How to use Instagram Live Rooms

At the beginning of March, Instagram debuted its new feature, Live Rooms, which gives users the ability to increase their Instagram Live interactions to up to four participants, an expansion which could have huge implications for artists looking to broaden their connection to fans and audiences.

Guest post by Shae Woodward of The Orchard’s The Daily Rind

On March 1, Instagram introduced Live Rooms, which gives users the ability to take Instagram Live to the next level with up to three additional people, bringing the total participants to four. Previously, you could go live with only one other person in a stream, but now you can go live in a larger way. 

This is a great opportunity for artists to connect with new audiences of their guests, increase their overall reach, and gain followers. Just like with Live, when you utilize Live Rooms all the participant’s followers get a notification, potentially exposing you to three new audiences.

The purpose of Live Rooms is to give users more creative opportunities like starting a talk show, hosting a larger Q&A, tutorials, or jam sessions. It also gives creators the opportunity to earn money by incorporating Instagram’s Badge feature. With Live Rooms, viewers and fans can buy badges for the hosts and use other interactive features like Shopping and Live Fundraisers. Instagram is also exploring moderator controls and new audio features that could come as early as Summer 2021. 

How It Works

First, swipe left and pick the “live camera” option. Next, add a title and tap the rooms icon to add your guests. When the Live begins, you will remain at the top of the screen and guests will be added below you. Viewers can follow your guests’ accounts during the Live. Now using Live Archive, you can share all Live events to IGTV, save to your camera roll, or delete the stream after it ends. 

Some New Features To Keep Top Of Mind

Live Comments will default to “On” and appear in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. You can always turn off comments by clicking the “…” and selecting “Turn Off Commenting”.

If you title your Live with the new title display, that title will now be displayed at the top of your broadcast. If a viewer taps the title, they’ll be able to see your username and your guests’ usernames. 

You’ll notice that Live has a new look and feel. The Camera tool icons have been moved. To add a guest, flip the camera, find filters, you’ll now see these capabilities moved from the bottom of the Live viewer to the side bar.

Best Practices

• Always make sure you’ve got a full battery and have a strong internet connection. This allows for a higher quality streaming experience. 
• Know your guests’ handles to make it easy to send an invite to join your Live Room. 
• You are still able to control who can join and comment on your Live. Navigate to your Settings and tap Privacy. From here, you can access Comments and Blocking controls. 
• Use the Countdown Sticker in Stories to promote upcoming Live events. You can even update the sticker description by adding a title for your livestream, the date and time of the event, and customize the color. When followers see this Countdown Sticker reminder, they can set a reminder or share to their own story. Notifications will be sent to everyone who turned on a reminder. 

So what are you waiting for? Get started on Instagram Live Rooms today and let us know what you think! 

(Via Instagram)