LinkedIn Live events are a great way to connect with your Page Followers. It is an important tool in your content armoury that is a great way to really stand out. This being said, the same content ‘rules’ apply. You are creating content that speaks to your ideal client’s problems and how you solve them, i.e. add value.
Select an Approved 3rd Party Streaming Service
1. Select an Approved Streaming Service
The next step is to choose a streaming service as the broadcast is not done natively within LinkedIn at this stage.
Approved Streaming Services – StreamYard, sociallive, Restream, Switcher Studio or Vimeo. Other partners are being approved.
Alternatively, those who want to connect directly to an encoder or streaming software like Zoom or WebEx. Full instructions – Click here.
Using a streaming service will also allow you to broadcast to multiple locations at the same time eg YouTube, Facebook, Twitter etc
B2B Growth Co recommends StreamYard. We have an affiliate link that will allow you to get a $10 credit. To take advantage, use this link – $10 Savings Link.
2. Choose a location to stream to - LinkedIn Company Page or Employee Profile
The next step is to choose a stream location. This is actually more important than you may think.
Before we get lost in the tech side of things, we need to stop and think – what are your business goals for holding LinkedIn Live? Knowing your goals will make a choice obvious. E.g. brand awareness, grow an email list, build employee profile in the industry?
For the purpose of this article, we will focus only on streaming to your LinkedIn Page. The process for Profiles will be very similar with only the destination set-up in step two being a different location.
The Set-Up Process
There are two official ways you can set up a LinkedIn Live Event for your Page. The first, and the one B2B Growth Co recommends is to create the event in LinkedIn and then link it on StreamYard. The second way is to create the event in StreamYard which will automatically create your LinkedIn Live Event and an Event post, which you will then need to edit.
Let’s step through this process using LinkedIn to create the event and then linking it to Streamyard. This is the simplest way of creating the event as this avoids going back and forward between LinkedIn and Streamyard.
Before doing this, you must select your Streaming plartform. We recommend Streamyard.
1. Register for Streamyard
Head to Streamyard and register. The pricing ranges from a free account through to $40USD approx.
We recommend starting with the free account to look around and see if the interface is intuitive for you.
To be able to customise your branding for LinkedIn Live requires a paid account.
2. Add a Destination
Select Destination from the left-hand menu. Then, a menu will appear below. Connect your various social accounts and channels.
When you go live on LinkedIn, you can select other channels, including YouTube, Facebook, etc.
3. Create Your Event on Your LinkedIn Company Page
a) Click ‘+ Create’ blue button on the left side of your Page.
b) Select ‘Create an event’ from the drop-down menu.
c) Click ‘Upload cover Image’ The Image must have a 16:9 ratio. e.g. 1920 x 1080 pixels. Once uploaded, select ‘Apply’.
d) Select Event type ‘Online’.
e) Click ‘Event format’ Select ‘LinkedIn Live’.
f) Add ‘Event name’.
g) Enter your relevant ‘timezone’ and ‘start date’.
h) Select ‘Add end date and time’ and enter the relevant information. This gives attendees certainty around the time commitment required to attend this event.
i) Select ‘Use a LinkedIn registration form’ if you want a list of attendees. Note attendees can select whether or not they want to be contacted by you after the event.
If you choose to use a LinkedIn registration form you must also include a link to your organisation’s Privacy Policy. This advises attendees on how you intend to use their information.
j) Add the Event Description.
Be careful to include good information in the event description, as LinkedIn will create an automatic post once you finalise the event.
k) Tag Event Speakers (use ‘@’ and the person’s name).
l) Once all the information has been included select ‘Next’ and you’ll be taken to the Post window.
m) Write a few sentences to entice attendees to attend your event and Select ‘Post’.
This will create a LinkedIn Post and include your Event details.
4. Link Your Event in Streamyard
a) Click on ‘Create’ (blue button on left side of screen).
b) Click “Live Stream”.
c) Click on ‘Studio’ in Source
d) Select ‘Destination’ where the LinkedIn Event was created (ie your Company Page).
e) Click ‘Use an existing LinkedIn event’. This will automatically find the event that has already been created.
f) Find the relevant Event and click on ‘Use selected event’.
Once the Event is linked, it will appear in your Streamyard Events as shown below.
Time to Enter the Studio - Set Up Before LinkedIn Live Broadcast
B2B Growth Co recommends that you go in well in advance to set up your broadcast branding and details. Customising your branding and understanding how the controls work will take some time.
Inviting Guest Speakers
a) Click the 3 dots to see the drop-down menu.
b) To invite your guest speaker, select – ‘Invite a Guest’.
We can’t stress enough that ‘Invite guests’ is only to be used for those that will be speakers and part of the Live Broadcast. It is NOT what you use to invite attendees.
Set up Company Branding (available on paid Pro StreamYard subscription)
There are plenty of options to set up a theme for your broadcast on the Pro Plan. If you use the free subscription, you will get the overlay from Streamyard and their logos.
Banners
You can set banners up that will display at the bottom (static) or ticker (move across) on the screen. These can be customised so use them as an opportunity for you to get an important message across.
Good examples are asking for audience questions or comments, showing how the audience can follow your content, asking for audience locations etc.
Invitation and Promotion are Keys to Success
The more work you put in upfront to promote your LinkedIn Live the more successful it will be. Live Events can be scheduled in advance so take advantage of this.
Get as many people clicking the “Attending” button as soon as you can. The more that people see others are attending the more inclined they are to attend.
Each person on LinkedIn is limited to 1000 invites for events in any one week. This is in total and is across events if you have multiple. Getting key staff involved to invite their network will be important.
Keep in mind many will watch on replay and not necessarily live.
B2B Growth Co Going Live Tips!
Whilst the audience is very forgiving and doesn’t expect perfection, it is important to realise there is no deleting this once you are going. What message do you want to portray to the audience?
Not being prepared, starting late, bad sound or lighting, stumbling around does not create a good first impression. Practice behind the scenes so you know what you are doing.
Choose your guests wisely. They too will reflect on your brand. Again preparation will be key.
Today more than ever our time is precious. If your audience has given you their time, it is critical you return that time invested by giving value. At the time you go Live – LinkedIn will help promote by sending out to a % of your Page followers.
LinkedIn Live is a fantastic tool for getting a connection to drive your brand and demand for your business when you invest the time upfront to ensure it runs smoothly and is a high-quality event.
If you would like more information on how to get the most out of your LinkedIn Page with an audit and strategy review don’t hesitate to reach out to michelle@b2bgrowthco.com
Michelle J Raymond is the founder of B2B Growth Co and has made her mark as a leading LinkedIn growth strategist, offering comprehensive strategies and training to brands eager to harness LinkedIn for business growth through thought leadership, content marketing or social selling techniques.
With 20+ years’ experience in B2B sales, and almost a decade of social selling on LinkedIn, Michelle stands out for her significant LinkedIn contributions as the co-author of two globally acclaimed books: “Business Gold,” the first book exclusively dedicated to LinkedIn Company Pages, and “The LinkedIn Branding Book,” and her insightful podcast Social Media for B2B Growth. Follow her YouTube channel @MichelleJRaymond for helpful how to’s.
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