Creators are going live more now than ever. YouTube Live is the perfect live streaming platform for vloggers, beauty gurus, musicians, and anyone else who already uses YouTube to share the majority of their content. Why go anywhere else when you can connect with your audience on the platform you call home?
To make your live stream even better, here are the YouTube Live hacks every creator needs.
Make an event out of it.
Hype your upcoming live stream up the same way you would a new upload. Instead of making it spontaneous, schedule it with your viewers in advance. If you treat your live stream like a special event, so will your audience.
Use community post or Instagram story polls to pick a date and time for your stream. Then, promote your stream with a countdown, artwork, etc. You might even give your stream an original name or an overall theme.
For example, singer Orla Gartland has been doing a series of at-home concert live streams, which she calls the “Indoor Season Tour.” Every show gets a date, time, and promotional poster.
hello due to unprecedented demand I’m announcing a second leg of the INDOOR SEASON world tour. what a time to be alive ! pic.twitter.com/dHeeqGxSll
— orla gartland 💔 (@orlagartland) April 11, 2020
Share your streaming link a few days before going live.
As part of your promotion strategy, share the link to your YouTube Live page a few days before your scheduled stream. Ideally, you should share the link on social media at least two days in advance.
To find the link you need to share, scroll to the bottom of your Live Dashboard. On the right, go to the “Share” section. From there, you can either copy and paste the link or share it directly to different social media platforms.
Promote it with a custom post.
To promote your live stream while you’re broadcasting, you can create a custom post. First, go to your Events page. Then, in the “Info and Settings” section, select “Basic Info.” From there, you can set up the post.
To ensure your custom post works properly, make sure your live stream is set to “Public.” Then, your custom post will automatically be shared to both your subscriber feed and any social media sites you’ve connected to your channel.
Ensure you have the bandwidth necessary for your anticipated audience.
Oftentimes, creators find that their live streams are plagued with lags and pixelation. These issues likely arise from a lack of necessary bandwidth. Basically, the more people you have watching your stream, the wider your bandwidth needs to be.
Finding the right bandwidth can be confusing. The video below breaks down everything you need to know about bandwidth in order to get the best results from your live streams. You can also contact your internet service provider.
A successful YouTube Live broadcast depends on strong promotion and wide bandwidth. Follow these tips, and share your own live streaming hacks in the comments.
Interested in getting your YouTube video discovered by masses of targeted fans? Click this link: www.promolta.com
Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
