Kerry Shearer is The Livestream Expert!

As a professional communicator, web video producer, corporate spokesperson, and technogeek, I've done hundreds of live and taped TV broadcasts, interviews and webcasts. My focus for the past six years has been on live streaming, smartphone video production, and social multimedia content creation.

I've been on Periscope since the it launched in March 2015, and want to help YOU master it by sharing what I've learned along the way. Periscope is the fastest-growing social media platform ever, jumping from zero to 20 million users in its first six months of existence! And now, there's Facebook Live, which offers you powerful ways to reach your growing Facebook audience!

Want to know who some of my FAVORITE Periscopers are?

Click here and check out my list! You'll be able to click on them to follow, and my page even shows if they're live right now! I just started this list to take advantage of Periscope's new "LIVE" button, so it will take some time (probably weeks!) to fill out the page! Many more great scopers will be added soon! Go view the list!

To Schedule Me for a Podcast or Livestream Interview:

This Week's Featured Accessory:

For a look at all my recommended audio, lighting, and device support gear for smartphone and tablet video production, please visit my Livestream Techstore.

Hi! My name is Kerry Shearer. I'm "The Livestream Expert"and am also a social media, web video and communications professional.

While I love social media in general, I've been obsessed by livestreaming on Periscope and Facebook Live. The idea of being able to live stream anything from your iPhone or Android's video camera to your Twitter, Periscope and Facebook followers is pretty amazing.

Live streaming video has been around for years with Skype, UStream, Livestream and others, but Periscope and Facebook Live set a new bar for ease of use and ability for others to easily find your feed. For example, I've watched everyone from private users to police and fire departments and other public agencies and companies hop onto Periscope, and some of the livecasts have been great. You really need to check this out, because Periscope will have big implications in emergencies and news coverage.

Since I've been working with Periscope a lot, I thought I'd share some basics with you in this post so you know how to do a great Periscope broadcast. IF you do the things I describe in the video, YOUR Periscope broadcast will look and sound great, stand out from most of the others, and be of service to your audience!

Physical Setup
-Use a tripod to mount your smartphone. I recommend shooting horizontal (landscape mode) because the broadcast will look great on any platform (smartphone, HDTV, or computer monitor). One of the worst things about most Periscope broadcasts is the shaky video viewers experience because of handheld cameraphones. That means you'll need a tripod mount to hold your phone securely.

-Use a plug-in microphone to narrate your broadcasts or for interviewees. The built-in iPhone microphone just won't cut it. You can use a wired lavalier clip-on mic, a wired handheld, or a wired shotgun mic to get great audio, but these mics need to be the kind designed for smartphone use. (Don't worry, I list all the options right here on my Livestream TechStore page (which connects to Amazon).

-Whether on a tripod or handheld, make smooth and deliberate camera moves. If there's a lot of action and you need to move the camera to show it all, here's what to do: When you start shooting something at Point A, hold the camera steady for 5-10 seconds. Then smoothly pan over to Point B and hold there for 10 seconds. While you're holding, glance around and decide where to go next. Then move to Point C smoothly.

Broadcast Tips
When doing the broadcast, you need to remember that it may take anywhere 30 seconds or so to get a significant number of followers into your Periscope broadcast. You can't just hit the broadcast button and immediately start giving content. So here's what you do:

-Start the broadcast and introduce yourself. Welcome a few of the arriving viewers by name, and tease the topic you'll be broadcasting about. Then, launch into your content. Partway through the broadcast, do a "re-set" by re-introducing yourself and doing a quick recap of what you've covered if you see a number of late-joiners coming in. And remember, if you broadcast with your location turned on so your broadcast appears on the world map and list, many others around the world will begin discovering your stream. That's because Periscope shows a list of live feeds that people can browse to find something interesting to watch.

-Your headline needs to describe exactly what viewers will experience, and your content needs to captivate viewers from the beginning and throughout the broadcast, or they won't stick around for long. Use hashtags in your title to aid discoverability on Twitter.

-You can watch the number of viewers go up (or decrease!) in the lower right corner of the Periscope screen. If the number keeps rising, that means more people are joining, so you should provide more frequent welcome messages and recaps as the number continues to rise.

-You'll see on-screen comments and questions from viewers. Periscope is meant to be interactive, so you should take note of the comments as they scroll by and answer some of the questions as part of your narration. You'll also see on-screen hearts on the lower right side of your screen. This means viewers love your content (and are tap-tap-tapping their screens to generate the hearts!).

Livestreaming has some definite "do's" and "don't's", so this is just a taste of it. Watch me on Periscope or Facebook Live for more tips and techniques!