How to Start Live Streaming Fast, Free & Easy
So you want to start live streaming? Right now many organizations like churches, government bodies, classrooms, and even tv hosts are streaming right from their own homes! Are you feeling the pressure to get started live streaming and struggling to weed through all of the noise online about the different options? Renewed Vision is here to help.
First off… if you feel overwhelmed, keep this one thing in mind… all people want is to connect. They aren’t overly concerned with the production level of your live stream. One of the easiest ways to be together in today’s age especially during times when people can’t leave their homes is through live streaming and connecting online. Our goal with this blog post is that if you’re in a situation where you are feeling pressured to start live streaming fast, that you’ll see an easy solution for you that doesn’t require more work than is necessary.
1. Use Your Phone to go Live on Social Media
Today’s phones are incredibly powerful. Any modern Android or iPhone can get you started fast & free in the live stream world. Simply open up Facebook or YouTube and go live straight from your phone! The best thing about this? You already have a phone, so the hardware is free for you at this point, and social media live posts don’t cost anything! Fast Free, & Easy. ProTip: input the audio from your soundboard or an external mic through an audio adapter/interface for higher quality sound on your live stream.
2. MacGyver it by Recording Your “Live Stream” Ahead of Time
With Facebook & YouTube offering “fake” live streams, going live in real-time isn’t necessarily always the BEST option. One awesome option is recording your event ahead of time and being able to “premier” it as a live stream. What this does is let your followers see the video as a live stream, able to comment on it in real-time. It’s an alternative to needing to stream live directly from an encoder or phone. Instead, you can plan ahead, use the hardware you already have, and then go live from the convenience of your own schedule! Simply use your phone to record a video, or if you have a video camera or dslr, you can use those too! Then when you’re ready, upload the video to your social network of choice and choose the time for it to premiere! ProTip: When you “premiere” a video, you are able to directly interact with and comment on the video with those watching, this means better engagement with those watching the stream!
3. Use Zoom or Skype to go Live With A Webcam & ProPresenter
With Zoom (or skype or any other video conferencing software) you have the ability to go live with large groups of people. For many circumstances, this is best for small groups, classes, or even larger groups that want a little more flexibility. Zoom, Skype, & others offer free tiers to their software as well as paid depending on your needs. Using video conferencing software you can use your webcam… but even better than that, you can also share the output of ProPresenter. Want to show some slides or lyrics to the people watching with ease? This is a great option. ProTip: Use free DSLR to webcam software to make your DSLR or video camera appear like a webcam and be useable in your video conferencing software for a higher quality video!
