Engage an Audience with the New Facebook Creator App

Facebook Live videos have become immensely popular for both celebrities and everyday Facebook users alike. With its latest new app, Facebook Creator, Facebook is providing video creators with more tools to frame their content and engage with a community of viewers. And although the new app seems designed to draw “influencers” away from platforms like YouTube, it’s open to everyone.

So what can you do on the new Facebook Creator app? The first attraction is a bundle of tools, called the Live Creative Kit, that you can add on to Facebook Live broadcasts. Creators can upload intros and outros and then set them up to play automatically at the start and end of their livestreams.

There are also a few fun new graphic tools. With frames, creators can add borders to their videos. They can also create a custom reaction button to use in place of one of the defaults, such as the “wow” or “angry” face. These tools should help creators set a more polished tone and maintain a customized theme, all while keeping the accessible, casual style of live video.

The Facebook Creator App also has a community tab, which helpfully brings messages from Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram together into one inbox. This should make it significantly easier for creators to stay on top of reactions to their content and to engage with their communities.

As with any good content app, there’s also an analytics page called “Insights.” This will include metrics on page and video views, plus fan demographics.

As an added bonus, the Creator App will let creators cross-post to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Stories. The goal is to put as much as possible in one place.

Alongside the new app, Facebook has launched a website called Facebook for Creators. The website is a hub of tips and examples of how to produce high-quality videos and build engagement. If you’re just starting out or need a few pointers, there’s a “Learn” section with short lessons on topics such as scheduling videos and monetization. There’s also a Spotlight on successful creators, if you’re looking for inspiration.

YouTube, which has more robust monetization options, is likely to remain more popular with established creators and those who prefer a more produced style of video. But especially as Facebook builds up its video toolkit, it’s poised to become more and more popular with those who love Live videos and who prioritize organic interaction with their viewers.

So if you’re a Facebook Live fan, give the Creator App a try and let us know what you think!