Doubling Up on Instagram Live with Live Rooms
March 2, 2021
Today, we’re introducing Live Rooms, giving you the ability to go Live on Instagram with up to three people. Previously, you could go live with only one other person in a stream, but we’re now letting you “double up” on your live broadcast.
We hope that doubling up on Live will open up more creative opportunities – start a talk show, host a jam session or co-create with other artists, host more engaging Q&As or tutorials with your following, or just hang out with more of your friends.
Live Rooms also gives creators even more ways to build a business and earn money. We recently announced that Live viewers could purchase badges for their favorite creators to show their love. With Live Rooms, viewers can buy badges for the hosts and use other interactive features like Shopping and Live Fundraisers. We’re also exploring more interactive tools such as offering moderator controls and audio features that will be available in the coming months.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve seen people on Instagram embrace Live in different ways. In the past year, special moments have happened on Live, including informational talks about science and COVID-19 guidelines, interviews with celebrities and record-breaking rap battles. Creators of all kinds – from fitness instructors to musicians, beauty bloggers, chefs and activists, all relied on Live to create moments and bring people together to reach their communities in creative ways. We can’t wait to see what more creativity comes from this highly-requested update.
“Your following knows you individually, but what happens when four creators come together? That curiosity is what we want to keep alive. What was special about our Live Rooms stream is that all our different followers got the chance to see four of us talk about something we universally love.”
How it works
To start a Live Room – swipe left and pick the Live camera option. Then, add a title and tap the Rooms icon to add your guests. You’ll see people who have requested to go live with you, and you can also search for a guest to add. When you start a Live Room, you’ll remain at the top of the screen when you add guests. As a broadcaster, you can add up to three guests at once or one by one (for example, you could start with two guests, and add a surprise guest as the third participant later! 🥳) Going live with multiple guests is a great way to increase your reach, as guests’ followers can also be notified.
“Being able to have open, face-to-face conversations on Instagram Live has helped us capture attention and connect directly with our millions of Roommates. We’re excited to use Live Rooms to expand our reporting capabilities, engage with our followers, and to continue growing our platform.”
— Angelica Nwandu, founder of media company @theshaderoom
We want Instagram to be the best place for creators to have meaningful conversations with their audiences and each other, and we designed this new update with safety in mind. People that are blocked by any of the active participants in the Live Room will not be able to join the Live. Guests who have had live access revoked because of violations of our Community Guidelines also won’t be able to join a Live Room. Features that are currently available to Live hosts, such as the ability to report and block comments, and apply comment filters will also be available to hosts of Live Rooms.
This update is another step forward in giving creators more ways to reach and interact with their audiences. Live Rooms will soon be available globally for everyone on Instagram.
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