How to have a facebook live

Facebook Live | Meta for Media

How to go live on Facebook using a phone

Broadcast to your Page, group, profile, or event from anywhere in the world using the Facebook app or the Creator Studio app (both available on iOS and Android).

Navigate to the Page, group, profile or event where you want to publish your live stream.
Tap the Live button at the bottom of the post composer.
Add a description to your video. You can also tag friends, check in to a location, and add a feeling or activity.
Tap Start Live Video.
Tap Finish when you want to end your broadcast.

Find more information on Live Streaming Best Practices here.

Open the Creator Studio app
Click the pen and paper icon in the top right corner of the Home or Posts tab
Select the "Live" post option
Add a description to your video. You can also tag friends, check in to a location, and add a feeling or activity.
Tap Start Live Video.
Tap Finish when you want to end your broadcast.

How to go live on Facebook from a computer

When going live from a laptop or desktop computer, you’ll automatically be directed to Live Producer, which is also how you can go live on Facebook using higher-end production equipment and streaming software.

At the top of your News Feed, click What’s on your mind, [Your Name]?
Click the three dots icon then click Live Video and you will automatically be redirected to Live Producer.
Write a description for your live video.
Click Go Live in the bottom left.

Live Interactive Tools

With live interactive tools, you can drive meaningful communication with your audience and have more control over how you engage with your fans. This includes live polls, featured links, live in Stories, live comment moderation, front row, badges and more.

With live polls, effortlessly build polls before a broadcast begins and share them to fans during the broadcast. Receive real time feedback from your audience on important topics and understand what they would like to see next.

With featured links, share multiple third party links to sites you care about during your live broadcast.

With Live in Stories, you can share your live broadcasts directly to Facebook Stories as another way to maximize the reach of your content with your audience.

With live comment moderation, you can manage the conversation around your content. You can also designate a specific viewer to moderate comments on your behalf. Learn more here.

Front row highlights your top fans in a special section of your live broadcast. Front row gives you a chance to see who your most loyal fans are so you can give them a shout out during your live.

Badges help you understand how much your fans are engaging with your content and help your fans feel valued. Fans can earn different badges a number of ways, including sending Stars and tuning into live broadcasts.

Utilize a streaming software

With Live Producer, you have the option to go live using a camera and streaming software, also referred to as encoding software or an encoder. The encoder that's best for you may depend on the type of content you plan to stream. There are several programs to choose from, including free open-source software. Learn more about encoding software options and going live with streaming software.

Use Live Producer

Once you have your encoding software and camera installed, you’re ready to go live using Live Producer.

Learn more about going live

Learn more about how to use Live Producer here. If you’re planning a larger virtual event or show, we also recommend checking out this advanced Facebook Live guide.

How to bring guests into your broadcast

Live With is a co-broadcasting feature that lets you invite multiple guests into your mobile live broadcast. Live With provides a streamlined experience for going live that makes it easy to invite guests and create different types of live broadcasts.

As the host, you can select multiple guests to go live with during a mobile broadcast from your Page or profile (Live With is not available on desktop or in Live Producer at this time).

This Messenger Rooms feature allows you to turn your room into a co-hosted Facebook Live. You can easily go live with up to 50 people to a Facebook Profile, Page, or Group you manage.

Whether you’re hosting a book club, interviewing a panel of experts, teaching a fitness class, or broadcasting with your friends for fun, going live from a room makes it easy to have more interactive broadcasts with audiences of any size.

If you’re using Live Producer, you can bring guests into your broadcast by using platforms like Be.Live, Stage Ten and easylive.io.

Find the partner that is right for you. Video conferencing software providers such as Zoom and BlueJeans also allow you to broadcast live to Facebook with multiple participants.

Learn more about broadcasting Live to Facebook using Zoom and BlueJeans, or ask your video conferencing provider if they support this functionality.

Here are some things to keep in mind before, during and after your stream on Facebook Live.

Online Events

To support creators, small businesses, and other media partners, Facebook offers the option to host an Online or Paid Online* Event with Messenger Rooms, Facebook Live, or other video chatting platforms.

Depending on where you decide to host your event, Online and Paid Online Events* allow you to limit content distribution to those who have registered to attend for free or purchased admission, respectively. You can learn more about Online Events here, as well as explore these lessons for more information on planning and producing an Online Event on Facebook.

To make it easier to discover and join these online events, we have also redesigned the Events bookmark. From here, your audience can quickly find events happening now, as well as discover those based on their interests, allowing them to stay connected with you and other events they care about.

*Paid Online Events are available to a select group of partners at this time. You can learn more here.

Grow and monetize with Facebook Live

To better support our partners, we’re improving the tools that help creators earn money and manage their presence on Facebook. We’re expanding access to fan support products, such as Fan Subscriptions and Stars, as well as offering new ways to monetize video content, including ads in short-form video, ads for live video and new ad experiences. You can learn more here.

Learn to use Facebook Live

Going Live & Paid Online Events on Facebook

Learn how to make connections and create shared experiences on Facebook live video.

Live Monetization

Join us to discover how to take your livestreams to the next level and the monetisation options we have available for your live content.

How to Use Facebook Live: The Ultimate Guide

Since its debut in 2016, live streaming video has exploded in popularity. In fact, 82% of people would prefer a live video over reading a social post. It offers the opportunity to forge a more authentic and valuable connection with audiences.

It’s no secret that livestreaming has taken off in a major way. In fact, the total number of hours watched on major streaming platforms grew 99% from 2019 to 2020. Facebook users have eagerly been taking advantage of the popularity of live streaming. Now, one in every five videos on Facebook is live.

In this post, we'll walk through:

How to broadcast on Facebook Live via your mobile device
How to go live on Facebook from a desktop
How to analyze your live video's performance
Tips and tricks for getting the most out of the platform

What is Facebook Live?

Facebook Live is a Facebook feature used to broadcast real-time video to Facebook. Live broadcasters can use this content to engage their audience during moments and events that are important to them. Going live provides real-time engagement and can help increase exposure and build relationships with your audience.

Facebook Live is a feature of Facebook that lets users livestream directly to the social network platform. Viewers can react, share, and comment during the stream. A recording of the video is also published to the page or profile so it can be watched again later.

Why are marketers getting so excited about Facebook Live? Because it's a fun and fairly simple way for them to use the power of video to communicate their brand stories and build authentic relationships with fans and followers — in real-time.

However, for such a simple concept, Facebook Live has a lot of little nuances that marketers will need to learn if they want to get the most out of the platform. This guide will help you learn the best tricks that can make a big difference in how many people see your live broadcast, how they engage with it, and how it performs.

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The Marketer’s Guide to Facebook Live

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Facebook Live started as a mobile-only broadcasting feature, but now, Facebook Pages can broadcast from either mobile devices or desktop computers. We'll go over how to broadcast from mobile and desktop devices in the sections below.

How to Use Facebook Live

Facebook Live videos are public, so viewers can watch on any device where they have access to Facebook but don’t need an account. Users can go live on Facebook from a profile, a Page, a group, or an event. Starting a livestream from the app versus a web browser will be a little different, check out the instructions for each below.

How to Go Live on Facebook From the Facebook App

Step 1: Go to the profile, Page, group, or event where you want to go live.

Step 2: Click What’s on your mind? if you’re on a profile and Create a post if you’re on a page. This should open the post options.

Step 3: Click Live video in the post options.

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Step 4: Tap where it says Tap to add a description to add information about the video.

Step 5: Use the buttons on the bottom to configure the settings and any features or tools you want to use during the stream.

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Step 6: Tap Start Live Video when you are ready.

How to Go Live on Facebook From a Web Browser

Step 1: On your Facebook homepage, you should see a Live or Live Video option. If you are on a profile, it will be under What’s on your mind? If you are on anything else, it will be under Create Post. The icon will look like one of these below.

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Step 2: Choose to simply Go live or to Create live video event.

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Step 3: Then, choose details for your video. These include a start time, a title and description, who to invite as a co-host, and various audio and video controls.

Step 4: Click Go Live in the bottom left corner when you are ready.

Facebook Live Tools

Facebook offers a lot of features for you to further connect with your audience during your broadcast. Utilizing these tools will help boost engagement and create the best possible experience for your viewers. You can mix and match them to serve your stream in the best way for your business.

Live Polls: You can create a live poll beforehand to share when you go live. Then, you can see your audience’s responses in real-time during the stream.
Featured Links: Adding one or multiple featured links to the stream to promote your website or other sources.
Live in Stories: These allow you to share your streams directly to Facebook Stories to reach more of your audience.
Live Comment Moderation: Manage the conversation that happens in the comments of your livestream. You can limit who is allowed to comment and how frequently with this feature. And, you can even choose a specific viewer to also moderate comments on your behalf.
Front Row: This feature allows you to highlight your top fans in a special section of your stream. You can give them a special shoutout to show appreciation for them while you’re live.
Badges: These are a measure of how much your fans are engaging with your content. Fans can earn badges by interacting with your content, whether it's sending “Stars” or tuning in to your Facebook Live videos.
Donations: Qualified pages in certain locations can add a “Donate” button to their live video. Nonprofits using Facebook’s payment platform don’t have to pay a fee, so they get 100% of the donations.
Live With: This is a co-broadcasting feature that allows you to host your Facebook Live video with multiple guests.
Live Shopping: If you have products for sale on Facebook, this feature allows you to add product listings to feature during your livestream.

For more help with going live on Facebook, check out this video! And don’t forget that a recording of the livestream is also published to the platform where you went live. Having that content is great because you can download and repurpose it for further use.

How to Analyze Your Live Video's Performance

How to Access Video Analytics on a Facebook Business Page

Step 1: To get started analyzing your Facebook Live broadcasts, head to the Insights tab in the left-hand column of your brand's Facebook page:

Step 2: Select the Videos section of your analytics.

Step 3: From there, scroll down to the Top Videos section and choose a video from that menu to look into. (Note: We didn't have any videos posted to the page we used in this example. If you do have videos, you'll see them appear here.)

Now, let's dive into the nitty-gritty.

The performance analytics available for Facebook Live videos are similar to those of normal videos on Facebook, with some neat additions.

For Pre-recorded videos: Facebook lets you analyze minutes viewed, unique viewers, video views, 10-second views, average % completion, and a breakdown of reactions, comments, and shares.
For Facebook Live videos: Facebook lets you analyze all the metrics listed above, plus peak live viewers, total views, average watch time, people reached, and the demographics of who watched your video.

In addition to all of these static numbers, you can click into each metric to see how it changed over time when the video was live. For example, if we click into Peak Live Viewers, we'll see this interactive graph of video viewers over time:

You can even see who your typical viewer was during your broadcast, based on their Facebook profile information:

Now that you've got the steps down, let's get into some tips and tricks.

The last thing you’d want is to start a live video and then be lost. It’s live, so there are no do-overs or chances to start over. So, prepare yourself or your host as much as possible. Outline what the video will entail and follow the rest of the tips below. Also, check out these great examples of Facebook Live videos from various companies.

There are a lot of little things you can do to squeeze the most out of your Facebook Live videos.

1. Brush up on Facebook Live best practices.

Marketers have so much opportunity to reach a wider audience on Facebook Live, so it's worth committing to learning how to run a Live effectively.

In our detailed Marketer's Guide to Facebook Live, we cover essential best practices on how to plan, run, and analyze the results of a business-run Facebook Live. Download the ebook to brush up on these best practices.

2. Test out live video using the "Only me" privacy setting.

If you want to play around with live broadcasting without actually sharing it with anyone else, you can change the privacy setting so you're the only one who can see it — just like with any other Facebook post.

To switch to Only me, look for the privacy settings. Then, you should see the options and be able to select Only me from this list below.

3. Space out live videos with other Facebook posts.

The art of the organic reach on Facebook has changed over time, but you can still take advantage of it. A big way to accomplish this is to maintain a mixture of regular Facebook posts and Facebook Live videos. The live videos are the major pull, as they tend to garner more engagement. So, spacing them out will maximize the organic reach of all of your posts.

4. Keep reintroducing yourself.

When you first start the video, take a minute to introduce yourself and what the video's about. But keep in mind that when you first start live streaming, you may have zero people watching. Even a few seconds in, you could only have a handful of viewers. As people find your video on their News Feeds, they'll join in — but that means you'll want to reintroduce yourself a second, third, and even a fourth time to catch people up.

5. Make the video visually engaging.

You have to be visually engaging — not just at the very beginning of your broadcast (although that'll be important for when folks view the video later), but throughout the video as more and more people join in.

The more visually engaging you can be, the more you can entice people to stick around. That means keeping the camera moving and not just sitting in one place.

Not only will you get more viewers this way, but you'll also get your broadcast ranked higher in other people's News Feeds. Facebook started monitoring signals of video engagement — like turning on the audio, switching to full-screen mode, or enabling high definition — interpreting that as users enjoying the video. As a result, they've tweaked the algorithm so videos that people engage with in these ways will appear higher up on the feed.

6. Make it spontaneous.

What makes a live video special? The spontaneous, interactive nature of it. People love the ability to interact, and they love the novelty of viewing someone in a live moment when anything could happen. In many ways, it's the new reality TV.

These moments are what make live video special, and they're exactly what differentiates it from scripted, edited, or otherwise pre-recorded videos. Embrace the platform. Banter is always, always good.

7. Don't worry about mistakes or stutters.

Spontaneity works — even if your Facebook Live doesn't go according to plan.

Let's face it, we're all human. And when humans and technology mix, there can sometimes be technical difficulties.

If you're recording a live video, things might go wrong — your equipment could malfunction, you could lose your train of thought, or you could get photobombed by a random passerby. You can't call "cut" if things happen — you have to roll with them and keep filming and talking.

The good news? These things help keep your broadcast human and real. If you wobble your phone while filming, laugh and call it out. If you forget what you were saying, make a joke. The key is to keep the broadcast like a fun conversation, so if mistakes happen, keep it light and keep the lines of communication open with your viewers.

For example, if you make a mistake during your Facebook Live, ask viewers to write in the comments if they've made the same mistake, too.

8. Encourage viewers to Like and share the video.

One of the primary ways Facebook's algorithm ranks a post is by how many people Like and share it. The more people who Like and share your live broadcast, the more it'll show up in people's News Feeds.

But when people are watching a video, they may be more distracted from Liking and sharing it than they would a text or photo post. (That's something the folks at Facebook noticed about video content early on, which is why they began monitoring other video engagement signals as well, like turning on the volume.)

9. Engage with commenters, and mention them by name.

The number of comments on your broadcast is another way to get Facebook to give it a higher relevancy score, making it more likely to show up on people's News Feeds. So encourage your viewers to comment, and engage with people who are commenting by answering their questions and calling them out by name. Not only will it get more people to comment, but it's also a fun way to include your viewers in the live experience, which could make them stick around longer.

Plus, your audience will be thrilled to hear you mention their name and answer their questions when you are live.

10. Have someone else watching and responding to comments from a desktop computer.

When you're the one holding the camera for a Facebook Live video, it's really hard to see the comments popping up on the mobile screen. If the comments are coming in fast, it's especially easy to lose sight of them as they disappear below the fold. Plus, you're probably occupied by recording and entertaining viewers.

Because of this, it's always a good idea to have an additional person logged into the primary account to monitor the comments on a desktop computer. That way, they can take care of responding so the person recording the video can concentrate on creating a great experience.

11. Subtitle your broadcast in the comments section.

Your viewers may be tuning in and out to watch your video during the work day, or they might simply be watching your video without sound. Either way, periodically subtitling the video in the comments section is a great way to keep people engaged. This also allows people who are tuning in late to catch up on what's going on.

12. Ask viewers to subscribe to Facebook Live notifications.

In addition to asking for Likes, shares, and comments, ask viewers to subscribe to live notifications. To do that, all viewers have to do is click the small, downward-facing arrow in the top right-hand corner of the live video post, and choose "Turn On Notifications."

You can also ask them to Like your brand on Facebook, which will make it more likely that they'll be notified of your next live broadcast.

13. Broadcast for at least 10 minutes.

As soon as you begin recording your live video, you'll start slowly but surely showing up in people's News Feeds. The longer you broadcast — especially as Likes, comments, and shares start coming in — the more likely people are to discover your video and share it with their friends.

Because timing is such an important factor for engagement in these live videos, we recommend that you go live for at least 10 minutes, although you can stay live for up to 90 minutes for a given video.

14. Say goodbye before ending your video.

Before you end your live broadcast, be sure to finish with a closing line, like "Thanks for watching" or "I'll be going live again soon."

15. Add a link to the description later.

Once you've finished the live broadcast, you can always go back and edit the description, change the privacy settings, or delete the video, just like you would any other post.

You can add a trackable link to the description in the post, which can direct future viewers to your live video series page, the site of whatever campaign you're using the video to promote, or somewhere else.

We hope this has been a helpful guide. We'll keep you posted with any new developments and tips for connecting with your audience in more cool ways.

Use Facebook Live to Its Full Potential

Social media may have been invented for fun, but it’s grown into an essential business tool. Facebook as a social network is especially valuable for the ways it lets you connect to an audience, and Facebook Live is a great extension of that. Use it to the benefit of your business as a way to promote your product, build brand awareness, or grow your audience.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Topics: Facebook Marketing

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How do I add another person to live on Facebook?

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Adding another person to live on your profile or group, or joining a live broadcast is only possible on the Facebook app for iOS or Android.

You can only invite one friend at a time, but you can change guests during the live broadcast. nine0003

To add another person to live:

At the top of the Feed, click What's New With You?

Select Live.

Tap at the bottom of the screen to invite friends or group members to watch your live broadcast. Tap , select a friend from the viewer list, and tap Add twice. Your friend will receive a notification inviting them to join the live broadcast.

You can also add a friend or group member who has requested to join the live broadcast. To do this, click and select Approve next to his name. nine0003

To remove a person from the live broadcast, click on his video.

Friends and group members can send requests to participate in your live broadcast. They can join with your permission.

To join the live stream:

Click the icon at the bottom of the live stream.

Select Submit Request.

If your request is accepted, you will be notified that you will be joining the live stream soon.

To join a live stream you've been invited to, go to your notifications and click Join. nine0003

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How to conduct a live broadcast on the phone and computer

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Facebook Live Streaming has become very popular lately. Live streaming on Facebook is free and easy - here's how to do it.

Facebook Live was first introduced in 2015 and has been a huge success ever since. Companies use it to promote their products and services, as well as ordinary people who want to share the moment with friends and family. That's what makes it so original and popular. This gives viewers the opportunity to truly connect with the player, allowing them to post their reactions in real time as well as ask questions. nine0003

In this step-by-step guide, we'll show you how to livestream on Facebook using an Android device and a computer. No matter which platform you use, the process is quick and easy. Let's start.

How to livestream on Facebook using an Android device

Step by step instructions on how to livestream on Facebook on Android:

How to livestream on Facebook using a PC nine0003

Step by step instructions on how to go live on Facebook:

How to livestream on Facebook using an Android device

To start livestreaming on Facebook using an Android device, launch the app and tap “ what's on your mind? at the top, just like when creating a new message. After that select the option “ Go Live – بث مباشر From the list below.

It's time to get ready. Start by choosing which camera you will use for live streaming - front or rear. You can switch between them using the camera button at the top of the screen. Then give the live stream a description and include your location if you want viewers to know where you are. You can also add an emoji to your broadcast to let people know how you feel. nine0003

The next step is to invite your Facebook friends to join the live broadcast. Click on the option invite friend at the bottom of the screen and select friends from the list who will receive a notification as soon as the live broadcast starts. Once that's done, the next step is to add some flair to the video with things like filters, frames, and text. Just click on the magic wand icon next to the blue button » Start Live Video and play around with the popup options. nine0003

The last step before broadcasting live is to go to Live settings of and select who can watch the live broadcast (any person, or friends, or specific friends...). You can access these settings by clicking on the me: . .. icon in the top left corner of the screen. After that, you can finally go live on Facebook by clicking the " Start Live " button.

Step by step instructions on how to livestream on Facebook on Android:

Open the Facebook app on your Android device.
Click on section What's on your mind "Upstairs.
Click on the option " البث المباشر ".
Select camera for live stream - Switch between front and rear camera using the camera icon at the top of the screen.
Give the live broadcast a title and, optionally, a location. You can also enter an emoticon.
Invite your Facebook friends to join the live broadcast by clicking "Option". nine0093 invite a friend . The selected friends will receive a notification as soon as the live stream starts.
Spice up your video with filters, frames, and text by clicking the magic wand icon next to " Start Live Video".
Specify who can view the live stream (for example, person, friends, specific friends...) by clicking the "To:..." section in the top right corner of the screen.
click on the button " Start live video To start live broadcast.
You can broadcast live for a maximum of four hours.
click on the button " end To stop the broadcast, after which you can share or delete the recording on your timeline.

How to livestream on Facebook using a PC

Livestreaming on Facebook using a computer is less common than using a smartphone, just because you don't have a computer all the time. In addition, it is much larger and heavier. nine0003

To get started, go to Facebook on your computer, log in and click on the icon with three horizontal dots in the Compose icon at the top of the page. A pop-up window will appear, after which you must click on "Option". Live video ".