Media-Savvy Author: Starting Your Own Live-Stream Show

Back when I was a TV producer, experts needed to pitch their idea, meet with me, come into the studio, and find their audience that way. Now, all you need to connect with people is your phone or laptop! 

Doing live video on social media is one of the best ways to grow your audience and establish yourself as an expert—but only if you do it right. With some planning and practice, you have all the tools you need to connect with your readers. 

Since 2020, I’ve been producing my own live-streaming show Inside Scoop using more than two decades worth of television production skills. 

That’s a lot of brainstorming ideas, creating a calendar, putting the word out on social media, pulling off the streaming logistics, and, of course, actually speaking to a live audience.

Over the past six years, I’ve developed a system that I call the Six Ps:

Step 1: Planning Your Show

Step 2: Prepping Your Episodes

Step 3: Pre-Production

Step 4: Promos

Step 5: Producing Your Live Show

Step 6: Post-Production

Here’s how to leverage this system to develop your own livestream show. 

When it comes to creating meaningful live-streaming content, planning and preparation are key. Begin by brainstorming about what kind of content will connect best with your audience. What space do you want to create for people? What’s your “why” behind starting the show? What do you hope people take away from it? What are you offering people? The answers to these questions should guide your next steps. 

Then think about how you’re going to fulfill this mission. For example, you can interview fellow authors, discuss key topics solo, or invite experts to chat with you.

If you’re more visual, I teach this step-by-step in my online course: Go Live! Masterclass. 

The goal is to create a repeatable show with guests worth talking to—and topics that will engage live viewers who will ask questions that you and your guest can respond to in real time. 

As you’re planning topics and guests, it’s essential to keep going back to your mission. Consider the takeaway that each episode will have and make sure it aligns with your overall goal for the show. 

If the prospect of doing a live show is what’s holding you back—you don’t have to jump right into live videos! In fact, I actually suggest that newbies start with pre-taped videos just to get you more comfortable speaking on camera. This gives you a chance to refine how you want to start your videos off. The introduction is one of the most important parts of the video since it’s how you capture your audience’s attention.

The last element to consider is your schedule. What timing and frequency is doable (and fun!) for you? It’s important to be consistent, whether that means going live once a week or bimonthly.

Pre-production is where you set the stage for your show to be really engaging. That means getting comfortable to go live easily and creating graphics and animations that make your show unique and memorable. 

For my live show, I have an open with an animation and music. It sets the tone and helps create a sense of consistency across episodes. You don’t have to do this all right away. I didn’t! Settling into the routine and getting a sense of how you want things to look is important, so take your time and don’t rush into something that doesn't feel quite right. Give yourself permission to feel things out and be intentional about the design elements. Eventually it will make it look more polished and professional to have these things worked out. 

Having the right technology is important too. I use StreamYard, and I love it. It makes it easy to go live on multiple platforms at the same time (I use YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn).  

What’s the point of doing a livestream show if no one knows about it? Getting viewers (or even going viral) all starts with a great promo plan. That means using social media and your email list to let people know when your show is, what it’s about, and how they can watch it. And any successful promo will give people a little sneak peek that gets them excited to tune in. 

Share these promos far and wide. I understand that many people feel uncomfortable with self-promotion. But it's not tooting your own horn; it’s doing a public service, because people will get important information when they watch your show.  

When I go live, I like to think of it as inviting people into my home, because in a way, I am! Think about what’s in your background and what kind of environment you create. You want to create a comfortable environment that will invite people to come and stay. And of course, you need to practice so you look and feel great being on camera. 

What are you wearing and what is behind you? (Check out this episode of Inside Scoop I did with personal stylist Cass Sethi for more on that.) How is your speaking pace, volume, and confidence level? (Definitely take a look at this episode with Alexia Vernon, she’s a speaking pro.) 

I always picture one person that I’m speaking to when I do live videos. Imagining that I’m speaking to a friend helps me get my tone right and creates a friendly, personal connection with my audience. Thinking about all the people who are watching you can make you feel nervous, so just imagine yourself chatting with a colleague or friend. I tell all my media-training clients to picture me on the other end of the camera and it can help with nerves. 

The work doesn’t stop when the recording does! In fact, post-production is a key to making the most of all the effort you put into the show. First, always follow-up with guests (if you have them) to thank them for their time and share the link to the stream so they can share it with their audience too.

Then, share and re-share the episode! The great thing about live-streaming videos is that you can reuse the content over and over. My clients always bring up the number of viewers. If too few people watch, they’re worried it’s not worth the effort. The truth is that you just won’t start out with a huge audience, and you probably wouldn’t be ready for that yet anyway. You should always draw on your live videos for written content or podcasts. So don’t get hung up on how many people actually watch live. 

If you’d like more help with your live-stream show, I teach this step-by-step in my online course: Go Live! Masterclass.