Group Gordon’s Marykate Cary shares how organizations can best leverage Instagram Lives and Twitter Spaces to share their messages and connect with audiences.
Instagram Live and Twitter Spaces are valuable social media tools for public relations that provide ways for individuals and organizations to connect with a wider audience. While you may be familiar with Instagram Lives, Twitter just launched Spaces widely this past Fall. The expansion of live content opportunities presents unique opportunities for organizations and their leadership to engage with key audiences, build their followership, and, potentially, attain opportunities with traditional news outlets that were previously out of reach.
The easiest way to leverage Lives and Spaces is to use them firsthand. Posting from your organization’s account or having a leadership team member post from their professional account can provide opportunities to promote a launch or new product, uplift an event, or hold a Q&A on a hot topic.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when you do leverage these communications tools. First, both Lives and Spaces are public, and while social media may feel more casual than a traditional speaking opportunity or media interview, spokespeople should be prepared with talking points and a plan of action for managing the different features of each platform.
For example, attendees can typically ask questions in the comments of a Live. Having a team member, not the primary spokesperson leading the event, manage those questions and moderate can minimize glitches and ensure a smoother execution. This also avoids wasting time as a spokesperson scrolls through questions or comments.
Beyond holding Lives and Spaces on your own accounts, there are new opportunities to use these tools. Many news outlets, particularly broadcast outlets, are creating specialized programming for social media. For example, the nationally broadcast show Good Morning America produces separate content for its Lives, and you can pitch a producer or social media manager as you would for a traditional media opportunity.
While a feature story on GMA or another national broadcast outlet is out of reach for most organizations, a Live appearance may be more attainable. Working with your communications team to identify targets for pitches and content that would be appropriate specifically for a Live will help you tap into these opportunities.
If you plan to use Lives or Spaces, you should also share coordinating social media posts across all your organization’s platforms to promote them and increase their reach.
Creating clean graphics that apply across a variety of platforms – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn – will make your Live or Space look professional, help get the word out, and entice attendees. If you are working with a news outlet for an appearance on their Live or Space, be sure to ask the producer or social media manager about the potential to co-create and share promotional graphics. Oftentimes, national outlets will have graphics that you can easily use, too.
Professional use of Lives and Spaces is still a relatively new and growing space. By using both now and ensuring that your leadership team is aware of their potential power, you can create both immediate and long-term opportunities to grow your social media presence.
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