The good news is virtual events are now easier to hold than ever! There are loads of ways you can promote your event leading up to it, and on the night you can use all the various tools and functions of your chosen app. Make the most of them with the help of this simple guide.
Pre-event Promotion
Make sure to do some pre-promotion across your social platforms ahead of the night. And encourage each performer to do pre-promotion before their act or set, detailing the time they are due to perform, an overview of what they’ll be doing and to reference it being in support of CALM.
Tag us us on Twitter @theCALMzone, on Facebook @theCALMzone and on Instagram @CALMzone.
If hashtags are your thing, you might also like to use something relevant like #TeamCALM.
Make sure to tag all the performers against their time slots so people can easily find the next session.
If you and the performers are up for it, please add the CALM link to your bio/status to help people find support and drive donations: thecalmzone.net. Add your fundraising page link too.
Get the gig in the diaries
By adding a countdown sticker to your stories, followers can set up reminders and get excited about tuning in.
Find out more on using Instagram stickers HERE
On the night
You can do all sorts on social channels from tags and stickers, to donate buttons and saving videos to your channels long term.
Try streaming to more than one platform at once e.g. from Instagram and Facebook at the same time, or go back to basics and try dual streaming using a laptop and phone so you can screen live on two platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
Live streaming platform how-tos
JustGiving
You can now live stream directly to your JustGiving fundraising page. Find out how HERE.
Find out the basics for live streaming with Instagram HERE.
- Add a donate button to your live stream
Before you go live, tap Fundraiser on the left of your screen. You will be prompted to search for the charity you would like donations from the donate button to go to. Search for CALMzone (Our Instagram page name), select CALMzone and people will be able to donate to CALM once you are ready to go live.
Find out more about using Instagram Live Donate HERE
- Pin important info to your feed
If there’s more than one of you performing as part of the same event, you may like to help each other build donations by joining each other’s live stream at the start and sharing this CALM copy by commenting on the live:
£8 enables CALM to answer a potentially life-saving call. Donate and find support at thecalmzone.net
You can pin the comment to your live feed by clicking on the comment and pressing the pin button.
- Save your live with a donate button to your stories
Once you end the broadcast, save your content by pressing the downward arrow in the top left-hand corner. Add a donate sticker by selecting ‘sticker’ from the menu on the top. Search for the calmzone donation sticker.
Once you’ve selected CALM, the donate button will be created which you can edit/customise to read something like: “Donate to help save lives”
Find out more about adding a donate button to your Instagram story HERE.
If you want to make your story even more CALM, you can add more stickers to the frame:
Click the sticker icon once you have your photo/video. Search for CALM LOCK IN’ and select your sticker. Add and post.
- Save your Full Instagram Story as a highlight on your profile
To share your story to highlights, select the slide/slides you want to share, click next, edit cover, choose cover, and click done.
Your complete story will now be available in highlights.
Find out more about how to add stories to your highlight HERE.
- Permanently save your Live
After you’ve ended a live video on Instagram, you can tap the downward arrow in the top left to save the video to your phone’s camera roll.
You’re only able to save a live video right after you’ve ended it. Only you will see the option to save your live video.
Note: It may take a minute for a live video to save to your phone, especially for longer videos.
Find out the basics for live streaming with Facebook HERE.
- Add a donate button to your live stream
Click the 3 dots which will bring up the option to add a donate button, select and you will be prompted to search for the charity you would like donations from the donate button to go to.
Search for The CALMzone (Our Facebook page name), select and people will be able to donate to CALM once you are ready to go live.
Find out more about adding a donate button to your live stream HERE. Or use this simple PDF guide from CALM.
- Pin important info to your feed
You may like to help each other build donations by joining each other’s live stream at the start and sharing the CALM copy and website below in the comment.
You can pin it to your live feed by tapping on the comment and selecting Pin This Comment: Why not share this CALM copy by commenting on the live:
£8 enables CALM to answer a potentially life-saving call. Donate and find support at thecalmzone.net
- Save your Live to your profile
Facebook Live videos are published to the page or profile of the broadcaster so that fans and friends who might have missed it can watch it at a later time.
Share your video on your page, and make any edits you need to the description, thumbnail, etc.
If you have information you want people watching to see, write a comment then click and hold your comment, there will be an option to pin the comment, just click on it.
- Set up a Facebook fundraiser
If you’d like to continue to fundraise for CALM after your Live Stream is over, you can set up a Facebook fundraiser to launch alongside your stream.
Follow our simple how to HERE.
Twitch
Although predominantly used for streaming games, Twitch is another great Live Stream platform.
If you’d like to use Twitch as your streaming platform, check out our Gaming Manual HERE for a how-to, in particular, page 4 – 7.
YouTube
Find out the basics for live streaming with YouTube HERE.
Make sure to put the following info into your YouTube video/stream descroption: £8 enables CALM to answer a potentially life-saving call. Donate and find support at thecalmzone.net
Find out the basics for live streaming with Twitter HERE.