How far in advance should you schedule a Meerkat?

Unfortunately, the question is a little like the proverbial "how long is a piece of string?"

There are many possible factors when discussing Meerkat: your personal brand, your audience, the nature of the livestream. There is no correct answer for everyone. However, you can take a few things into consideration.

See also: 5 accessories to improve your crappy Meerkat videos

Have a read through our suggestions of what to take into account if you're planning on scheduling a Meerkat. Then share your meerkatting tips in the comments below.

How to schedule

It's pretty simple to set up a scheduled Meerkat. Simply enter a title for your broadcast, tap the "Schedule" option, set the time and add a photo.
Your Meerkat followers will get a notification you're planning a future broadcast. When the time comes, the Meerkat app will alert you to begin.

Spontaneous vs. scheduled

Meerkat founder Ben Rubin says the app is all about "spontaneous togetherness." It's all about that moment when you see a "[LIVE NOW] #meerkat" tweet scroll down your Twitter timeline. It's designed to pique your curiosity.
"Live video over social graphs generates new emotions and feelings that are different from those on existing social networks," Rubin wrote in a Meerkat post on Medium. "Feelings like drama, anticipation, uncertainty, unpredictability, presence and empowerment to change are new."
There may be occasions when spontaneity isn't important to your broadcast and you want to schedule a Meerkat livestream. Here's what to consider:

Your audience

Image: Twitter

While you can't analyze your Meerkat followers yet, you can get an insight into your Twitter followers. It makes sense to schedule a Meerkat session for when most of your potential viewers will be online.
Head to your Twitter Analytics page and click the "Followers" tab at the top. From here you can view the location of your followers in a handy chart.
This will give an idea of what timezones the majority of your followers are in, then, when considering when to schedule, you can take this information into account.

Your content

Image: Meerkat

Next you need to consider your content. If it's work-related, people are more likely to watch your scheduled broadcast during their work hours. On the flip side, they might not want to risk watching strictly fun livestreams while at work.

Consider scheduling ahead for people's morning or evening commutes. But also remember that they might be conscious about data plans when not connected to Wi-Fi.
If you're pegging Meerkat to a live event, consider whether a livestream will work better before or after. Are cameras allowed at said event? Maybe consider filming it. If not, you could schedule a preview Meerkat half an hour before the happening, or take questions immediately after. Plan accordingly and give your followers at least a 10-minute lead time.
People might like a heads up for a Q&A with a popular personality. In this scenario a couple of hour's notice could be helpful so viewers can be sure they're free to tune in.
Finally, think about timescale. Schedule a Meerkat too soon and you may as well just live broadcast it. Do it too far in advance and your viewers might forget to tune in. Weigh the timeliness of the situation with people's attention span.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.