How to Stream Videos on YouTube: Complete Guide

Got some awesome video content for your audience? Use this guide to start streaming them on YouTube Live.

When was the last time you watched a YouTube  video? I’m sure it’s very recent! If that’s how frequently we use YouTube, its very obvious that the entire world keeps consuming youtube as an entertainment platform. If you are looking for ways to live stream your videos on a trending channel, doing it on youtube is as good as any other reasons. 

Doubting the idea?

Here’s a fact:

💡 Did You Know? People around the world love to watch videos so much that just in a day, the total number of videos we all consume is over 5 billion.

Just when you get into YouTube, do you think it is easy to come out of the app? 

I feel you nod a NO, inside your head.

Well, that’s what the stats say as well. YouTube has more than 113.9 million active channels. 

As interesting as it sounds, it is also true that you could utilize this nature of viewership for nurturing your business leads.

Wonder how?

After extensive research, we have brought to you some of the coolest ideas on how to effectively use YouTube for live streaming your brand videos. So, yes, let’s get started on how to start streaming on youtube!

YouTube Live: First Look Into The Technology

Our favorite influencers, stars & mentors coming live on YouTube and interacting with the audience, answering questions in the live comments – we’ve seen them all, right? But YouTube Live as a technology has a bigger picture than what we all already know about the platform. 

A quick history about YouTube Live:

• 2011: YouTube Live was rolled out.
• 2013: Accounts with almost 1000 subscribers were verified to live stream their video content.
• 2017: Live streaming introduced in the YouTube mobile app
• Mid-2017: Subscriber limit was reduced from 10000 to 100 to use live stream.
• 2019: Announces  the beginning as Video Reach platform
• 2022: Ranks as the second most popular social network worldwide.
• 2023:  Create a record in video  Shorts > 50 billion daily views
• 2024: Focuses on AI, legendary creators, paid subscriptions and community safety.

This roadmap reveals how YouTube has become a top-rated live streaming platform.

Moreover, you can use YouTube Live for streaming a variety of topics  like lifestyle vlogs, webinars, concerts, interviews, cooking recipes, and more.

And that’s the least information on YouTube Live, scroll down to know more. Let’s look into the various advantages that you’ll get by streaming your content on YouTube Live.

The Amazing Features Of YouTube Live

If you’ve chosen to go live on  YouTube  to take your videos to your audience, then it is very important that you are aware of the features it offers. 

Here is the list of  top features of Youtube platform that could help you promote brand experiences easily.

1.Track Your Live Stream Metrics

Streaming isn’t just enough when it comes to a business. You’ll need to track how the streams perform to understand which content your viewers like and dislike.

This is why YouTube Live introduced a feature to track the real-time analytics on different devices like mobile, tablet and desktop.

You’ll get to acquire data like:

• Stream health
• Real-time analytics
• Post-stream analytics

2. Create Clips

A sneak peek always evokes viewers’ curiosity. YouTube broadcast Live helps you achieve this by taking a short snippet of your stream and turning it into an interesting highlight.

You can publish this as either a standalone video/ reel or add them to the start of your videos. This shall act as an eye-catching element before your video actually starts.

3. Premiere A New Video

Video premieres are not live streams, rather a pre-recorded content that is uploaded and scheduled to play for your audience at a particular time.

When you set up a premiere, YouTube Live will create a Watch page for you. Once the premiere ends, the video will be uploaded to this playlist so that viewers can watch it later like other usual uploads.

4. Turn on Live Stream DVR

People are busy and they may need options to pause, rewind and resume watching their favorite streams. YouTube Live comes with a feature called Digital Video Recording (DVR) that lets viewers control their watch preferences.

But, DVR comes with a restriction to switch back to a particular time in the content.

5. Play Trailers Before Streams

If you are a creator with 1000+ subscribers, you are then eligible to create trailers for your live streams. These trailers can be the shortest at 15 mins to longest at 3 mins. You can play them on your page, before you go live on Youtube.

6. Monetize Your Live Stream

What if I say you can get popular, create income and do things you’re passionate about at the same time? Yes, it is possible when you can use YouTube Live stream  for monetizing your content.

You can simply do this by running ads on your content as an overlay, get sponsorships from other brands, pin/ highlight subscriber chat for which they’ll pay you, and when your users become your channel members.

So, all of these are possible when you become eligible for the YouTube Live partnership program.

And YouTube broadcast has also introduced some of the newest features you can enjoy as a creator.

• ‘Go Live Together’: Co-stream with other creators.
• Live Rings: Display a ring symbol with the word “Live” when you are streaming live.
• Cross-channel live redirects: Sends your viewers from one live stream to another live stream in your channel or on others’.
• Uninterrupted split screen viewing: Your viewers can use either lean back or lean in mode to split their YouTube screen on their mobile. And this will push the engagement (live chat/ comment) pane to the right when in landscape view and to the bottom when in the portrait view.
• Live Q&A: Your viewers can submit answers to your question prompts created during your live streams.

Benefits of Youtube Live Video Streaming

YouTube offers a rich array of features that are well-suited for all types of content creators. With the highlighted list, here are the benefits you can enjoy when you use these features optimally.

Grows Your Viewers 

If you own a Youtube channel and plan to promote your video content in it then there is a higher possibility for you to reach millions of viewers around the world, without any geographical and language restrictions. 

Plan a perfect content, decide on your streaming screenplay and the rest the platform takes care. Reach millions in a jiffy and grow your viewers in an unparalleled way.  

Cost Effective Streaming

Streaming on YouTube saves you a fortune, you don’t need a studio setup or any expensive audio and video equipment. All you need is a reliable laptop, good lighting, and a calm, serene environment to start your stream. 

This setup won’t even cost you 2% of what you’d spend in a studio recording room. There are also various multistreaming platforms that serve as excellent YouTube alternatives, offering the same level of reliability.

Monetization Options for Maximum ROI 

A live streaming platform like Youtube is not only cost effective, but also offers various monetization options that lets you earn double the money woth both your content and ads. 

The ways to make money with Youtube Live are:

• Ad between  Pre-Roll & Mid-Roll 
• Overlay & Display Ads in your  Live Stream
• Super Chat option to let viewers  promote themselves on your live stream.
• Bring in more viewers with channel memberships with specified subscription fee.

Real-time chat with viewers 

During your live stream, it won’t be exciting to have an one way communication, a two way communication is always beneficial to both the streamers and viewers. 

Engaging and interacting with viewers can help you boost branding and deliver personalized experiences to them by replying to their queries,  comments, feedbacks and suggestions. 

Mobile Live Streaming 

 You can start streaming anytime from your Youtube mobile app, just like with professional video streaming on your desktop. This allows you to go live instantly without worrying about manual setup or settings.

Repurpose the Recordings 

You can repurpose the recorded content by turning it into Reels, shorts, Gif , animated images and much more. You can publish such multimedia content on any social media and expand your reach 10x.

The Best Part Of YouTube Live

• Since YouTube is owned by Google, YouTube  live streaming videos appear in the SERPs. This can help you take your brand to a wider range of audience.
• Your viewers can find your videos with a simple search. They get exactly what they search for, easily.
• You can use YouTube Live API to stream videos from your channel while streaming simultaneously on other services.

Looking for a YouTube alternative to live streaming ?

Try for Free

How To Stream Live Videos On Youtube

That’s been a good overview on how to go live on Youtube. But now, we’ll actually get into the game. In this section, we will  cover the best way to stream on youtube: 

So, here are the steps:

1. Create Your Channel

• Sign in to your YouTube account. (Quick Tip: If you are creating a business channel, create a new google account so you can easily maintain it.)
• Click on your profile avatar in the top-right corner.
• Select ‘My Channel’. Your channel gets created.

2. Enable Live Streaming

Now to live stream your content, you’ll need to enable live streaming on your channel. To do this, follow the below steps:

• Sign in to your YouTube account.
• Click on ‘Create’
• Verify your channel.

You must now wait up to 24 hours to get the live streaming feature enabled in your channel.

3. Choose Broadcast Options

There are 3 ways in which you can live stream your content:

• Mobile: Best for personal vlogs.
• Webcam: Best for seminars or presentations.
• Encoder: Best for high-quality streams.

4. Put Everything To Test & Go Live!

Before you go live, it is better to thoroughly check if your content is good to go. Here is a checklist:

• Camera, Mic or other gear setup
• Video’s Content/Script
• Adherence to YouTube’s guidelines
• Upload speed

While these may sound simple, making no room for mistakes can gain you viewers trust and brand loyalty with ease.

Select The Best Of YouTube Live Content Ideas 

Want Better Ideas For Your YouTube Live?

In my opinion, Brainstorming is the best part of creative work. And getting ideas for your YouTube Live streaming  videos can be fun when you exactly know what your audience wants.

I’d first suggest you to explore YouTube, and find what other channels like yours are creating. And to stand out from the crowd, the important fact is that you’ll need to create something unique that adds value. Otherwise you’ll need to create better than what others are already creating.

• Valuable interviews with guests
• Niche discussions
• Product reviews
• Office Tours
• Behind-the-scenes of your work
• Live gaming sessions
• ASMR videos
• Trending reels
• Product demos

And there are plenty of ideas out there and as you stay consistent with your creation process, you can niche down and become an expert over time.

What are the Scope Of Streaming Videos On YouTube Live?

YouTube is undoubtedly a great option to drive more audience to your content, and eventually your brand. But is that all it yields?

There’s more!

1. Real-time interaction: Take up the compliments, respect the criticisms, and laugh at the humorous comments. 

Interacting with your live audience earns you a more authentic position in the online platform, while building a stronger connection with them.

2. Conduct Virtual Events: Gone are the days when you had to empty your pockets to conduct workshops, conferences and webinars. 

YouTube Live gives your audience the best in-person experience of attending a live event.

3. Instant Gratification: ‘Now’ is when people love to get things done. And that’s what people expect from your product/ service – to gratify their excitement, resolve their queries and learn the ‘how-to’s of your skills and products right away.

4. Outperform Your Competitors: There are more than 2.5 billion monthly users in YouTube, but there are only 500 hours of video content uploaded to YouTube. 

Now, live streams make up only a very small percentage of the total content delivered. This is a great chance to make your videos stand out and reach your audience uniquely.

What Could Be Improved In YouTube Live?

• Have you noticed the ads before a video plays or in the middle? the selection of which content to display is completely in the control of YouTube. You’ll not know what ad may play in between your videos
• While you have to play by the rules on YouTube, the platform has all the rights to promote your content or take it down, when needed.

Breaking Down YouTube Live: The Pros & Cons

Although YouTube Live tops its game in terms of searchability, there are different features and functionalities that might or might not work for creators.

So, here I’ve analyzed the tool and categorized the best and ‘could-be-better’ features for creators like us.

OnTheFly: The One-Stop Platform To Stream Your Youtube Live Videos To Other Platforms 

Creating on YouTube alone would not be wise if you have an audience scattered in other social platforms. Thankfully, OnTheFly resolves this need by distributing your streams to multiple channels within just a few clicks.

Let me help you on how to get started with OnTheFly.

• Create your OnTheFly account.
• Login and add the social channels you focus on.
• Customize your content on the OnTheFly dashboard.
• Perform a pre-check.
• Go live.

Yes, Going live on YouTube and other social platforms at the same time is possible within just 5 mins, with OnTheFly.

Curious to check it out?

Visit OnTheFly’s official website.

Start your live streams with OnTheFly Platform today and stream like a pro!

Try for Free

Youtube Live: Best Practices And Streaming Tips

While taking your content on YouTube comes with a greater responsibility, you can effortlessly grow your audience by following some important steps.

Here are some important live streaming tips you’ll need for  successful streaming:

• Put efforts into creating valuable content.
• Keep your scripts prepared and practiced.
• Run an internet speed test.
• Multistream your video content to different social platforms
• Invest in the right live streaming equipment.
• Acknowledge your audience.
• Use a chat moderator.
• Start your streams on time, as promised.
• Keep your batteries up.
• Check your live stream every now and then.
• Inspect both audio and video quality.
• Track the performance of your streams.
• Improve, get better every stream.
• Stay consistent in delivering.

That’s A Wrap!

So, here we are. We’ve discussed everything about going live on YouTube. And we also covered all the features you could use to deliver amazing streaming experiences to your viewers. 

Besides, the best part was discovering the newest ways to stream your content apart from live streaming on  YouTube. Well, this is surely enough to get started with musing your audience with some terrific content. 

Go ahead, start creating your magic! 

FAQ