Tips for a compelling Live Stream

Tips for a compelling Live Stream

As we mentioned in another article, live streams can help your channel grow, but also increase your Watch Time, one of the most important metrics for YouTube. Below we will give you some tips on how you can create more compelling live streams.

Find trends
If you live stream gameplays, try to find the trending or popular games that everyone is watching or playing. While this can keep your stream relevant, if there is already saturation in terms of content for that game, it's possible that you will not have as many views, unless you are one of the first channels to create videos for the games you are playing.


Stream consistently
One of most important things you can do to grow a community is to be consistent. Many viewers prefer to watch live streams because they can interact with the creator, so if you do live streams, try to keep a consistent schedule they can follow.


Keep the conversation going
By interacting with your viewers, replying to their comments or asking them questions, they will feel that they matter to you, and will be more likely to develop a relationship with you, which will lead to them coming back to your channel to watch more of your videos. YouTube is all about the community. Keep engaging with them and working on your conversational skills throughout the live streams. You can even do a small pause to address them directly. They will apprecitate that. A way to keep the viewers engage, is explain what you will be doing in the next few minutes. For example, if you are playing a game, let them know your strategy for that particular portion of the game you are going to play. This will help them understand the reason behind your moves, and they can even give you some tips.


Thank new subscribers
Thank your subscribers so that they understand that they matter to you. Your subscribers are those that will most probability of watching your content, as they already like it, and some of them will become your biggest fans, which are the ones that watch all your videos. You don't need to thank each new subscriber individually, in fact, you can even automate that so that with a message that welcomes those that subscribe to your live stream or your channel, and you can also use graphics. Just rebember, they are people like you, not just numbers. 


Take requests
When you fans request something, that you create videos about a particular game or music, depending on your channel, it's a good idea to indulge them, but only if it also makes sense for you or if you want to show your appreciation for their support. 


Share your social media and interact with your fans
By sharing links to your social media this will give your fans more options to interact with you. Social media is a powerful tool, and when you are building a brand, you want to make sure that you have a presence where your target audience is also present. You also may want to consider that different people have different social media pages they consider their main way to get the latest updates. You don't need to share your personal accounts, you can create dedicated social media pages for your YouTube channel. Your social media handles will also make it easier for people to find you and build your brand consistently.


Give the audience an incentive to return
Giving back to your audience is a great way to keep them coming back. You can give back to your fans in many ways, with more attention, special one on one meetings, interviews, badges, shoutouts and more. Some creators also use product or services giveaways. The goal is to make them feel special and appreciated.


Get a sponsor
Getting a sponsor requires that you have already a following, but when you are able to be on a spot that your channel becomes atractive for sponsorships, that opens up more possibilities for your channel, sometimes even giveways that you can do during your live streams.


Get your community involved
This can be done for any type of content, but as an example, if your channel is based around gaming, more specifically gameplays, playing with your community together can go a long way to create strong bonds.


Use decent equipment
With so many high quality channels available, if you struggle with having clear voice because your microphone is not good enough and the audience can't understand what your are saying, they will be turned off. Make sure that you cover the basics so that the experience on the viewer side is not affected by technical issues, in fact, make sure your add prior testing, before going live. This will help you avoid any issues during the live stream. Remember that first impressions are very important.




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