Are you a newbie live streamer, afraid of streaming mistakes? Then, you are on the right page! We will tell you about the live streaming mistakes you must avoid to become a pro live streamer.
With a CAGR of 20.5%, Live Streaming is set to rule between 2022 to 2026! And it is already extremely popular amongst viewers. Need proof? Look at its viewership! Statista says that 21% of US adults aged between 18 to 35 years and 24% of the US adults aged between 35 to 54 years streamed live videos several times a day!
But do you know why live streaming is so popular? Because, it can be used by anyone, from any industry, for any purpose! From marketing to brand building, from eLearning to eSports, live streaming has its applications everywhere.
But, for newbie live streamers, the competition is really tough! You need to compete with hours of quality live-streaming content by experts in your domain. So, there is no scope for mistakes!
In our streaming experience so far, we have noticed certain streaming mistakes which are common among new live streamers. And these live streaming mistakes are so lethal, that they can ruin the possibility of establishing yourself as a pro! These mistakes include
In this blog, we will tell you how you can avoid these mistakes and will give you some pro tips at the end. So, keep reading!
For live streamers, the audience is everything! The success of your live stream depends on your ability to engage and coordinate with your audience. But as a beginner, you often mess up with it and commit mistakes. Which is extremely natural. You don’t need to panic. You just need to practice and try to avoid streaming mistakes.
To make the job easier for you, we are going to discuss the most common live streaming mistakes and tell you how you can avoid them easily. So, let’s begin!
Do you know? In a recently conducted survey, more than 40% of viewers told that remaining silent and not speaking to the audience is the biggest mistake of live streamers.
So let’s address the big fish first! We all know that engagement is the key to live-streaming success. But, engaging with your audience is the art that you need to master! You cannot just keep reading the script without any live interaction with your audience. It will make your live stream extremely boring.
Start talking to your audience. Remember that you are not alone, your viewers are listening to you. There is a simple trick that you can follow. Imagine your mic as your friend, and start interacting with it. Practice like this for some time, and you will start seeing the difference yourself!
Imagine a situation. Suppose you have seen an ad about your favorite pop star going live, and you are all pumped up to enjoy the live stream of the music concert from your home. Accordingly, you join the link on time, but find no one there! No live stream, no pop star, and no music. Isn’t it disappointing?
Now imagine the same situation with you as the streamer. Do you think your audience would like it? Of course not!
As a live streamer, sticking to the schedule is extremely important. It has multi-lateral benefits:
First, DO NOT be over-optimistic. Most of the live streamers become overwhelmed and schedule a lot of sessions, but fail to complete them later. So, it’s better to start slow. Remember that slow and steady wins the race!
Keep two to three sessions in a day (at max), and work hard to complete them in the best way possible.
Secondly, add reminders and alarms for each of your live streams, so that you start them right on time!
For starting a live stream, you don’t need any special equipment. But, it doesn’t mean that you should continue with the same equipment even after getting established as a professional streamer.
For professional live streaming, equipment does matter. The quality of audio will directly depend on your mic quality, lights and camera will impact your video quality, and so on…
Thus, you must use a professional setup for live streaming once you start getting traction.
Nowadays, live streaming equipment is easily available on online shopping apps like Amazon. You can also get them on shopping marts and offline retail stores.
Just go to an online shopping site, check the affordable streaming equipment available, compare their quality, and buy the best one. That’s it!
For a newbie in Live Streaming, “mic fright” is common. We all have come across situations where our brains went blank as soon as we went live. But, with proper preparation, you can overcome such a situation.
Surveys have shown that most of these incidents occur with those who do not have in-depth knowledge of their topic. If you do not have a well-thought topic idea and do not know what exactly to talk about, you are going to suffer big time on the mic.
You can rectify this streaming mistake very easily by following the steps given below:
Many times during our live stream, we say that “Okay, we will talk about this later in another session”. But, how many times do you really get back to that topic?
Keeping track of such topics is difficult for new live streamers, and they often forget about some of them. As a result, they never really get back to that topic, and their viewers (who keep waiting for it) get irritated.
During your live stream, keep a notepad near you. It can be on your laptop, or even on your mobile phone. Take note of all such topics that you have promised to deliver in another session. After the live session ends, plan and schedule separate live sessions for these topics.
New live streamers need time to get familiar with their audience. In their initial days, they often ignore the reactions of their viewers. The likes and comments they get do not get proper attention. After a certain period of time, your viewers start feeling disconnected, and they do not enjoy the sessions anymore.
This live streaming mistake can be easily avoided if you remain a bit more aware of your audience. Even if you fail to cover their reactions during the sessions, you can take time and read their comments later. You can even connect with them individually through emails and messages. And once you start gaining a bit more confidence, you must start answering their comments through live chats or directly during the live session itself. It will help you build a very trusted fanbase and a very healthy relationship with your viewers.
Always remember that you are live streaming for your audience. So, ignoring your viewer’s choices is one of the biggest live streaming mistakes you can ever do.
Think about it yourself. If you are asked to listen to a live stream on a topic that you do not align with, will you do it? No, right? So, how can you expect your viewers to do the same for you? Your live stream will gain traction only when you will start picking the topics that your audience like and want to listen to.
You can use the following techniques to know the choice of your audience:
Once you know the topics that your audience wants, pick one which has got the maximum votes.
Do you live stream only on one platform? Then, wait, and hear us out!
More than 80% of the new live streamers commit this fatal streaming mistake. They live stream on one platform only. As a result, they never get the exposure that they deserve.
Think about it yourself. If you are live streaming only on one platform, then you are directly neglecting the viewers of the other platforms. For example, if you are live streaming on YouTube only, then you will not get the viewers of Facebook and LinkedIn! As a result, your viewer base will never grow at an exponential rate.
First, choose a platform that lets you live stream across platforms using HLS output. Then, search for potential platforms where you can do live streams. Finally, go live on all the platforms.
What do you do when you miss joining a live stream as a viewer? You go to the recorded version and watch it, right?
Most live streamers have seen tremendous growth in viewership once they started releasing their live streams as VOD on YouTube or personal video streaming platforms.
Click here to know how to launch your own platform.
By doing so, you offer your viewers the flexibility to stream your content anytime, anywhere.
First, choose a live streaming platform that lets you record your live streams. Now, start your own video streaming platform and post these recorded videos there. Once done, inform your viewers that they can access the videos on your own streaming platform.
Viewers will watch your live streams if they know about them. And they will know about them if you promote them!
Around 80% of the new live streamers fail to promote their live streams efficiently. As a result, they fail to reach out to a wider audience base.
Choose a platform that allows you to promote and market your live streams and video content efficiently. Using the features like email marketing and social media marketing, you can reach out to your viewers and inform them about the schedule and topics of your live streams. You can even send notifications just before starting your live streams so that they can join you right on time!
Many of you have seen incidences where live streamers respond to the questions asked by audiences, without reading the questions aloud. In such cases, the rest of the audience does not know what the question was, and how well you answered.
Always read out the questions loud before answering them. You can even take the name of the viewer who asked you the question, thank them for it, and then answer the question. It will make your live streams interesting and enjoyable.
So here are some tips for new streamers straight from our live streaming experts.
Don’t get panicked on the mic. Stay calm and composed. If you stay confident, your confidence will reflect on your live stream too, which might impress your viewers.
You can even do a short meditation and deep breathing before starting your live stream. It will help you to calm down and focus on the actual content of your live stream.
Interacting with your audience is important. But, over-interaction is irritating. Some live streamers who keep talking about random things the entire time, under the illusion that they are talking to their viewers. But, your viewers do not want to hear random stuff. They want to hear substance. So, always keep a balance between what content you present and how much you interact with your audience.
Always record your live streams and repurpose them later. You can cut them and make reels and bite-sized videos. You can even publish them as it is in the form of video-on-demand content.
Consistency is the key to marketing success. So, you need to keep marketing your live streaming consistently. One announcement post or one-or-two random emails won’t do. Make a proper marketing schedule of emails, social media posts, and announcements, and stick to it.
Technical glitches in the middle of live streams can be extremely embarrassing at times. To avoid such scenarios, test everything beforehand. If time permits, dry run your live stream session one or two times to be 100% sure.
Following these five tips will help you avoid most of the live streaming mistakes and deliver a perfectly engaging live stream to your audience.
The live streaming software that you choose has an immense role to play in making your live streams a grand success. Muvi Live is one of the most complete live streaming software out there in the market. Loaded with world-class features, Muvi Live makes live streaming extremely easy for you. You can live stream from any camera of any device, switch between cameras effortlessly, and deliver DRM-secured live streaming content across the globe!
With Muvi Live, you can:
So, why wait? Sign up and start streaming for free.
Why is it important to avoid streaming mistakes?
Live streaming mistakes often irritate your viewers, and give them a bad impression. As a result, they do not enjoy your live feeds and your views reduce drastically. That is why, you must try to avoid live-streaming mistakes.
What are the most common mistakes that new streamers make?
The most common live-streaming mistakes are:
So, live streamers, and especially new streamers, must avoid these mistakes.
How can I make my stream stand out from others?
To make your streams stand out amongst others, follow the tips given below:
How can I measure the success of my streams?
The success of your live streams can be measured by the following:
How can I avoid technical issues during a live stream?
Technical issues during live streams can be embarrassing. So, giving a dry run before going live helps you correct or avoid technical issues on time.
Written by: Debarpita Banerjee
Debarpita is a Content Writer with Muvi. With around 2 years of experience in content creation, she has worked across industries like SaaS, EdTech, eLearning, AR-VR, and Metaverse. She believes in delivering content that can be of some value to the readers. In her free time, she likes to try her hand at website and app development.
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