read the Terms of Service yet?:  

We know, we also like to skip lengthy texts in size 8 font but violating the terms of service of a live streaming platform can result in a ban or legal action. So, grab your glasses. Beyond that we recommend familiarizing yourself with the platform policies in advance until you understand the terms of service, so non-violation is ensured.  

It's not our goal to discourage businesses from engaging with live streaming, but there are a few key hurdles that businesses need to evaluate and meet before embarking on this video production format.

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If you prefer to entrust your live streaming production to audiovisual experts like TGAV, call us on 02 8850 2223 to schedule a consultation.

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