YouTube videos and shorts may seem like the 2 main pillars of content on the platform but live streams offer something different, allowing for richer content experiences with your audience. Livestreams allow you to connect with your audiences in a very personal and real way, which can also lead to higher brand engagement.
Getting your audience excited for a livestream is no easy feat, but there are some tactics you can use to maximise viewer numbers. Firstly, ensure your broadcast is scheduled for when the majority of your audience are likely to be online. This could be a morning, afternoon or evening. Secondly, promote your livestream in advance. Creating an event, uploading a trailer or sharing the link on social media will help to build anticipation for your video and increase the likelihood of viewers tuning in.
Another important factor to consider is audio quality. Having poor sound can detract from the overall viewing experience and can lead to people clicking away or missing out on your stream altogether. Investing in a high-quality microphone is therefore crucial to making sure your livestreams are slick and seamless.
You can go live on YouTube from your mobile, tablet or computer. Mobile and webcam streaming are perfect for vlogging or quick updates on the go and don’t require a lot of resources. To create a livestream, navigate to the “create” button in the top-right corner of YouTube, select ‘live’ and choose when you want your stream to begin – it can be right now or at a later, scheduled date. You will then be asked to select the visibility of your video – it can be private, unlisted or public.
Once your video has been created, you can access a livestream dashboard that will give you instant analytics and tools such as the chat feature which allows users to communicate with you whilst you are live. This can be a great tool to encourage your audience to interact with you and ask questions during your livestream.
Once your livestream has finished, you can use the same dashboard to repurpose your video by creating highlights from key moments in your stream. Highlights are a great way to keep your YouTube video content engaging after the livestream has ended and can be posted just like any other video on your channel. You can also use stream markers to mark memorable moments during the livestream that you can refer back to when creating highlights – this can be especially useful for livestreams that cover a wide range of topics. Lastly, you can view video analysis which will show you how your audience is engaging with your content and what is working or not. This can be a great insight into your audience and will help you optimise your livestreams in the future. youtube live