In the beginning, live streams were done spontaneously on smartphones, and there was not much attention paid to high quality images or audio. Today, live streaming has evolved into one of the most powerful and elaborate forms of communication, thanks to platforms such as YouTube Live. In fact, YouTube live streaming is one of the most popular forms of live streaming out there. However, the growing popularity and relevance also means that live streaming mistakes could be heavily taxing. Here are the top 10 most common live streaming mistakes to avoid.
YouTube Live’s recommendation system makes it completely different from any other live streaming platform. Ultimately, everything hinges on performance and interaction. Due to this, you could be hurting your YouTube live streaming performance if you are not careful enough. Here are 10 of the most common live streaming mistakes listed below that you must avoid.
1. Forgetting about YouTube’s live replay
First of all, many streamers fail to keep the replay experience in mind. It’s true that you’ll get the majority of the views when you’re live. However, according to the YouTube algorithm, your video-on-demand content will get more views once your live stream concludes.
Tip: Start streaming your content right away. Don’t wait around for everyone to join. Once you start delivering the content, keep the shout-outs short. While shoutouts might seem exciting while live, they do not add any value once you watch the replay.
2. Paying more attention to thumbnail branding than realizing its effectiveness
Utilizing well-branded but uninformative thumbnails for YouTube live streaming is the next huge mistake that costs views.
Tip: Use imagery or words where it’s crystal clear what you’re going to discuss in your live video when creating a thumbnail, rather than using your brand name or logo. This will help people determine whether the content you’re streaming is of their interest. This will also grab their attention towards you and your content better.
3. Poorly constructed video titles
Improper titles are another common blunder made by YouTube live streamers. By adding live to your title, you are wasting valuable space which could otherwise have been used for attracting more audience. Another common mistake is writing extra long titles (more than 50 characters) or putting the essential keywords towards the end. By doing so, you risk your exposure to the users of YouTube.
Tip: Put the keyword at the beginning of your YouTube title to create a click-worthy title. The keywords you choose should speak to your target audience the most. Secondly, make your titles compelling and intriguing to boost their efficiency.
4. Streaming for unusually long durations
If you have a sufficient number of subscribers or viewers who like to remain active throughout your stream, then you may think of streaming for a few hours. However, if you are just starting out and/or are yet to grow your influence, streaming for hours on end with very few viewers is not a good idea.
Tip: Consider mixing streams of shorter and longer durations. Live metrics help you identify which format your viewers respond to the best. You can also do this to improve your replay experience.
5. Making use of countdown timers
Another mistake streamers make is using countdown timers.
Tip: While countdown timers work on certain platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn, it’s best to avoid these when going live on YouTube.
6. Ending a live stream and forgetting about it
Many streamers make the mistake of leaving their live streams as it is on YouTube for replay without optimizing it for video-on-demand after the stream ends. Just as you plan ahead of going live, there’s still some work that should be done after your stream is over.
Tip: Visit your YouTube Creator Studio once your live stream is over. The title, thumbnail, and description can even be updated with a timestamp. Organizing your live stream this way will make it easier for your viewers to locate the content they’re looking for. Additionally, you can incorporate screen elements. This comes in handy as you can direct people to more of your content once the current video ends.
7. Failing to repurpose streams
These days, many streamers regard their streams as something worthwhile only while it is live or when it’s replayed. This leads them to completely miss out on extracting value and increasing their exposure by repurposing their live streams.
Tip: Analyze your live content and identify opportunities where you can repurpose it or a part of it as highlights or even full videos for your channel.
8. Choosing topics that interest or benefit you
One of the gravest mistakes streamers make is choosing a topic that interests them or is directly related to their brand.
Tip: What matters to your viewers should be your primary consideration when choosing topics for your content. Keep your audience at the forefront of your mind and consider the benefits that they will receive by tuning in as you plan your live stream.
9. Staying too quiet or too serious
Staying silent while live streaming on YouTube is one of the worst mistakes you can make. Some streamers don’t even smile while they are streaming.
Tip: Entertainment rules the roost among the many aspects that draw people to a live broadcast. The goal is to keep your viewers amused, whether you chat with your viewers like a talk show host or take the stand-up comedy route. Although conversing with the air may appear odd at first, it is definitely worth the effort.
10. Terrible audio and/or video quality
Many streamers face audio or video (or both) issues such as too loud or too low volume, background noise, lag, low FPS, horrible video resolution, etc.
Tip: Incorrect software configuration might cause such issues. So the best idea is to do some fast testing before starting the live broadcast.
These were 10 of the most frequently made live streaming mistakes and tips to avoid them. Head over to Flutin and try these out yourself to gauge the difference in inexperience.
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