LinkedIn Live: How to Successfully Go Live on LinkedIn

If you are looking to take your LinkedIn Page or profile to the next level, using the LinkedIn Live feature is a great way to interact directly with your audience. With more and more individuals using LinkedIn, you can make yourself stand out by creating real-time content.

Become a LinkedIn expert by using the guide below and following tips from checking your analytics to managing your comments. Broaden your viewership and increase your audience engagement through LinkedIn Live. For an optimal streaming experience, broadcast yourself via Riverside where you can record, clip, and repurpose your stream!

What is LinkedIn Live?

LinkedIn Live is a streaming feature that allows you to broadcast directly to your LinkedIn audience. You can go live from a personal profile or company Page, as long as you meet the access requirements.

To stream live from LinkedIn you will need to use a third-party broadcasting platform. LinkedIn Live streams and Events enable you to connect with your audience in real-time, grow your brand or share live events.

Does LinkedIn Live Still Exist?

LinkedIn Live is a relatively new feature of the platform. It was launched in 2019 to individual users, and in 2022 to business Pages. LinkedIn Live still exists, and using this function has been shown to increase the number of comments on your video broadcast by up to 24 times.

Why should you use LinkedIn Live?

Videos on LinkedIn have been shown to receive a far higher engagement level than written content. It is definitely worth considering LinkedIn Live for your business or personal brand as this can increase your reach, attract more audiences and increase your engagement with them. 

The statistics speak for themselves - according to LinkedIn, 63% of millennials consistently watch live streams, making LinkedIn Live an effective way to keep your audience coming back to your Page. In fact, 39% of users are more likely to share video content, and 82% prefer watching videos over reading written posts. 

Not only do live streams boost your engagement level, they make a better impact on your audience than static content. 74% of live video viewers had a better understanding of products and brands as a result of watching live streams. 

If you’re looking for an effective way to promote and market your brand on LinkedIn, then going live proves to be a better option than sticking only to written out content.

LinkedIn Live Streaming and LinkedIn Live Events

If you have been wondering about the difference between LinkedIn Live and LinkedIn Events, here is a simple breakdown of the two:

LinkedIn Live is a streaming tool that connects you to the public. Videos streamed on LinkedIn Live are visible to the followers of your page.

LinkedIn Events is an event-creation feature that reaches a target audience of event attendees.

Pairing LinkedIn Live and LinkedIn Events Together

If you have access to LinkedIn live, you can create a Live Event by using a third-party broadcasting platform and selecting the event you would like to stream. All the event attendees will receive a notification when you go live.

Who Can Access LinkedIn Live?

LinkedIn live is not a feature available to every user. Only qualified Pages and creators can stream with LinkedIn live.

To qualify, you must meet the following access criteria:

• Have a page or profile with more than 150 followers or connections.
• Have original posts and content on LinkedIn.
• Follow the Professional Community Policies.
• Be anywhere in the world aside from mainland China, where LinkedIn live is inaccessible.

How Can I Access LinkedIn Live?

Finding out whether you have access to LinkedIn live is a quick and easy process. To check whether you can use LinkedIn Live, you can do any of the following:

1. Find out if you are eligible to use LinkedIn Live by creating an event on LinkedIn. In the format dropdown menu, you will see an option for LinkedIn Live if you meet the criteria to go live.
2. Apply for automatic access on certain third-party broadcasting platforms. Once you have connected your LinkedIn account to the platform, proceed through the on-screen prompts. You will immediately be approved or denied access to go live.
3. Head over to your dashboard and turn on creator mode in your profile settings. This option will give you access to creator tools, including LinkedIn Live.

How to Create a LinkedIn Live

So you are ready to try out LinkedIn Live for the first time, but how do you set up your stream? It might take a little practice to get used to, but creating your LinkedIn Live will be plain sailing if you use the guide below.

1: Ensure You Have Access to LinkedIn Live.

You can follow the steps listed above to check whether your access to LinkedIn Live is approved. If you have been denied access, check the LinkedIn Live requirements to see why you aren’t permitted to use this feature.

2: Head Over to the LinkedIn Live Stream Page.

The LinkedIn live streaming page can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/video/golive/now/‍

This is where your stream will be shown once you are live.

3: Select the Option to ‘Go live now’.

Once you’re on the LinkedIn Live page, press the Go Live now button underneath New Stream on your Live stream page. Don’t worry if you are not ready to be on video just yet - pressing this button will simply lead you to the next stages of setting up your stream.

4: Choose a LinkedIn Page or Profile to Stream to.

Underneath Create a post you will be able to select whether you want to go live from a personal profile or a Company Page. If you choose to stream to a profile, you can select your post’s level of visibility. You can also tag members and Pages, and add hashtags to your Live.

5: Title Your Stream.

Type in your title underneath Your stream details. An effective title captures the main purpose of the live stream, using keywords such as motivational talk, interview, or Q&A. This will help your audience understand your content at a quick glance.

6: Choose a Platform to Broadcast Your LinkedIn Live.

There are a variety of third-party broadcasters to choose from when it comes to streaming your LinkedIn Live. Try Riverside’s livestream which offers exceptional video quality and a professional user-friendly experience to take your live streams to the next level on all major platforms, including LinkedIn.

Whichever broadcasting platform you use will have its own process for connecting your Live. You should follow your own platform’s guidelines. In the case of Riverside, you will need to input the Stream URL and Stream Key from LinkedIn. You can find these in the Stream Settings tab. Simply choose your region, or the region closest to you, and then press Get URL.

7: Get Yourself Ready.

Now that you have set yourself up technically, make sure that you are ready before you start your live stream. Optimize your streaming setup and position your device to get a clear angle of your face as well as anyone else who is in the stream with you. Make sure that you are sitting in a comfortable position and that the device you are using to stream is charged.

8: Go Live!

Once you are ready to begin, start streaming by following the instructions of the streaming software you have selected. On your LinkedIn custom stream page, click the Go live button to begin broadcasting yourself!

9: Use Your Custom Stream Page to Manage your Live Experience

To get the most out of your LinkedIn Live, be sure to monitor your stream in the Stream health and Analytics tabs. These will give you information on your viewership and engagement levels. 

Keep an eye on your comments via the Comments section, so that you can reply to or mute viewers. To share your stream, click Copy link to video for a link to your Live. Finally, when you’re ready to wrap things up, simply select End stream on the upper right to finish your Live.

Learn more: How to Live Stream on Any Device and to Any Platform

What Can You Use LinkedIn Live For?

LinkedIn Live is a very versatile platform. As the director of your stream, your only limit is your own creativity. That being said, certain types of content are especially popular on LinkedIn Live, and for good reason.

These topics are frequently searched for and receive high engagement levels because they appeal to individuals looking to develop their professional knowledge of a subject or industry. If you are wondering where to start with content creation, why not give one of these formats a try?

• Interviews with colleagues or industry experts.
• Talks or speeches – you could give these yourself, on a subject you are knowledgeable about.
• Conferences and panel discussions to provide a range of opinions on a topic.
• Selling products and services if you or your company want to connect with buyers on a live platform.

Tips on Using LinkedIn Live

It only takes a bit of time and practice to make your live streams stand out from the competition. Taking care of the appearance and smooth run of your stream will give your Live a professional quality, and improve the viewer experience.

Before you hit that Go live button, take some time to consider your streaming setup: 

Keep Up with Comments

• ‍Ask a friend or colleague to help you. The live comments section can feel overwhelming if you try to monitor it alone while delivering a speech or interview. Having a teammate watch your stream and keep an eye on questions in the comments will reduce you having to multitask.‍
• Use two devices during your stream. If you have two devices to hand, choose the one with the highest quality streaming camera to record yourself while using the other to keep an eye on the comments section.‍
• Like and respond to comments. You will retain better engagement levels if you are attentive to your viewers, answering their questions and creating connections with them.

Optimize Your Setup

• ‍Check your battery and Wi-Fi. There’s nothing worse than a stream cutting out mid-sentence, so make sure you are prepared for an interruption-free Live.‍
• Practise presenting. If you are not used to presenting, try out your speech with friends or colleagues to improve your style of delivery.‍
• Check your lighting, camera angle, and audio. Use the preview screen on the broadcasting platform of your choice to make sure that you, and any other speakers, are in frame and well-lit. Adjusting curtains, camera height and room lighting can all have an impact on your stream. Make sure your live streaming equipment is set up and good to go. 

Follow the LinkedIn Live Best Practices

• ‍Check your Analytics. LinkedIn provides statistics on how well your Live has performed. Check your engagement levels and viewership after each stream to see how your content was received and where you could improve.‍
• Stream for 15 minutes to 2 hours. LinkedIn suggests this is the optimal timeframe in which to engage your audience before you experience viewer drop-off.‍
• Make a consistent Live schedule. By consistently going live you will not only build up confidence and experience with the LinkedIn Live platform but a recurring viewership and increased page followers.

Why Should You Go Live on LinkedIn with Riverside?

Riverside is a studio-quality broadcasting platform with clients including TED, Business Insider, and Microsoft. Its user-friendly software is ready to support you with your next project, whether you are recording from your desk at home or from a large-scale conference. 

The platform’s exceptional, uncompressed audio quality coupled with up to 4k video resolution supports and optimizes your content creation. You can get started on your live streaming journey by signing up on Riverside.fm for free.

Key Features of Riverside

• Live stream to multiple platforms at once, including LinkedIn, with custom RTMP streaming.
• Integrated online soundboard – the perfect place for live editing.
• Engage with viewers through live audience call-ins.
• Screen share and recording features to streamline your broadcasting experience.
• Local recording for downloading and repurposing high-quality recordings of your live stream. Even if your internet connection flags during your stream, your locally recorded files could maintain up to 4k video resolution.
• Use Riverside’s Text-based Editor to polish your recording layout, add captions and more.
• Create shareable clips at the tap of an AI button with Magic Clips
• Streaming on the go? Try the Riverside mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
• Host up to 10 participants in each recording session.

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How to Go Live on LinkedIn with Riverside

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Step 2: Log in to your Riverside account and go to your dashboard.

Step 3: Find an existing Studio or create a new one by clicking + New Studio on the top right.

Step 4: Next, you need to access your live stream settings:

If you've created a new studio, select Continue set up studio, fill in your details and press Create studio. On the left panel, select Settings and then navigate to Live Stream settings.

If you've chosen an existing studio, click on the three dots that pop up when you hover over it. Then select Setting and then scroll down to Live Stream settings.

Step 5: Toggle on your LinkedIn live option. Then, paste in the Stream URL and Stream Key from LinkedIn. You can find this on LinkedIn after you create a new stream, using the general steps we've outlined above.

‍Step 6: Click Go to studio in the top right corner and preview your camera angle and microphone settings in the Green room.

Step 7: Type in your Host name and select your headphone option. We recommend using headphones for the best audio quality!

Step 8: When you’re ready, click Join Studio.

Step 9: Now that you have entered the Studio, you can invite guests to your recording by looking under the Invite People heading in the center of the screen. You can invite people either by copying the video link or clicking Invite by email.

If you would like to invite guests before entering the studio or beginning a recording, simply head to your main dashboard and select the  Invite people button next to the studio you wish to use. 

Step 10: Press Record button on the lower left-hand side of the page. This will send a video signal to LinkedIn which you can preview and check. (Note that it may take about 15-20 seconds for this to show up).

Step 11: Begin your recording on Riverside, then go back to your LinkedIn stream page. There, simply click the Go live button to start broadcasting your LinkedIn Live video.

Step 12: When you are done, press the Stop button to stop sending a signal to LinkedIn. You'll then want to go to your Live stream settings and toggle off your LinkedIn live. (As shown in steps 4-5)

Step 12: To make the most out of your recording, don’t forget to use Riverside’s editing tools to repurpose your livestream. Select a Studio and go to Recordings. Press the Go to Editor button on the upper right to modify your recording for stories, posts, and full-length videos to use across multiple platforms. 

FAQs About Using LinkedIn Live

Is LinkedIn Live Free to Use?

Yes, it is! The only cost you will need to factor in is that of the broadcasting platform you select to use.

How Long Can You Go Live on LinkedIn?

The maximum stream length is four hours.

How do LinkedIn Live Events Work?

LinkedIn Live Events enable you to stream anything from an interview to a live panel via a third-party broadcasting platform, such as Riverside. The Events work by enabling authorized Pages and profiles to invite a list of users to attend a real-time broadcast.