Live-streaming on social media continues to skyrocket, especially on visual platforms like Instagram. Recent data shows Instagram Live broadcasts have increased over 70% year-over-year, as both viewers and creators shift to real-time video.
As a social media expert with 12+ years advising top brands, I‘ve witnessed significant format changes but the long-term increase in appetite for authentic, engaging video content persists across demographics.
Instagram in particular has invested heavily in Live capabilities – now over 1 billion people tune into Instagram Live each month.
But discovering new and trending live content still proves difficult compared to highly-optimized feeds of static posts. This definitive guide will unpack all the insider techniques for unlocking real-time broadcasts and interactive live streams worth watching on Instagram right now.
The Appealing Allure of Instagram Live
Before diving into the step-by-step instructions for tracking down sizzling live videos, let‘s analyze why Instagram Live specifically offers such a compelling user experience.
The 2021 emergence of popular social audio apps like Clubhouse demonstrated people‘s innate craving for digitalconnection via authentic interpersonal communication.
Similarly, the raw, unfiltered nature of live-streaming fosters an intimate back-and-forth between creator and audience. Fans feel uniquely drawn to talent willing to share vulnerable, off-the-cuff moments.
And the fleeting ephemerality of live video also unlocks an addictive sense of FOMO, making each broadcast feel special.
From the creator side, Instagram Live represents a low lift way to resonate with fans. Streamers rely on spontaneity over tightly controlled editing. They interact dynamically based on viewer feedback versus a one-way canned video.
Equipped with a primer on why Instagram Live tickles the fancies of both viewers and creators, let‘s explore the step-by-step methods for tapping into broadcasts happening right now.
Finding Live Videos in Your Feed
The most straightforward gateway to live streams pops up directly in your Instagram feed homepage.
Any time someone you follow begins broadcasting live, their profile avatar appears at the top of your feed tagged with a bright red "Live" badge.
Seeing these notifications offers the quickest entry point to jump into a live video from people you already care about.
Here is exactly how to take advantage of your Instagram feed to uncover live content:
Step 1: Pull down on your Instagram feed to refresh and check for any live profile icons at the top of your homepage.
Step 2: Tap on any avatar branded with "Live Now" to open the video broadcast full screen. This instantly loads their active live stream.
Step 3: View the live video feed and interact via comment stream or other engagement icons.
The downside? Relying solely on feed lives limits discovery mainly to creators you already follow. Plus you need to continuously refresh to potentially catch live moments before they disappear.
Let‘s walk through upping your live video potential by configuring Instagram notifications. Enabling alerts when select accounts go live ensures you capture buzzy moments guaranteed to disappear if you blink.
Here‘s how to turn on live notifications:
Step 1: Navigate to the profile page of any creator you never want to miss going live.
Step 2: Click the notification bell icon next to the ‘Following‘ button.
Step 3: Under Post Notifications, switch ‘Live Videos‘ on.
Now you‘ll get an immediate push notification as soon as this creator starts a live video, introducing way more discovery value than hoping to catch lives organically at the top of your feed.
Combine this optimized alert capability for favorite creators with the usual feed checking, and you‘ll substantially scale up your Instagram Live viewership.
But expanding beyond just people you already follow requires tapping into Instagram‘s under-the-radar live browsing tools. Read on to unlock an unlimited stream of broadcasts with high discovery potential to take your live viewership into overdrive…
Browsing Live Videos in IGTV
While Instagram continually fine-tunes algorithms for recommending relevant static content, their systems for suggesting live videos remain less advanced.
Enter IGTV: Instagram‘s standalone app for long-form video that contains powerful live discovery features overlooked by most users.
I call IGTV the secret weapon for uncovering upcoming and trending live content from ALL sorts of creators – not just who you already follow. Let‘s examine how to access and leverage IGTV specifically for expert-level live browsing:
Step 1: Open Instagram and tap the TV icon to launch IGTV. Alternatively, you can download the individual IGTV app.
Step 2: Scroll down the IGTV video feed past recommended posts until you see the "Live" carousel.
Step 3: Review thumbnails under "Live" and select any intriguing broadcast to open and watch.
Options also appear for filtering All Lives or just Top Lives segmented by overall popularity. Kick your discovery into overdrive by tapping "See All" below the carousel:
Step 4: Tap "See All" to open a dynamically-updated feed dedicated exclusively to active live videos across Instagram.
Think of this as the definitive live leaderboard – scrollable gallery giving exposure based purely on what‘s hot right now. The Top Lives carousel still prioritizes by viewer volume at the current moment.
You‘ll uncover a diverse range of creators, channels, events and topics. Dip in and out of anything catching your eye. Use of external tools adds a bonus layer for saving and tracking standouts:
Step 5: Consider bookmarking breakout broadcasts or screen recording viral moments to archive standouts before they disappear after 24 hours!
This IGTV tactic grants you ultimate access to both rising and trending live videos in one spot. Broadcasts randomly picked up by algorithms get featured here regardless of existing followers.
The limiting factor? After active lives conclude, the videos remain viewable only for 24 more hours making historical tracking difficult.
Up next? Let‘s explore how hashtags and locations can further focus live browsing by personalized interests or events…
Locating Live Streams via Locations and Hashtags
Mobilizing locations and hashtags on Instagram dynamically filters live video potential down to specific places and topics.
This introduces targeted live discovery grounded in current events unfolding in relevant areas. Any public live broadcast tagged with appropriate hashtags or locations will turn up in these interest-based feeds.
Example #1: Local Event
If you‘re interested in likely concerts, rallies, conferences or breaking news near you, check that area‘s Instagram location page:
Step 1: Search for a city, venue or neighborhood to pull up the location tagging page
Step 2: Scan the "Recent Stories" and "Recent Posts" grids for any lives happening now as signaled by the colorful ring icon around avatars.
Example #2: Trending Topic
Alternatively, seek out hashtag pages tied to timely events or topics:
Step 1: Enter a related hashtag like #concerts, #breakingnews or #festivals
Step 2: Scroll either the "Top" or "Recent" tabs filtering specifically for live streams.
The main limitation here is reliance on creators properly tagging location or relevant hashtags. For tours or private events, organizers hopefully optimize discoverability with thoughtful tagging.
Public figures or everyday users live broadcasting in-the-moment news often forget assigning additional metadata. So expect some trial and error exploring different tags.
Let‘s move on to evaluating the most explicitly popular live videos trending now on Instagram…
Uncovering Trending Live Streams
Instagram lacks a definitive hub or leaderboard for spotlighting widely-viewed live videos in real-time analogous to ‘Top Posts‘ rankings.
The best hack? Return back to IGTV‘s "Top Live" carousel showcasing the absolute most-watched public live streams presently based on actual viewer metrics.
Think of tapping into the "Top Live" showcase on IGTV as checking the Instagram Live trending charts – calculated fully in the moment.
Step 1: Open IGTV and navigate down to the "Live" or "Top Live" carousels
Step 2: Scroll horizontally to preview current top live thumbnails
Step 3: Select any intruiging top videos to sample broadcasts crushing viewer counts
Bear in mind positions shuffle frequently as hype around broadcasts spike and taper minute-to-minute. Veteran live streamers can analyze historical top charts using 3rd-party analytics for context around performance benchmarks.
But casual viewers benefit sticking to the platform-provided snapshot of trending lives rather than intensive statistical tracking.
Jumping between IGTV‘s unfiltered firehose of all live videos plus the cream of the live crop rankings gives you ultimate access to both discovery and curation.
Now let‘s spotlight the special interactive tools unique to live streaming and worth harnessing…
Features for Engaging with Live Videos
Beyond just watching a live broadcast, Instagram offers a suite of features allowing you as the viewer to actively participate with streamers in real-time.
Comments
Organized by recency, react and chime in via commenting just like a standard video. Except here the streamer can respond dynamically based on your submitted feedback vs a one-way static video.
Likes
Heart button taps serve as the digital equivalent to a roaring crowd or applause. Creators monitor engagement and often shoutout flooding love.
Sharing
Amplify sizzling streams virally by inviting friends or reposting to your own Story. Nothing fuels hype for lesser-known broadcasters like social sharing.
Requests
The hand wave icon submits a request inviting you on stage to video chat live with the streamer and potentially appear in front of their audience!
Keep in mind Instagram Live video and interactivity stays aligned closer to immediate, raw transparency rather than highly-produced content living forever as evergreen.
Compare the vibe and community engagement on something like YouTube Live to understand the differentiated appeal.
The Future of Live Streaming
While adoption steadily rises among creators and account types ranging from celebrities to average joes, room for innovation still exists particularly around discovery and playback.
I predict Instagram eventually integrating a "Live" tab in Explore offering personalized recommendations of trending broadcasts old and new. Consider how TikTok mastered algorithmic curation for ephemeral videos.
And supplemetary engagement options also have space to evolve from augmented reality effects during a stream to post-live commentary. Instagram Rolls potentially reimagining second screen viewing similar to Twitch clips.
Even monetization models can expand past one-off tipping to subscription packages or..
In Conclusion
I hope this comprehensive playbook better equips you to unlock Instagram‘s underutilized potential for encountering spontantous, engaging live videos.
Remember to regularly check your main feed and notifications to catch real-time content from creators you already follow.
For discovering new to follow streams, memorize the IGTV tactics for expanded browsing of all broadcasts or curated trending charts.
And leverage locations/hashtags to surface hyperlocal and event-specific content as stories develop.
Consider integrating external productivity tools for highlights archiving. As livestream compulsion continues rising, leverage these tips to satisfy your FOMO!
