What is it?
In its most simple form, a liveblog is a digital format that allows creators to send information to audiences in real-time. Compared to traditional articles, the content of liveblogs is very dynamic and updated regularly with fresh content. While early versions of this format were primarily composed of texts, today's liveblogs are often filled with photos, videos, external content from social-media and interactive engagement tools to get the readers' attention. Its feed-like structure mirrors a social-media newsfeed and therefore feels familiar for those of us who have gotten used to having a smartphone in our hands. With the latest updates popping up at the top of the page, a reader can easily stay informed about any topic. The ability of liveblogs to deliver real-time information and its integration of interactive elements, makes it a must-have nowadays.
How does a live blog work?
A liveblog can be compared to a digital feed which presents readers the most recent updates at the top. It’s a great way to keep readers informed without giving them the need to refresh the page, because real-time updates appear automatically inside the liveblog. Moreover, news platforms can easily integrate text, photos, videos or even social-media posts into the liveblog.
Inside the liveblog, readers are able to interact with the latest updates. By giving them the opportunity to write comments or give their reactions, platforms create a feeling of community. On top of that, it helps these platforms to identify which topics resonate well with their audience and to understand the different point of views from their readers.
Examples:
⚽ Sports coverage: Real-time updates on scores, player substitutions or live commentary during a football match.
📺 Breaking news: Real-time updates on current news such as natural disasters or major elections.Benefits of live blogging
👫 For readers
Liveblogs offer the advantage of real-time updates which keeps readers informed throughout the event. By integrating interactive elements such as polls or multimedia elements, the engagement inside the liveblog can even be further increased. On top of that, this integration creates a more dynamic and authentic reader experience during the live coverage.
🗞️For publishers
Apart from the benefits of liveblogs for readers, a digital live coverage also has a lot of potential for publishers. One of the main advantages of liveblogs is the fact that readers spend more time on liveblogs compared to traditional articles. Therefore, it’s easier for publishers to create trust with their readers and to actually keep them on their website. This increased trust and longer session times can be used by publishers in order to increase the ad revenue or to sell subscriptions. Moreover, liveblogs give readers a reason to come back to the publisher’s platform in order to be informed about the latest updates. As a result, this will increase the traffic and relevance of the platform.
📈Statistical insights
With tools like Tickaroo, publishers can access detailed analytics to optimize content and understand their audience better. By analyzing some of the most successful liveblogs from the past, publishers are already one step ahead of their competitors. These deep insights into engagement or traffic data can finally make the difference.
Use cases for live blogs
📰 News
Liveblogs are the perfect tool for covering breaking news, natural disasters or political events as they provide the flexibility to update readers in real-time. This can also mean that publishers can immediately correct false information or that they are the first ones confirming results of an event such as an election. This adaptability and fast integration make liveblogs the perfect tool for these kind of news.
🏀 Sports
By integrating liveblogs for sport events into their platforms, publishers can really serve their audience. There’s nothing more enjoyable for a football fan to follow every moment in real-time inside a liveblog. The fact that the audience can even interact inside the liveblog allows publishers to increase engagement during an important sports event. No matter if it’s a football match, a Formula 1 race or an important NBA game, liveblogs will add the required dynamics into your platform.
🏟️ Events
From conferences and product launches to cultural festivals, liveblogs are offering attendees and remote audiences a great reader experience. By integrating multimedia as well as interactive elements, the event will get a new dynamic and help your platform to grow.
👔 Corporate use
One of the most underrated use cases for liveblogs is the internal use inside the company. Why not setting up a liveblog for the next live workshop or internal update, where employees can join remotely and share their opinion by writing comments during the live coverage. This ensures that every employee has the chance to join the event and even strengthens transparency inside your company.
How to start a live blog
🛠️ Tools and platforms
Tickaroo empowers publishers to create liveblogs and turn them into interactive, audience-first experiences. Therefore, it has never been easier to integrate features like live commenting, polls, quizzes or user-generated content into a Tickaroo liveblog. As a result, publishers will build stronger connections and trust with their readers. On top of that, Tickaroo liveblogs will increase publisher’s engagement and retain audiences for a longer period of time. It’s the perfect tool for creating liveblogs that inform readers in real-time about the latest news. With Tickaroo liveblogs publishers have everything they need in order to make their liveblogging a success.
👣 Step-by-step guide
- Choose a topic: Before starting to integrate the first liveblog into the platform, it’s important to choose a relevant topic that requires real-time updates. The choice of topic is already very important as it decides which readers and how many people are interested in following the liveblog.
- Set up your platform: Use Tickaroo to configure and launch your liveblog. It’s a perfect and easy tool to start your first liveblog without any experience.
- Prepare and publish content: Share regular updates to keep your audience informed and engaged on your platform. Writing about topics which are closely related to your liveblog, will further increase the traffic and make people aware of your liveblog.
💪Tips for successful live blogs
Consistent updates: Frequent updates are one of the most important parts of a successful liveblog. Timely and consistent posts will keep readers engaged and ensure that they return to stay informed. Regardless of the type of event (news, sports, product launch…) regular updates are critical to maintain relevance for the liveblog.
Utilize multimedia: Multimedia elements like images, videos and interactive features significantly improve the reader experience inside a liveblog. By using them as visual content breaks inside the text, it will make the liveblog even more engaging. In addition, infographics and charts can help simplify complex information which makes it easier for audiences to understand the topic.
Foster interaction: Engagement is an important metric to have success with a liveblog. Therefore, fostering interaction is one of the most effective ways to achieve it. By integrating features like polls, comment sections and Q&A blocks readers can actively participate in the content. This will create a sense of community and make readers feel connected.
Best live blogging platform
Key features of Tickaroo
🕛 Real-time updates: Tickaroo is designed for speed and efficiency which allows you to publish updates immediately. In combination with our tools, you will cover breaking news, live sport events or product launches in real-time and without any delays. As a result, you set yourself apart from the competition and build trust with your audience.
🔍 SEO-optimized format: Tickaroo is one of the best liveblogging platforms when it comes to gaining more visibility in search engines through advanced SEO optimization and to ultimately reach more people. The platform supports Schema.org markup and AMP compatibility which ensures that your liveblog meets Google’s requirements for real-time content. Together with implementation of structured data and fast-loading AMP pages, Tickaroo improves your chances to appear in Google’s top stories carousel with the red “Live” badge. This increased visibility will get you higher traffic and more engagement.
👏 Advanced interactive features: In order to get your liveblog on the next level, Tickaroo also offers tools that boost engagement and interactivity:
- Live commenting blocks: Engage directly with your audience by asking questions, responding to feedback and lead discussions in real-time.
- Polls and surveys: Gain valuable insights from your readers and tailor your content to their interests.
- Quizzes: Make information retention fun and interactive while encouraging readers to spend more time on your blog.
- User-generated content (UGC): Incorporate audience contributions, such as photos or comments, to create a more inclusive and dynamic liveblog experience.
⚡Advanced AI-driven features: Tickaroo incorporates AI-powered functionalities to improve the liveblogging experience. These tools optimize content creation by suggesting headlines, identifying trends or helping to choose the timing of updates. On top, AI improves audience engagement and analyses the user behavior. Finally, the AI-driven features ensure that your liveblog stay relevant and engaging.
📶 Success stories
Multiple leading news publishers have chosen Tickaroo to improve their live reporting capabilities. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, a major German news publisher used Tickaroo to give real-time updates on local regulations and hospital data. Besides that, the liveblog integrated multimedia elements like infographics and videos. This ensured that readers stayed informed with dynamic content. The approach resulted in significantly longer session durations, 8x longer reader engagement compared to static articles with readers returning frequently to check for the latest updates.
FAQs about live blogging
What is a live blog?
A liveblog is a way to share updates about a topic in real time. It combines text, photos, videos and even interactive tools like polls or comments to keep readers engaged and informed as events happen.
How does a live blog differ from a traditional blog?
Traditional blogs are usually long articles that stay the same once published. In contrast to traditional blogs, liveblogs are updated continuously with the latest information. This makes them perfect for covering events in real-time.
What types of content are suitable for live blogs?
Liveblogs work great for sports events, breaking news, conferences, elections, product launches and any event where things are happening in real-time.
How can I monetize live blogs?
Due to the fact that readers spend more time on liveblogs to keep up with updates, there are more opportunities to show ads which increases revenue. Interactive features like polls and surveys also provide valuable insights about your audience. This can help to attract advertisers or sponsors.
