Blog
Behind the Scenes of How I Do Livestream Events For My Reader Fans
Have you ever wondered how I create my livestream events for my fans?
From author interviews to real-time Q&As to live book readings and audience-participation book cover design streams, I’m constantly on air interacting with my fans!
Here’s what the process looks like:
Setting Up The Live Event
First, if I have someone joining me on air, I always get in contact with them, confirm a date, and send them guest information so they know what program we’ll be using, how the flow of the show will go, and what the marketing for the event will be like.
Once that’s officially set up, I schedule the broadcast and set up the room.
I use a program called BeLive that allows me to have guests on-screen, customize the overlays, colors, and vibes of the livestream, screen share, etc. BeLive allows me to schedule my simulcast to both YouTube and Facebook.
I create a title and description, add in any links and hashtags I need, and then I design a thumbnail/promo graphic for the event. Once I have my wording just right, I hit the schedule button and the video goes up on my YouTube and Facebook page as an upcoming event. The links for these schedule shows are then used in my newsletters, on social, etc to let people know the event is coming up soon!
Then, inside the system, I set up any overlays/frames, create a unique background for the event, customize the colors and layout of the show, and set up a running list of topics I’ll be putting up on screen while we’re on air (I also use this as a way to keep track of what’s happening next on the show!)
Here are some tutorials I made on how to use BeLive to livestream if you want to do your own interviews, livestreams, or if you’re an author and own the rights to the book, a live book reading!
Before I Go On Air
Once the day of the event has arrived, I meet with my guests 15 minutes before airtime in the backstage area. We do mic check and talk about the flow of the show. If guests have questions or want to give me certain things I should or shouldn’t ask, they do this while we’re off-air in the green room.
I give helpful hints for what to do while we’re on air to make the most of our time and conversation, and then we chat for a few minutes before we hit the record button.
While On-Air
Hitting the record button sends us live to everyone joining us on YouTube and Facebook. During this time, I not only lead the conversation, but I produce the entire show and moderate the comments.
This means I’m hosting and guiding what we’re talking about while transitioning us from topic to topic. I am simultaneously putting up topics on screen, reading and moderating incoming viewer comments to ask while we’re on-air, putting up videos and photos we might be talking about, and making sure everything runs smoothly and stays on time. It sounds like a lot, but the dashboard inside the BeLive system is built to make it as easy as possible and takes a lot of the stress out of keeping my shows on track.
After The Show
When we’ve said our goodbyes, we end the recording, and my guests and I remain in the green room backstage so we can talk. We chat about the show, I inform them of where the replays will be, and I get any additional information I might need from them to market the show after the fact.
Once the guests and I have said our goodbyes, I then grab the footage and start to clip it up to repurpose it and show it on my other social media platforms in small, snappy clips from the event.
I then repeat the process over and over with new guests, for new book cover creations, with new book readings, and more. My fans can’t get enough and love the real-time interaction they get with me and my guests. I couldn’t have more fun if I tried—livestreaming with fans is even more fun than in-person book signings because you get so much more time with the fans and it feels a lot more one-on-one rather than a quick hello.
This is what my dashboard looks like when I’m livestreaming on YouTube and Facebook. I’m able to use those features while I’m hosting and producing the show to do all the cool things I do while I’m on-air interacting with you!
To the left you’ll see the features, to the right you’ll see where your comments come in for me to put on screen and answer on-air!
Have you tried creating livestreams for your fans yet? I started long before I became an author—I was interviewing authors, holding parties, and hosting events for other readers for years before I was published, so now they’re an extension of my entire brand, not just a fun thing to do!
Want To Do Your Own Bookish Livestreams?
1.) Yes, I’ll totally come do an interview!
2.) Yes, I’ll introduce you to my author friends for interviews!
3.) BeLive has both free and paid parts of the platform and with my link, you can test it out for free!
EXTENDED FREE TRIAL OF BELIVE LINK (this is an affiliate code, so I get a small percentage of your purchase if you decide you love the free version and want to do extra with the paid version, which totally helps me out!)
20% off BeLive code: KM
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK EXPERIENCE
FOLLOW K.M. ROBINSON
Get free books, bonus scenes, first access to events, parties, giveaways, and more by joining the newsletter club!
Have questions you’d like answered on a live broadcast or in a video? Email katie@kmrobinsonbooks.com
Want to set up an interview or appearance? Email katie@kmrobinsonbooks.com
All content is the property of K.M. Robinson Books, K.M. Robinson Photography, and Reading Transforms and may not be used without permission.