Whenever we use social media, we all love engagement from our favourite creators. This has never been truer than with a Livestream. We love it when our favourite creator notices something we post in chat or acknowledges our opinion in real-time. It gives us some form of validation. The most popular streamers talk about their chat and engage with them and make it interactive throughout. For a beginner making a Livestream more interactive looks like magic.
I’m here to tell you that making your Livestream more interactive, engaging with your audience is pretty simple. And I’m here to tell you how!
Polls in a Livestream
Are you a gaming streamer with a difficult decision to make? Have you got to choose between two main characters? Then create a straw poll and let the viewers decide.
Playing Just Dance and can’t choose between a bunch of songs? Time for a poll!
Polls (and by extension quizzes) are great for making live streams more engaging for audiences and interactive. The choice you’ve given viewers feels like they have more of a say in the content they are consuming. And make it more personal. Plus, everyone loves a good poll or quiz.
Talk to live chat/ super chats more.
As I said, viewers love it when their favourite content creator acknowledges them during a Livestream. If you rarely interact with chat besides the odd, thank you for a super chat or Bits. Then try opening up a bit more and being confident in saying hello to people and engaging with the odd comment. See a spicy take about a TV show or game?
Then begin arguing with it jokingly during the stream. The audience will appreciate hearing your opinion on different topics and noting their presence! Even if it’s to argue with them now and then.
If you’re an absolute beginner and have zero viewers, I recommend streaming with a friend talking in chat. This sounds lame but is beneficial for a couple of reasons.
Firstly having someone in chat stops you from getting bored in the forced silence of your Livestream. Secondly, it grows your confidence in talking to chat and asking for opinions on certain parts of the Livestream. And Thirdly, if someone does click on the stream, they don’t see awkward silence. They see someone engaged with what’s going on and are more likely to continue watching it.
Q+A as a Livestream
With livestream’s, you don’t have Q+A’s often due to the nature of the content people in chat can ask you questions whenever. And you can choose if you answer them live or read it and ignore it and pick a different comment.
However, whether on a Livestream or a Youtube video from five years ago, an audience will always have questions. Even if they have it answered in a previous Livestream, they’ll happily watch a live stream dedicated to one fully.
Audiences love this as you give viewers a call to action, plus you are answering things they’ve sent in and helping them connect to you. In short, a Q+A is one of the ultimate forms of audience engagement.
Plus, a Q+A has the benefit of being multipurpose, so it doesn’t benefit your Livestream’s only. As you can for questions before the stream, it can boost numbers on other social media such as Twitter and Instagram.
Do something together
This option will be easier if you are a gaming streamer. But try to do something your audience can join in with,
If that sentence has confused you, don’t worry; I’ll explain what I mean!
If you are a gaming streamer, set up a multiplayer game and play with some audience members. You can get the members to choose a game through the poll and do it on a first-come, first-serve basis. Or maybe there’s a competition.
There aren’t just gaming streamers out there, though, so here’s a couple of ways you could involve your audience.
For example, there are many art streamers, and one thing you could do is a paint along. Where you all agree on a prompt and paint together, or an alternative is a sketch along. If you respond to a news article, the audience could come on stream and talk about it.
Another option for all Livestream’s is to phone in and let viewers call in to talk.
As a Livestream host, you are a producer and presenter. The main aim of a presenter is to keep the audience engaged and entertained. Besides creating exciting things to watch, one of the best ways to do that is by interacting with the audience. Hopefully, these suggestions will help improve and develop that skill, so your live streams are at their best.
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