How to Cover an Event on Snapchat

Reporting an event on Snapchat has become increasingly popular since users capture and share moments in real time. Snapchat is perfect for reporting live events including a sports gamea protest, or a red carpet event because the process is quick and simple.

Now the question is, how do you cover an event on Snapchat?

Here are 4 steps to cover an event on Snapchat

1. Get Your Phone Ready

This is the first and most important step in creating successful content. You definitely don’t want all your efforts to go to waste because you forgot to set things up beforehand. So here’s what you need to do:

Check microphone and camera

Before the event, take a few test snaps to make sure both your microphone and camera is working. Be mindful of possible loud noise and adjust your speaking volume to your surroundings.

This is also a good time to make sure your snap’s default time is the length you want. Keep pictures set to around 5 seconds, so your audience has enough time to digest your content before it disappears.

Set your audience

Depending on the event, you may want to make your story available publicly so you can reach more people

To do this, go to Settings → View My Story → Everyone

Charge your phone

This should be a no-brainer, but make sure your phone battery is fully charged and bring your portable battery if you have one. Live reporting on Snapchat can drain your battery life, especially if you record a lot of videos.

2. Plan Some of Your Snaps in Advance

Yes, Snapchat’s content should be raw and live. But this doesn’t mean that you should just record and take pictures of everything you see without a plan. So ask yourself these questions before you hit the record button:

The content

  • What am I trying to capture?
  • What is my overall narrative in this series of content?
  • What is the takeaway?
  • How many snaps do I plan to post by the end of the day?

Keep in mind the audience can get bored and skip through your contents if your story is too long.

The people

  • Who is going to be at the event?
  • Where would I like them to appear in my story?
  • What do I want to know from these people?

Memorize names and faces as much as you can to avoid awkward situations (trust me, it happens). This is especially important if you are live reporting a red carpet event or anything that involves interviews. Prepare some questions ahead of time in case you need them later.

SEE ALSO: Bloggers vs Snapchat Influencers: Which is Better for Your Brand?

Planning is particularly important because Snapchat doesn’t allow you to reorganize your story after you post it. So make sure you have a clear vision before you shoot your content.

3. Show Time

First, shoot your intro. Introduce yourself and give a short description of the event in 10 seconds or less. Don’t forget to be mindful of what is happening in the background as you speak and look directly at the camera, not the screen!

After the intro, go ahead and get creative with your snaps. You can start with pictures to position the audience at the venue, and then follow up with longer videos.

Make sure every snap has a purpose since Snapchat viewers can easily skip through your content if it is too long. Don’t forget to use fun features that Snapchat offers like:

Stickers

  • Snapchat has over 300 stickers that are constantly changing every day.
  • Stickers are important because viewers can see the small preview of the story before they click it.
  • If it looks like boring, they might not watch it at all. So attract them with those colorful stickers like these ones:
Event On Snapchat Snapchat stickers
Image: kellen beck/mashable

Geotags

  • Geotags, or the location filter on Snapchat is important to show your audience exactly which event you’re attending and where you are reporting from.
  • Geotags also add color to your snaps to once again catch your audience’s attention.
  • If possible, you can level up your Snapchat game even more with your own geotag. Prices start from only $5 per day so check out Mashable’s full guide on how to make your own Snapchat geofilters here.

Event on Snapchat Snapchat Geotag

Caption

  • Captions are crucial to your snaps. This can vary from a question you’ve asked or a witty comment to a quote from someone you interviewed, so get creative!
  • Either way, keep your captions short and sweet since the audience only has a few seconds to read it before time is up.

Sign-off

Lastly, remind the audience of you or your company once again at the end all your snaps by doing a sign-off. A sign-off typically mentions the reporter’s name and the company’s other social media accounts and website.

These mentions can be used as a teaser to your full report on your website or your high-quality pictures on Instagram. By including these accounts, you are directing viewers to your other social platforms which can then increase your engagement there.

 

4. Finishing Touches

After you finish your snaps, evaluate them as soon as possible. If there is anything that seems out of order or does not add value you may delete it (although you have to keep in mind some people may have already seen it).

It is also a good idea to save your snap stories for future use in case you want to repurpose your content later.

And there you have it. Now you are ready to go out and report your event on Snapchat. At the end of the day, remember that Snapchat is light and fun, so don’t forget to show your personality!

Do you have any other tips for covering a live event on Snapchat? Let us know in the comments below!

Written by
Praisella Yosep

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