YouTube live stream is a unique type of content that allows you to connect with your audience in real time and feel like you’re part of an event. It can be a great way to build brand awareness, promote your business, and answer any questions viewers may have.
A live stream can be conducted using a webcam, computer, or smartphone with the YouTube app. Alternatively, you can use the YouTube Studio app to create a more polished, edited video.
When preparing to go live, it’s important to have some ideas for what you’ll say and any questions that you’d like to answer. It’s also a good idea to test your camera and microphone ahead of time to make sure they work properly. This is especially crucial if you’re going to be talking with a large group.
You’ll want to make sure your lighting is bright enough and that your video quality is high enough so that viewers can see you and hear you clearly. Also, be sure to have a reference monitor so you can check that your image and audio are all lined up correctly.
YouTube Live offers the ability to monetize your video by running pre-roll, mid-roll, and overlay ads during your livestream. This is a great way to earn additional revenue from your livestream. However, it’s important to note that the ads must be relevant to your content and should not interfere with the viewer experience.
Another feature of YouTube live streaming is the ability to add a “Suggested” tag, which can be used to show similar videos to your viewers. This is a great way to promote your other videos and encourage more people to watch them.
Once you’re ready to start streaming, simply select “Go Live” from the app menu. You’ll be asked to choose a title for your stream and set privacy settings. You can also choose whether you’d like to enable live chat and monetization (if eligible). YouTube will then take a photo with your webcam for the video thumbnail image, and you can either use this, redo it, or upload a custom thumbnail.
If you’d like, you can also get a short link to your stream to share across your other social profiles to let your followers know you’re live. You can also choose to get a preview of your stream before you go live, which is helpful if you want to check that everything looks good before you hit record.
Before you go live, it’s a good idea to make a trailer for your livestream to build excitement and generate buzz about the video. This can be a 15 second to 3 minute clip that will play on your channel’s watch page and help to drive viewers to the livestream.
Finally, it’s a good idea to keep track of your video analytics after your livestream is over. This will allow you to identify what worked and what didn’t so that you can continue to improve your video strategy.