How to improve your music livestreams.

Celebrated independent songwriter and pro live-streamer Emma McGann shares her top five tips for delivering an engaging livestream.

Here’s how to grow your audience and keep them coming back for more, every time you go live!

1. Encourage audience interaction

The most important thing about livestreaming is audience interaction. Emma says:

It’s so important to interact with the people that are actually sat at home watching you in real time. They’ve taken time out of their day to come in and see you in your element. So make sure you answer any questions that come your way, drum up conversation, maybe talk about a specific topic to really engage everybody who’s tuned in.

2. Prep your stream

It pays to be prepared. Emma says:

No doubt you’re already jumping into your vocal warm-ups and rehearsing before you jump into your stream. Try to iron out any Tech Gremlins or difficulties before you go live. I’d recommend hosting a dummy stream, maybe on YouTube on a different account that is not connected to your music account just so you can get a feel for what the audio and the video is going to look and sound like on the other end.

3. Start now, upgrade later

Beginning is the hardest part. Improvements can happen as you build your skills and audience. Emma says:

Don’t worry about having the best equipment to go live. Go live with the equipment that you already have, even if it’s just on your phone. You can jump on and connect with your audience no matter what equipment you have, and you can always upgrade a little bit later down the line.

4. Set a schedule

A regular schedule builds anticipation and participation. Emma explains:

Letting your audience know when and where they can find you is key. Depending on how regularly you go live, make sure that you do a social push well in advance so people know exactly where to find you and they don’t miss your show. Whatever your schedule for live streaming is, host it on your website or on your Discord or somewhere accessible to your fans and keep things consistent. If you’ve set a date for your stream, make sure you show up on time.

5. Be yourself

Authenticity is key. Emma says:

Showcase the content on your stream that you love to share. Lean into the fact that mistakes are going to happen. Live is real-time and there’s no room for editing. That might sound scary if you’ve never gone live before. The sooner you accept that mistakes can happen and lean into that real-time moment, then the more enjoyment you’re gonna have. And your audience are going to enjoy the show more to.