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Last week, I heard a talk given by Elizabeth Stephens of the Columbia Missourian about the Facebook tool, Facebook Live. Relatively new to the world of social media, the feature allows you to broadcast live videos to your Facebook page, which are also available for streaming after the live feed has ended.

Facebook Live was not the first on the block in the world of live streaming. The app ‘MeerKat’ introduced the concept, a third party service that allowed users to connect their accounts to Facebook and Twitter. These sites soon started their own versions of the trend, which is where Facebook Live and its Twitter counterpart, Periscope, come from.

Instagram and YouTube have also come up with their own versions of the live stream. Much like Facebook Live or Periscope, Instagram Live allows you to broadcast live to your audience. However, unlike the other tools, which allow for available streaming even after the live feed ends, an Instagram Live video disappears once the feed cuts out.

During her talk, Stephens gave several tips on how to use live video successfully. The first was to be in ‘Live’ mode for at least ten minutes. This is the average amount of time it takes to gain a real viewership for your live video. Almost two thirds of live video views are after the feed has ended, so if your video is not long enough, odds are good your audience will be small. Another tip was to engage with commenters by name and answer their questions live. This engages your viewers more and makes them want to tune in.