Do you remember a few weeks ago when Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, started hinted about a brand new Instagram feature that was going to be rolled out soon? Many of us either wanted A) insights for Reels or B) Instagram to stop rolling out new features at the speed of light like they did in 2020. After much build up and fanfare, the announcement was kind of … chill? Instagram announced that when you go Live, you can now have more than one guest on the live with you. With the update, you can go Live with up to three guests. Instagram calls this new feature “Live Rooms”. Here’s everything you need to know about what Live Rooms are, why they were made, and how to use them.
What are Live Rooms?
As we said above, Live Rooms are Instagram Lives that have up to 3 guests. This will allow more crossover between creators, and hopefully make collaborative conversations flourish. Instagram also shared some safety features that will come along with Live Rooms. Users who are blocked by a host or guest in an Instagram Live Room will not be able to join the Live. Users who’ve had Live accessed removed because of Community Guideline violations will not be able to join a Live Room, and Live Room hosts will have the ability to block and report comments, and apply comment filters.
Why Add Live Rooms to Instagram?
According to Instagram, the ability to go Live with more than one guest was a “highly requested” feature. Instagram hopes that by doubling the amount of guests on Live, more creative conversations will be able to unfold. In Instagram’s Live Rooms announcement, well known makeup artist Arti Nayar said, "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." Instagram also thinks this feature will help smaller creators get discovered. If they join a Live Room as a guest of a bigger creator, viewers will easily be able to tap the follow button while still in the Live Room. Check out Instagram’s announcement video below.
How to Start a Live Room
1. Head to the Instagram Stories creator and swipe left until you get to the Live button.
2. Give your Instagram Live Room a name by tapping on the the four horizontal lines on the left middle of the screen.
3. Hit the Live button to officially go Live.
4. To add guests to your Live Room, tap the video plus icon in the bottom of the screen. Then select users you want to invite as guests in your Live Room. Simple as that!
The possibilities for Live Rooms are endless! You can hold Q&As with people in your industry. If you have faithful customers for your small business, invite them to join your Live Room to show that you care about their thoughts and experiences. Host a morning show with your pals. Teach an interactive class where you bring students on to answer their questions in real time. We'll be honest - we wish the Instagram update wouldn't have been Live Rooms. But we are excited to try them out and see how they can make social media feel more social!
