Mastering Facebook Live

Video on Facebook

47% of NewsWhip customers get traffic rates in the region of 20%- 100% from Facebook.

Twitter is the biggest driver outside of Facebook.

newswhip customer survey on traffic sources

engagement growth in native video

Organic video content seeing huge increases in engagement on FB

• More immersive native content in Facebook increasing the viral loop

• Same can be seen with instant articles, likely for the same reasons.

driving publishers to create more video

top video trends from news publishers

Many of the top videos from publishers are “feel good” pieces, human interest, or quirky science stories.

People are drawn to: • positive, happy stories • videos that show something they

wouldn’t see everyday • stories that make them react

emotionally

Facebook Video Champions to Watch: NowThis, Daily Mail, Huffington Post, ABC, BuzzFeed, AJ+

Facebook Live

What we learned from 30 days of Facebook live

We analyzed 30 days of content from BBC News and the New York Times.

The New York Times posted 40 Live videos out of 141 videos total. (73 Live videos when we looked at their other Facebook pages)

BBC News posted around 60 Live videos to their main page, or an average of two Live video a day.

The most popular video from both pages were heavily news-focused.

What we learned from 30 days of Facebook live

Both the New York Times and BBC News use Live video to add to a story they’re already covering.

The format varies: some have reporters add their own insights and answer questions, others talk to eye-witnesses or experts.

The most successful Live reports are around issues that have major relevance.

1. Facebook Live gives publishers a new way of adding to news stories

What we learned from 30 days of Facebook live

Live video lends itself to lots of creativity. In 30 days, the New York Times also experimented with:

• live drone footage • streamed panels • public interviews • a live music performance

These included footage from a drone above China’s Li River, an ‘are you smarter than a NY Times journalist’ quiz, and a live drawing of the day’s news by an artist.

The BBC had their ‘Fact Check’ team answer questions about the UK’s EU referendum, the day before the vote.

2. From drones to quizzes, new Live formats are being tested heavily

What we learned from 30 days of Facebook live

Here’s how long the NYT’s most engaged Live videos were over the 30 days we analyzed:

1. Interview with Orlando shooting survivor: 31 minutes, 19 seconds. 2. A Times editor explains what happened in the shooting: 11.02 3. Drone footage of Chinese national park: 17.21 4. A Times journalist reports on flooding in Paris: 18.14 5. A Times journalist reports from New York’s Pride Parade: 12.00

Facebook recommends a five minute minimum for Live video.

3. The length of the video depend on the subject matter

The appeal of Live videos is that they’re actually live, and so there’s a reason they may do better the longer they go on.

But ultimately, it’s down to what they’re about.

What we learned from 30 days of Facebook live

The comment section of Live video posts takes on a new importance.

Comments here can add context and clarity, and direct viewers to additional relevant content.

4. Social Media Editors are really getting involved in the comments

Context for those joining late Apologies for foul language Links to other content

Additional information

Publishers with the top Facebook live video

This BuzzFeed video drove over 411,000 Facebook engagements, making it the top Live video we analyzed for the month.

Facebook Live: Engagement breakdown

Facebook live gets most engagement while live

Unsurprisingly, the main attraction of Live videos in the news feed is that they’re actually live.

This means it’s important to promote your videos while they’re live.

If we look at a video that was not live vs. a Live video, we can see marked differences in their engagement trajectory.

Looking in NewsWhip Spike, we can see this 2+ hour video from the Weather Channel drove over 131,000 interactions.

82,000 of those came during the broadcast itself, or 62% of the total engagements a week later.

Engagement for Facebook Video

Not Live from BuzzFeed Tasty Live Video from UFC

Note the huge upsurge in engagement during the 17 minutes that the UFC video was live (highlighted above). In those 17 minutes, the video attracted 29,300 interactions. 19 hours later, that grew to 85,500. Over 34% came while the video itself was live.

Facebook live gets most engagement while live

This appears to hold true for longer live broadcasts, too. The New York Times recently published a 44 minute interview with Julian Assange.

This time, 50% of the total engagements after one week came while the video was still live, and in the minutes directly afterwards.

The longer the video, the more likely that the bulk of engagements will happen while the video is live.

Promote your videos while live

The lesson here for video producers is to make sure that they’re engaging their videos to the maximum once they’re live.

How can you make sure your audience is ready to engage when it matter? • Cross-post from alternative pages • Promote from other social accounts while you’re live • Promote in advance (particularly by looking for

audience input)

As we mentioned, Facebook recommends a five minute minimum for Live video, but most are now much longer.

Striking the balance between being informative and long enough is the challenge.

Facebook Live Across Beats

Facebook Live Across Beats

Viewers of focused interest publishers tend to already be passionate people. Facebook Live can bring them interactive experiences in real time.

Live video trends from top beat publishers:

• behind-the-scenes of events • exclusive access to celebs, athletes, industry experts • tie-in to current events • tips and advice • trying out new products/services/technologies • things viewers don’t see everyday • satire and entertainment • community building

The key is knowing what your viewers care about, the stories that will drive the most engagement, and delivering videos that bring them into the conversation.

A political quiz with NowThis

A Premier League ‘snail race’ from the SPORT Bible

Teen Vogue goes Live with Gabby Douglas

Facebook Live Across Beats: ideas

National Geographic takes us to lion cubs joining their pride

Business Insider lets curious fans tell them what to draw with a 3D printing pen

Live Video at the rio summer olympics

Live video brought an entirely new experience to the Olympic games for viewers on social media.

Fans could connect with their favorite athletes in real time, like this Live stream with Michael Phelps.

There were plenty of behind-the-scenes moments of the Olympics on Facebook Live, commentary pieces, and satire.

Live videos also brought viewers to new angles of the Olympics, such as BBC’s video of watching the sailing race from the shorelines and interacting with athletes’ parents and fans.

Facebook Live in the Brand Newsroom

Brands creating Facebook Live

Tactics brands are using for Facebook Live:

• Hone in on viewers’ passion points • Show them something new • Show them something extreme • Tie into current events • Make it a game

Brands are using Facebook Live in innovative ways, with opportunities for nearly every industry.

Which Brands?

Just to name a few:

• Auto: Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, Audi, Kia • Entertainment: Nickelodeon, Netflix,

Rooster Teeth • Fashion: ASOS, ModCloth, H&M, GUESS,

Levi’s, Foot Locker • Beauty: ipsy, Too Faced, SEPHORA • Tech: SpaceX, NASA, GE • Food/Beverage: Red Bull, Coca-Cola,

Doritos • Travel: Singapore Airlines, Qantas,

SeaWorld • Finance: Visa • Gaming: Nintendo, Xbox

Brands across industries, big and small are jumping on the Facebook Live initiative.

Modcloth and Singapore airlines

ModCloth Live Video Engagement: • 2,500 likes/reactions • 102 shares • 383 comments

It’s not only media publishers seeing markedly more engagement on Facebook Live. Check out the engagement for these Live videos from ModCloth and Singapore Airlines.

Average Engagement Per Post in August 2016: • 194 likes/reactions • 9 shares • 15 comments

Singapore Airlines Live Video Engagement: • 36,000 likes/reactions • 2,100 shares • 2,100 comments

Average Engagement Per Post in August 2016: • 3,911 likes/reactions • 200 shares • 207 comments

What to Remember

Facebook Live, a new frontier

Live video achieves enormous levels of engagement on Facebook, and we can only expect the interest to grow in the coming months.

Publishers and brands alike have jumped into producing Live video wholeheartedly.

Thousands of videos from celebrities, athletes, journalists and other influencers now go live to viewers every day, attracting significant engagement and interest.

This is the time to experiment with content formats, tactics, and trends.

As Live video becomes more sophisticated, it’s vital to keep an eye on where your audience is engaging and deliver them the Live experience they crave. Being able to track Live video in Spike, even after it’s done

streaming, also helps!

Thank you!

Get in touch!

Twitter: @gabrieleboland

gabriele.boland@newswhip.com