Going live on Facebook is great. But it’s not very useful if there is no-one there to watch. If your audience doesn’t know you were planning on streaming, they won’t be there when you start. The solution? Facebook is introducing a live-scheduling feature so you can let your audience know about it, up to a week in advance.
The feature has been on Facebook’s plans for a few months now. This week, it will become a reality. You could always inform your followers about your upcoming live broadcasting via a regular status update, but the new feature does much more than that. With the scheduler, it’s not only about letting your audience know in advance. They can also set up reminders to make sure they will not miss your broadcast, once the day has come.
The scheduler will only be available to verified Pages at first (not verified users) but should be rolled out to all Pages over the coming weeks. Together with the scheduler, Facebook is also introducing a “waiting room” where people will be able to chat to each other before the live broadcasting starts.
How To Schedule Your Next LIVE Video
For now, you will only be able to schedule LIVE video through the Facebook Live API, not directly from your mobile device. To schedule a LIVE video, start on your verified Page:
1. Navigate to Publishing Tools
Once you’re in Publishing Tools, select “Video Library” and then “Live.”
2. Copy your stream credentials (e.g. steam key, Server URL)
If you need to find the credentials closer to the time you’re going live, they are also available by editing the post in Video Library.
3. Craft your announcement post
Be sure to write an engaging and informative description so your followers know what to expect from your broadcast. You will be able to update the description later if you want to.
4. Finalize your scheduled live broadcast
Put any finishing touches on your post (such as adding a custom image) before you schedule your broadcast.
The ability to schedule LIVE video is a great feature: It will in no doubt help gather more viewers as it will get the buzz going, up to a week in advance, and remind your followers about the upcoming LIVE on the actual day.
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