Are you a content creator or business owner on Instagram looking to build a stronger and more authentic connection with your audience? Oh sure, you can post stories and reels with you talking in them, but they will still not count as raw and interactive as Instagram Lives. And this is probably why going live on Instagram is recommended to people looking to build a stronger community. If you want to do so, knowing how to start a live story on Instagram will help you.
Since this article is going to be about the entire process– from the beginning to the end, make sure that you keep scrolling till the bottom of it.
Table of Contents
Here’s How To Start A Live Story On Instagram In 4 Easy Steos
The idea of entertaining a live audience without any preparation and chance of retakes can seem a bit daunting. And yes, there’s no denying that it can be hard to do that. But hey, look at the rewards attached to doing this! Instagram Lives have always been considered an excellent source of gaining new followers, having more engagement, and sometimes even selling more products!
Because with the help of Lives, you get to show your followers an authentic side of you and your business that is otherwise impossible on social media. Plus, on Lives, your followers get to ask you questions in real-time, thereby making the whole thing more genuine and interactive. This leads to you and your followers getting to connect on a whole new level.
However, no amount of benefits can change the fact that hosting Lives on Instagram is a challenge people like to avoid. But hey, that ends now. This article will tell you how to start a live story on Instagram in the simplest ways possible. Just keep scrolling!
Step 1 Of How To Start A Live Story On Instagram
Before you start a live video on Instagram, you need to go over your Camera and audience settings. This needs to be done to ensure that your Live video reaches the right people the right way. Here’s how you can do it:
- Open the Instagram app on your phone.
- Navigate to the Live section of Instagram by tapping on the Plus icon located at the bottom of the screen and sliding over to the Live tab from here. Alternatively, you can swipe right from your home page and then slide over to the Live section from there.
- Once you’re at the Live section, tap on the Settings icon represented by a gear at the top right corner of the page.
- By doing so, the Camera Settings page will open. Tap on “Live” from the options given.
- On the Live page, under the “Viewing” section, you can select the people you wish to hide your Live from.
- To do this, tap on “Hide Live From,” and the list of your followers will appear on the screen.
- Scroll through this list and tap on the circle next to the usernames of people you wish to hide your Live from.
- You can also choose which side of the page you wish to have your camera toolbar on.
- Upon coming back to the Live screen, tap on the three-line icon located at the sidebar on the left bar to give your Live a name.
- Tap on “Add a Title” to name the Live something. This will help people understand what your live is going to be about.
- To save the name, tap on the “Add Title” button located at the bottom of the screen in blue.
- Tap on the people icon located below it to choose your Broadcast audience.
- Choose “Public” if you want anyone on Instagram to be able to watch your Live.
- Choose “Practice” if you first want to go Live by yourself to practice. Nobody will be notified when you choose this option, and you’ll have the option to change your audience whenever you’re ready.
- Once you’ve chosen your audience, tap on the “Set audience” button in blue.
- If you want to schedule the live for a later date, tap on the Calendar icon below the People icon and choose a Start time from there.
- You have the option to choose a time between 3 months from the current date and 1 hour from now.
- When you’ve chosen a time, tap on the Done button in blue.
Step 2 Of How To Start A Live Story On Instagram
Now that you’re done with your Live settings, there are a few other technicalities that you need to take care of. For example, if you don’t want to have to deal with inappropriate remarks or questions while you’re live on Instagram, you can change Instagram settings to filter out these things automatically.
Here’s how this can be done:
- Navigate to the profile section of your Instagram page.
- Once there, tap on the hamburger icon located at the top right corner of the page.
- A menu will appear on the screen, scroll down to the “How others can interact with you” section from here.
- Under this section, you will find the “Hidden Words” option represented by the Aa icon. Tap on it.
- Toggle the “Hide Comments” option on if you don’t want comments containing offensive words or phrases to come in between your Live.
- You can also toggle the “Advanced comment filtering” option to be on the safer side.
- Instagram also has made available the new Moderator feature in some regions. Using this feature, a host can appoint someone as a moderator for their Live. If this feature is available in your region, you can make use of it to report offensive comments, remove viewers from Live or even turn off comments from a particular viewer.
Step 3 Of How To Start A Live Story On Instagram
Once you’re happy with your Live settings, you can proceed to go Live on Instagram. To do so, simply tap on “Live” located at the bottom of the Live Section in a round white button.
And, done! Within a second or two, you’ll be live on Instagram!
Step 4 Of How To Start A Live Story On Instagram
Once you’re Live on Instagram, there are a number of things you can do to make the whole thing fun and engaging for your viewers. Some of them are as follows:
- You can share the questions your viewers submit on the screen so that everybody can see both the question and your answer.
- If you want to send your Live video to someone, you can tap on the paper plane icon located at the bottom right corner of the screen and send it from there.
- You can invite someone to host your Live with you.
- You can apply Instagram story filters to your Live.
- You can share an image or a video on your Live video screen.
Final Words
Okay then, Instagram influencers and businesses! We’ve reached the bottom of this article, and so I hope you’ve understood how to start a live story on Instagram! In this article, I walked you guys through four easy steps of hosting a live audience on Instagram! So, go, follow these above-mentioned steps and build a stronger community.
Also, when you’re done with your Live session, simply tap on “End” present at the bottom right corner to stop. A confirmation pop-up will appear on the scree, choose “End Now” to confirm.
