Live streaming has been around for ages now. And yet, there’re so many of us that still hesitate when it comes to going live on social media. What does it take to be a confident speaker on a live show, and how can we achieve that? We invited Julia Jornsay-Silverberg, brand manager at NOW Marketing Group, to chat about being confident on live shows. Here’s a summary of our chat.
Guest: Julia Jornsay-Silverberg
Topic: Hosting live shows with confidence
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.
Video is powerful because it’s inherently human. Whether you’re a personal or corporate brand, you can use video to showcase your personality and resonate with your audience.
A1: Video is the most humanizing kind of content there is, so brands and individuals can benefit so much by creating it and letting their personality shine through. THAT is how we connect with our content. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/HyCpebhANw
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
As Jim added, video is a great tool because it caters to multiple senses—you can see, hear, and feel when you’re engaging with a video. That’s why video is more powerful than text- or audio-only content.
A1. Video is powerful as it lets us get across more senses and context than text or audio.
At this point the only thing missing is touch, taste, and smell.#TwitterSmarter https://t.co/IAbozZ06ZS
— Jim Fuhs #DealcastersLive #AgencySummit (@FuhsionMktg) October 13, 2022
Hosting a live show is an excellent way to share your expertise, connect with your audience on a personal level, and built a community around your brand in real-time. The more frequently you show up and provide value to your community, the more they’ll want to engage with you.
A2: (1) #LiveShows are fantastic ways to showcase your expertise, humanize your brand and create a sense of community. By showing up live and providing value, you give your audience a reason to engage AND to come back week after week! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/vE3cNZJxpt
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Live shows are also a good opportunity to collaborate with peers in your industry. As our guest explained, she hosts her brand’s monthly live show, #NOWAndThem, and she often brings in guest speakers to liven up the conversation even more.
A2 (2): Live shows are also an amazing way to co-create with your community! For instance, today I’m hosting @NOWMG’s monthly Live Show #NOWAmdThem and we are bringing on our friend @SocialJewelsICT – so we’re providing value to both entities’ audiences. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/vE3cNZJxpt
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
As Benjamin also pointed out, the real-time element of a live show is critical to building strong relationships with your audience. Live video is also great because it allows a brand to highlight its representatives on a global stage. This, in turn, helps humanize the brand, making it more relatable to the audience.
A2: Live video is even more engaging because it's happening in real-time and putting people front and center who represent the brand. Consumers want that human connection because they do business with humans not logos
It's all about building strong relationships#TwitterSmarter
— Benjamin Katz (@BKatz301) October 13, 2022
There’s no right answer to this. According to our guest, doing weekly live shows are an excellent way to build up your authority and reach a wide audience in a short time. However, in reality, it’s extremely challenging to sustain that pace. Unless you have the capacity to do weekly shows consistently, don’t jump onto it.
A3 (1) I’d recommend going live weekly if you can but the reality is, that’s hard and takes a ton of time, planning and resources. What is most important is being consistent, and delivering quality content. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/66cpPaOyYP
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Instead, as our guest does, try monthly shows. It’s not important whether you do weekly or monthly live shows—what’s more important is that you follow it up consistently so that your audience will remember and tune in automatically.
A3 (2) If you can commit to going live once a month – and make it an epic show – like we do @NOWMG thanks to @_storycatcher 😉 – then monthly is great! The goal is to set an appointment with your audience that they can remember. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/66cpPawpKH
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Feel free to experiment with your schedule to see what works best for you and your audience. But once you’ve found a schedule that everyone can get behind, stick to it. It’s important to commit to a fixed timetable so that your audience can start to trust your credibility.
A3 (3) Above all else, be sure that you’re ready to commit to the frequency you state from the start because that’s the only way to create trust with your audience. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/66cpPawpKH
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
The most important thing is to be consistent with when you go live. It’s also equally important to have a specific theme and plan for each episode. Focus on sharing valuable content, but also remember that it’s a chance for you to have fun, too. Share your personality throughout the live show.
A4: Be consistent with when you go live, focus on providing a LOT of value to your audience, have a topic/theme for each episode, bring your personality front and center, have a consistent show flow and above all else, MAKE IT FUN!😄 #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/q4HGqbcvAK
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Once you’ve got those fundamentals sorted, look around at your environment and fix any technical issues. For example, find a setting that offers the best light for your videos, and invest in high-quality audio and video equipment, and network connections. This is important because you should be prepared to manage the situation if things fall apart in the middle of a live show.
A4 (2) a few more best practices: have great lighting, make sure your audio and connection are reliable, and be adaptable. You have to be ready to roll with the punches because sometimes “shit happens” and you’re still live, and you’ve gotta keep the show going! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/q4HGqbcvAK
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Christine shared an excellent idea as well: Repurpose your live shows as smaller audio and video clips. Or convert them into blogs, Twitter threads, or even infographics.
A4.
While I admittedly suck at finding the bandwidth to do this myself, REPURPOSING is powerful! That one live stream could become a TON of video & audio clips, quote graphics, blog posts, etc. #TwitterSmarter ❤️ https://t.co/0BNVuQxa2z— Christine Gritmon ❤️ #ChatAboutBrand (@cgritmon) October 13, 2022
One of the most important skills you need to host a live show is adaptability. Live shows are dynamic and unpredictable. You have to think on your feet and adapt to the changing situation quickly.
Listening and confidence are skills that complement adaptability. If you pay attention to what’s happening, you’ll then be confident enough to direct the show where it needs to go.
A5: adaptability, good listening and confidence. 💯 Adaptability so that you can pivot as needed to cut a segment short of time is running close, good listening so you can really make the guest and audience feel heard and confidence to be yourself! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/46TwobTYCE
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Another really important skill is speaking, as Madalyn reminded us. However, it’s almost impossible to speak flawlessly in your first live show. You hone your skills as you do more live shows—so as Madalyn said, don’t let a lack of experience deter you from hosting shows.
A5: Speaking skills are important for hosting a live show, however, this is something you can improve upon over time as you go live more frequently. So don't let that hold you back. #JustDoIt #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/YbhWEujC7f
— Madalyn Sklar Digital Marketing since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) October 13, 2022
Most of us tend to think that we don’t need practice to speak about a topic we know. Even if you’re speaking about your expertise, facing a camera is a special skill. Thoroughly prepare and practice what you’re going to say.
A6 (1): Do a quick run-through of your notes or the show flow before going live so that you’re confident in what you’ll be speaking about and how long to spend on each point/area, and PRACTICE. It’s a skill that takes hundreds of hours to develop! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/yrc6ky8g08
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Don’t underestimate the camera—you’ll look and sound different from what you expect. Take some time out to record yourself and play it back. This will help you become a confident speaker on camera. If you get opportunities to speak to an audience, grab them with both hands. Public speaking improves your ability to hold an audience’s attention.
A6 (2): Be willing to put the time into talking to the camera – even if you start out without being live!! Get used to how you look and sound on video, and say yes to public speaking opportunities because they’re super helpful in honing the skill. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/yrc6kxRcY8
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up over small mistakes. Perfection is a myth, so don’t chase after it. Instead, focus on learning from every mistake and growing as you go.
A6 (3): finally for my fellow #perfectionists, be willing to not be amazing at first. Don’t expect perfection from every live show. Hiccups are okay; it’s what makes the show human. Just keep showing up and learning as you go. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/yrc6kxRcY8
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
For starters, any camera and microphone will do the job. Our guest uses a Logitech web camera and a ring light. Along with some natural light, it’s an ideal setup.
A7: ANY camera and external microphone is likely good enough to start! I love the @LogitechG web cam that I have. I also use a ring light for lighting, and stand facing natural light for optimal lighting. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/FYxDKP0lTu
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Don’t forget the basics, as our friends from Social Media Pulse reminded us. Make sure you have a stable internet connection and a good plan for what you’re going to say.
A7.
A phone and internet access.
(And, ideally, something to say!)
🚀#TwitterSmarter— Social Media Pulse (@SMP_Community) October 13, 2022
A live video is a perfect resource for multiple short-firm videos. Edit and publish them as YouTube Shorts, TikToks, and Reels. You can also embed the video and summarize it in a blog post, pull out quotes and create social media posts.
A8: SO MANY WAYS! Take snippets and turn them into short-form content for Reels, Tiktok and shorts. Embed the video in a written blog post with takeaways. Take the best quotes and make graphics in @canva or tweetables! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/FX7mO1JY4I
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
If you want to take it further, re-use your live videos as podcasts or use the content for your email campaigns. When you start thinking about it creatively, you’ll realize that there’re countless ways to repurpose your live videos at every stage of your customer’s journey.
A8 (2) you could strip the audio from the video and turn it into a podcast! You could also transcribe the video and use it for a value-based email for your audience. 🤓 The possibilities for extra content are quite literally endless. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/FX7mO1JY4I
— Julia Jornsay-Silverberg (@jbethjs) October 13, 2022
Well folks, that’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading through and for more great insights from our chat with Julia have a look at this Twitter Moment that Joana put together for us. If you like this summary, you’ll love the real-time chat. Join us next Thursday at 1 pm ET for #TwitterSmarter. We also have an after-chat on Twitter Spaces at 5 pm ET. See you there!
About me, Narmadhaa:
I write all the things—marketing stuff to pay the bills; haiku and short stories so I feel wholesome. A social media enthusiast, I hang out with the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and am always happy to take on writing gigs.
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