How-To

How to #GoLive on Twitter

Learn how journalists can go live from the field on Twitter from your phone.

Twitter makes it easy to stream from your phone, enabling you to share what’s happening around you with the whole world as it happens. The best broadcasts are intimate and interactive, such as Q&As, behind-the-scenes tours, or a first-person point of view from rallies, marches, and demonstrations.

What makes for a great live broadcast?

Access

The best live broadcasts give viewers direct access to:

  • Celebrities, newsmakers, and other public figures, preferably in an unusual or informal context
  • Live performances and events
  • Breaking stories as they happen, up close to the action

Interactivity

Increase engagement with your mobile broadcast by encouraging audience participation. Hosts can break the fourth wall, respond to viewer questions and comments, and make calls to action -- things you can’t do with any other kind of broadcasting.

Creativity

Twitter offers broadcasters more opportunities to be original and expressive. The best broadcasts include appropriate and essential context, such as engaging narration from a knowledgeable and articulate reporter and a self-explanatory broadcast title.

Beyond that, though, it’s really up to you. Is there a way of using live mobile video that hasn’t been seen before? Be willing to experiment and discover a new ways of using video to engage your audience.

Technical quality

The best content can be overshadowed by a shaky camera, poor sound quality, or long lag times To ensure that the technical aspects of the broadcast are as great as the content they are displaying, broadcasters need to do the following:

  • Download and install the most up-to-date version of Twitter.
  • If possible, connect to the internet via ethernet. Wifi networks can be unpredictable, so having a stable connection is essential.

#GoLive during breaking news

Like when filmmaker and photojournalist Jan Husar went live when a rally for Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga turned into a riot, breaking news can reach a global audience when it's reported on the spot.

#GoLive from a march, rally or demonstration

BuzzFeed News’ Ryan Broderick went live from Berlin, where anti-fascists gathered to protest the third-place win by far-right Alternative for Germany party in the September 2017 federal election.

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#GoLive with a celebrity or newsmaker interview

Good Morning America went live with Anna Kendrick as she walking from her dressing room to the set.

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#GoLive with a Q&A

NBC News’ Keir Simmons went live to answer viewers’ questions from Rio’s Copacabana Beach at the 2016 Summer Olympics. When you host a good Q&A, your audience can feel engaged and involved in your coverage of an event or story. 

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