6 Reasons I Stopped Watching Your Scopes
Your Scope doesn’t suck. In fact, you probably have a good personality and presence on-camera with the ability to provide helpful information. But you may be making some common mistakes that are causing viewers to turn away:
1) Your broadcasts are too long. We are used to browsing online and viewing micro-content. We like video that entertains or teach us something within a few minutes at most. Keep your scope brief, make your point and leave us wanting more. When we become bored and cut out early, we are less likely to return.
2) You repeat yourself over and over and over and over again. One of the biggest mistakes new broadcasters make is over-explaining. You made a great point. It was helpful. I will put your advice to good use. You can move on to the next item or wrap up.
3) Your don’t consider viewers who join your scope in progress. The opposite end of the spectrum are the Scopers who never “reset” the broadcast by re-introducing the topic and themselves. This is the equivalent of a sportscaster not giving the score and time. Every five minutes, you should tell new viewers who you are and what you are talking about. Quickly recap the discussion in a sentence or two. Here it is fine to restate the main point of your Scope.
4) We don’t know when you are on again. Before ending your broadcast, let viewers know when to look for your next scope. Consistency pays off. If we tuned in on Monday and Tuesday at 10pm and found your Scope, we are going to do so on Wednesday at the same time unless you tell us otherwise. I love it when a Scoper says, “I’ll be away the next two days but catch me again Friday night when I talk about my visit to Chicago.” Only your biggest fans will keep looking after failing to find you once or twice.
5) We’ve heard “Hey girl” and “What’s up, bro?” 50 times. I’m all for making social media as social as possible. But as your audience grows, it becomes too disruptive to the broadcast to say hello to every viewer. Engage by answering viewer questions and working pertinent comments into your talk. That way you are interacting with individual audience members while still providing value to everyone else on the scope.
6) You haven’t found your niche. The top broadcasters on Periscope combine expertise in their subject matter with passion and personality. Their Scopes provide the answers and “how to” knowledge viewers are seeking. Passion and personality along with a great voice and camera presence are worth little if your content doesn’t leave us wiser, more capable or inspired.
Overall, I’m very impressed with the quality of many of the scopes I’ve seen. By following the advice above, broadcasters will build larger audiences and perhaps even attract sponsors as more brands leverage Periscope and other streaming video platforms.
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