Live Streaming on YouTube may not be as popular as streaming on a site such as Twitch.TV, but there are tons of perks for doing it on YouTube. Live Streaming may seem like a pain, or it may even seem pointless because it doesn't allow you the same ease of editing that you may have when you do a regular recording. This article will show you why streaming on YouTube's Live Stream service is very beneficial for your channel.
Increases Chances of Video Appearing in Search Results
When you do a Live Stream, it's very easy to interact with your viewers. I did one the other week and only had 2-5 viewers watching at a time. However, every viewer (for the most part) was commenting in the live comment box. They were asking me questions and answering my own. They commented on what I was doing and made recommendations. There were over 80 comments made because I live streamed. That's a LOT more than these 2-5 people would have made. Most wouldn't have said anything on a regular recording of what I was live streaming, or at most they would have made 1-2 comments instead of 5-10.
Why is this great for search results? Do you know how YouTube knows how a video is good? Well, there's a lot of factors such as how long people view the video, if they subscribe on that video's view page, and a lot more. One aspect is the amount of comments on a video. When people comment on a video they are telling YouTube "hey I am interested in this video enough to leave a comment."
The Live comment box acts as comments. YouTube is currently bugged at the moment so it won't show all the comments after the live stream is over, BUT they do still exist and they still tell YouTube that the video must be pretty good. A YouTube stream can bring in a TON of comments compared to regular videos and this helps boost your video's exposure once you end the live stream and make it an available recording on your channel.
"Easy Content"
Once your live stream is over, you have the opportunity to turn that stream into a regular video. I had a 1 hour and 19 minute live stream the other week. It consisted of me talking about the game I was playing, and interacting with viewers. Once the stream was over, YouTube started processing the stream and turned it into a 1 hour and 19 minute video that shows up just like a regular video.
It's easy content because it doesn't require you to record, export and then upload. It's all done internally by YouTube, so it can save you a lot of time. Now, there's the downfall of not being able to fully edit it unless you download the video, edit it and reupload it, but you CAN use YouTube's built in editor if you'd like.
YouTube also offers highlight reels, much like other live streaming services. This allows you to pick out the best moments of your streaming session and only use those highlights in a new video for your channel - The other stuff gets thrown out.
Remember, if you do a live stream on something such as "How to Set Up Wordpress" and you get 5 viewers, you are going to get a lot more comments than you would. Those 5 viewers will be inclined to comment more because they know you are reading & replying to them. If you are good on camera, your How to Set Up Wordpress (just an example) live stream can be done in 1 try and it might be good enough to release as a tutorial. Because it was a live stream, there's probably a lot more comments, which increases exposure, meaning that you have an advantage from streaming the tutorial as opposed to recording and then uploading it.
It's easy content.
Fan Base
Ever been to a Justin Bieber concert? Don't answer that out loud. I had the misfortune to be on a train full of people heading to a Beebz concert - They were ecstatic, crazy and dedicated. Why? Not because they were going to hear Justin sing, but because they'd see him live. They would be there, with their idol, able to hear, see and maybe touch him.
This is what live streaming is to a YouTube fan base. If you have a strong fan base, or even a small one, a live stream can help grow it. Just like people going to see Justin Bieber, a live stream allows your dedicated fans an opportunity to interact with you. Maybe they'll influence the outcome of your stream by asking questions or making recommendations. Your dedicated fans will flock to this great opportunity, and regular viewers who aren't subbed or your biggest fans will be able to see your care for the channel. It might win them over.
Live streaming is good for your fan base. Much like webcams make conversations more personal than text messages, or how real life seminars are more personal than reading a tutorial, live streams are a lot more powerful than regular videos.
Easy Management
You don't need a crazily good camera, a studio microphone or access to the Hubble telescope to live stream. All you need is an average or decent mic and good internet. Sure, if you're using Windows XP on a Dell from the 90s, you shouldn't be live streaming. Recently produced computers and operating systems will do the job though, in most cases.
YouTube's live stream has all the management functions built in. You can block people from the live stream. You can view comments coming in live. You can reply to those comments in text, or on your mic. You can choose to only display one program (Perhaps you could show Firefox, and hide anything else you look at on your computer so viewers don't see your personal photos & emails, etc). You can choose to show the whole screen with nothing hidden. You can mute your microphone, hide your screen sharing, and a lot more.
The management features of YouTube's Live feature are great, easy to use and self explanatory for a first-time user. I had a few mess ups on my first stream, but by the end of it I had learned all of the core features.
You don't need any software to live stream on YouTube (assuming you are streaming your desktop or webcam).
Quick Wrap-Up
I know this guide was long, but I hope it has helped you understand why Live Streaming on your YouTube channel is beneficial. ALL of the points made in this guide can apply to any type of channel. There are no exceptions, so don't go looking for one - It'll just result in you missing out on a great opportunity.
Increases Chances of Video Appearing in Search Results
When you do a Live Stream, it's very easy to interact with your viewers. I did one the other week and only had 2-5 viewers watching at a time. However, every viewer (for the most part) was commenting in the live comment box. They were asking me questions and answering my own. They commented on what I was doing and made recommendations. There were over 80 comments made because I live streamed. That's a LOT more than these 2-5 people would have made. Most wouldn't have said anything on a regular recording of what I was live streaming, or at most they would have made 1-2 comments instead of 5-10.
Why is this great for search results? Do you know how YouTube knows how a video is good? Well, there's a lot of factors such as how long people view the video, if they subscribe on that video's view page, and a lot more. One aspect is the amount of comments on a video. When people comment on a video they are telling YouTube "hey I am interested in this video enough to leave a comment."
The Live comment box acts as comments. YouTube is currently bugged at the moment so it won't show all the comments after the live stream is over, BUT they do still exist and they still tell YouTube that the video must be pretty good. A YouTube stream can bring in a TON of comments compared to regular videos and this helps boost your video's exposure once you end the live stream and make it an available recording on your channel.
"Easy Content"
Once your live stream is over, you have the opportunity to turn that stream into a regular video. I had a 1 hour and 19 minute live stream the other week. It consisted of me talking about the game I was playing, and interacting with viewers. Once the stream was over, YouTube started processing the stream and turned it into a 1 hour and 19 minute video that shows up just like a regular video.
It's easy content because it doesn't require you to record, export and then upload. It's all done internally by YouTube, so it can save you a lot of time. Now, there's the downfall of not being able to fully edit it unless you download the video, edit it and reupload it, but you CAN use YouTube's built in editor if you'd like.
YouTube also offers highlight reels, much like other live streaming services. This allows you to pick out the best moments of your streaming session and only use those highlights in a new video for your channel - The other stuff gets thrown out.
Remember, if you do a live stream on something such as "How to Set Up Wordpress" and you get 5 viewers, you are going to get a lot more comments than you would. Those 5 viewers will be inclined to comment more because they know you are reading & replying to them. If you are good on camera, your How to Set Up Wordpress (just an example) live stream can be done in 1 try and it might be good enough to release as a tutorial. Because it was a live stream, there's probably a lot more comments, which increases exposure, meaning that you have an advantage from streaming the tutorial as opposed to recording and then uploading it.
It's easy content.
Fan Base
Ever been to a Justin Bieber concert? Don't answer that out loud. I had the misfortune to be on a train full of people heading to a Beebz concert - They were ecstatic, crazy and dedicated. Why? Not because they were going to hear Justin sing, but because they'd see him live. They would be there, with their idol, able to hear, see and maybe touch him.
This is what live streaming is to a YouTube fan base. If you have a strong fan base, or even a small one, a live stream can help grow it. Just like people going to see Justin Bieber, a live stream allows your dedicated fans an opportunity to interact with you. Maybe they'll influence the outcome of your stream by asking questions or making recommendations. Your dedicated fans will flock to this great opportunity, and regular viewers who aren't subbed or your biggest fans will be able to see your care for the channel. It might win them over.
Live streaming is good for your fan base. Much like webcams make conversations more personal than text messages, or how real life seminars are more personal than reading a tutorial, live streams are a lot more powerful than regular videos.
Easy Management
You don't need a crazily good camera, a studio microphone or access to the Hubble telescope to live stream. All you need is an average or decent mic and good internet. Sure, if you're using Windows XP on a Dell from the 90s, you shouldn't be live streaming. Recently produced computers and operating systems will do the job though, in most cases.
YouTube's live stream has all the management functions built in. You can block people from the live stream. You can view comments coming in live. You can reply to those comments in text, or on your mic. You can choose to only display one program (Perhaps you could show Firefox, and hide anything else you look at on your computer so viewers don't see your personal photos & emails, etc). You can choose to show the whole screen with nothing hidden. You can mute your microphone, hide your screen sharing, and a lot more.
The management features of YouTube's Live feature are great, easy to use and self explanatory for a first-time user. I had a few mess ups on my first stream, but by the end of it I had learned all of the core features.
You don't need any software to live stream on YouTube (assuming you are streaming your desktop or webcam).
Quick Wrap-Up
- The amount of comments that a Live Stream brings in tells YouTube that your video must be decent and boosts your exposure.
- Live Streams can be edited, or left alone to create fantastic standalone videos for your channel.
- Streaming is great for building relationships with your fan base and recruiting new viewers to your channel's family.
- The features & management functions for streaming in YouTube are easy to use, very good, and self explanatory.
I know this guide was long, but I hope it has helped you understand why Live Streaming on your YouTube channel is beneficial. ALL of the points made in this guide can apply to any type of channel. There are no exceptions, so don't go looking for one - It'll just result in you missing out on a great opportunity.
