Live streams are a way for content creators to connect more directly with their audience. Instead of releasing pre-recorded content, it offers a live view of your work to viewers in real time. It's a great way to connect with your most devoted followers, even if you're separated by great distances.
Live streams put a huge emphasis on being as real and stageless as possible. But that's not an excuse to create sloppy, unprofessional-looking videos. If you really want to grow your live streaming audience, here are some simple yet effective ways to make your live streams look more professional.
Most content creators just starting out prefer to stream on Facebook Live How to stream video from your smartphone or PC With Facebook Live How to stream video from your smartphone or PC With Facebook Live Facebook has another way to communicate with the world:a via your webcam, which allows you to video chat directly to your audience. Read More While using these platforms gives you an out-of-the-box streaming setup, the benefit is ultimately biased towards the platform.
The video you stream will have the social media platform logo on all of its content. Also, anyone who clicks on your video will be taken to the social media site, which means that any clicks and pageviews on your video will benefit the social media platform and not your website.
Instead, consider investing in a professional video hosting service. This allows you to host your content on your own website. Anyone who clicks on your video will be directed to your site. You can also place your own brand logo on your videos.
This will also allow you to take charge of your video's monetization options. Professional video hosting services provide much better security features and built-in analytics. Finally, you have access to 24/7 customer support, and you retain all license rights to your content.
Today, all you need is a smartphone with an internet connection to stream live video How to stream live video from your smartphone How to stream live video from your smartphone Whenever I mention to people that I'm obsessed with streaming When it comes to video apps, I almost always have the same answer:why would you want to stream video from your phone? What about your… Read More While this strategy can work in small doses, it is dangerous to rely on it too much. Low-quality cameras need a lot of external factors to line up in order to produce good video. Poor lighting and/or audio can ruin your live stream.
This is why it is important to invest in good videography equipment. Equipment that includes:
In addition to investing in the right equipment, you also need to have someone on hand who actually knows how to use that equipment. There's no point in buying an expensive DSLR if you don't know how to navigate your many options to capture the best video.
If you don't know this yourself, consider hiring a professional hourly video maker or joining online filmmaker communities where you can ask members for tips on the basics of making quality videos.
Many creators prefer to add their live streams to give audiences an authentic experience. But just because you're giving a live presentation doesn't mean there isn't room for a basic script. Remember that your live stream could be viewed by a large number of potential future subscribers. Doing or saying the wrong thing will quickly make those potential subscribers leave your videos.
Take the time to write a script for what you plan to do during the live stream. This will help clear your mind and remind you of what you hope to accomplish with the broadcast. You don't need to try to memorize the entire script. But keep it handy and hidden from view so you can refer to it whenever you need to. The script may include:
The most unprofessional thing that can happen is that your live stream gets interrupted due to technical issues. And such problems are depressingly common when working with a large number of different computers. That's why it's so important to test before the actual streaming session.
Treat this test session as you would the actual live stream. Set everything up the way you intend on the day of the live stream. Then get a trial sequence online. Ask your friends and family to tune in and help you solve the problems. Once the stream is live, start troubleshooting.
Try the low and high quality video settings. Play around with the camera and audio settings. Adjust your location if necessary. Check the equipment you intend to use during the live broadcast.
The test run should be done as many times as necessary until you get the perfect live streaming experience. Once you're happy with your setup complete, you can move on to the actual live streaming event.
Despite your best efforts, things can go wrong on the big day of the live broadcast. Problems with your configuration may arise that are beyond your control. This is why having a backup sequence is so important. Most professional streaming services provide you with a backup stream URL. This means that if your main stream goes offline, the video players will fall back on the backup stream.
Also, having a backup audio and video team during the live broadcast is a good idea. So if a glitch occurs due to faulty equipment, you can quickly change it without losing too much airtime.
Whether you're trying to live stream a gaming session or a live music performance, doing professional live streaming isn't rocket science. And while there are bound to be issues with your first few attempts, if you commit to solving any problems early, future sessions should be much better as a result. We recommend you check out our guide to record or stream with OBS Studio How to record or stream your computer screen with OBS Studio How to record or stream your computer screen with OBS Studio Want to record your screen or stream to Twitch? OBS Studio is an excellent free option. Here's everything you need to get started. Read more !
