how to start live streaming Blog Posts

Back in 2013 — when we started working with broadcasters — live streaming was limited and complicated. Creating great live video was a complex process and, for many organizations, the low-quality, low-impact results often didn't justify the hassle.

Now, live streaming is more approachable and more relevant for all. While broadcasting content is easier than ever before, understanding the many factors involved in the setup can still be overwhelming. The various hardware, software, and platform options can create a barrier to getting started.

Every day, members of our team consult on the live streaming setups of beginners and experts alike. This post condenses the internal knowledge we've developed over the years to help you if you have little-to-no-experience with video or broadcasting. It provides an overview and highlights potential pitfalls.

This talks about the steps to makes sure that you have a successful stream each time you broadcast. It breaks down different things to consider when beginning to look at your budget. It's part of our series on how to start live streaming.

If you are trying to increase the production quality of your broadcast instead, check out this guide. Otherwise, read on to learn about the checklist you should create to ensure that your broadcast goes off without a hitch.

Below are eight ways that you can really take your stream to the next level.  

This post addresses five steps to take before each stream to ensure you have a quality broadcast. It's part of our series on how to start live streaming.

When you live stream for the first time, it's important to build a repeatable process to ensure that you deliver the best possible broadcast.

Here's what you should be doing each time you stream:

This post talks about how to send your live stream to multiple destinations including your website, Facebook Live, YouTube, Periscope (Twitter), AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and mobile apps. The post is part of our series on How to Start Live Streaming.

Simulcasting is the name for live streaming to multiple destinations—your website, social platforms, mobile apps, smart TV apps—simultaneously.

In context, if you live stream video to your website and YouTube at the same time, we would say you are, simulcasting your broadcast to two destinations.

This post talks about four different ways that you can promote your live streams. It's part of our series on how to start live streaming.

Picture this. You and your team put together an awesome live streamed event. Your production looks great, but no one tuned in to watch it.

There are few things worse for a broadcaster than creating a great stream that no one will ever see. Unfortunately, viewer-less live streams are far too common. If you're struggling to build an audience, think about shifting some of your time toward making sure the video reaches your people.

Here are a few ways you can maximize the reach of your stream:

This post talks about how to create high quality live video from your iPhone. It covers internet, stabilization, audio, and choosing the right streaming platform. It's part of our series on How to Start Live Streaming.

In concept, live streaming from your phone appears straightforward. You just whip out your iPhone and press record, right?

Not quite. Anyone who has live streamed from a mobile device before will tell you that there are a few more factors involved in creating a quality live stream.

This post breaks down those factors which include internet, stabilization, audio, the right platform.

This post talks about how to use emoji effectively as a means to communicate with your organization's audiences. It's part of our series on How to Start Live Streaming.

What began as a fun addition to person-to-person communication, emoji have now entered the mainstream. More and more organizations are using emoji in a professional communication setting.

Will it last? Is it a fad? Who knows 🤔.

You think emoji aren't professional enough for your organization? No problem. Don't use them 🙅‍♂️.

Side Note: As a marketer, I myself, was a little late to the game. I was dubious at first, but I ultimately came to value the upsides.

Organizations can use emojis to:

1️⃣ To become more approachable and fun

2️⃣ To seem relevant to younger audiences

3️⃣ To create text fields that stand out

This post talks about five steps you can take to reach more people with your live stream. It's part of our series on how to start live streaming.

For any organization looking to grow and expand its reach through live streaming, increasing viewership is paramount. Some people may expect viewers to flock to them just by streaming their content and walking away, but unfortunately there’s no overnight success to virality. You have to make people aware of your live streams, and you have to let them know where to access it.

In this blog post, I share five tips that can help you combat low viewership. Keep in mind that it's a process, and it does take some time to see results. However, I promise that if you put all five to use, you’ll see your numbers increase.

This post addresses the different ways that live streaming platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube, Periscope, and BoxCast measure viewership. It's part of our series on How to Start Live Streaming.

Since the beginning of television, the most important metric for broadcasters has been viewership. In the days before the internet, live video audiences were measured, in the form of television ratings, by precise calculations from outside groups.

Fast forward to the digital age and you find a wild world of unregulated measurements. In the internet age, companies can measure viewership however they want.

As a broadcaster, you may find the lack of consistency in reporting frustrating, especially if you simulcast to multiple destinations. What does it mean to have 543 viewers on Facebook Live vs. 245 on YouTube Live? How can you compare across platforms and measure your true reach?

In this post, we breakdown the different platforms and considerations for measuring your live stream viewership.

In this post we will cover how to add basic production elements like a second camera, a presentation, or graphic overlays without a video switcher. It's part of our series on how to start live streaming.

Some organizations live stream their events from a phone. Some use one camera setups. Others have entire AV production teams with multi-cam setups worth tens of thousands of dollars. There's an entire spectrum of production options.

This graphic obviously is an extreme oversimplification. There are endless levels and variations of live stream set ups.