7 Livestream Tips Every Content Creator Should Know

Digital audiences are more accustomed than ever to watching live, online events – and they’re extremely popular.

of people between the ages of 18-34 watch livestreams daily

of social media users think live video is the most engaging form of content.

 of consumers would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog.

But to capitalize on the viewers who prefer livestreams, you need to be ready. The right equipment (including strong WiFi), preparedness, and marketing can make or break the operation and viewership of any creator’s livestream.

But don’t let this overwhelm you. After reading through a few of our livestream tips, we’re confident you’ll feel confident in your next livestream.

Whether you’re a gamer, a lifestyle brand, or an adventure personality, these streaming tips for beginners or experts will help you build the perfect on-camera experience.

Are you ready to connect with your audience on a deeper level? Let’s get rolling on our top seven livestream tips every content creator should know!

In this article: 

Our 7 Best Livestream Tips for Beginners

#1 Choose the best live streaming platform.

#2 Invest in reliable live streaming equipment

#3 Prepare a “setlist” and practice with a test run.

#7 Creating Live Content People Want to See.

#4 Market your event.

#5 Engage with viewers in real-time.

#6 Plan for post-stream leverage.

Our 7 Best Livestream Tips for Beginners

Before you start planning your live stream’s content and equipment logistics, one of our top live stream tips is to choose the best live streaming platform for you, your audience, and your content.

Will you stream on social media or an OTT streaming platform? While there are many different places to host your live stream, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when it comes to the digital location of your live event, such as:

• Will you own the rights to your stream?
• Does the location make it easy for non-followers to discover your stream?
• Will you be able to re-share, save, or re-purpose the stream when it’s finished?
• Will you be able to monetize your stream?
• Is the platform accessible for your audience on mobile, desktop, or TV?

For a more in-depth view of how to choose the right livestreaming platform for your content, click here.

With the at-your-fingertips technology of the modern digital world, live streaming is easier than ever with little start-up effort. However, a list of live stream tips would be incomplete without a checklist of equipment recommendations.

Though you don’t technically need much to start live streaming, there are a couple of necessary pieces of equipment for a basic live stream. A few of these non-negotiable equipment needs are:

• Strong WiFi: To avoid a poor streaming experience for your audience, solid and reliable WiFi is a must, especially at the beginning of the event. Buffering and dropping out won’t encourage your viewers to stick around.
• A quality camera: It doesn’t matter if you’re streaming from a DSLR, a webcam, or simply your mobile device. Half the battle is a working camera! Just make sure you are seen and heard clearly. Here’s a helpful blog on finding the right camera for livestreaming.

That’s it–those are the two basic equipment needs when it comes to live streaming. But for an enhanced experience (and to make a great impression), a few technical upgrades can take your stream from DIY to OMG.

Here’s one of our best bonus live stream tips: Keep in mind that it’s often the content of the live stream that keeps an audience interested, rather than the equipment used to produce it. While a high-quality production makes the experience more impressive, the content is what keeps your audience engaged.

Tips for streaming live often begin with preparation. Prepare a short outline, much like a band’s setlist, that directs the flow of the live stream. Pieces of the live stream often include the following:

1. Introduction
2. Main content or focus on the stream
3. Wrap-up with audience questions or commentary (optional)
4. Outro

Planning what you will say or do during the live stream may help you work through any nervous jitters, but most importantly, you will look more comfortable and prepared during the live stream.

To prepare for the smoothest possible live stream, initiate a test run in an environment that closely matches what you have planned for the live stream. Better yet? Set everything up the day before your live event; do one test run the night before and one final run a couple of hours before your live event.

Practice makes perfect! Test all of your equipment, your WiFi connection, your setlist, and your timing. This will allow you to work out any equipment kinks in the exact environment before the stream.

You won’t hear the quote “If you build it, they will come” in any list of live stream tips from us. It’s essential to get the word out about your live stream leading up to the event. Use all of your public connection points to share the upcoming event details, including:

• Social media platforms
• Email newsletters
• Website banners or pop-ups
• Digital ads
• Partner and influencer collaborations

Make it as easy as possible for your audience to find you. Be sure to include the who, what, where, and when in every single piece of pre-event marketing. You may want to use tools that allow interested users to get reminded of your event, like calendar invites and automatic social media reminders.

The marketing shouldn’t end when the event starts. Plan to schedule social media posts during the event or hire an assistant to share takeaways live on social media during the stream. Once the event wraps up, you can re-purpose the content many times. Never stop sharing!

At the top of our livestream tips sheet is to engage the audience. A surefire way to engage viewers more is to use your livestream as an open discussion.

Activate the live chat feature of your streaming platform so that your audience can interact with you and with each other during the stream. Give shoutouts to participating guests and use the chat stream to host a live Q&A at the end of your broadcast or a follow-up broadcast.

Just because the livestream ends, it doesn’t mean that content will disappear forever. Most platforms allow you to save the stream permanently to your profile, make it available for VOD, or export the file for editing and re-purposing.

Your livestream can be formatted and used in various new ways including social media soundbites, memes, video snippets, and even video podcasts. Those marketing tactics that you used to advertise the stream before it happened? Use them to promote the post stream! Your followers who couldn’t make the live event will be glad you reminded them to watch it on your own time.

Finally, like all good content, livestreams have to include good content.

If your content is not authentic and you don’t come off as genuine, charismatic, or fun to watch, your livestreams probably won’t succeed.

Look at this list of the top Twitch streamers. What makes them successful? Is it just that they are good at video games? Or, do they blend their skills with their personality to make an enjoyable experience for their audience? It’s a dizzying question, but here’s what you can add to your list of livestream tips: be yourself and you’ll find your voice as a creator.

With a distinct voice and the other six livestream tips you’ve been supplied, your audience will grow and people will start consuming your content more than you could’ve ever thought possible—and you might even make quite a bit of cash along the way.

Want More Livestream Tips? Choose Endavo

Do these six livestream tips fire you up? Are you ready to tackle livestreaming, thanks to our livestream tips and tricks? Don’t let the motivation wane! Launch your own OTT channel with Endavo.

Endavo’s livestream capabilities are top-notch for content creators who want to own their content and maximize revenue. Endavo helps creators secure more significant viewership by going around the algorithm and distributing content to where your audience already is. Sign up for a 30-day, risk-free trial to try Endavo’s OTT streaming platform for yourself!