10 Top Live Video Influencers to Follow Video is a nascent marketing channel that, when combined with influencers, is certain to be powerful.
By Cynthia Johnson Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It's early days for live video. Instagram only rolled out its temporary live video feature in December 2016, about the same time that Twitter (finally!) merged Periscope with its own platform. But already a number of influencers are already killing it by picking up their cameras and addressing their audiences in real time. Here are ten people who are setting a standard that others will have to meet.
Elise Strachan
When Facebook began experimenting with live video last year, it set aside $50 million to pay publishers to produce live video. According to The Wall Street Journal, nearly $200,000 of that money went to Elise Strachan of My Cupcake Addiction. She's a great example of someone who used a skill to build a following on YouTube, and was able to make the shift to live video which, she has said, generates far more comments.
Related: 8 Steps to Get Your Product Successfully Reviewed by an Influencer
Mario Armstrong
Mario Armstrong is showing just how far it's possible to take live video. The Today Show personality has signed a deal with Al Roker's Roker Media company to create the first live talk show. The Never Settle Show will broadcast on Facebook Live and allow audience interaction. It's a groundbreaker.
Joel Comm
Marketing expert Joel Comm has been using live video since the days of Ustream. To promote his 2009 book Twitter Power, Comm launched a tweetathon, an all-day live online broadcast with guests. With live video now so much easier to produce, he's a regular keynote at corporate and association events wanting to explore how brands can make the most of the new channel.
Julius Dein
Prankster Julius Dein went from zero to nearly 7 million Facebook followers in less than a year, spreading his videos across social media and around the Web. He hasn't been slow to use live video. Check out how he makes his audiences at home part of the event, asking them what pranks he should play next. This is how to make the most of the interaction that live video offers.
Related: How to Be an Influencer and Grow Your Audience
Kevin Hart
Comedian Kevin Hart is said to have been the highest paid celebrity to earn from Facebook's $50 million live video promotion. Even though the faucet has since been turned off, he's still broadcasting and still bringing his fans into his life. Watch how he uses live video to build a bond with his audience and take them behind the scenes of his performances
Ray William Johnson
While Kevin Hart focuses on showing who he is in his live videos, Ray William Johnson supplements his prepared sketches with live chats that can last as long as 45 minutes. Live video isn't going to replace recorded video; they'll work together, adding interaction and urgency to recorded video's large audiences and wide reach. Take a look at how Ray uses Facebook Live to enhance his planned sketches, and check out what he's doing on Instagram too.
Jon Jacques
A lot of people are going to make a lot money with live video, but Jon Jacques has already put all his eggs in the live video basket. He quit a high-paying job with a video marketing company to become a full-time Periscoper. He started with magic tricks, moved on to charity works and has now launched Applause, an agency that matches brands with leading live video broadcasters.
Related: Why This YouTube Star Is Building a Business Beyond Video Content
Amber Aziza
Business coach Amber Aziza used to have just a thousand followers on Periscope. That hasn't stopped her. According to the Huffington Post, even that small audience was enough to land her a six-figure income. She now has more than 14,000 followers on the platform. Watch what she's doing to turn urgency and live interaction into reliable, large revenues.
Kim Garst
Social seller Kim Garst was very quick to see the value in live video. She's managed to build up nearly 10 million hearts and her videos show the value in the simplest direct approach to live video: turn the camera on yourself and deliver information that the audience can use. It requires no special effort and very little investment but for personal brands it works.
Related: Reach More Customers with Influencer Marketing
Buzzfeed
Although lots of corporate brands are now experimenting with live video, it's Buzzfeed that's done the most to forge the path. The company expects to earn 75 percent of its income from video by the end of next year and was paid over $3 million by Facebook to set the standard for live broadcasts. It did that by exploding a watermelon with rubber bands, a broadcast that was simultaneously seen by more than 800,000 people at its peak. Crazy stunts aren't the only way to build a live audience bu Buzzfeed has shown that it works!
