How to go live on Facebook with a pre-recorded video, for free
While video content is still booming in 2020, going LIVE to Facebook and YouTube is an even more critical piece of marketing in today’s online world. Streaming LIVE allows you to be connect and be authentic with your audience, and create engaging content on the go.
You’ll learn how to go LIVE without actually being LIVE (AKA, taking your existing videos, and streaming them as if they’re 100% LIVE). I’ve been using LIVE video for almost 5 years, and it’s been frustrating with all of the technology, streams and links you have to hook up to get everything to work. Over time, I’ve found the best practices and software to use, and compiled them into this guide. You’re about to learn everything that I’ve uncovered below.
What you need:
- A Facebook page, or group to go LIVE into
- The video you want to go LIVE with
- A title & description for your post
This will works regardless of long your video is, or how big the file size is.
Usually Takes About: 5–10 minutes
(Most of this is just uploading time!)
If you don’t know much about stream keys, bit rate encoding, and stream URLs — Then let’s keep it that way! The simpler the better, right?
Too often, people use overly complex and confusing software that accomplishes the exact same thing as using a simple service. This guide will show an “easy alternative hack” to streaming pre-recorded video onto Facebook, without complicated software for free!
Step 1: Go to LIVEpigeon.com
Your first video is 100% free. There’s also a 14-day trial on their monthly membership… Meaning that you can stream to it for 14 days, without paying a single penny!
They’re also cloud-based, meaning that you don’t need to download or install anything. Click this link here to take you to the website.
Once you’re on LIVEpigeon’s homepage, scroll down to the pricing and plans section.
For this, click on the “pay as you go” plan. This will give you a free video to stream; regardless of file size or video length.
Or, if you have a lot of videos to stream, you can signup for their 14-day trial, and upload everything you need to for free!
Step 2: Upload your video
Tip: Your upload goes faster if your video is on Dropbox or Google Drive.
Once you’ve selected your video, it’ll begin uploading to LIVE pigeon’s server and begin processing for streaming.
While it’s working, this is a great time to fill out your video’s title and description.
(You’re already 50% there!)
Seeing a big price pull up? Relax! You’re using LIVEpigeon’s “custom plan,” where they charge $1/minute of footage you’re uploading. A 60-minute video will be $60. If you see a price pull up for your video, don’t worry! After you get to the next step, it’ll completely waive the entire cost of your video.
Note: You can also schedule your video to go LIVE at a later time or date.
Or simultaneously stream to a YouTube channel here if you want.
After your video is done uploading, click on “checkout.” To get your video to be for free, you’ll need to create a new LIVEpigeon account. You’ll be prompted to login or signup.
After you sign up and connect, your new account will set your price to be completely free.
Step 3: Select your Facebook page or group
This is the honey-sweet part — Where this technique really pays off.
Login to connect your Facebook account, and start adding away! You can add as many Facebook pages and groups as you want, and this will stream them for you!
In the “old days,” (before simplified technology), you had to create a new post in every single group or page, stitch all sorts of technical softwares together, time it, and hope everything works without a hitch. Now, this will all happen for you automagically!
Note: In order to go LIVE to a Facebook group, you have to be an admin in your group, and the app “Live Pigeon” must be added to your group.
Not the admin in your group or page? Read this article here.
Experience has taught that if you go LIVE into someone else’s group (that you don’t own or manage), then you should always ask permission to go LIVE into their group, and get clearance from the admins. Otherwise, you run the risk of being kicked out! And your live-stream will be interrupted. (Yikes…)
Annnnd that’s it! Go celebrate champion, because you’re done! Once you click “next,” LIVEpigeon will skip the checkout page and your video will be sent off to go LIVE soon!
Keep reading: You’ll discover why I highly recommend that you only go LIVE to one or two places at a time. (For more views and better engagement!)
Bonus: Facebook LIVE Pre-Recorded Strategy
Should I go LIVE to as many pages and groups as possible?
While it’s nice to go LIVE to multiple places at once, it’s important to think about your video strategy, and how you can get the most from your video.
The purpose of going LIVE is to get lots of engagement and viewers. This means having people commenting on your videos, using emojis, sharing to their own timelines, and interacting with other people in the LIVE chat.
Let’s say that you have 5 Facebook pages and 5 groups. If you go LIVE into each group and group, you’ll have 10 separate live-streams. This means that people who comment in one group, won’t be able to see or interact with the people in other groups or pages. You’d be scattering your powers and views.
For example, one group may get 4 live viewers, and the other page will only have 2 viewers. That should be a total of 6 viewers, right? But it won’t show up that way, because they’re all separate live-streams…
The best way to solve this, is to live-stream to one single page or group, and then use Facebook’s built-in “share” option. This will post your LIVE video to as many other pages or groups as you want, and link them all together. (Plus, now you don’t need to be an admin of any group to go LIVE into it!)
Think about it: People who are watching your video are also likely to like/follow the page that your post is streaming from. And now, all of your viewers will be engaging in one post, and will be directed to a single page.
By streaming this way, you’ll also increase curiosity from your viewers. For example, what do you think you’re more likely to watch? A video with 3 videos and 1 like? Or the LIVE video with 14k views, 152 comments and 310 likes?
People are more likely to comment, and interact with others, when they see others watching and commenting! Which will then give a major boost your popularity. Facebook will also recognize this, and begin showing your LIVE video into the timelines of people who are similar to your current LIVE viewers, for you!
This technique becomes a form of free advertising!
Bonus: If you live-stream from a group or page that you own, you can then target ads to anyone who watched or commented on your live video post.
Let’s Recap: How to go LIVE to Facebook with Pre-Recorded Video.
Step 1: Go to LIVEpigeon.com and use their “pay as you go” plan.
This will get you a 100% free video, with super easy-to-use software.
Step 2: Upload your video.
You can also upload from Dropbox or Google Drive.
Step 3: Connect to Facebook & select your pages and groups.
Create a 100% free LIVEpigeon account, and sign-in to Facebook.
Step 4 (bonus): Only go LIVE to one destination, and share your video inside of Facebook for the best results.
Why is it important to go LIVE, instead of just uploading a normal video?
Benefit #1: Engagement
Facebook and Youtube both have a measurement that they keep track of you, which measures how well you’re doing and how likely they are to show your videos above other videos. It’s referred to as engagement.
This metric is extremely important, as it’ll determine how many views and likes you’ll get, and the future of your organic growth.
It’s measured off of likes, shares, comments, and (most of all) view time. It wants to know, based off of other users, if your video(s) are worth watching.
LIVE videos are unique, because they encourage mass commenting, and are typically watched 2–3 times longer on average. By showing how many people are watching LIVE, it encourages more people to join and watch LIVE.
Even on replaying the video, they can watch the comments be added in real-time, from when they were said. This typically gets more views, longer watch time, and MUCH more comments than usual. Everything that Facebook and YouTube love to see for their engagement statistic.
“Live video is becoming a vital tool for social marketers, and 42% of them have already developed a strategy for Facebook Live.” (Source: SproutSocial)
Benefit #2: Social Proof
A massively important part of marketing any product, is social proof. The art of showing other people buying something and helping others wanting it too.
Have you ever seen an extremely long line for something, and thought: “Wow, I don’t know what this is but I need to get in line!” Even if what’s being sold isn’t that amazing?
Or maybe you’ve hesitated to buy a product online because there’s only 3 reviews… Whereas the similar product next to it has 500+ reviews, making it the better deal! Right? This is commonly known as social proof.
When people see others engaging in the comments like crazy, or they see a large amount of live viewers… Their curiosity can’t help but ask: “What’s everyone watching this for?” And they’ll tune in for the next few minutes until you hook them into watching for longer!
“In 2018, 53% of Americans considered product reviews and ratings crucial in their online shopping experience” (Source: TrustSocial). Note that this also applies to comments on your videos and LIVE feed!
When people see other people doing something, they’ll naturally want to tune in! This is “monkey see, monkey do” in marketing.
Benefit #3: Major boost to your organic reach
From the standpoints of Google and Facebook’s algorithm, they want to see that your video content is different and it stands out. They want to see that your video is engaging and people are watching it more than other videos.
When the majority of people are posting normal videos, then the algorithm also classifies them as “normal” content. This means that when something breaks the norm, and looks different, they’ll recognize it and boost it.
Facebook and YouTube will promote your video for you, just because it was a LIVE video. If you get enough eyeballs, they’ll analyze who watched your video and attempt to show similar audiences your video as well. It’ll show up in recommended feeds, timelines, and front pages.
Your page or channel can have 0 subscribers or followers, and you will start grow more than average because you’re using LIVE video more than your competition’s channels.
“Is it okay that I’m posting a pre-recorded video?”
Yes it’s absolutely fine! As long as you’re not violating any of Facebook’s terms of service or falsely advertising in your videos, you should have no problems.
I recommend that you also record a small introduction to your pre-recorded video, warming people up & inviting them to share the video and get more people onto the stream. During this time, you can also let your audience know that it is a pre-recorded stream, and be honest and straightforward with them.
Let them know that you better wish to serve them by being active in the comments with them, answering questions or giving feedback, and they will give you all the permission you’d ever need.
Remember: Your video content should ultimately always serve the people you’re streaming to. By streaming pre-recorded video, it’s better serving them honestly than streaming nothing at all.
So, how do you go LIVE to Facebook with pre-recorded video?
You’ll need a video, a destination, and a software tool to do it. To get it simplified and for free, I recommend using LIVEpigeon.
Compared to uploading normal video, you can greatly increase your video views and subscribers with better engagement, instant social proof, and boosted organic reach.
Happy live streaming!
