As a public relations student, I thrive off of first-hand experience, whether it be through internships or volunteer opportunities. However, when it comes to social media, I like to explore through my own experience on my personal accounts. Facebook Live is fairly new addition to the platform’s community. With its growth, I felt it was only appropriate to begin engaging with it.
As Facebook explains, “Live lets people, public figures and Pages share live video with their followers and friends on Facebook.” They advertise that the feature allows you to have engaging conversations with followers, reach new audiences in new ways, connect instantly, and tell your own story in your own way.
For example, Diamond Reynolds was able to live stream her fiance, Philando Castile’s, death after being shot by police in his car. The video helped bring light to the Black Lives Matter Movement in real time without any prior influence from the media simply because it was unedited and live.
This past summer I decided to give it a try at a concert. I went live for about 4 minutes as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band sang away at MetLife Stadium. It was an unusual experience as my friends enjoyed the concert live just as much as I did in real time. People watching were able to react and comment as it was streaming. They got the cheapest ticket in the house. However, all they had to do was scroll through their Facebook feed to find I was sharing the concert live.
Would I use Facebook Live again? Absolutely. The feature offered an opportunity to give a live glimpse at my life, whether I be at a concert, protest, event, etc. It allows public relations professionals a unique platform to connect with audiences in a direct and intimate manner.
To learn more about how to live stream to the fullest potential, read about Facebook’s best practices here.
This blog post was written by PRowl Assistant Firm Director Clarissa Ford.
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