What Is Periscope, And How Do I Use It?

I’ve had a few friends ask me for Periscope tutorials recently, so I thought I’d go ahead and share some thoughts here in case you had some of the same questions!

Now. Take a deep breath. Under no circumstances am I going to tell you that YOU MUST be on Periscope. Nope. If you are at your maximum capacity for social media platforms right now, you do what brings you joy. Personally, between Periscope & Instagram I sometimes feel like I’ll never have to blog again 😉

Kidding.

But truly, if you don’t find joy in being on a certain platform, skip it. I don’t love Facebook, so I’ve never had a “like” page on there for this blog. I can’t for the LIFE of me understand why anyone would use SnapChat, so even though I downloaded it, I never use it. I’ve signed up for and given up on quite a few “next best social media” sites.

But if you think Periscope sounds interesting and fun (like I do – I really, truly do), read on my friends.

Q: What exactly IS Periscope, anyway?

Periscope is a live video streaming app that allows you to record, in real time. There’s no editing, just a live video feed for anyone who wants to watch. It includes community engagement through a chat box and the ability to show the presenter you “like” what they’re saying (I’ll explain those both a little more later). Once the video is done it’s available to watch in your Periscope stream for 24 hours. You can download it here on iTunes and here on Google Play.

Q: Will I be on camera if I watch?

Nope! Only the presenter will be on camera – as an audience member you get to sit back, relax, and be the proverbial fly on the wall in some super fun situations. I did a Periscope from the Dancing With the Stars Live Tour, and I’ve watched behind-the-scenes videos with the gals at LifeWay as they prepared for dotMOM.

Q: How do I chat?

When you open a Periscope video (as long as you’re viewing live and the chat feature is enabled by the presenter) you’ll see a little chat box that you can type in. Your comment will appear on the screen for everyone to see – and if it’s a Q&A style presentation, or…you know…a book club, I promise the presenter will be very happy to see that people are chatting along!

Q: What are all those little hearts? 

If you don’t want to type a comment but you’re loving what the presenter is saying, simply tap your screen! A little heart will flutter up, and the more times you tap, the more hearts will appear. As a presenter, it’s a nice affirmation that the folks on the other side of the screen hear the heart of your message or are having fun with your presentation!

Q: How do I share a scope with friends while I’m watching?

If you swipe right on your screen when you’re watching a Periscope, you’ll see some “share” options – you can either send a tweet to your followers to invite them to watch, or you can send a notification to your Periscope followers. Either way, sharing the scope love is always a good choice!

Q: How do I find people to follow?

One of the fun features of Periscope is that it’s connected to Twitter, which means it will automatically pull in the people you follow on Twitter who are also on Periscope. That doesn’t mean you want to follow all of those people, though. Instead, I’d suggest going through and only following the people you think you would really engage with if they did a video. Otherwise your feed will be overwhelmed (plus, most of them probably don’t do their own videos but have accounts so they can watch other people). If you have trouble getting Periscope to populate your Twitter list, shut down the app and restart it – for some reason it tends to work the second time. You can also search specifically for people in the “search” bar by clicking the magnifying glass if you know their Periscope name, then click on the little “person & plus sign” button to follow.

Q: Do I need anything fancy to record a Periscope video?

Nope! Most of mine were recorded with my iPhone set up on a stack of books or boxes (whatever was most convenient at the time). Just make sure you’re in a location that doesn’t have a lot of background noise – we did one at the Crayola Factory and it was so loud I’m not sure I could even hear myself talk, so I can’t imagine what anyone else heard! If you do want a little stnad for your phone, I grabbed this one on Amazon  – affiliate link, click through if you’re reading in email.

Updated to add: Right now Periscope does allow you to shoot in both horizontal and vertical modes, but depending on the app version of your audience, they may not all experience the same updates, so be sure to grab a stand that lets you shoot in both formats easily.

Q: What should I record?

This one is 100% up to you. I personally tend to tune in to Periscope videos that are either focused on engagement OR education. A behind-the-scenes look at an event that feels exclusive, a Q&A, or a tutorial of some sort. Just like the rest of my social media, if it doesn’t bring me joy, I let go of the guilt and either don’t watch or unfollow if the posts are simply not right for my current season of life.

Q: How long should my video be?

Periscope isn’t the place to record an hour-long discussion on your favorite {insert topic here}. It’s still a social media platform, and still micro-content. I’ve noticed that videos between 5 and 15 minutes long tend to hold the most viewers, and also get the most “replay” numbers.

Q: Can I edit it?

Nope! This is recorded 100% live, so what you say, the words you stumble over, the thing your kid is doing in the background – it’s all going to be there. And that’s great! There is something wonderfully authentic and approachable about a filter-free/edit-free social media platform. I had a fuzzy stuck in my lip gloss the other day when I did one, and it’s now part of that video forever. You’re welcome 😉 Just keeping it real. If you want to record perfectly edited video, don’t use Periscope.

Q: How do people know when I’m live?

When you click “Start Broadcast” on your video a notification will be sent to everyone who follows you (and, for your first video, everyone who follows you on Twitter who has a Periscope account will also receive a notification). It pops up on your phone with a little chirpy noise and you simply swipe right to hop in to view it live. Easy peasy!

Q: Can I make my video private? 

 

Don’t want to invite the whole world over for a live cooking demonstration? Maybe you have a group of fitness/nutrition gals you want to share with, or a small group, or just some close friends. To start your broadcast, simply click on the gray bubble icon at the bottom of your Periscope screen, then click the “lock” icon to select the specific people who will be able to view your video.

Q: How do I put a title on my video?

In that same broadcast screen you’ll see a blue cursor blinking at the top where it says “What Are You Seeing Now?” That’s where you can put a title to let people know what you’ll be showing them or what you’ll be talking about. I suggest avoiding emojis when you create your title. When it comes through in the notification it looks messy and is distracting from the message you want people to see.

Q: How do I flip the camera around?

This is one of the features of Periscope that needs some improvement. All Periscope videos will automatically start with your camera facing out – which is fine if you’re showing viewers an event, a fireworks show, your kid riding a horse for the first time, etc. But if you want to do a presentation, you’ll want to flip that camera around, and you can’t do that until your broadcast is live. I make sure my camera is pointed at something pretty, click “start broadcast,” stay silent, drag my finger down on the screen until the option to flip my camera appears (it’s right beside the “end broadcast” button so be very careful not to close your video accidentally!). Once your camera is flipped, set your phone down on a stable surface and begin!

Q: Uh..there are trolls – can I block them?

Another frustrating part about Periscope is the limited chat options. Right now you can either leave your chat open to everyone, or limit it to people YOU follow. Which doesn’t make a lot of sense if you want people who follow YOU to be able to chat. Leaving the chat open means anyone on Periscope can type anything they want. And they do. And it’s gross. But if you spot a troll-ish message in your chat stream you can swipe right on their chat box and block them. It interrupts the flow of your video but it does the trick.

Q: How do I stop recording?

Yay!  You’ve done your first Periscope! To end your broadcast, simply swipe down on your screen until the “end broadcast” button appears. Click it, and pat yourself on the back – you’ve done it!

Q: What happens to my video after I’m done?

Periscope will automatically store your video in your follower’s stream for 24 hours, and then it will disappear. If you want to keep your video and share it on your blog or other social media platforms, you can go into your settings (click the little icon of a head on the top right of your screen) and click “settings.” Then, turn on “autosave broadcasts” – this will enable Periscope to pop that finished video right into your camera’s photo file. Once it’s there, you can upload to YouTube or do whatever your heart desires.

***

There you have it! Everything you need to get started on Periscope, whether you want to watch or invite us to hang out with you live! If you have more questions that I didn’t answer, leave a note in the comments & I’ll be happy to answer it there.

Q4U: What would you love to see more of on Periscope? If you’re already active on Periscope, what types of videos have kept your interest? Is there a time of day you prefer to watch them?

And if you’re not ready to jump into Periscope but want to learn how to use Instagram, you can get that tutorial here!