5 Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Church Livestream
You may be the pastor of a small church who wants to give livestreaming a shot for the first time. You figure it makes sense to use Facebook Live because you already have a following on Facebook. You invite them all to your Facebook Live event and at the right time, you get ready with your laptop and its built-in microphone. You’re a little nervous, but you’re ready to go.
What you don’t realize is that your audience can only hear every other word you’re saying and your face keeps freezing. Unless you become intentional in a few key areas, your attempts at livestreaming will be unsuccessful. Here are five mistakes you need to avoid when livestreaming.
- Issues with your provider/internet
Before you livestream, you need to make sure you aren’t experiencing any connectivity issues with your livestreaming platform or internet provider. Be sure you have a strong wireless signal or use a cable to connect to the internet. Before you start, log on with your livestream provider to make sure everything is fine.
The Melon App is a church livestream solution that’s easy to use with best-in-class cloud-based infrastructure. It allows you to stream high-quality audio and video. Visit https://melonapp.com/solutions/church-live-streaming/ for more information on the app.
- Issues with your equipment
A big part of delivering a quality livestream experience is having the right equipment. You don’t need to invest in the most expensive equipment right off the bat. However, you do need to make sure that the viewing experience is a pleasant one. Viewers need to hear you clearly, or they will quickly hop off and find another stream. You don’t want the video to be blurry, grainy, too dark or too bright. When viewers have to focus so much on deciphering audio and video, they will miss the message.
No matter what equipment you use, make sure to test it well before you start your livestream to make sure everything is working as it should. This includes any software you’re using and the cables that connect everything together.
- A lack of preparation
This is probably the main cause for the failure of livestreaming. You need to check the lighting and see whether your camera offers quality video using the light you have. If not, you will need to supplement your lighting.
You need to check audio too and have it help to use a script. If you know what you’re going to do before you have to do it, this improves the experience for viewers.
- Not enough team communication
Communicating with your team beforehand can help you to clarify what you need to do. Every person must know their role and have what they need to do their part well.
Walking through the service beforehand will ensure everyone knows what’s happening and gives them the opportunity to address any issues they may pick up There should be no surprises for your team when it’s time to stream.
- A lack of focus
Before you begin streaming, you need to understand exactly what you want to accomplish. This will prevent you from coming across as scattered and unclear. Do you want to attract visitors who may want to know what your church is all about? Are you directing your message primarily at your home-bound community of faithful members? Do you want to appeal to a younger audience with a special outreach message? Do you want to give a monologue or encourage interaction and audience participation? When your aim is clear, you have more chance of reaching your target audience.