How do I go Live stream on YouTube? With over 2 billion users, YouTube has risen to be one of the most popular global social media platforms on the internet. Aside from the number of users, the number of viewings that people spend on YouTube is wild.
According to reports, people spend billions of hours on content every day. As a creator, this should immediately pique your curiosity as to how you can grow your channel, engage with viewers, and more.
Luckily, one of the best features YouTube has to offer creators is YouTube Live. You can easily create content and share it with billions of other people through the power of a simple live stream on YouTube. Many know of the infamous Discord or Twitch, but YouTube is on a whole different level.
What is YouTube Live?
YouTube Live is simply the streaming of your videos online. This is where you or your viewers watch your videos live and directly, unlike the prerecorded ones. Launched in 2011, this feature is available to all verified YouTube channels, and it doesn’t really specify a particular niche. Unlike other platforms like Twitch, you can find YouTube Lives that center around many topics like interviews, live vlogs, cooking classes, news coverage, and many more.
Why Should I Live Stream on YouTube?
Creators who are active on the Twitch platform can tell you all about how great live streaming is because they’re used to it. Additionally, there are many benefits that can be earned, and the same applies when you live stream on your YouTube channel. There are many benefits that come with going live on your YouTube channel. Here are a few of them:
Content for Your Display Ads
There are many creators who use the Google Display Network for their advertisement gigs. When you live stream on YouTube, you get a chance to display your ads on your screen while making your life. Additionally, it helps promote your live stream while also promoting your ads.
Reusable Content
Once you get your live stream done, the video can also become available to you on demand. You can easily repurpose your videos to make highlight reels, commercials, or bloopers and share them on your channel.
Increased Audience Engagement
While you live stream on your channel, there’s also a chat option available. This feature allows your viewers to engage with you or with one another. Furthermore, it also allows the creators to engage with the viewers, which builds the experience. Also, this will help you increase the engagement of your audience.
It Boosts Your Channel Subscription
There is a credible report that shows that channels that do a weekly live stream see a growth in their subscribers of about 40%. Also, the viewers are reported to spend up to 70% of their time watching the content. Doing live streams will be a great way to boost your subscription count for your YouTube channel.
Engaging with High-Quality Videos
A cool thing about YouTube is that it features all live-streaming videos with a video quality of 4K at 60 fps. Now, if you are live streaming with all the right equipment, you have a high-quality video that will entice your audience.
How To Live Stream on YouTube
Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can go live on your YouTube channel:
Create A YouTube Channel
What’s the point of live streaming on YouTube if you don’t even have a channel? Of course, top creators who are steadily growing their channels can easily use the Live Stream features to make another video and engage with their followers.
However, if you do not have a YouTube channel, you must create one. Here’s how to do so:
- Have a Google account ready to use.
- Sign in to your YouTube account with all the credentials you use for your Google account.
- Once you are signed in, navigate to the upper right corner of the page and click the avatar.
- Select the My Channel option to create a new channel.
You can now proceed to create an account for your brand and start using it. Also, you can just pick a brand account if you were added to one as a manager.
Enable the Live Streaming Feature on YouTube
Now that you have successfully opened a channel, you can start uploading videos and making them live. To enable the Live Stream feature:
- Sign in to your YouTube account.
- Click on the Create icon at the top of the page.
- Click on the Go Live option.
Once you have done that, you can now verify your account and wait for 24 hours. Once the 24 hours are up, your live streaming should be enabled.
Select the Method You Want To Stream on YouTube
There are various ways that you can easily broadcast your live-stream videos on your channel:
Mobile:
This mode of streaming is super convenient and helps in creating videos like updates or vlogs. Also, it has a more friendly and laid-back appeal to viewers. Furthermore, you will need a minimum of 1,000 subscribers to be able to go live using YouTube’s mobile app.
Encoder:
An encoder also works as streaming software that allows you to control your live stream and what you do. You might have to take some time to get the hang of how it works, and this will help you create a higher-quality stream. Furthermore, this method of live streaming is useful if you are using multiple cameras or sharing screens.
Webcam:
YouTube also has a live streaming studio that you can use from your web browser, which is connected to your computer’s webcam. This method of streaming is straightforward and quick to operate, but you do not have control over the quality of your video. This is where the main difference is between the webcam and the encoder.
How To Live Stream on YouTube From the Mobile App
If you want to livestream using the mobile app, here are the steps to follow:
- Launch your YouTube app.
- Select the camera icon.
- Click on the Go Live option.
- Proceed to add a title and privacy setting to your stream.
- Next, select More Options if you want to add a description for your live
- Then, click Show More to adjust more settings like age restrictions, live chat, monetization, and promotion.
- Click the Show Less option to exit.
- Next, tap Next to add a thumbnail. For this, you can upload an image or take a picture.
- Proceed to click Share to get a link to post on social media.
- Lastly, click on Go Live.
How To Live Stream Using an Encoder
If you want to live stream on YouTube using an encoder, here’s what to do:
- Sign in to your YouTube account on a web browser.
- Navigate to the top right corner and click the Camcorder icon.
- Select the Go Love option from the drop-down menu.
- You are going to see two options: Start a stream or schedule for later.
- Proceed to click the Start option under the Right Now option to start streaming.
- You will see two options again: built-in webcam and streaming software.
- Click Go next to the streaming software option.
- The street dashboard is going to open, and you will see all the available information about your stream.
- Proceed to open your encoding software and navigate to the settings.
- When you see the option to stream to YouTube, select the option. If you don’t see an option, go back and copy your stream key, then paste it into your encoding software.
Finally, complete the setup of your encoding software by adding your microphone, camera, and other things. Now start streaming using your encoder, and you will be live on YouTube.
How To Live Stream On YouTube Using a Webcam
If you want to live stream using your laptop or your computer and a webcam, here’s what you do:
- Sign into your YouTube account on a web browser.
- Click the Camcorder icon at the top right of the page.
- Click the Go Live option from the drop-down menu.
- You will see two options: Start a stream or schedule for late
- Click the Start option under the Right Now option to start streaming immediately.
- You will see two more options that will appear, which are: Built-in webcam or streaming software.
- Click on Go next to the built-in webcam option.
- On the next page, enter the title, description, and privacy settings of your video. Also, decide whether the video is kid-friendly or for a general audience.
- Click on Next.
- You will see your webcam automatically take a photo, and this will appear as a thumbnail for your live stream.
- Next, click on Go Live to start streaming your video.
These are the ways that you can easily live-stream videos on your YouTube channel.