How to Live Post an Event on Social Media

Live posting events on social media is an exciting way to engage with your audience in real-time, but it can also be a bit overwhelming if you're not fully prepared. The key to a successful live-event social media strategy comes down to three critical elements: planning, reacting, and evaluating. So, how do you ensure every stage of your event becomes a social media success? Read on for our top tips…

Before the Event:

Create a Strategic Content Plan

Start strong by planning ahead. While you can’t predict every moment of your event, having a content plan gives you a solid foundation to build on. Draft key posts and moments in advance, so you’re ready to go when the action starts!

The goal is not to map out every single detail of every post, but to have a framework that allows you to maintain consistency, stick to your branding and stay aligned with your event strategy. This way, you won’t waste time scrambling for content during the event itself.

OCOCO Top Tip: Develop a content checklist that aligns with the event's schedule. This can help you map out content flow while ensuring you're telling a compelling story THROUGHOUT.

Create Custom Hashtags for Better Visibility

Before the event, create a set of custom hashtags. Not only will this streamline the process of writing content during the event, but you can also use these hashtags early in teaser posts to build anticipation and get your audience talking.

Assign Team Roles & Responsibilities

Live events are fast-paced, so multi-tasking is crucial. To ensure smooth coverage, assign specific roles to your team.

Who's checking the equipment? Who’s capturing photos and videos? Who’s writing live updates? Who’s monitoring and responding to social interactions?

Agreeing on roles beforehand ensures everyone is on the same page and prevents any chaos during the event.

During the Event:

Be Flexible

While pre-planned content is essential, flexibility is just as important. Events are dynamic, and things don’t always go according to plan. Speakers might go off-script, topics can evolve and conversations should spark interesting ideas.

Be willing to adjust your content plan and think on your feet. Your ability to adapt on the spot, whilst sticking to your overarching strategy, will keep your social feed fresh, relevant and engaging.

Share Real-Time Updates

Real-time posts give your audience the chance to engage in the action as it happens, whether they’re in the room or not!

Inject some spontaneity into your content with live updates, such as: quotes from speakers, crowd reactions, behind-the-scenes moments and quick interviews. This will make your online audience feel like they're experiencing the event first-hand.

Amplify User-Generated Content

Encourage attendees to use your custom event hashtags and tag your brand. Then, monitor these posts, engage with them and share them on your own socials.

Interacting with user-generated content not only extends the reach of your event content, but also adds a layer of authenticity to your brand and strengthens engagement.

Go Live

Whether it’s to spotlight a special announcement, a moment behind-the-scenes, or a dramatic reveal, broadcasting live on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok is another way of adding an element of excitement and spontaneity to your content.

OCOCO Top Tip: Don't go overboard! Use live video sparingly to give your audience exclusive access to key highlights.

For a deep dive into going live on social media, check out our Social Media Video Academy: Going Live blog. From best practices to platform functionality, it's full of our top tips.

After the event:

Recap with a Post-Event Round-Up

Just because the event is over doesn’t mean the conversation has to end! Keep the energy alive by sharing a post-event round-up that highlights special moments, impactful takeaways and powerful quotes.

This not only adds lasting value to your event content, giving your audience something to reflect on, but it also helps establish your brand as an enthusiastic, active voice in your industry.

Engage with your Audience's Content

Another way to keep the momentum going is by sharing your audience's post-event content. A simple like or 'thank you' can go a long way for fostering a strong online community. Also, by tagging attendees, you can keep your brand active in their social media feeds and encourage brand loyalty.

Need Help with Live Social Media Coverage for Your Event?

At OCOCO Media, we’re here to help you maximise the impact of your event on social media. From crafting a bespoke strategic plan at the beginning, to capturing engaging content on the day, to keeping the conversation going afterwards, we handle it all so you can focus on keeping your event running smoothly.

Contact us today for a complimentary consultation to learn more!