Instagram included the live shows at the end of 2016, a complement to the stories that have been gaining weight within the platform. For this reason, now the company promotes this communication channel that can bring so many benefits. This is everything you need to know about Instagram Live .
Instagram powers live events
Despite the fact that Instragram was born as a social network focused on photography, over the years it has been gaining more and more options until it has become the current “monster” that it is. And we do not say this in a derogatory way, on the contrary. Because now you can not only share photos, but also videos, stories that disappear after 24 hours of their publication and also live broadcasts.
This last option is one of the ones that has grown the most in recent months. For this reason, the company has announced a series of changes to enhance them. So that the most active users can benefit from new live broadcasts.
So the time has come to make a complete guide on Instagram live shows: how they are made, what options they offer, what interaction it allows with the audience, how to save them, etc.
What are direct or Instagram Live
Instagram Live or direct from Instagram are a way of sharing experiences with the platform’s user community. Integrated as a functionality within the stories themselves, it is enough to access them and start broadcasting live the signal captured by your smartphone’s camera.
How to start an Instagram live
To start an Instagram live the process is as simple as publishing a story. What you should do is the following:
- Open the Instagram app
- In the upper left corner touch the icon to add a new story
- Once inside, at the bottom swipe left to select the Live option
- Press the button to start the broadcast
Ready, the broadcast will automatically start and your followers will receive a notification that you are live. As long as they have not deactivated them, because Instagram notifications can be configured so that Live and IGTV videos are not notified in real time.
How the audience interacts during live shows
Your followers can interact with you while you do a live in different ways. On the one hand with the reactions it offers in the form of hearts, emoticons, etc., as well as sending questions or comments to which you can respond. These questions and comments were once a mess when it came to being reviewed, but now they are much more comfortable and efficient thanks to a dedicated box that you will see during your broadcast.
Finally, the live shows also give you the possibility of interacting with your audience by accepting that one of them joins the live show on time. You simply have to request to do so and if you accept both will appear on the screen.
What is the maximum duration of Isntagram live shows
Until now, the maximum duration of Instagram live events was 60 minutes. From now on, Facebook announced that they would last up to 4 hours (240 minutes) . It may be too much for you, but the truth is that it is something that some have already requested.
Therefore, this increase in hours will give more than enough margin for most events, talks, seminars and other types of content that are published in these types of events.
How many simultaneous people can do a live
Live Instagram right now can only be done with a maximum of two people . Each of them logically using their smartphone and camera. This is the official option, although there is the possibility of doing live events with more people.
The only problem with this option, although it also brings advantages, is that you have to use third-party services. That is to say, it resorts to the use of a computer and applications such as OBS that connect to a platform that acts as an intermediary to simulate that you are broadcasting from your phone. They are safe options, at least if you use services like Instafeed and YellowDuck .
The advantage of this last method is that you will be able to have greater control and personalization capacity of the live show, something that may interest you if you also want to raise the quality of the broadcast itself or do it on several platforms at the same time.
Where are Instagram live streams saved?
Live streams are deleted as soon as they finish unless you decide to save them to stories. If so, you and your followers will have extra time to re-visualize it. This period has also recently been modified and is now thirty days. Once this time has expired, they will disappear.
If you don’t want this to happen, the option given by Instagram is to download the live video and upload it to another platform or publish it directly on IGTV .
Can you make money with Instagram Lives?
Finally, are the Instagram Lives monetizable? The answer is no, at least on the part of the platform right now and in an official way not. If you get a sponsorship for its realization, that is something else. Although the most interesting of all is that Instagram is testing something that they have decided to call as Instagram Badges.
These Instagram badges will allow users to buy for amounts between 0.99 and 4.99 euros a badge that allows them to highlight their comment. And that money goes to the profile of who is issuing. So yes, in the future it may be an additional source of income.
Why are Instagram live streams interesting?
The use of Instagram direct messages can be very attractive for any user of the platform, although influencer and brand profiles can take advantage of them even more. With an audience of more than 500 million active users a day, the visibility to be gained is brutal .
In addition, during the months of confinement, the use of Instagram Live has grown. And if we take into account that when you make a live it is positioned in the first place of the notifications of new stories for any user, all the more reason to bet on them.
So, now that you are clear about all this Instagram live events, why not go ahead and start with one? You can try from the classic question and answer format, live classes or simply to show what is happening at that precise moment around you. It’s up to you.
