Facebook live is awesome, there’s no doubt about that but the problem lies when your audience does not know when you will be streaming live. Facebook has addressed this problem by introducing a scheduling feature for pages which are verified. By doing so, users will now be notified about upcoming live videos up to a week in advance.
Scheduling videos and notifying users about it will make it much more easier to build an interest and create a buzz among the audience before the live feed begins.
This is somewhat very close to watching live television! It is of course possible to announce via a status update regarding a live feed but the new feature is much more engaging and polished giving the users an urge to subscribe to event.
Facebook will also be opening a chat-room before a live broadcast feed for people to enter and start a discussion.
Here’s a short ‘how-to’ schedule a live video from Facebook’s official announcement:
How to Schedule a Live Video
If you’re a Page Admin using the Facebook Live API, it takes only a few steps to schedule a Live broadcast.
1. Navigate to Publishing Tools
Once you’re in Publishing Tools, select “Video Library” and then “Live.”
2. Copy your stream credentials (e.g. steam key, Server URL)
If you need to find the credentials closer to the time you’re going live, they are also available by editing the post in Video Library.
3. Craft your announcement post
Be sure to write an engaging and informative description so your followers know what to expect from your broadcast. You will be able to update the description later if you want to.
4. Finalize your scheduled live broadcast
Put any finishing touches on your post (such as adding a custom image) before you schedule your broadcast.
