Instagram Live Rooms Launched to Help Creators Get Better Engagement

Instagram Live Rooms feature has been launched in India. Aimed at content creators in the country, the feature will facilitate greater audience engagement by allowing creators to go live with up to three additional people, the company explained in a press release. According to the company, the early tests for this feature were done in India and it is also one of the first countries where the feature has been rolled out broadly. Instagram says that Live Rooms feature has built in controls to keep the community safe.

“Creators are at the forefront of pushing culture and creativity on Instagram and we’re constantly innovating to help them express themselves better. From the launch of Reels, to the testing and rollout of Live Rooms, India is playing a crucial role in the way products are being designed for the future,” Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, said at the launch of Instagram Live Rooms feature. Instagram says that Live Rooms will be available to everyone in India and Indonesia soon.

How to use Instagram Live Rooms

In order to use Instagram Live Room feature, a user has to go live on the photo and video sharing platform. There are two ways to go live: Either tap the plus sign at the start of the stories tray, or swipe left from the main Instagram home screen. At the bottom of the screen, scroll through the options at the bottom and tap the Live camera option, then add a title if you want, and tap the circular shutter button to go live.

Once you are live on Instagram, tap the Camera/Rooms icon to see the people who have requested to join your live. Search for the guest’s name and tap on their name to send them a request to join the live session. Since Instagram Live Room allows you to add up to three guests at one time, you can choose to add others in the similar way.

Instagram Live Room feature gives creators more opportunities to expand their reach
Photo Credit: Instagram

According to the company, Instagram Live views in India grew 60 percent on a week-on-week basis in March. With the ability to go Live with up to three guests, Instagram Live Room feature gives creators more opportunities such as starting a talk show or a podcast, or collaborating with other creators, to engage with their communities, and to expand their reach.

“This year in particular has seen extensive use of Live, and as physical distancing norms continue, Live will remain an invaluable feature to bring friends, families and audiences together, and foster meaningful conversations,” Mohan added. Instagram says that the early test for Live Rooms took place with a few creators in India, including @shereenlovebug aka Shereen Bharwani, @mr.mnv aka Manav Chhabra and @rohina aka Rohina Anand Khira.

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