9 Content Types to Get You Started on Periscope

September 28, 2015

Note: Since this post was published in 2015, Katch has been dissolved. 

Periscope is the new (cool) kid on the block.

For those of you who are wondering “what the heck is Periscope?”, I’ll give you a quick rundown. Periscope, which is integrated with Twitter, is a fairly new live streaming app that allows users to broadcast themselves live from around the world.

Those video broadcasts, also known as “scopes”, can then be replayed for up to 24 hours later.

Why should you care about Periscope?

Did you know that 10+ million Periscope users watch over 40 years’ worth of footage every day?  People are flocking to Periscope for a reason. So why is it important that you jump on the platform now?

• You can connect with your audience in real-time through comments.
• You can repurpose your Periscope video content in future blog posts (like what I’m doing right now).
• You become a better speaker by finding your speaking style.
• You quickly grow your thought leadership platform.
• You become more comfortable on camera while showing the true face of your brand (YOU!)

Okay, so you’re convinced, but you may be wondering how you can really get started. Many bloggers I’ve talked to that haven’t adopted the platform say it’s because they think they will look weird on camera (wrong), they think they won’t have anything valuable to share (double wrong), or they can’t come up with scope topics.

This post will help you with that last piece. Like keeping a master list of blog post ideas, it’s good to do the same for Periscope. To help you on the right path, I’ve put together 9 content types with real examples from some of my favorite scopers.

Q&As

If you want to use Periscope to maximize engagement, hosting a Q&A session is a great place to start. User questions could spur blog post, product, or service ideas. You never know what you can gain from a quick Q&A video. It also helps you become a better speaker since you get practice thinking on your feet.

I recently hosted a Q&A where I invited my audience to ask me any questions they had about Twitter, my favorite social platform. I loved connecting with my community members in real-time while answering many questions in one sitting.

Inspirational and Motivational

Who doesn’t love a good pep talk? Periscope is a wonderful platform for sharing nuggets of truth and inspirational stories. It helps you become more relatable and you consistently increase your transparency by broadcasting this type of content. To get started, choose a topic you’re passionate about, maybe one that isn’t usually discussed but needs to be. This is where you will make an impact.

Big Announcements

Did you make a leap in your blog or business that you want to share? Is there something you’re dying to unveil to your audience? Periscope is a great way to do this because you can catch the true reaction of your viewers and make the announcement really personal.

This past weekend, I signed up for my first business bank account! While it may not seem like a big announcement to some, it was for me so I scoped about celebrating the “little” victories. It felt awesome and I’m glad I saved that piece of news for Periscope.

Live Events

Have you ever been at an event and thought “Man, I’d love to relive this event again and again”? Periscope not only lets users tune in to the event live, but when synced with Katch, users can access the video after the event.

Business and brand coach Maya Elious recently scoped her speaking session at the Blogalicious conference. Smart, right? She then saved her talk on branding through Katch and showed the long-lasting power of scoping live events.

Giveaway or Contest

Have you recently launched a giveaway and aren’t sure how to create buzz around it? Periscope can help raise the visibility of the contest in a more natural and personal way.

I love how Stephanie Shar recently announced the winner of her #LoudLadies contest by using Periscope to live stream the announcement and give the winner an extra shout out to her followers. If I ever do a giveaway, you can best believe I will be doing the same thing.

Tutorials

People eat DIY video tutorials up. Bring your knowledge to Periscope and show your audience how to do specific tasks or how you use certain resources. It’ll give a behind-the-scenes look into your creative process while being super actionable.

After receiving a few emails asking about how I was using Slack, a group communication platform, I decided to scope about how to utilize the tool. I also scoped about why you need to sign up for Katch if you’re using Periscope. (How many times have I used the word Katch already? I don’t want to know…)

Roundups and Lists

Creating a roundup or list of resources on Periscope can lead to intentional and productive repurposing. Just think of all the newsletter, social media, and blog content you could create from just one roundup!

Infopreneur rockstar Regina scoped about her favorite designers while showing their websites to her audience. Let’s all find more ways to share the love when we Periscope, too. Roundups and lists are a great way to do this.

Pass-the-scopes

If you’re nervous about anyone will tune into your first scope (trust me, people always come!), collaborating with other creatives might be a way to put those fears to bed. A great way to do this is by creating a “pass-the-scope” event.

Marissa Burdett, Chloe West, Michelle Anthony, and I all hosted a pass-the-scope event last month called #ScopePowerHour where we talked about Being Your Offline Self Online. We covered Transparency, Vulnerability, Voice, and Balance. It was so great to chat honestly about a somewhat “taboo” subject and make some killer friends in the process. After collaborating, we started a mastermind group and are planning on hosting another #ScopePowerHour session so be on the lookout for that!

Weekly Series

Ready to get more ambitious? Maybe it’s time to start a regular weekly series around a specific scope topic you’re interested in. You can ask your blog friends to join in on the fun, too!

For inspiration, check out Nora Conrad and Sarah Anarna scoping every Monday. They call their series #AccountabilityMonday and aim to help others kick-start their week with some extra motivation.

Next steps?

The more you get into Periscope, the more you’ll want to make an effort to stand out on the platform. Start by branding some of your common scope themes with specific hashtags you can own. Mine are #CommunityScope and #SassyScope. What will yours be? Now, let’s get scoping!