Periscope gives artists, businesses interactive live casting option

A new kid took over the live video block five weeks ago. Upon debut, the much hyped Periscope, the streaming live video iOS app, pointed to facets of life previously not seen in live casting. It’s main competition, Meerkat, debuted around the same time. Movitly spoke to two entertainment power users who’ve tested both products to learn why they favor Periscope and how the app could help you in your business.

Experience
Both power users tested Periscope and Meerkat upon their launch. Journalist and podcaster, Omar Gallaga, of the Austin American-Statesman, and Bruce Van Horn, author, life coach, motivational speaker, and podcaster,  shared similar experiences in separate interviews.

So far, Van Horn has live casted one of his training runs for the Boston Marathon, and filmed the recording of his podcast, “Life Is A Marathon.” Gallaga, also, filmed the recording of his podcast, “Statesman Shots,” and various art film experiments, such as, attaching his cell phone to a drone. He’s also live streamed himself painting zombie miniature toys, a Peeps jousting competition he set up in his microwave, and an audience choice Philips Hue light experiment. 

Why live cast?
Van Horn constantly looks for new ways to engage with his readers and viewers. He uses Periscope to provide bonus, behind-the-scenes content, to his fans.

“The idea of live streaming video to a potentially unlimited audience without a lot of setup was immediately appealing to me,” Van Horn said. “I am always looking for new ways to connect with my followers and allow them to see me in different settings. This was a no-brainer for me!”

The differences
But, what makes Periscope so different from other video apps? For Van Horn, it’s Periscope’s cleaner UI and the ability to save streams for 24 hours, allowing for replay views. Gallaga points out the higher video quality than past apps like Qik, another app he’s used. Another advantage Gallaga mentioned is the quick adoption rate for Periscope and its Twitter integration. That paid off for Van Horn, who hosted 258 viewers when he live casted the filming of his podcast. Finally, Periscope lets users award hearts to content they love, an interactive feature not found in Meerkat or Qik. 

The results
Periscope has opened new creative doors for Gallaga.

“I’ve been doing film experiments that I typically would have only done with photos before,” Gallaga said. “I’m not a filmmaker, but I’m really enjoying what you can do visually.”

Van Horn said, using Periscope lets his audience have a real-time view, rather than having to wait through the video editing and release process.

“Periscope… gives my audience an opportunity to see/hear it before the rest of the world does—that makes them feel like VIPs!”

If you want to join the ranks of Periscope live casters, Gallaga provided a tip for getting noticed.

“Weird stuff seems to stand out on Periscope.”