The document provides 7 tips for hosting a live Q&A session: 1) Define goals for tone and outcomes; 2) Set a positive and engaging tone; 3) Feature star power like celebrities or product experts; 4) Empower experts but not to respond to every question; 5) Prepare for tough questions with approved answers; 6) Provide an archive of the Q&A; 7) Promote the event in advance through various channels. It also describes managing Q&A sessions on the Blyve platform.

1. For Hosting a
Live Q&A Session
7 TIPS & TRICKS
Ramsey Ksar
CEO & Chief Product Officer, Blyve
blyve.com | @blyve

2. Companies worldwide are joining social conversations…
But the question is, how can you proactively start a
conversation that enhances your brand, protects it from
negativity, while growing brand engagement?
Source: flickr.com/photos/40518938@N00

3. 2014 Content Marketing Trends
2014 B2B Content Marketing Trends – North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
93% of marketers
are using content
marketing, but only
42% of marketers
consider themselves
effective.
48%
10%
8%
32%
1%
Increase
Significantly Increase
Unsure
Remain the Same
Decrease
What are you doing to increase the effectiveness of your marketing spend?

4. Blyve Can Help
Running Q&A Sessions with Blyve will make you a more
effective content marketer. Blyve will bring your
customers closer to the things they love…and that’s you!
A
recent
interac*ve
press
conference
put
on
by
the
Arena
Football
League
–
powered
by
Blyve

5. A Few Q&A Event Ideas…
Q&A session
between
customers
and your
product
evangelists
Invite and
host a Q&A
session
with a
current
celebrity
Source: flickr.com/photos/99330224@N06
Live
coverage of
the big
game with a
Q&A session
with MVP
Q&A session
with actors
as part of a
second
screen
experience
Q&A session
with topical
experts as
part of
breaking
news
Q&A session
with CEO
about
company
earnings
report

6. For Hosting a
Live Q&A Session
7 TIPS & TRICKS
Without further ado, here are your…

7. Source: flickr.com/photos/matthewfield
Define High Level Goals
Tone Content Outcomes

8. Set the Tone
Source: flickr.com/photos/51035711196
• “Warm up the room” with a few comments or
questions before your event starts
• Be honest, be accurate, be engaging, and
stay positive
• Approve comments and respond to questions
in a timely manner
• Consider writing a FAQ to post on the same
page where you host your events

9. Bring in Star Power
Celebrities Product
Evangelists
Influencers CEO &
Community
Source: flickr.com/photos/qianbvb

10. Empower Your Experts to be in Control
• Assign questions to the right experts, versus to
everyone
• Tell your Q&A experts they don’t need to
respond to every question
• The best way to keep new questions coming in
is to answer the ones in your queue or to
propose questions to your audience

11. Be Ready for the Tough Questions
Source: flickr.com/photos/afgmatters/4478933084/
• All viewer comments first appear in a “pending
queue” before going live, keeping you in control
• Prepare for the tough questions. Consider
preparing and sending out a list of brand
approved answers
• Only reveal as much information as you are
comfortable sharing

12. Provide Instant Archive of Your Q&A
Source: flickr.com/photos/35480245@N06
• Provide persistent access to your Q&A
somewhere on your website
• Many of your best viewers and/or leads will
come in after the event
• Highlight the best Q&As by pinning them to the
the top

13. Announce Event in Advance
• Set your event to take RSVPs (email reminders
will be sent out 15 minutes before your event
starts)
• Announce event on social media several days in
advance
• Promote event via email blast & on your website
• Don’t forget to tell your audience they can
submit questions ahead of time

14. Managing Your Q&A Sessions in Blyve
Content
Modules
• Scoreboard
• Q&A Module
• Polls
• Twitter Search
• Live Stats
Approved Stream
Everything in here is approved
and visible to your audience.
Pending Stream
Inbound comments and
questions appear here. You
can approve, reply, or assign
to your panelists from here.
Twitter Search
Search Twitter for
keywords and hashtags.
You can also auto-approve
specific Twitter users.

15. Contact Blyve Today
We can give you full access to
our Q&A platform for event trials
and pilot projects. Contact us
today to get started!
http://blyve.com/learn
Ramsey Ksar
CEO & Chief Product Officer, Blyve
408.475.2598 | @blyve | @ramseyk