The ULTIMATE YouTube Live Streaming Checklist

Discover the ultimate YouTube livestreaming checklist and learn about the factors that are essential for boosting your YouTube channel through livestreams.

Every successful YouTube creator has a strategy and this is the secret behind the powerful results we see and admire. 

There are some things that you must keep in mind before going live on YouTube and these factors are enabling your live stream, gathering your equipment, picking up a location, promoting your live stream, choosing live streams topics and descriptions, and running tests. 

That would be incomplete without a YouTube live streaming checklist. 

So, if you are looking to go live on YouTube, then you have got to have a checklist. 

This will help to guide you and make sure you forget nothing, as well as ensure that your plan works smoothly and you get the results you desire from the session.

In this article, we have put together a checklist for you to make sure you have an amazing YouTube live to stream whenever you do decide to go live.

Let’s get started. 

Before Going Live

1. Enable Your Live Stream

First things first, you have to enable your channel before you begin your Livestream. 

Before you will be able to live stream, your YouTube channel first has to be verified. 

You should make sure this is fixed, and if you have not yet done yours, then simply go to www.youtube.com/verify to add your phone number. 

When you do this, you will receive a notification of a verification code, then you can proceed by taking the following steps:

On your desktop:

You must remember that it takes at least 24 hours to activate your account for live streaming purposes, so try to get this done in time. 

On Your Mobile:

  • First, open the YouTube app.
  • Click the camcorder icon you see in the top right 
  • Tap on go-live

Note that you need more than 1000 subscribers to enable your Livestream on mobile. 

2. Gather Your Equipment And Tools

When it comes to having a great live streaming session on YouTube, the second thing on your checklist is gathering your equipment and tools. 

So, what do you need?

A Laptop:

While you don’t need any specific model because software differs, a new laptop works well for Livestreaming. 

Try to find something with an intel i7 CPU, at least 8Gb of RAM, a solid-state hard drive, and as many USB ports as it can have.  

You could also make do with a desktop if you don’t have a laptop available. 

This could serve as an advantage because desktops typically have more USB ports and more options for expansion. 

These can be great assets to your live streaming especially if you plan to step up your live streaming game in the nearest future. 

A Camera:

The easiest and most cost-effective cameras are standard USB webcams. 

These are very affordable and a search on Google will show you which is the latest and best, as well as the most popular if you wish, for your live streaming needs.

If you happen to be using a digital camera, you should also make plans to acquire a tripod.

USB cameras don’t come with a long cord, so you will need a USB repeater extension cable to position them in different places. 

This comes with an in-built component that boosts the signal. 

A Microphone:

Your audio quality is one of the most important things in your Livestream, so this means you need a good microphone

Ironically, most creators overlook this item. 

Whatever your budget is or your live streaming setup, there are options available to suit your needs. 

You can go for lapel mics if your stream is more dynamic than the stationary sit-and-chat setup. 

USB microphones will not work if you plan to use them with a mixer, you need to go for ones that feature an XLR or ¼ audio connector.

An Audio Mixer:

This allows you to use multiple microphones and other audio sources in your stream. 

It also allows you to adjust each person’s microphone level to ensure that you are all on the same level.

When it comes to audio mixers, the options are endless for the modern streamer. 

Be on the lookout for a mixer that has a USB output, this is the easiest way to get the audio to your computer.

Your Software:

This is the guy who makes magic happen. 

Your software is what allows you to take your camera inputs as many as they are and create a neat and polished stream for your broadcast with complete scenes and transitions. 

This is also what makes it possible for you to take your logo or other graphics and overlay it on your live video.

There are lots of options to choose from, just make sure you go for the one that suits your need best.

Internet Access:

What’s all this equipment and stress for without good internet access? 

In vain! 

You need to have a quality internet connection that has enough bandwidth to put out a stable live stream.

We recommend that you use a wired network connection and avoid Wi-Fi like a plague

Before you go live, test the speed

You can stream with less bandwidth of course, but we recommend that you maintain an upload speed between 3 and 5 Mbps. 

3. Pick Your Location

You must have a good location in view for your live streaming. 

Make sure you go for a location that will help you meet the goals you have for your Livestream. 

Your location should have enough light and a low amount of noise. 

Make sure that it is clean too, this serves to avoid any distractions for your audience. 

Make your background as simple as possible

4. Promote Your Livestream

You must also promote your live streaming event. 

You can do this in your social media handles like Facebook. 

You can keep your followers expectant and use your content to create anticipation in advance for your Livestream. 

That way, more people can look forward to joining your YouTube live streaming, and the more people, the better for your video and subsequently, your channel.

5. Livestream Topic, Description, And Thumbnail

You also need to pay attention to what you use as your Livestream topic, description, and thumbnails. 

Try to use appropriate titles and headers. 

The way a book title tells the reader what to expect is the same way your Livestream title should tell your audience what to expect from your event. 

Avoid making it vague, this will not get you the interest you need.

Your title should be accurate, specific, and should make use of strong keywords

This also involves paying attention to your description, making use of front-load important keywords, and adding relevant links and information, with at least up to 15 hashtags.

Your stream should have a goal, so how do you make that goal happen? 

When you have decided what it is you want to achieve, plan accordingly. 

Whether you want to connect with your viewers or you just want to promote a product, your goal should inform your live stream setup. 

If you have a team, decide what each team member’s role is. 

Do you need a camera person? 

Do you need more than one host? 

Who will be the moderator if you intend to enable chat?

Your thumbnail resolution should be 1280X720 with a minimum width of 640 pixels.

Make sure you have your script written down, even if in bullet form, and never forget to end with a call to action. 

This will depend of course on what you want viewers to do during and after the Livestream.

6. Run Tests

Never start your Livestream without first testing your equipment and setup. 

You must make sure your shot is framed well and nothing is distracting, inappropriate, or confidential in the background. 

Check your lighting too and look out for shadows. 

Check your audio as well for sound quality, avoid noise.

Make sure your batteries are fully charged to last and that your connection is working. 

You can do a speed test with speedtest.net or other tools. 

Take away any interruptions, put off notifications and ringers.

Don’t forget to keep water near, knowing that dry throats happen.

During Livestreaming

Some factors that you must keep in mind during your Livestream are engaging your audience, featuring the event, using captions, checking your analytics, and engaging your audience. 

1. Engage Your Audience

When it comes to having a successful live stream, half the battle is convincing your audience to tune in, the other half is keeping them there. 

This is why we recommend that you can do the following:

Provide the recaps for them.

Some people join your live stream when you are midway through and you do not want them to be confused as to what is going on so that they don’t leave the Livestream. 

Immediately you notice a jump in viewers, share brief and quick recaps for the new watchers. 

If you are interviewing a guest on your Livestream, reintroduce them now and then. 

Also, remember to include reminders about what is coming up next. 

Next up, build audience anticipation.

This gives them reasons to watch till the end. 

Be sure to let them see the incentives of staying till the end of the Livestream. 

Thirdly, recognize them. 

This means you should call out their names and appreciate their interest.

Lastly, enable the live chat option. 

This helps to spark conversations between the viewers and it can also be used to inform the Livestream. 

2. Feature The Event

You must do your best to build or create sufficient conversations around your event so that people look forward to attending it.

Normally, people who search for things on YouTube are trying to find a solution to their problem or to find information about something on their mind, but on the other hand, we also have them loving the unexpected.

A sneak peek into what is coming is a great way to build curiosity and if you craft it right, you can build anticipation with it. 

3. Use Captions

You should know this: live automatic captions are available for YouTube channels with more than 10,000 subscribers. 

If you do have access to this option, make sure to use it well. 

Try to make your Livestream accessible. 

Have a clear structure and speak clear and simple language.

Also give your viewers time to process the information you share and use captions that match the content you are sharing, while making sure that your content is age-appropriate following YouTube’s community guidelines, otherwise, you could be barred from live streaming for three months. 

4. Check Your Analytics

The great thing about YouTube live streaming is that YouTube provides real-time and post-live analytics

Do well to keep an eye on the dashboard and respond to what you see working as you go. 

Look out for peaks in concurrent viewers to understand what attracted the largest audience. 

It’s all about paying deliberate attention. 

If your retention and average view duration figures are low, try to build more anticipation and interactivity in your next event. 

5. Engage Your Audience

Don’t be scared to ask your audience to engage as well. 

This creates a sense of participation and contribution and people love to contribute. 

Encourage them to comment, share and like what’s going on.  

After Going Live

There is also a small checklist that you must keep in mind after ending your livestream and these include 2 things which are sharing your livestream and following up with your audience. 

1. Share Your Livestream

You still have a checklist after your event is over. 

Don’t just go to sleep when it’s done, try to still create activity around the live video. 

Try to publish the live stream archive to your YouTube channel for the on-demand viewers.

Also, create a live archive playlist to use as a section on your YouTube channel homepage. 

Also, direct your audience to where the archived stream is via end screens on related highlight clips.

2. Follow Up With Your Audience

After your live stream, it’s a great idea to follow up with your attendees. 

Thank them for their time, attention, and support, and give them a heads up about the next event. 

Also, solicit feedback and ask them to share what they expect in the next event. 

You could also invite them to download a piece of important content as a reward. 

Then go ahead and use the leads you have generated to build momentum for the next event.

Conclusion

That is how your YouTube checklist should look. 

So go ahead and tell us what worked for you.

Hope you found it helpful!

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