How to Use Facebook Live – 14 Common Questions Answered

Facebook Live was first announced a couple of years ago but was only available for Facebook staff members and celebrity interviews. However, as of April 2016, Facebook has made its Live feature available to all users, companies and businesses.

Facebook Live is an exciting feature that makes it possible for anyone on Facebook to create real-time videos for their audiences by simply clicking the live video icon underneath the status bar.

Facebook Live provides a fantastic opportunity for businesses to connect with potential customers in a different way. For example, if your business was hosting a large event, you could capture and broadcast the footage in real time, allowing your audience to see what’s happening at that very moment.

In this blog post, we will cover a range of frequently asked questions about Facebook Live. Our answers provide all the key information you need to know to start using Facebook Live yourself.

Our very own Facebook Live video

Here at Fresh Egg, we decided to create our own Facebook Live video. This was a test to find out exactly how Facebook Live works and what we like about it. This video includes a tour of our Worthing office at lunch time – enjoy!

Facebook Live FAQs

1. What equipment do I need?
If you have a Facebook page or profile, or Facebook Mentions account, all you need is your phone. Facebook Live is available to both iOS and Android users.

2. How should I prepare before going live?
You have the ability to notify your followers about your plans to broadcast live. This gives people notice, so you’ll receive more viewers when you do decide to go live.

3. Should I let people know why I’m going live?
Before going live, you should post a brief description of what your live broadcast will include. This will give your audience an idea of what to expect. It’ll also help attract potential customers and a larger audience; if someone sees your live video on their feed but doesn’t know what it’s about, they’ll be less likely to click on it to watch the full video.

4. How do I know if a Facebook video is live?
When a Facebook Live video appears on your timeline, a red icon in the top left-hand corner will appear. The word ’Live‘ will be written next to the icon, along with a count of how many current viewers there are.

(Source: Facebook Newsroom)

5. Why isn’t Facebook letting me go live?
Ensure you have a strong connection. Being connected to WiFi is recommended, or 4G. If the connection isn’t strong enough, a pop-up will appear saying ‘Can’t start live video’, meaning you won’t be able to broadcast live.

6. How long should I broadcast for?
Facebook recommends that you stay live for at least 10 minutes. This will result in reaching a larger amount of viewers. If you want to stay live for longer, you have the opportunity to broadcast live for up to 90 minutes.

7. How will people know when I’m going live in the future?
Your followers can sign up for notifications, ensuring they’re always aware of when you’re live. You can encourage people to sign up for these notifications by revealing snippets of important information in each live broadcast, meaning your audience really won’t want to miss a single video.

(Source: Facebook Newsroom)

8. How often should I post live videos on Facebook?
Broadcast regularly to keep your audience engaged, but don’t broadcast live videos too

much as this could become annoying for your audience. It will clog up their feed and you’ll lose the excitement and interest from your viewers.

9. How do I keep my viewers interested in my live videos?
Always vary your live content in order to keep your viewers interested. However, you must always ensure your content is relevant to what your business offers and who your target audience is. Your live videos should also provide useful information and solve any problems or answer any questions your followers may have.

Broadcasting regularly will also help keep your audience engaged but it’s important to remember that high quality content will be expected – be sure not to post live videos just for the sake of it.

(Source: Facebook Newsroom)

10. What do I do if someone comments on my live video?
If you receive a comment from one of your followers, reply and thank them for their feedback on your live broadcast, or answer any questions they have. Also, don’t forget to mention their name, as this makes the message more personalised.

(Source: Facebook Newsroom)

11. Where do live videos show up on Facebook?
Live videos appear in a user’s News Feed and on your page or profile while you are live. Once you have finished your broadcast, your live video will show where other videos would normally appear.

12. How do I rank live videos in News Feed?
Facebook has made an update to the News Feed so that Facebook Live videos are more likely to appear at the top of someone’s News Feed, meaning users are less likely to miss when you are live.

(Source: Facebook Newsroom)

14. Can I embed Facebook Live videos?
Yes you can. To do this you right click on the video you wish to embed and click ‘show video URL’, you then copy this URL into Facebook’s Embedded Video Player Configurator and click ‘Get Code’, this will then open a window displaying the video’s embed code!

Examples of businesses using Facebook Live

BBC Live Video

Entertainment Weekly Live Video

YahooTV Live Video

We would love to know what you think of Facebook Live, leave us a comment below.