The Ultimate Guide to Standout Shows: 3 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Streaming Success

Remember the early days of our shift to a remote workstyle? We quickly adapted, and moved to a “it’ll do for now” mindset around our meetings and events. We discovered the need for better lighting, cringed through tech issues, and simply hoped for the best. But these days, companies need to commit to a more dialed-in and sustainable hybrid workplace, and get on board with a premium way of hosting their meetings and events – or their teams will find companies that do. 

Aside from having the right tech to include all of the features of incredible Netflix-style streaming shows, there’s some things to keep in mind as you’re prepping for your event to ensure that your audience will be excited to watch (and rewatch). 

In this 3-part guide to producing standout shows, we’ll hone in on what to do before, during, and after your event to guarantee your message will be executed flawlessly. Here, we’ll explain the three key concepts to use as your framework when preparing for your next big event.

1. Set Goals and Objectives

If you’re going to take the energy and effort to do something great, also take some time to do a bit of pre-show planning and decide what great looks like for you. So when you’re starting to plan your event, ask yourself: what would be the marker of a successful event?

Defining what a stellar show looks like is unique to each situation, but one thing to consider as a goal is to ensure that your audience is utterly tuned-in. If the crowd was hanging on every word, and they were inspired or driven to take action – that’s the ultimate sign of success.

That means that a great show goes way beyond just communicating your message and gathering metrics. Great shows thoughtfully encourage how your audience feels, and what they will do with the message that’s presented to them.

2. Identify Your Audience

As you continue planning your event, think about who will be in the crowd. Whether you’re hosting an internal meeting or something for your customers, simply being aware of who’ll be there will help to shape your show. 

Ask yourself: Who’s your audience, and why’d they show up? What’s in it for them? If it’s your fellow colleagues, the lift will be easier (as you’ll have more insight as to their “why”), though if it’s a public-facing event, there may need to be some more strategy behind who you’re trying to reach. 

Having answers to these questions will help you brainstorm what you want the content of your event to look like. Everything from the format, tone and style of your show; to the presenters you bring on stage; to the message you emphasize – these can all come back to the folks who will be tuning in.

3. Brainstorm Content Strategy

Now for the fun part! After determining your goals and ideal audience, use this info to start crafting your content strategy. Keeping your audience top of mind, think about what type of content and story will best serve them in connecting with and understanding your message.

One of the best ways to keep an audience engaged is to weave in a story throughout your event. Get creative using classic storytelling techniques, gather inspo from TV, movies and podcasts, and sprinkle in your own personal anecdotes. And while you ponder the story you’ll tell, also brainstorm what kind of videos and music you want to use during your event, the colors and imagery involved, and who will best resonate as speakers and presenters. Our expert advice is to allow yourself the space to get off-the-wall with your ideas, think big with your speakers, and write down everything you’ve got – there’s time to refine later. 

Lastly, as you start to get creative with what your content is going to look like, also strategize which aspects of your event you want filmed live and which would be better as pre-recorded – and how you can expertly blend both throughout. There’s no definitive answer to how much live or pre-recorded content you should have during your event, but there are some best practices to keep in mind.

These three key strategies to developing your pre-show plan are crucial for success – and aspects that are often bypassed in lieu of jumping right into the fun of creating. But setting the proper foundation for your event ensures you know how to create content that connects your audience to your message, and keeps them just as engaged as the now-trending streaming sensation. Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll show you how to take this foundation to then execute a seamless event.