How I Got Access To LinkedIn LIVE!

I was given access to LinkedIn LIVE yesterday!

I posted this news up on social media yesterday and was asked by friends as to how I was able to get this access granted, so I thought I'd share this quick guide to getting access to LinkedIn LIVE.

STEP 1?? -- APPLY FOR ACCESS VIA THIS FORM ????

• Here's the Application Form for LinkedIn LIVE: https://www.dhirubhai.net/help/linkedin/ask/lv-app
• Here's what the application looks like ??

STEP 2?? - WAIT, STUDY, AND CREATE VIDEO CONTENT

?? WAIT.

?? STUDY.

Once you've applied for access to be a LinkedIn LIVE Broadcaster, then there's not much you can do other than wait to hear back from LinkedIn.

While you're waiting, I suggest doing 2 things, studying some of the content creators that have access to LinkedIn LIVE already, and seeing how the Live Sessions look, how the audience is able to interact, different formats (interviews, tutorials, behind-the-scenes, etc) and all the moving parts of the Live.

While I was waiting for approval, I tuned into as many Live Sessions as I could, whether it was Chris Strub, Carlos Gil, Ian Anderson Gray, Hootsuite, and all the other awesome content creators that had access before me.

CREATE LINKEDIN VIDEO CONTENT (ACT "AS IF")

Another thing that you can do while you wait for LinkedIn LIVE Access is to act "as if" you had LIVE access already, and create simulated Live Video Content. A great example of this is my friend, Todd Bergin, who has taken the initiative to create a video series.

STEP 3?? - YOU'RE APPROVED, WHAT'S NEXT?

QUESTION: How do you get notified that you've been approved?

I was asked by a number of friends as to how I was notified that I had access to LinkedIn LIVE. I was notified via a Direct Message on LinkedIn from a LinkedIn Team Member.

I SUGGEST READING THE "BEST PRACTICE" DOC ONCE YOU'VE BEEN GRANTED ACCESS.

You can find that doc here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/help/linkedin/answer/100225/broadcasting-live-videos-on-linkedin

Here's a screenshot of part of the DM that I received that shares a few best practices and rules/requirements to keep your access.

So the Rules are as follows:

? When you should stream:

• Go Live at least every other week to maintain eligibility to be in the beta
• Do not exceed 4 streams per day. If you're having trouble with streaming, it's best to try again later rather than immediately.
• Experiment with different times and days to reach different people in your network

? What NOT to stream:

• No selling of services or overly promotional material
• No short streams. Anything less than 10-15 minutes should be reserved for native video
• No full-screen logos/graphics (a small logo in the corner is ok)
• No long “starting soon” screens - 1-2 minutes max
• No unprofessional content. All content is publicly visible.
• No pre-recorded streams. All streams should be live and in real time
• No meta streams: talking about using LinkedIn on LinkedIn!

STEP 4?? -- Pick a 3rd Party Broadcasting Tool

Unlike Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram Live, or Twitter Live, you CANNOT go Live on LinkedIn without using a 3rd Party Broadcasting Tool.

Currently, you have 3 options of Broadcasting Tools. They are:

1. Wirecast
2. Switcher Studio
3. Socialive
4. Streamyard via their direct integration with Restream.io

They all have their pro's and con's, so I'll let you make your own decision on a platform to use. Personally, I'll likely use either Switcher Studio or Streamyard, or both.

STEP 5?? -- GO LIVE!

Once you get here, all you have to do now is go Live! I'll publish another article on the practical step-by-step guide to actually going Live.

In the meantime, I would love your feedback on topics you'd like me to talk about in my live sessions, if you have any suggestions for guests that I should be interviewing, tips, best practices, and best of all, I would love to see you join my live sessions.

?? LET'S CONNECT

I'm always happy to connect and answer any questions you have. Here are the best channels to connect with me on. Feel free to drop me a DM or leave a comment on any of my posts in

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Thinkific Studio Facebook Group

Until next time, see you on social media!