Live streaming is a great way to connect with your audience and grow your business, but it can also be an intimidating prospect. With so many options out there, it’s hard to know where to start. Fortunately, the internet has plenty of resources for aspiring live streamers who want help learning the ropes. From equipment recommendations and tips on how to set up your first stream, here are some strategies that’ll transform you from a nervous amateur into an old pro in no time at all!
Go Live! But First, What You Need to Know
Live broadcasts are a new phenomenon in social networks. It is huge and getting bigger every day. If you’re not already live streaming, here are a few reasons why you should:
- Live video is exciting and fun – people love watching other people do things in real-time!
- You can build an audience around your brand or business by streaming regularly on topics that interest them most (for example, tutorials on how to use your product if you’re a teacher, your hobby about writing free term papers and essays, can attract the younger generation to go to your blog and you can even make money from it!).
- Live streaming allows viewers to interact with each other during broadcasts, allowing them to feel like they’re part of the action, even if they’re not physically present with everyone else.
- Live streaming is a great way to build your brand: you can connect with fans, answer questions, and give people access to exclusive content they can’t get anywhere else.
- This will help you build an audience on social media like Facebook and Twitter, which will help drive more traffic to your site (and ultimately sell more products).
Set Up Your Equipment
Live streaming is an easy way to share your life with friends, family and fans. You can even make money from it! But before you begin streaming, there are some things you should know.
First of all: what equipment do I need? The answer depends on what type of streamer you’re going to be. A smartphone will work for simple broadcasts where it’s just you talking into the camera (or showing off your latest painting). If that sounds like something that would interest people, enough for them to watch live then great! Just make sure they know how long they’ll have to wait until they see anything interesting happening on screen though… because nothing tends toward boredom quite like waiting around in silence while someone sets up their gear before getting started with whatever activity they planned out beforehand as “content”. The same goes for using webcams instead of smartphones – although these may not require as much technical knowledge about lighting or sound quality since most modern cameras come equipped with built-in microphones/lights already installed inside them already (which makes sense considering how many hours we spend watching YouTube videos).
Decide a Topic for Your Stream
The first step in planning your live streaming event is deciding what you will stream. This can be tricky because there are so many options, but it’s important to choose something that interests you and keeps viewers engaged.
Here are some tips for selecting a topic:
- Make sure it’s something that can be discussed for at least an hour or two (the length of most streams). If not, then consider breaking up the discussion into multiple sessions instead of trying to cram everything into one session.
- Avoid choosing too broad or too niche topics–you want to find somewhere in between those two extremes so that people don’t lose interest before the end of their viewing session!
- Choose a topic that you’re passionate about and that interests other people. If you’re not enthusiastic about what you’re streaming, your viewers will be able to tell! You want them to enjoy themselves while they watch and feel like they learned something new by the end of the stream.
- Decide whether you want to focus on one topic or choose a variety of different ones. If you’re new to streaming and not sure what will work best for your audience, try doing a few different types of streams before settling on one format.
Location, Location, Location
The first step to live streaming is finding a quiet place to stream from. You want your audience to be able to hear you clearly, so make sure you’re not in an environment with too much background noise (like a bar or club). It’s also important that the lighting is good – you don’t want shadows obscuring your face! If this isn’t possible, consider using a webcam instead of relying on just the built-in camera on your laptop.
Next up: internet connection speed. There are two main parts of this equation: upload speed and download speed (which can be different). While it may seem like they’re interchangeable terms because they both involve transferring data over the web, they’re actually quite different-and understanding how each works will help determine which one is right for you before signing up for any paid plans or long-term contracts with ISPs like Comcast or Verizon FiOS which might offer lower prices but also result in less reliable service than smaller companies like Sonic Communications Incorporated does its job well enough but I’ve heard rumors about bad customer service issues since their merger with AT&T Wireless back in 2015 so maybe try another provider?
The other thing that can affect your internet speed is how many people are connecting to the same network. These days, more and more people are streaming video and music online – and that means that if you’re trying to do the same thing while they’re all trying to do theirs at once, things might get a bit slower than usual.
Find Your Voice and Brand
When you’re creating content, you need to find a balance between your voice and your brand. Your voice is the way you express yourself. It can be informal or formal, angry or calm–whatever works for you! But no matter what kind of content you create, it’s important that the way in which your audience hears from you always feels consistent.
When it comes time for building out your live stream setup on Twitch or Mixer (or any other platform), there are two main components at play here: how people see and hear from their favorite streamers; as well as how those same individuals interact with each other through chat windows.
Interact with Followers and Viewers
There are a number of ways you can interact with your followers and viewers. One way is to respond to comments, which will help them feel like they’re part of the show. You can also ask for feedback on what they’d like to see next or how they would change something in order to make it better.
Another great way to get feedback is by asking viewers questions related to what you’re doing at the moment, such as “What should I say next?” or “Should I try this?”. This will allow people watching from home who aren’t familiar with what you are doing (such as playing video games) feel involved in your stream and give them something fun do while watching!
It’s important when interacting with other people online that we remain positive and encouraging; however, if someone does say something mean towards another audience member don’t take sides! Instead try offering constructive criticism while being respectful towards both parties involved; remember: no one likes being told off so don’t let anyone turn into an egoist because no matter how good you think someone else may be at something there’s always someone out there who knows more than them…and vice versa!
Hold Contests and Giveaways
One way to build your channel and get people interested in your content is by holding contests and giveaways.
- Holding contests is a great way to get people to subscribe, because they want to be entered into the giveaway. You can hold contests by asking viewers to do things like comment, like, share and subscribe.
- Giveaways are also a good way for new streamers who don’t have much of an audience yet because it is basically free advertising for them! However, make sure you read the rules before entering any giveaway so that you don’t break any laws or terms of service agreements with Twitch/YouTube etc..
Become Part of the Community
If you’re just getting started with live streaming, there are a couple of things you can do to help yourself out. First, join a live streaming community! If you have friends who are already doing it, ask them for advice and tips. You can also join one of many Facebook groups dedicated to helping new streamers learn how to get started or even just lurk there for inspiration.
Another thing that’s really helpful is using a tool like Discord or Slack. These platforms often provide valuable information about setting up your equipment correctly so that it works seamlessly with whatever software platform(s) you use for streaming purposes (such as OBS Studio).
Stay Positive and Encourage Others
When you’re streaming, you can be yourself. You don’t have to worry about what other people think of you and what they might say about you. Instead, focus on having fun and sharing your personality with the world!
If someone makes a mistake while live streaming, don’t be afraid to encourage them by saying something like: “That’s okay! Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.” The best way to learn is by making mistakes so this type of feedback will help them improve their skills as streamers in the future!
Live streaming is a skill that anyone can learn – you just have to find your niche
Live streaming is a skill that anyone can learn–you just have to find your niche.
For example, as a beginner streamer, I started by playing video games and talking about them on Twitch. It was fun and easy to do because I already knew how to play those games and had an audience of people who were interested in hearing me talk about them. But what if you don’t have any experience with live streaming? Or maybe your interests change frequently? That’s okay! You still have options when it comes time for choosing what type of content will work best for you:
Find someone else’s channel similar to yours (or even better) that already exists online and watch what they’re doing before launching your own show; this will give insight into any mistakes they’ve made so that those issues don’t happen again during production or post-production stages later down the road. Research related topics on YouTube — there are tons of videos out there explaining how different types.
Conclusion
Live streaming is a skill that anyone can learn – you just have to find your niche. Whether you’re interested in gaming, cooking or politics, there is a live streaming platform out there for everyone. Live streaming has become mainstream because it allows people to connect with others who share their interests and passions in real time. You can even turn your hobby into an income by creating sponsored content!