THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF LIVE STREAMING
Do you want to produce a live stream that is interesting and of great quality? Whether your area of expertise is shopping, cooking, DIY, or something else, the key to a successful live stream event is knowing what to do and what not to do.
Anyone can use live streaming to effectively promote their brands, and one of the various ways you can increase your social media coverage, whether for online brand promotion or amusement, is through live streaming.
When executed properly, live streaming has the potential to be the most powerful and economical method of video messaging. As with any video production, managing several media components is necessary to produce a professional and interesting live stream. But when everything comes together, it can be a tremendously satisfying experience.
To assist you in producing a top-notch live stream, here is a checklist of dos and don'ts of live streaming.
What You Should Do
1. DO TEST And BACKUP Your Devices
Ensure all your devices are of the highest quality, including cameras, lighting, wires, and connectors. Check the specifications of each before spending money on any live-streaming equipment. For live streaming, the most recent or expensive option may not always be the best.
Organize the arrangement of your live-streaming equipment. Utilizing distinct compartments for your equipment, such as USB cables, audio gear, video gear, and microphones, and labeling each one is an excellent way to store it. This makes it simple for you to locate them.
If you want to have a smooth and successful live streaming, you need to always backup everything. Ensure you have extra cables, connectors, cords, and batteries. Also, ensure you have a backup internet service provider in case your primary service provider has an issue.
Make sure your lights, microphone, camera, and other equipment are in good working condition by giving them a test run. You should create time to learn and practice the controls of any new live-streaming hardware or program you intend to use.
2. DO Check Your Upload Speed
Nothing is more frustrating than "going live" and having your connection break while broadcasting. Regardless of whether you are just starting as a live-streamer or you're trying to improve your live-stream skills, one of the first things to check is your upload speed. Low and inconsistent upload bandwidth can cause your video's quality and resolution to change while it is being live-streamed. Your audience may stop watching your live broadcast if your video is pixelated or blurry.
Upload speeds, measured in Mbps (megabits per second) or bitrate, are often lower than download speeds. Your upload speed will be affected by several factors, such as:
The type of live-streamed content
The media platforms you select
Fast frame rate (expressed as fps or frames per second)
Your video's resolution
Before going live, test your video's resolution, upload speed, and network reliability. This goes hand in hand with deciding on the live-streaming platform. Explore several social media sites and niche platforms before releasing your content.
3. DO Take Caution When Shooting Outside
Will you be shooting outside? The weather, location, lighting, and background noise are a few factors to consider. Make sure the setting and lighting are perfect. Be aware that the sun's reflection can affect the visibility of footage in some locations.
Your lighting and composition are important, just like with any visual medium, but even more so if they will be seen by a larger audience. Spend time and effort getting your scene adequately lit and aesthetically beautiful because the main goal of live streaming is to connect with your audience. Additionally, keep in mind that your viewer's eyes are what your camera sees, so keep it steady and the lens locked on the main scene.
Make sure to cover your computer with a shade or an umbrella if you want to work outside on a hot day to prevent overheating. Additionally, you can put a cooling fan close by.
Be cautious of wind and noise from your surrounding. Use a lapel microphone or headphones and a microphone if you're going to be speaking live to reduce background noise. Use a cover over the lapel microphone to block any strong breezes.
Do you intend to live stream your content with your smartphone? If yes, check your lighting, frame, settings, and sound to create the desired effect. To ensure the clarity of your broadcast when streaming a planned presentation, mount your phone on a tripod and use a lapel microphone.
4. DO Engage Your Audience
Although having quality content might help you gain followers, you can attract even more if you make an effort to interact with your audience. You can post comments with questions, request topic suggestions, and also reply to remarks either during the broadcast or shortly after it. Consider addressing those topics throughout your next live streams after contemplating what your target audience wants to see. They will keep watching and become more interested as a result.
The social aspect of any live stream video on a social media platform should be one of the major points you pay attention to. Because of its distinctiveness, it is the most powerful and economical type of video communication.
Social media users enjoy participating in conversations. They want to be taken seriously, have their opinions acknowledged, and participate in the activities. A well-produced video may spark debate, motivate action, and foster interest in your message and business.
Many people in the television and entertainment industries are perplexed by the millions of followers that "YouTubers" and "Influencers" have due to their fame. What is it about their videos that so many people enjoy? It's the feeling that you share with them. These YouTubers engage with their viewers directly, reply to their comments, and treat them as friends rather than as a nameless gathering of people. They speak "to" them rather than "at" them.
Taking questions from the audience is an easy method to accomplish this. Ask people to post questions and suggestions in the comment section, and ensure you respond to them live on camera. Respond to as many lovely comments as possible and thank the person that left them.
Be innovative. Your audiences will be more invested and interested in your live streams if you can include polls, quiz contests, truth or dare challenges, and more in your events.
5. DO Improve Production Value
The content is what matters, not the show. Everyone enjoys making wonderful videos, but this does not necessarily convert into successful live streams. The people watching and the level of interest spurred by the subject matter are what matters.
If a room microphone, one light, and one camera are all that are available, don't worry! The most popular YouTubers use nothing but that and have millions of devoted fans.
Give your audience a reason to care. Invite them into your space rather than trying to demonstrate it to them. Introduce them into the story. Anything further is only for show.
The Don'ts - What you should not do
1. DON'T Be A Perfectionist
Both art and science are involved in live streaming. Both the technical and creative parts of things can often go wrong. While practicing might be helpful, connecting with your audience will come from displaying your humanity and being able to flow with them.
It takes careful planning and preparation to conduct an excellent live stream. Rome was not built in a day; therefore, don't expect everything to be perfect from the start. Sometimes, trying to perfect all aspects will only worsen the situation and lead to terrible mistakes.
Spend time practicing and planning your content, testing your tools, and remembering to make a backup strategy to guarantee a smooth live stream.
2. DON'T make things too complicated
Starting out, it's important to move slowly and steadily. To produce a very interesting and expert live stream, you might be tempted to purchase a whole, pricey gear set, and additional effects.
However, keep in mind that technical issues are more likely to occur if your setup is more complex. During a live stream, "fixing things in the post" is not an option. Anything can happen once you're live, so you need to be ready for anything.
Keep things simple in the beginning by spending money on the best, most essential devices needed for the live stream.
3. DON'T Be Inconsistent
Since there is so much information on social media, you must constantly produce fresh videos to remain relevant to your audience. People conduct one or two live streams all too often, fail to see quick results, and then return to their old behaviors.
Once more, compare this to high school: if you just interact with people once or twice, you won't become the popular kid. Always put yourself out there and look for opportunities to include others in your experiences.
Once you start doing live streaming continually, you should plan them, and it's necessary to establish and follow a regular schedule. You risk losing followers if your live feeds are inconsistent and erratic since they annoy your viewers.
Consistent schedules give you a higher chance of enhancing your brand presence and expanding your fan base. In order for your viewers to eagerly anticipate the following session, be sure to close with updates on when you'll be back online.
4. DON'T Have Conversations When You Are Live
Every sound, including your own, is captured by your microphone during live streaming. Therefore, conversation when live should be limited. Avoid speaking to anyone in your immediate vicinity if the focus of your live stream is to capture only your voice.
5. DON'T Go Live Without A Viewer
Don't go completely blind when it's time to start streaming. Have a second pair of eyes by asking a friend or family member to watch and immediately alert you to any issues they might face, such as sound sync problems, unstable video quality, and bad frame rates.
You can always keep an eye on it yourself, but it's still preferable to hire someone else to do it so you can concentrate on your flow and your audience.
6. DON'T Use Any Just Camera
If you want smoother, more polished broadcasts, you'll need to use a better camera than the one on your smartphone. The higher video resolution and better sound recording quality will undoubtedly be to your advantage. Consider purchasing a top-notch camera designed for live streaming if you intend to go live frequently.
Conclusion
As you already know, a good live stream requires careful planning. This includes planning your streams, testing your streaming setup beforehand, and purchasing high-quality equipment that won't fail you when it matters most.
Hopefully, the live-streaming tips listed above are helpful to you. Work as much as you can on the dos and also try to avoid the don'ts.
Thank you for reading, and good luck with your next live stream!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Live Streaming On WiFi A Smart Idea?
Consider the convenience and accessibility that WiFi provides. For live streams that you want to be able to move about or stream on the go, WiFi can be your only choice and still perform the same function.
However, for professional live streaming results, always use a hard-wire internet connection instead of WiFi. While convenient, WiFi connections are unfortunately less stable and prone to errors compared to a hard-wire connection.
What Leads To Poor Streaming?
Two major causes of buffering are 1) a slow internet connection that prevents real-time video streaming and 2) a slow router that distributes the video to all of your internet-connected devices.
Which Factor Has The Biggest Impact On Live Streaming?
The speed of your network may have the most significant impact on video quality. If your network is fast, you can live stream with little lag and without losing visual quality.
Which Speed Is Perfect For Livestreaming?
Generally, 3-10 Mbps (Megabits per second) is the recommended internet speed for streaming standard videos. You need a speed closer to 50 Mbps if you have more devices.
Does Live Streaming Get Better With Faster Internet?
Image quality will improve, and glitches will be reduced if you have faster internet access on your smart TV or streaming device.
Why Is Streaming So Slow Even Though My Internet Is Fast?
Your wireless router may be the problem if your modem's speed is fast but your streaming device's speed is slow. Try a speed test on a phone or computer a few feet or less away from your streaming device to check the connection.