Update: while Periscope is a great platform for live broadcasting with the addition of Facebook Live and Twitter Live I don't use it anymore, but this tutorial still has relevant information.
I recently joined a Periscope challenge and I have to tell you I'm loving it! I get to share a little bit of me every day whether people want to watch or not.
The fun part about Periscope is your viewers can interact with you during the live broadcast! I thought I'd do a quick overview so you aren't as lost as I was (and maybe still am).
Creating a Periscope account is easy!
Download the Periscope app from the iTunes App store or the Google Play Store. That part is pretty simple, we've all installed apps numerous times. There are two ways to create an account on Periscope:
- Through your Twitter account or
- Via a Phone number

The Periscope Buzzwords
Now that you've signed up for an account let's go over some of the Periscope lingo:
- Periscope: the app
- Broadcast: A live session also known as a Scope
- Replay: A re-broadcasted scope that's available for 24 hours
- Scoper: that would be you or someone who is broadcasting user Periscope
- Hearts: think of this as the like button, by tapping the screen during a live broadcast or reply you'll show some love to the scoper!
- Share: exactly what it says you can share someone's live scope or replay
- Follower: on Periscope there are no private profiles you can follow people and they can follow you
- Swipe: Just like on your phone or tablet you slide you finger over the screen to swipe! On iPhone swiping left during a scope allows you to share a link to Facebook or Twitter, similarly on Android you swipe up!
That was a mouthful! I hope you were able to follow along. It will make more sense as you start using the app more and get comfortable with it.
Navigating Periscope Tabs
Tabs are how you navigate through Periscope. There are four primary tabs in the app.
- The first tab displays two lists:
- A list of the people you’re following on Periscope who are “live”. To join live broadcast, just touch the listing.
- A list of broadcasts you’ve attended within the past 24 hours. To replay a broadcast, touch the one you want to see.
- The second tab has two views. One shows a global list of live public broadcasts you can join. The other shows a global map of live public broadcasts you can join.
- The third tab is where you broadcast. This is the red button at the bottom right on an Android or the camera icon in iOS app.
- The fourth tab is the place to find people to follow. The number of followers that is displayed refers to how many Periscope followers a person has. This is where you can access your profile and other settings as well.
The tabs are how you navigate through the main screens on Periscope. It’s where you watch and produce broadcasts.
Your First Periscope Broadcast
So now that you're ready for your first scope let's get started! To do a broadcast, open your Periscope app and tap the broadcast tab in iOS and then the Camera icon at the bottom center or in Android tap the Camera icon at the bottom right.
FYI: Periscope broadcasts can be private as well. This means you need to select each individual viewer.
- Put in the title that describes what you are going to broadcast.
- Choose your options via the three icons above the “Start Broadcast” button.
- Manage your location settings (you can choose to add your exact location to your broadcast)
- Make the broadcast private
- Limit your chat and/or Tweet live stream
- Tap ‘Start Broadcast.’ Don't worry y ou can switch between front and rear camera during the broadcast.
- To end a broadcast, swipe the screen down and tap ‘Stop Broadcast'.
FYI: All the hearts and comments during your broadcast is just your audience interacting with you! It might be a little distracting but just keep doing what you're doing.
Saving Videos for later
You can save a copy of your broadcast to your phone to have it forever. To save a copy, click the link at the bottom of the ended broadcast that says “Save to my camera roll”. But be careful you might accidentally stop the upload of your broadcast to Pericope for replay available to public for 24 hours (I learned that from experience)

What I like about Periscope is creating a broadcast is simple! You don't need fancy equipment and with a few taps you're live on the app and can easily save the video to your phone. Just be aware that this will eat up a lot of data if you aren't in wifi.
You can find me at periscope.tv/lcyra
I hope you are ready for your first trial run with Periscope! I can't wait to see you all live.



