I am sure that saying that you are excited is a bit of an understatement when you learned that you can go live via LinkedIn! It is going to be the best tool to scale your business which will provide marketers with a platform to showcase your brand to professional audiences. Sounds great, right?
Think about Facebook Live or Twitch which you normally use to stream your content or promote your products and services. That’s basically the same thing that LinkedIn offers but, LinkedIn Live assures you that your viewers are professionals who have so much to offer.
If you want to know more about it, then let us proceed to discuss how to use LinkedIn Live.
Before we give you a step-by-step guide on how to use LinkedIn Live, take some time to read about these few facts that you need to know:
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LinkedIn Live is in Beta
Not everyone can access LinkedIn Live as it is still in beta to sort out the bugs if there is any. It is only available to a selected group of influencers all over the world. It means that you should still apply and wait if you want to use this feature. But, don’t worry as it is going to be super worth it!
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A Third-Party Tool is Needed in Action
The only way that you will be able to broadcast in LinkedIn Live is to use a third-party streaming tool. Currently, you have these six choices:
- StreamYard (PC and Mac)
- Telestream Wirecast (PC and Mac)
- SwitcherStudio (IOS only)
- Socialive (PC and Mac)
- Restream (Multicasting web application)
- Wowza
You should note here that only StreamYard has a free version, the rest are not. Some of these applications offer a free trial but they are quite expensive to purchase.
A LinkedIn Live Cannot Be Scheduled
While LinkedIn Live is still in beta, you cannot schedule a broadcast. You may opt to create a post ahead of time, but you should know that it will not appear until you start broadcasting. The scheduling is a very important feature because it helps you share or promote when you will be live ahead of time such as sending an email to your subscribers, posting on other social networks, or promoting on your LinkedIn profile.
Steps To Go Live On Linked In
When you got accepted in LinkedIn Live Beta, that means that you are ready to broadcast your professional content. Here are the steps to do that:
Choose A Third-Party Tool
The first thing to do is to choose one of the six third-party streaming tools to be able to use LinkedIn Live.
You must know that StreamYard is a web application that runs through your browser. Wirecast, Socialive, and Wowza are desktop tools. SwithcherStudio is made for IOS mobile devices. Lastly, Restream is a multistreaming service that runs through the use of your browser. This platform allows you to stream via multiple services at the same time.
Remember, choose depending on your needs and available gadgets!
Stream via SwitcherStudio
For the purpose of this article, we chose to show you how to broadcast in LinkedIn Live via the third-party streaming application called SwitcherStudio. The reason behind why we chose this is because it has a very generous free plan, your viewers can watch you via their browsers, it works for both PC and Mac, and the free version includes screen sharing.
Step 1: Sign up with SwitcherStudio
Step 2: Once you have finished the registration, just click on the “Add Destination” button on the side panel of the application.
Step 3: Connect your SwitcherStudio profile with your LinkedIn Live profile.
Step 4: You will be redirected to LinkedIn Live, click the “Connect LinkedIn” button to authenticate. Furthermore, you might also be asked to enter your username and password at this point.
Step 5: Make sure that you connect to the right LinkedIn page that you want to add on the list.
Step 6: Click on the “Create Broadcast” button.
Step 7: Select the privacy setting that you want. Take note that you have three options here: public, 1st-degree connections, and testing.
Step 8: Enter the text for your first ever LinkedIn Live post and then click again on the “Create Broadcast” button. Know that you are not yet live at this moment. SwitcherStudio just created a post on your LinkedIn account and it will still wait for you to properly go live.
Step 9: Check on your microphone and camera. Make sure that you have selected the right ones and that they are working properly.
Step 10: Choose a layout for your dashboard.
Step 11: Once you are happy and satisfied with the technicalities, click on the “Go Live” button at the top right to get your first LinkedIn Live broadcast reeling!
Why Stream With LinkedIn?
There are a lot of perks when you choose to stream via LinkedIn. The first one is that LinkedIn is a professional social network platform. So, if you are going live to promote your products and services, then expect that there are a lot of people there who are capable of purchasing. Furthermore, these people are hungry for professional content. Value-packed long post articles and other forms have been very well applauded on LinkedIn so what more if you can broadcast?
Also, the video quality of LinkedIn Live is also incomparable. Believe me, if you are going to share presentation slides and other graphics, this would be the best platform to do so! However, you must take note that there are a lot of other factors that could affect the video quality such as slow and fluctuating internet connection.
Moreover, LinkedIn Live also lets you interact with your audience and create a relationship with your community. This is made possible through the comment and reaction box. Make sure you have another device to use so you can see and respond to them better!
So, what are you waiting for? Apply now to LinkedIn Live and get the streaming going!