How to Host a LinkedIn Live Event and the Best Practices

Hosting a LinkedIn live event is an excellent opportunity to showcase your brand to prospects and grow your connections. Live events on social media platforms are gaining momentum on the internet. In the last couple of years, individuals and companies have hosted live events to engage and attract people to their brands. 

Live events generate more reactions and comments than other content on LinkedIn. It’s becoming increasingly clear that LinkedIn live event is a gold mine for generating more engagements. This is due to the fact that LinkedIn users are more active when they gather in real-time.

Real-time communication with prospects at live events gives them a sense of belonging, knowing there’s a human on the other side of the screen. So they get instant responses to their questions and challenges.

How to Host a Live Event on LinkedIn

The process of hosting a live event on LinkedIn is a bit different from that of other social platforms. Here, you can’t just log into your account, click on a button, and begin to broadcast. There are processes to going live on LinkedIn.

Therefore, before planning a LinkedIn live event, you should know there are certain conditions to meet. You must have user access to enjoy the benefits of going live on LinkedIn. To get the approval to host a live event, you must submit an application form. Then wait for approval before going taking the next step. 

Check LinkedIn live video access criteria to ensure you qualify to host a live session. You must have a minimum of 150 followers or connections. And you must make sure your content aligns with what LinkedIn expects from its creators.

Once you’ve fulfilled all the requirements, you can proceed with your application. The chance of getting a go-ahead is pretty high when you’ve checked all the boxes.

While you wait for the approval, you can go ahead to invite, manage, and inform your connections by taking the following steps.

1. Click the home button at the top of your LinkedIn page.

2. Go to Events on the left side of your homepage and click on the ‘+’ sign.

3. A create event window will pop up; fill all required fields with the correct details and documents.

4. Once you’ve created an event, you can start sending invites to your connections.

Note: Make your event public to allow your connections to send invitations to others. Attendees can invite up to 1000 people weekly if given permission. Also, you can popularize your event by sharing the event’s URL with your connections.

LinkedIn grants both personal profiles, and business pages access to host a live event. And there are two possible options for starting a LinkedIn live session. You can host an event using LinkedIn creator mode or a third-party broadcast tool. 

You can choose what works best depending on your goal with the LinkedIn live event.

The approval to host a live event will be granted a few days before the date you set to go live. This will allow you to prepare better for your broadcast session. It will also allow your connections to prepare for it adequately. 

Some of the audience may have one or two things they’d like you to address. You’d need a bit of research on the topic of discussion. 

While you prepare, you should focus more on content than technical.  With LinkedIn’s integration of live videos, you can get set for a live session with just a few clicks. For instance, LinkedIn automatically creates a live event when you use a third-party broadcaster tool. 

After you’ve chosen the tool, all you need to do is write the title and description for your event. And after that, LinkedIn will create your live event, and you can start your live session on the platform.

LinkedIn Live Event Best Practices

As mentioned earlier, the technical parts of hosting a live event on LinkedIn are not difficult to cover. All you need is the right tools and a good video camera on your device (PC or smartphone). 

However, the success of your live event does not depend only on the quality of your tools. The content of your speech, the caliber of people you invite, who the guest speakers are, and so on, are equally important.

You need to know the LinkedIn live best practices to attract your target audience and make them stay tuned throughout the event. A well-thought strategy is crucial to hosting a successful live session on LinkedIn.

Below are some of the LinkedIn live best practices.

1. Choose a Relevant Topic for Discussion

Knowing what your audience would be anxious to hear from you is vital to a successful LinkedIn live event. That’s why you must choose the topic carefully and ensure it’s relevant to your audience.

Choose topics that are related to your brand and perform well on LinkedIn. You can start by checking LinkedIn analytics. The best-performing posts or content will give you an idea of the topics your connections would like to discuss.

Also, staying on top of trends can be an excellent way of getting relevant topics for your LinkedIn live events. 

2. Invite Industry Experts and Influencers

People would be eager to learn one or two things from industry experts and influencers. They’d like to hear the opinion of those with a level of authority in the industry on specific issues. Bringing professionals to a live session will make people recognize and trust your brand. Nothing can be more human than bringing people together to gain values and share opinions. 

3. Be Time Conscious

Lack of time consciousness is one of the things that make people avoid or leave a live event. You should have a well-thought speech and timeline. Ensure your guest speakers adhere to the stipulated time when they have the floor.

You don’t have to bore your audience with self-appraisal during a LinkedIn live event. All you need to do is give an explanatory introduction and move to the core ideas of your presentation. There should be no time wasting.

Also, ensure the duration of the live event is no longer than necessary.

Hosting a LinkedIn live event is not difficult. Getting the most out of it is the main issue. Once you have user access to live events, take full advantage of the platform. Make sure you use it to promote your brand and grow your network. LinkedIn live events help to improve brand awareness and give room for more opportunities.