What is Periscope?

Simply put, Periscope enables you to transmit live video via your mobile device anytime and anywhere in real time. The app enables you to become your own mobile broadcasting station, streaming video and audio to any viewers who join your broadcast.  Periscope is an app that truly takes advantage of its mobile platform incorporating notifications and location as well as social sharing on Twitter, live discussions and feedback. A Periscope broadcast in full swing is a truly interactive event.

So, why is this important to you as an author.  Periscope brings to you as an author many opportunities to establish a personal relationship between you and those that are watching you live.  It allows you to gain new readers, new followers on Twitter, and a method in which to connect directly with your audience in a new and exciting way that allows you to have a much bigger influence and impact on those that are watching as a reader, listener, follower, fan, and customer.  Another great reason is that this application is growing in popularity and you need to have a presence on it now, especially if you are big on Twitter.

Below are some recommended ways to use Periscope as an author:

• Announce on Twitter and other social media platforms that you will be live.  Once you are live you can read a page, section, or chapter from your book to a live audience with the potential of that audience getting bigger by listeners sending out tweets inviting other listeners to your live event.

• You can do a live Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) reading of portions of a book to an audience and get immediate feedback, including the possibility of gaining interest in your work; leading to new fans, readers, followers, and customers.

• You can have a live Q & A with your readers and potential readers which will give them the opportunity to ask you anything about your book, your processes, your characters, your goals, future projects, and more.

• Share exciting news about upcoming promotions, sales, new book releases, events  you will be participating in, book signings, cover reveals, and so much more.

• During your live event you can pause to hold contests in which you ask live customers questions about your books or other things you think they might know in which the winner will get something like a copy of your book, author/book swag, or other gift for participating.

• Share personal experiences that led to how and why you wrote the book, came up with the characters, developed the plot, and news about upcoming possibilities if your book is a series.

• Periscope is a global app that will allow you to reach potential readers, fans, and customers in multiple other countries.  Every person consumes content in different ways.  Not everyone likes to read long, drawn out articles or books.  You can change that with a solid delivery via live stream of reading your book and win over the hearts and minds of those watching you.

• Periscope is a mobile app which means that you can reach anyone, anywhere, anytime.  What this means is that you can hop on Periscope whenever the inspiration strikes to get a live message to those following you.  This also means that viewers are not tied to their home computer and will never miss an opportunity to consume your live broadcast while they are “on the go”.

• Connect with other top social influencers in your market by watching their broadcasts, interacting with their scope, sharing it, and asking questions.  By actively engaging in their scope you can make yourself visible to other viewers and potentially gain followers through your active participation.

• You can conduct a live behind the scenes scope in which you give viewers a quick peek behind your world of writing by giving them your process, your setup, your review of the tools, techniques, and resources you use.  During your live broadcast you can conduct a Q&A that will grow trust between you and the readers by allowing them to interact with you and you give immediate feedback to their questions directly from your knowledge and experience.

Now that you know a little about Persicope and some ways in which you as an author can use it, where can you get it.  You can get it in the app store on either an Apple or Android device.  Once you download and install it, create an account preferably with a Twitter account that you will want viewers to follow and you are set to create your first live broadcast.

If viewers do not watch you live, that is alright.  They will be able to watch it within the Periscope app for up to 24 hours after broadcast is complete.  Even better, your video will be recorded on your device and you can upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, or any other video streaming site for anyone to watch at their own convenience; building even more followship and interest in your work on multiple platforms.

Don’t pass up this opportunity to connect with existing and new readers in a fun and exciting way.  Get the Periscope app on your Apple or Android device today, start broadcasting, and start connecting with new followers, fans, and customers.

Another great application you can use is Blab.  Blab is pretty much the same concept as Periscope but has significantly much more capability.  Stay tuned as we will have an upcoming article on that later.  To get faster notification of when this article is out you can join us by liking our page and going to https://authorshout.com/ to subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to get new updates.