The Five Must-Do Steps Before You Go Live That So Many Forget

You’re just about to hit that GO LIVE button to have a conversation with a topic you prepared that you know will make a needed impact with your audience.

Your heart is beating faster, your palms are sweaty, the butterflies are throwing a rave in your belly. You tap the button and the countdown begins, 3, 2, 1, and then…

• You get the spinning wheel of death,
• Or a message pops up saying “poor connection” and you can’t connect at all.
• Or even worse… you think you’re live and you’re hitting your stride by delivering an amazing message with your topic but then you see all these comments start to pop up seconds later saying, “WE CAN’T HEAR YOU!!”

This is the thing of nightmares especially for all of us fellow online business owners who are in the middle of a big live launch, you’re doing a virtual ribbon cutting for your brand new website or making a big announcement for your new group coaching program!

Here’s the great news! All of these issues can be fixed EASILY! This is a big part of why I exist, so I can help you avoid these headaches!

This blog covers my exact 5 must-do steps before you go live again especially if you’re heading into your first or 10th live launch and showing up on your webinar, Facebook, Instagram, or whatever platform you use to Go Live so you’re set-up for SUCCESS!

You are going to feel even more confident and extra prepared!

Here’s a sneak peek of what we talked about: 

• [3:04] Keep the tech simple!
• [9:04] Check your internet connection!
• [29:35] Quiet on set!
• [33:42] Location, location, location!
• [38:41] Lighting!
• [42:47] Don’t make people sea sick!
• [45:33] Gear & resources!

Keep The Tech Simple

The last few years especially all throughout the pandemic, I’ve worked with my private high-end clients more and more as they pivoted to doing remote interviews because they couldn’t do in-person interviews. I’ve helped my private clients build their own remote satellite studios using the exact same tools and setup I’ve been teaching my Lights Camera Branding (LCB) students and alumni inside my membership to use for years.

For the shows I’ve been working on behind the scenes, like Drew Barrymore and Ellen, they don’t go live with anything fancy, because it’s not high-tech equipment that makes a great video. We keep the tech simple because the more high-tech equipment you add, the more places you can have a tech fail.

This is why what we do as digital marketers is so magical. It’s all about having simple, yet effective tech so we can focus our attention on the things that really move the needle in our business!

Check Your Internet Connection

If you don’t create a great experience for your viewers you’re going to have lots of dropoffs and people are not going to come back. We want to make sure we’re doing everything that we need to do on our end to set ourselves up for success when we go live.

• Check your UPLOAD speed: Whether you go live from a laptop or phone, the first thing that you must know is your upload speed. Make sure to go to Speedtest.net from the device and the area you’ll be going live from to check that your upload speed is a minimum of 15 Mbps.
• Close tabs: A lot of entrepreneurs are notorious for having 9,000 tabs open. You want to close as many things off of the device you’re going live from so the operating system isn’t being overloaded.
• Turn off other devices: You might have a lot of devices, multiple people working from home, or kids that are going to school. Think of all of the devices that are connected to WiFi from your home so that when you’re doing a live video, you can temporarily disconnect the WiFi from those devices.
• Get off WiFi & HARDWIRE: The most important tip when it comes to your internet connection is to hardwire your device with an ethernet cable and not rely on WiFi. To get super clear, high-quality video, I have all my recommended dongles and adapters for your particular device on my blog here.

Nothing is 100% guaranteed. There are some things that you can control and do to set yourself up for success so that you can stack the odds in your favor!

Quiet On Set

As much as we want high def, beautiful clear video quality, what’s even more important than that is the sound quality. Wherever it is that you are going live, we want to make sure we create an amazing live video experience by being as quiet on set as possible. Even with video, what’s most important is the audio quality.

• You do not have to go get any fancy microphones: You can use what you have, like your earbuds or AirPods, until you can upgrade.
• Be really cognizant of background noise: If you’re using the built-in microphone on your laptop or phone, it tends to pick up everything happening around you.
• Absorb the sound: If you’re going live in a room with wood or tile floors, you can put down beach towels, throws, or pillows to help absorb the sound.

These are things that not everybody thinks of, but now that you know better you can do better! To hear more about getting great sound on set skip ahead to 29:35.

Location, Location, Location

Another thing you want to think about before you go live to create an amazing live video experience for your viewers is to be cognizant of your location. In the last year, I’ve become much more casual for my weekly live videos.

But, I do have the option if I’m doing a masterclass or speaking at a virtual live event to use the backdrop in my studio when I’m going live.

Here’s some of my LCB Alumni Star Students who do their videos in all different types of locations. 

For a while back in 2016 everyone was building a home set and that is a great option that I love having. While it’s not necessary to have a formal set, I find that for many of my private clients and students, that putting a little bit of thought and effort into creating a branded filming set makes you more excited to show up (kinda like when you were a little kid and you got a new outfit to wear for your first day back to school) as well as show up consistently on live video!

A Few Key Location Factors to Consider:

• Be conscious of what’s behind you. Is that a crazy plant sprouting out from the back of your head?
• Look for a space where there’s not a lot of distracting things. Piles and piles of laundry which conflicts with your niche all about home organization?
• Make sure we can clearly see your face from the chest up. You don’t want to be too close OR too far away from the shot. We want to see YOU!

Lighting

I have become known for ring lights and one of the first questions that people ask me is how I get such beautiful lighting. Your lighting doesn’t have to mean a ring light. Depending on where you live and the time of day, it can mean finding a great location in front of a window or door.

• You don’t want direct sunlight, but you do want natural light to come in.
• Adjust your camera angle and position slightly until you like the appearance of the lighting on your face.
• Don’t just test your lighting. This is also where you’re going to test your internet connection and sound.

Skip ahead to 38:41 to hear more tips about how to get great lighting for your live videos. 

Don’t Make People Sea Sick

I have a couple of different devices that I use when I’m going live. If you’re using a laptop, you want it on a nice, secure platform, like an Amazon box or a laptop stand. This is especially important if you’re going to do videos sitting or standing.

For the rare times that I am doing a walk and talk type or behind the scenes video, I use a selfie stick so that I can make my camera as non-shaky as possible. Even if it’s not a gimbal that has a stabilizer built-in, it’s still going to be more steady than just trying to hold your phone still.

Gear & Resources

I’ve got tons and tons of resources for you over on my resources page that lists my favorite products that I have personally tried, tested, and invested in myself. From dongles to lighting kits, I always keep this page updated with all the things I use in my business!

I know I get asked about tech and tools all the time, but this isn’t the most important thing. My personal philosophy when it comes to live video is that it’s not about the tech and the tools.

When we go live and where we go live matters so that we can set ourselves up for success. Make ensure to control the five things that I shared to ensure you have a very high-quality video, because the reasons why we continue to go live have changed.

Get On My VIP Waitlist for Lights Camera Branding!

If you’re not already on my VIP Waitlist for Lights Camera Branding, make sure you secure your spot today and be the first to hear when we reopen again.

We’re going to hunker down and focus on why we really do live video for building our business and setting ourselves up for business success. Get on the VIP waitlist today!

With Grit & Grace, xo!

Tiffany aka Coach Glitter