WP Scope Review
POS:
Makes sense if your using Periscope yourselfNEG:
Not so sure about pulling other peoples broadcastsToday I’m doing a review of the WP Scope plugin. So to start off before I jump into the WP Scope review I want to explain exactly what Periscope is, just in case you have not heard of it yet. Periscope is a app that runs on your mobile device. Currently it has just over […]
Today I’m doing a review of the WP Scope plugin.
So to start off before I jump into the WP Scope review I want to explain exactly what Periscope is, just in case you have not heard of it yet. Periscope is a app that runs on your mobile device. Currently it has just over 10 million active users. What it does is allow you to broadcast live video streams from your device, that other people can then watch on their device. People can find you by searching the existing streams, or if they are following you they will get a push notification every time you start a new stream.
First of all the fact that this is a live stream is very cool in itself. Live streaming video is the next logical step in video marketing. But there are two other things that really have me excited about Periscope. The fact that is on mobile and that people following you will get push notifications every time you do a new broadcast. I want people to really think about how powerful this is. It does not matter where in the world people are, what they are doing, if they are sitting in front of a computer or not, people will always be aware of your broadcasts and always be able to view them if they choose. This means you have an opportunity to not only build up a following but to also connect with them like never before. Also because its a live streaming video you can connect with them at a much more personal level.
Why is it so important to connect with your following at a personal level as an internet marketer? Simple, because there are three things that people need in order to buy from you? They must know you, like you, and trust you. Apps like Periscope provide all three things. They allow you to reach a broader potential customer base and make them aware of your existence (know you) and they allow you to interact with them on a more personal level which (hopefully, unless your a jerk) will lead to them liking and trusting you.
Despite the power of Periscope it does have its flaws.
The biggest of which is the fact that your broadcasts are deleted after 24 hours. While this is good for Twitter (the owners of Periscope) because it saves them resources by not require them to store thousands and thousands of hours of video forever its not so great for the internet marketer. Think about it, you do this awesome broadcast, full of great content and in 24 hours its gone forever and no new people can ever see it again. What a shame!
The second problem is that only people with Periscope can only view your broadcasts on Periscope. Sure Periscope has 10 million users, and that’s a huge user base, however as internet marketers we always want to get the biggest ‘bang for our buck’ and make the most out of everything we do.
The WP Scope plugin aims to solve both of these problems and enhance the functionality of the Periscope app. What it does is automatically downloads your broadcasts, uploads them to your YouTube account, and then (optionally) post the video to your blog, link to in on Facebook, and post a Tweet to it as well. This solves both problems because now your broadcast does not vanish forever after 24 hours since its on your YouTube channel, it also spreads your broadcast through other channels helping you get the most you can out of the broadcast.
One use for WP Scope that the creators are advocating that I don’t agree with is using their plugin to download other peoples broadcasts and add them to your blog, Facebook, YouTube channel etc. They are saying that this is a way to get instant content, and while it is, and while its not against any TOS (I checked) I’m just not so sure that its the best thing to do.
Let me explain why:
As I said the whole point of the Periscope app is to build up a loyal following, to make people aware of you, to build a relationship and trust with people. In short the point of the app is for you to use the app and for people to interact with you. When you download other peoples broadcasts and post them to your blog, YouTube account, Facebook etc. all your doing is making people aware of someone else. Your not building your brand or making people aware of you, your doing that for the people who’s broadcasts that you are downloading. This makes no sense at all. No matter what niche your in, you want to get people aware of you and get them to know, like and trust you. Spreading other peoples broadcasts is not going to do that. In fact its going to do the opposite of that, its going to make people aware of, and (possibly) like / trust someone else in your niche.
Because of this I’m going to totally discount the idea that you can use WP Scope to get free content by downloading other peoples broadcasts. This does not mean I don’t like the plugin though. A week ago I did not know much about Periscope, however after doing a lot of research and questioning Cindy I’m quite excited about it. The ability to build up a following in a relatively untapped space, and to be able to interact with that following any time, anywhere on a very personal level is a extremely powerful combination that is not only going to increase your brand awareness but is also going to build up your trust, respect and relationship with potential customers.
While I would not call WP Scope a way to get free content, I do think its a great plugin that is going to enhance the functionality of the Periscope app by not only saving your broadcasts from 24 hour permanent deletion but by also allowing those broadcasts to reach additional people on other social media channels. That’s who I would suggest consider WP Scope, people who are willing to use the Periscope app themselves (and Periscope is something we should all be strongly looking into).
One thing that is well worth noting before I finish out this review is that WP Scope comes with a developers license included. Where most vendors charge for a developers license, or rights to use this on your clients / customers sites. Cindy is not for WP Scope, you get this for free automatically without it being an up-sell. Honestly this surprised me, but it was a very pleasant surprise.
Hey Brett “XYZ ” is offering me 50 bonuses if I buy this through their link. Where are your bonuses?
Sorry guys I respect you to much to load you down with a bunch of PLR that will only keep you from taking action on your purchase.
The Periscope app is a exciting and powerful way to expand your reach, build a following, and gain new customers, and the WP Scope plugin only makes it better. But you still have to take action, and because of that I’m not going to fill your hard drive and sidetrack you with a bunch of PLR. Instead I’m going to invite you to take action.
If you pick up WP Scope, also get the free Periscope app and get started making your broadcasts and building up your following. That’s whats going to benefit your business. Taking action on your purchase. Not a hard drive full of clutter.A quick note about the reviews I do on this site. The product vendors give me access to their products for free in order for me to do my review. However I make no promises to them regarding the results of my tests or what I will write in my review. Should you click a link that takes you to a sales page for a paid product for sale this link will be an affiliate link and I will be paid a percentage of the sales price should you decide to invest in it.
About the Author
Thank you for the review, and thanks for the honesty..
Brett,
any thoughts on the OTO?
Thanks
Im sorry I rarely review OTO’s , unlike most I do very in depth reviews testing the software throughout, researching the concept, and questioning the vendors, because I spend so much time on the reviews I simply dont have time to review the OTOs most times.
Hi Brett,
Greatly appreciate the honest and helpful review of WP Scope. Will get it through you!
Gratefully,
Humph
Hey Brett! Thank you for the review, but I do have a question. Is the Periscope app, a free app, or do they charge for the app download?
Periscope is 100% free.
Brett,
I went to download the Periscope app on Google Play and it said
“This app is incompatible with all of your devices”. Would it make
sense for me to get WP Scope if I’m unable to download the app on my
phone? Is there an alternate way to access and use an android app
like Periscope? (Maybe just upgrade my smartphone!)
You can upgrade your phone, or you can also use an Android tablet if you have one. Given that WP Scope is used to enhance the Periscope app no it would not make sense to buy it if your not going to use Periscope.
Brett – big kudos to you. You are so honest in a online-world where so many others (all others) have primary agendas (not even secondary agendas) to sell as affiliates and over-hype the product (even the book “Freakonomics” talks about heaps of professional teachers – cheating – if they are incentivised !!!!!! Even medical doctors cheap if incentivised and/but they are not self-aware of it). But you are so honest – and I really appreciate it.
Chucky Charles.
Thanks Brett for investing the time to thoroughly research and explain WP Scope. You provide a very valuable service to us. Like you I didn’t know a lot about Periscope and your interview with Cindy certainly made me more aware of its function.
Thanks for the review. I also don’t agree to use WP Scope for curating other people’s content into your blog. I don’t want people leaving my blog to go to my competitor’s blogs. I do use Periscope and am on it a lot. It is very easy to just click on save to photos before you start periscoping. This way your stream is not gone in 24 hours. You then upload it from youtube from your phone or your computer. I am not exactly sure how much better WP Scope would be in doing this function as you should be changing file names on your hard drive prior to uploading to YouTube.
Just my 2 cents.
I think the advantage of WP Scope is that it does everything automatic, downloading, saving, posting to YT, posting links to FB etc.. I like automatically done for you 🙂
Thanks Brett, for your insightful review as always.
It seems to me that you need some meaningful content to offer people
or you just flood the airwaves with clutter…more tweets but now streaming
video. I think that will challenge most folks.
Having a means of saving your great presentations on WP will be useful.
I understand your point about posting a lot of other peoples’ talks on your blog.
Yet does Google not want ‘activity’ on your blog to help rank it?
Yes your broadcasts should be useful to people. You should not broadcast just for the sake of broadcasting. Im not sure what you mean by ‘Google wants activity’ .. I dont know what you mean by ‘activity’ however the #1 thing Google wants is index-able content. Something that you will not get from this. FYI: You dont have to take my word that I know what Im talking about when it comes to Google, search for some of the products I review, its no accident Im almost always on the top of Google.
“however the #1 thing Google wants is index-able content. Something that you will not get from this. ”
Hi Brett, could you elaborate on this comment? This will not help you rank on google?
No this is not going to help you with Google .. as I said in the video review (you should watch the review video). As for elaborating, there really is little to elaborate on. Everyone is looking for the ‘trick’ to ranking in Google. There is no trick. All you need to do is post good, quality, inflexible (text) content.
Congratulations on your outstanding WP Scope review! It is without doubt the best review you have produced to date in its depth of coverage, balance, thoroughness, and analysis.
A logical next question is: will live streaming apps like Periscope replace Webinars as the preferred ‘live event’ internet marketing tool?
I’m thinking that the global pulling power of live streaming will negatively impact the webinar marketing attention space, especially if live streaming can maintain an aura of spontaneity in attracting people to join live streaming events on the spur of the moment with less front cajoling through Invite & Follow Up email series.
Another plus for live streaming is audience interaction. If a moderator/presenter of a WPScope enabled live stream can field questions like we can in a webinar I don’t see why live streaming won’t eventually out pull Webinars as a marketing tool.
I recently purchased Joel Peterson’s Webinar Income System on the theory that setting up automated on demand Webinars is one of the best ways to build identity/audience in the hard core internet marketing niche.
WIS is a good product. I have no complaints about it, however, I can’t help but feel that automated webinars have an infomercial feel to them that live streaming probably doesn’t.
How do you see it?
Is it best to do both on the notion that people still watch TV so marketers need to cover all channels or will Live Webinars gain even more traction as live streaming becomes ubiquitous?
Good luck with your Periscope marketing Brett!
I’d join you in WP Scope but there is the small problem of acquiring a smart phone over here in Japan.
Basically the powers that be won’t let foreigners (gaijin) register for a smart phone service unless s/he has a valid working visas for 3 years.
Cheers,
Harold
I don’t think live streaming apps on a mobile device will replace webinars for one major reason. They cant show whats on your computer, they can only show what the phones camera sees. Because of this its hard to do presentation style streams, software demos, etc.
Installing WP Scope was a long and involved process assisted at every stage by excellent monologues. But then I was left high and dry not knowing what to do next. The last modified said it would work time I posted but nothing happened. I need a 1_2_3 guide on how to use it.
There is a tutorial video on every step. All you have to do is go though the steps and watch each video as you advance. Also they have a support email if you need more detailed assistance.
Really appreciate your complete review. One question. What if you don’t have a mobile phone? Is there any way this can still work?
You’ll probably say “get with it, get a cell phone”! LOL
Well my first reaction was to say “Cut that land line and get a mobile 🙂 Welcome to the new world …lol” but you kind of took the wind out of my sail with that one.. lol .. but really you can use an Android tablet if you have one.
Thanks for the suggestion Brett. Appreciate it! Look at it this way, now you have a solution and won’t be left windless!
Hey Brett. Great review of this product. I waited to purchase it until I watched your in-depth review of it. Thank you for being as thorough with this as you were. Answered a lot of questions, and great to see you doing interviews too.
I do agree with almost everything you stated about the plugin and what it can and can’t do. The Google ranking issue is something I hope they figure out and fix a short ways down the road because that my be a huge deal for people who have a blog that depends on SEO for part of it’s traffic.
The one thing I didn’t agree 100% on was the fact that curating other people’s broadcasts would take away from your own branding. I do agree if you are building a brand that directly competes with the people you are curating Periscope broadcasts from, then yes, you may want to rethink that approach. However, where I run a diabetes blog and I would like to maybe have diabetic specialist’s or diabetic educator’s broadcasts on my blog, that would definitely benefit me because those people are not selling any products or in direct competition with me. They would, in a sense, be providing professional content and education to my blog readers. Where I am a lifetime expert on diabetes, sometimes the readers need to see the “Dr” or “MD” in a person’s name to feel better about the information. If I am able to provide the content that my readers missed on Periscope, or never knew about, that gives me the gold star next to my name or brand and adds a little more authority as well.
What are your thoughts?
Lets say you bring in an experts Periscope, people totally love the broadcast. Now ask yourself. Do you think that site visitor is going to come back to your blog or do you think its more likely that they will start searching for that expert who just impressed them with that great broadcast?
Personally what I would do if I needed content for a blog is interview experts and post the video of my interview on my blog. If you did them regularly its a reason to get people to keep coming back.
Good point. I think it would also depend on the niche too. Not sure that would be the case for what I am doing with the diabetes niche. I definitely agree with other more competitive niches like internet marketing or fitness niches though. Thanks for the thoughts on that, Brett. Definitely something to consider going forward.
Hey Brett Thanks for the great review; It was very informative and helpful. Do you ever review BIZ-OPs?
No I dont believe I haev even heard of that.
Ohne question, the Tool captures the real periscope live broadcast, everything what a
Human User would See? Including the hearts and the Chat and how many People Are live?
Not just the raw Video, that Is captured by my phonecam?
Thanks for sharing.
From the captures I watched it looks like it only captures the video.
Hello Brett, I bought this plugin. But it seems its resource intensive. It might not work well on a shared hosting. When I run cronjob to search for scopes, my 1Gb Ram get overshoot and job gets not successful. Have you heard of any other similar experience?
Yes .. and they explain that in the software as well. I also mention it in the review video. On a limited hosting package you need to limit the amount / frequency of your video pulls.
Brett, I have to tell you – your candor is refreshing. As I was listening to the spiel on this new plugin (only because of the deep discount code I had) I was thinking the same exact things about using other peoples’ videos, zero SEO benefit, etc.
After I watched your vid it helped me make a decision to get the plugin, but more than that, it helped reaffirm the view on Periscope. Lots of potential there. It’s probably going to evolve at some point where this plugin isn’t needed for capture, but for now it’s worth a shot. Thanks for your “realness” in this review. Love it
Well, I think wpscope would be useful in curating others content for an autoblog that monetizes through ads, I despise the IM niche, but this could be good for a funny videos or gaming website for example. So I think your review is somewhat biased in that you are in a specific niche, (IM) and already are established with a brand, email list and IM website that gets top rankings on new IM products.
Well yes you are correct, it goes without saying that when I speak, post, or comment my opinion I am doing so through the lens of my own experience and expertise.
As it should be. Good to have your extensive experience.
I should point out though: That was a great point you made, and I agree, in that particular case it might be ok to syndicate other peoples scopes. Thank you for taking the time to post a fresh and very valid perspective 🙂
Hello Brett,
How can I earn money as an affiliate marketer using Periscope?
Is it possible to put a clickable affiliate link inside Periscop video or on the profile or below the videos?
How does that work exactly?
Thanks a lot.
Best Regards,
Peter
As I said in the review video and in the article, Periscope is about branding yourself and building up a following. You don’t ‘earn money’ directly from Periscope, you build up your brand … which leads to money.
Hey Brett,
Nice review on the WP Scope app. I bought it as well and yes – it’s great! BUT, I was practically tearing my hair out getting it all set up. Now I think I’ve got it, except for one “glitch” – Namely, my Twitter tweets post automatically to my main Facebook profile page, instead of the page I am running that relates to my niche. You’re supposed to be able to select which page in setup, and I select the page I’m managing, not my own personal profile – but it always posts to my profile! Have you run into this problem? Despite watching the tutorials and asking more time of the developer than I should have, I still have yet to figure out the solution for this.
Hi Brett,
Thanks for the review. I have spent the last several hours trying (unsuccessfully) to get IonCube Loader installed on my GoDaddy hosting account. I seriously do NOT like the fact that WP Scope needs the ioncube loader to work. 🙁