Your Facebook Live audience has many options. If you fail to capture their immediate attention, they’ll click and go someplace else.
The next time you go live on Facebook, rather than pressing the “Go Live” button and stumbling through the initial sixty seconds with an awkward hello or self-introduction, try one of these seven approaches. If you do this correctly, you’ll intrigue your viewers, capture their attention, and get them invested in knowing what you’re going to say next.
Let’s say I’m jumping on Facebook Live to talk about the power of communication. I might start off with:
1. A question
“Do you know what the biggest communication challenge is in today’s noisy world? It’s probably not what you think! In today’s Facebook live, I’m going to tell you what this huge challenge is. I’ll also be sharing three ways to overcome this problem and show you how to get your message heard each and every time.”
Next, roll into a short introduction and then move right into the livestream. Don’t waste everyone’s time during the first 5-10 minutes babbling on about nothing.
Six other approaches are:
2. Discuss a Current News Item
“Becoming an effective communicator got me on CNN last night to discuss the Presidential election. During the show, you all saw what happened. I think it just might change the outcome of the election. Would you like to know the communication steps I did to get the invite on to CNN in the first place?”
3. Share a Quote:
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
4. Give a Statistic:
“The next time you deliver a speech, keep in mind that 90% of what you’re about to say will be forgotten within 60 minutes of your last spoken word. Want to learn how to help your audience remember almost everything you said?”
5. Have Your Audience Write Something Down
“There are five steps that exceptional communicators use to share their message. Grab a pen and paper because you’ll want to write them down.”
6. Make a Prediction
“By the time we finish this presentation, I predict that you will increase your ability to persuade others by 25 to 50%.
7. Tell a Relevant Story
“I watched opposing counsel give his closing argument. He stumbled through the whole thing. It was a mess. Using 4 of the tips that I’ll be sharing with you today, I stood up, walked over to the jury, and gave a closing argument that resulted in a multi-million dollar verdict. Want to know what those four steps are?”
Conclusion
I believe that creating a bit of intrigue and immediately capturing the attention of your audience is the best way to start off an effective Facebook Live. Follow this up with compelling content while engaging your audience. Do this and there’s no limit to how successful your next Facebook Live will be.
