UPDATE TO BLOG 5/28/2015: Periscope developers released an Android version of the app.

May 18, 2015 (With updates 5/28/15 and 12/2/15)

I've been captivated by a new video application called Periscope, launched March 26, 2015 by Twitter.

It's pretty amazing: Periscope lets you live stream anything from your iPhone's video camera to your Twitter and Periscope followers, as well as anyone worldwide who might be searching the feeds.

Live streaming video has been around for years with Skype, UStream, Livestream and others, but Periscope sets a new bar for ease of use and ability for others to easily find your feed. I've watched everyone from private users to police and fire departments and other public agencies and companies hop onto Periscope recently, 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.

I've been using Periscope all year, and have learned there are some basics to doing a great Periscope broadcast. IF you do the things I describe in this video, YOUR Periscope broadcast will look and sound great, stand out from most of the others, and be of service to your audience!

In the video above, Kerry Shearer explains best practices and shares tips and tools to help create live streaming Periscope broadcasts your viewers will love!

Let's Connect! Here is the link If you'd like to receive periodic Periscope and social media tips, tools and techniques from me, please click right here!

Show Notes:

Learn to Create Pro-quality Smartphone Video at my North SF Bay Area Workshop!

Accessories
The accessories I mention in the video (tripod, tripod mount, smartphone microphones) can be browsed all in one place on my Communicators TechStore page (which connects to Amazon).

Physical Setup
-Use a tripod to mount your smartphone. One of the worst things about most Periscope broadcasts is the shaky video viewers experience because of handheld cameraphones.

-I recommend shooting landscape (horizontal) for your broadcasts. Vertical video is hard to frame. Although it looks acceptable on a smartphone, it does not look good for web viewers or Apple TV viewers. Tall, narrow video creates a poor viewing experience on widescreen displays.

-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.

-Whether on a tripod or handheld, make smooth and deliberate camera moves. Vertical video accentuates camera movement, and way too many people pan around wildly. 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.

-Remember to position any on-camera talent properly.

Broadcast Tips
-When doing the broadcast, you need to remember that it may take anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes for followers whom Periscope notifies to hop onto your broadcast. You can't just hit the broadcast button and immediately start talking.

-Start the broadcast and introduce yourself and the situation you are broadcasting. But keep recapping of re-intro'ing what's going on throughout the broadcast so late joiners understand what it's all about. Remember, after your own followers begin joining your feed, many others around the world will begin discovering it, because Periscope shows a list of live feeds that people can browser 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.

-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 "what you're seeing..." recap messages 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!).

Be sure to leave comments in the Comments box under this video!

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Show Notes:

Kerry Shearer