Is LiveStream Video (Periscope and Facebook Live) right for you?

Hello Seekerville peeps,

You always feel like an extended family of sorts.

Cara Grandle here.

Julie Lessman invited me to be her guest today. I’ve never guest blogged before, so picture me with knees knocking together. 

I met Julie at the first annual Christian Fiction Readers Retreat 2016 and again at the ACFW. (She is just as passionate about life and redemption in person as she is in her books.)

After spending a little time fan-girling, we started chatting about the possibilities of Periscope and Facebook Live for authors. She thought you might like to see what the whole live-video thing was about too.

Have you seen livestream, interactive videos popping up on all your social medias?

Have you thought about trying live-video yourself? 

If you just broke into a sweat, groaned aloud and felt the need to climb back into bed and hide under your blankets, hold on. Don’t shut the front door yet. Live-video is a powerful tool. It’s an easy way for your readers to see the authentic you behind your books. And in case you forgot… YOU ARE INTERESTING. All those books you read, all that research you do, all those places you’ve been, all those things you’ve lived through and most importantly all those things you’ve learned along the way become a great sharing ground.

On top of that, live-video is a healthy, productive way to break out of the “friends and family bubble”.
 
All it takes is a moment of courage and pressing one little button and new folks can see your face and hear your story. And if you give them some encouragement, some craft, and a little friendship, they will champion you and their loyalty will be fierce. The people you gather will fast become readers and reviewers waiting with bated breath for your next book. 

I’m here to help you test the waters and decide if these new tools, Facebook Live and Periscope, would be a good fit for you.

Well, I’m at least here to show you what the hoopla is all about so you can make an educated decision for yourself. I’ll guide you through the process of both applications with step-by-step instruction…in a video. Ha ha, how about that?

If you’ve been tempted to live-video but you’ve been nervous to begin in front of your already existing following, I can show you what to expect and what to watch out for so you won’t make a fool of yourself in front of your audience and launch teams.

Before we begin, let’s make sure that you know what I’m talking about. Here is a sample of a Facebook Live Session:

And here is a sample of a Periscope. (Periscope is its own application like Facebook and Instagram. It is affiliated with Twitter)

But you say, “There is no way I’m going to “Go Live.” It would be worse than speech class in high school.” (And all the introverts groaned in unison and dove back under their covers.)

That may be true, but before you decide to pass, you should learn the details. Some of the most successful Periscope-ers and Facebook Live-ers that I follow are introverts. These tools allow you to clearly speak your mind to a crowd with a sense being only with one or two people. You can collect and gather more and more people, but it always feels like it’s just you talking to a friend.

The hardest part is hitting that “Go Live” button for the first time. (Both apps require a smartphone to access them. You can watch both on a computer, but in order to video you need the phone.)

So here is how they work:

This is a 33-minute video that teaches you all you need to know to get started on Periscope.Learn Periscope Video

And this is a 16-minute video that teaches you all you need to know about broadcasting on Facebook Live.

Learn Facebook Live Video

After watching these How-to videos, would you ever consider trying Facebook Live or Periscope? Why or why not? (I can’t wait to hear your take.)

If you already Periscope or Facebook Live, feel free to share that in the comments too. Help us find you.

GIVEAWAY:
Leave a comment and enter to win my STAY-cation Writers Retreat Course. Prepare for, set-up and execute a successful writers retreat without leaving the comfort of your own home. Presented in what format? Again, It’s a Video Course, my friends.
If you are interested in the course, (and you didn’t win it) you can find it here:

Link to Course

Thank you again for sharing your time with me. I look forward to seeing a few of your beautiful faces on Periscope or Facebook Live in the very near future. You can do it. Be brave.

I pray a blessing on all your 2017 writers dreams and goals.
I’m so glad He has the outcome of our life-stories in His hands.

BIO:
Cara Grandle is a Historical Christian Romance Novelist who prefers to write about the early settlers of the Pacific Northwest. She is represented by Karen Ball with the Steve Laube Agency. Cara leads the author4TheAuthor writers group on Facebook, home to 170 writers just like you. Together they're pressing back on busy and making a space for their dreams. Cara hosts a Writers Encouragement show weekly on Periscope. The show is on Tusesday mornings at 9:00am PST. Cara's Periscope show includes live, interactive author-interviews with leading Christian fiction novelist such as Katherine Reay, Kate Breslin, and Roseanna White, under the handle @CaraGrandle. She is a wife, mother of five, volleyball coach, planner junkie, calligrapher and high school Spanish teacher.