Everything You Need to Know About Starting a Streaming Channel

Live Streaming has been the rage for quite some time now. With the ability to bring unique content and audience engagement together to one place, live streaming has established its mark in the content creation world. Not only is it interactive and appealing, but it also has countless other benefits like increasing your audience and helping you better present your passion for your content and niche. Additionally, you can make a good income out of it!

Though streaming was quite popular even before the pandemic, Covid has kicked up the number of audiences that now regularly indulge with live streaming creators, especially on YouTube. In fact, live broadcasting is one way for YouTube creators to showcase their best to a larger audience and stand apart from the monotonous array of videos uploaded each minute. But, it isn’t very easy to start live streaming out of the blue. Luckily, this guide has all you need to know before you hit on the ‘go live’ button on YouTube!

So, why live stream?

There is no other form of sharing content that can reach upto the engagement level of going live. In fact, statistics by Livestream show that 80% of the audience would rather watch a live video than read a blog, and 82% of people picked watching live streams instead of monotonous social media content. Moreover, 70% of survey takers choose YouTube as their platform of choice when watching live stream videos. 

Many brands today rely on live streaming to increase their reach. Hence, it is evidently clear that live streaming is the all-powerful content-sharing strategy of the modern world.

Begin with the basics

Now that you are absolutely passionate about live streaming and the statistics have motivated you enough, it is time to check off some basics. You can begin with picking up your equipment. 

A good webcam, your phone camera, or the latest camera gear with 4k video quality is all good, depending on your live streaming budget. Good gear is appreciated, but if you are a novice, your webcam will do the job. Keep a good microphone, lighting equipment, and a phone stand handy. Next, to begin live streaming, verify your account with your phone number, and that’s it! Now you are all set for going live!

Build your ideas

Before you hit Go Live and find yourself clueless while your audience pours into your stream, write down all your ideas. Ask yourself if you are ready for the commitment and can keep up with the real-time broadcast. You must know that you will have to stay consistently focused throughout the live stream and only begin if you are truly passionate about your idea.

Hence, look for a team if you will be needing one and especially a moderator if you want to enable chat. You will need someone to keep your audience engaged as you are engrossed in your live stream performance, whether it is gaming, cooking, painting, or anything else. Apart from these, be clear with your goals from live streaming and why you are choosing it over uploading a simple video to Youtube.

Promote your live stream

Your gear is ready; you have your content ideas ready and are on the verge of going live. But is your audience aware that you will be hosting a live stream? So, spend some time making your followers and subscribers become aware that you will be hosting a live stream –

• Social media posts are a great way to let your audience know that you will be going live. Experts suggest using different techniques when posting about your live stream to reach the specific people of that social media in a personalized manner.
• Send emails an hour before hosting your live stream and host it at a time when your target audience will possibly be on their phones. Check into the statistics related to your target audience and hence tweak your streaming time. 

Tips for a successful YouTube live stream

You have put some serious efforts into bringing more eyes to your YouTube live stream and had a great time streaming! But does that ensure your stream’s success? Here are a few tips for hosting a successful YouTube live stream session:-

Boost your YouTube channel

Your YouTube channel can benefit a lot from promotional boost strategies that can then be mirrored upon your live stream. One way to provide an initial boost for YouTube is to buy YouTube views. Build your strategies around your view count and attract people in such a way that your increased view count incites them to open your videos and watch them. 

For example, if you run a painting channel, you could buy a good amount of views for a video, which will automatically motivate people to watch that video. Here, you could promote your live stream and encourage people to tune in to your live broadcast so that they can create similar high-reach painting content. Modify and tweak your strategy around your views and see your live audience increase!

Broadcast content that is worth it

An initial boost of paid views will only work if your content actually holds some value. So, focus on creating out-of-the-box content that will captivate your audience in seconds. Provide value to your audience with your video so that they see the worth behind it. Hence, as you promote your live stream, they will be automatically pleased by the idea of joining you through your journey. 

So, if you are a marketer, aim to bring solutions through your videos that will help better your customers’ lives. Carry the same idea to your YouTube live stream as an extension of your videos, and hence people will chime in to know more about how they can benefit from your expertise. 

Engage!

Many people mainly watch live streams so that they can engage with you. So, if you have a dedicated fan base or are looking to create one, be ready to engage and interact with your audience so that they know that you are paying attention to them. Help make the whole thing a fun experience for your audience so that they look forward to watching you again!

Now that you are familiar with the YouTube live streaming basics, it is time to switch on your gear and stream!