Business Building By Perioscoping
The Periscope APP has allowed Twitter account holders to do live business broadcasts from interesting places and events. And I do mean interesting! Think of Periscoping as an ADVENTURE. You are our PERSONAL TOUR GUIDE. You are taking your audience into a world they don’t normally get to see… through your eyes.
BE INTENTIONAL. KEEP IT INTERESTING. IF SOMETHING STARTS TO FEEL BORING…MOVE ON.
Don’t just turn on your phone’s camera and starting shooting something boring. Put your business hat on and tell your customers something they need to know. As a guy who was a TV host and did hundreds of man-on-the-street interviews, etc., here are some tips to make your Periscope broadcasts attract more viewers.
The pace & energy should be brisk…NOT delivered in real time. Professional broadcasters speak between 180-220 words per minute (and viewers have no trouble keeping up). But in life, most people only speak at 120 words per minute…which can sound too sluggish for TV.
1. PREPARATION. It’s always best to scout the location so you can plan your “story” and your “tour route.” Ask yourself:
- “How is the lighting?” “Is natural (or artificial) lighting showing off our subject – or our object as we walk our route?”
- “How is the sound?” We don’t want to lose awesome sound bites because the audience can’t hear what is being said. Use an excellent small MICROPHONE that connects directly into an iPhone, Galaxy, or Tablet. Here is a really good one.
- Note: Always use THE HORIZONTAL CAMERA ANGLE ABOVE. You will capture more ambience. The horizontal angle is also better when you upload to Social Media, YouTube, or your Website. The VERTICAL ANGLE is really bad for “TV.”
- “Are there SURPRISES along the route?” If not, can we create some surprises?
- “Where should our Tour END?”
- “What should we say or what should we promote as we end the piece?” (viewers always remember the ENDING more than any other element of the piece. The Ending is how they will judge their investment of time watching you)
2. YOU’RE ON THE AIR: Once you start your Periscope Show, keep your pace brisk. Know where you intend to go – and what you intend to accomplish on the tour.
- Announce the REASONS you are Periscoping (to reveal new items…to meet new people…to introduce a site not available to the public. I.e., “We are backstage at New York Fashion Week. Tickets are $500 but I’m taking you deep inside to show you what you can’t see from the runway.”
- Constantly TEASE your viewers about what you are doing – and what they will see next. TV shows are always telling us what is coming up next. “We have a celebrity here I want you to meet…but I’m not going to tell you who it is. Here is a clue. You will know her from TV and this is her home.”
- Surprise your viewers: We want the tour to feel spontaneous and authentic….NOT contrived…so even though you have roughly planned your tour route, look for interesting people or locations along the way so you can “mine the moment for gold.”
- Invite viewers to participate. Acknowledge them along the way (Marisa does this VERY well)
- “Hi Leah…glad you’re joining us tonight.”
- “Tell me what you like so far”
- “If you want me to go back and show you something again…let me know.”
3. ENDING: Since this is the most important part of the tour, it’s OK to somewhat ‘stage’ a finale. Maybe the final shot displays the most people…or the most incredible spectacle of the tour. This is the time to reveal the person or object you have been teasing since the beginning.
Maybe you set it up ahead of time to get your on-site audience to shout in unison…or wave…or reveal something cool.
- “On the count of three..you all know what to do” (and they all shout BOSS-BABES-ROCK!!! WOO HOOO!!!)
SIGN OFF: “Thank you for watching. I’m (your name). Don’t forget to visit us at (give your website address) if you want to see more. GOOD BYE EVERYONE!!”
Filed in: Relevant Report
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