Starting a live video with your Instagram followers can help you establish a deeper connection. First of all, it allows you to reply to comments in real-time instead of underneath prepared content, as well as show things that aren’t obvious on your feed. Second of all, you can also post longer, more detailed videos instead of short-form content. Additionally, after it ends, you can save the replay video to your IGTV or your Live Archive for later use. The benefits are many, and it’s a nice change of pace. We suppose no more convincing is needed, here’s how to go live on Instagram.
Why use Instagram Live?
Using Instagram Live to interact with your followers is simple and quite beneficial. Present your work, do a fun or helpful session, answer questions, and get immediate responses from your audience! Instagram Live is a fantastic technique for attracting new followers to your profile.
How to livestream on Instagram
To start a live video on Instagram, you must not have had a post removed for not following the Instagram Community Guidelines. Other than that, there are no requirements. Here’s what to do.
- Tap on the camera icon in the upper left corner.
You can also swipe right to open the camera roll. - Scroll down until you see an option titled Live.
- Tap on the broadcasting icon (a dot with signals around it).
In some versions of the app, it’s titled Go Live. - You are now live!
The comments will appear at the bottom of the window, and the number of current viewers in the upper corner. - When you want to end the Instagram livestream, tap on End in the upper right corner. Tap to confirm.
And there you have it, those were the steps required to go live on Instagram. It was pretty easy, wasn’t it? Now you can speak directly to your audience and slowly build a close relationship. You may be also interested in going live on YouTube or Facebook.
How to go Live on Instagram on a PC
You need a third-party app to go live on your PC because the platform only supports live broadcasting from mobile devices. While there is third-party software that enables you to do an IG live on your desktop, utilizing them is not advised because they are in violation of Instagram’s terms and regulations. Whatever your reason, you should always pick the smartphone option while going live on Instagram.
Here is a video that might be helpful –
Additional options for managing an Instagram livestream
- Tap on Comment at the bottom of the window to write a comment.
- Tap on your comment then tap Pin Comment to highlight it for everyone.
- If you want to disable comments, tap on the three dots at the bottom. Tap on Turn Off Commenting. You can also tap on three dots and Turn Off Requests To Go Live if you don’t want anyone to ask to join you.
- To ask a friend to join you, he or she has to be currently watching. Tap the icon with two smileys, then tap on their account name and tap Add. You two will appear on split-screen. You can tap on the X in the upper right corner to remove the person at any time.
- At the end of the stream, you can tap on the down arrow (similar to the download icon) in the upper left corner. This allows you to save the live stream to your storage or IGTV. Keep in mind that only the ‘bare’ video will be saved, not the viewers’ comments.
Best Time to go Live on Instagram
Your IG analytics will determine when is the best time range to go live on Instagram for you. Discover the days and hours when your followers are most engaged with IG Insights. The best engagement will result from your ability to broadcast at that time range. You might need to get up early or stay up late if the majority of your followers are located on the other side of the globe, but it will definitely be worthwhile!
What to do Later?
Now that you understand how to do an Instagram Live, what should you do after you’re down streaming? Ensure to download your live broadcast or choose “save to IGTV” because Instagram does not automatically save them. Then, you may share it on your Stories to further encourage viewership. This is especially great if your live streams are a collection of educational videos or have a related theme.