9 Tips for Better Live Streams: A Guide for Beginners

Live streaming has truly transformed the way streamers, content creators, and influencers connect with their audiences, creating authentic, real-time interactions that launch fan communities and live-streaming careers.

Live streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, have become important tools for building personal and brand visibility.

The live streaming market is projected to grow from $99 billion currently (Q4 2024) to a whopping $345 billion by 2030 (via GrandViewResearch), reflecting how live streaming is popular, influential - and most definitely here to stay!

Whether you’re new to live streaming or looking to refine your existing broadcast strategy, there’s always room for improvement, and we’ve got the blueprint ready for your live streaming success. 

We’ll discuss when to go live for maximum impact, share some insights into live streaming production, give you practical tips to help make your live streams truly great, and show you how all-in-one online platform tools like Fourthwall can elevate your broadcasting efforts even more.

When to Live Stream?

Timing is everything when it comes to live streaming success.

Choosing the right days and times to go live gives your streams the best chance of maximizing viewership and reaching your target audience.

Pay attention to when your target audience is most active online, and make note of their time zones and demographics.

Tools like Instagram Insights or Twitch Analytics can help you monitor your audience’s behavior and identify peak activity hours for your broadcasting niche so you can optimize your streaming schedule for maximum impact.

Once you’ve narrowed in on the best times to stream, work on matching your content with relevant timing.

Different types of content may work better at specific times, which you can determine by experimenting with live-streaming. Results may also vary across different streaming platforms.

For instance, Q&A sessions might thrive during lunch breaks, while gaming streams may perform better during the evening or late-night hours. 

Pro Tip: If you’re just getting into live streaming, you might want to go live with broadcasts of only 1–2 hours to start. 

This will help you maintain energy and engagement while building your confidence and getting used to managing your own live stream; from the technical side of things to figuring out your live streaming platform’s features, to learning how to interact with chat. 

You can easily increase your streaming hours as you gain experience and as your audiences become more engaged with your streams!

How to Start Streaming in 5 Steps

Starting your live stream journey might seem overwhelming and confusing at first, but breaking it into actionable steps makes it easier to navigate. We can get you started live streaming in 5 steps!

Step 1: Choose Your Platform

Select a live-streaming platform that aligns with your content and target audience. 

While they may all seem similar, they tend to skew towards different types of audiences and content. 

Twitch is ideal for gaming, esports, IRL (in real life) travel streams, live music performances, and niche communities like software developers, artists, and model makers.

YouTube Live is big on entertainment content, vlogs, how-to videos, and behind-the-scenes videos. And Facebook Live focuses more on in-depth tutorials, family videos, and business broadcasts. 

Instagram and TikTok have their own live-streaming features that work really well for shorter-form content. And there are even more small live streaming platforms to check out, like Vimeo, Uscreen, and Kick.

Step 2: Invest in Good Equipment

Quality equipment makes your broadcast look and sounds great, which keeps viewers engaged and puts a professional polish on your live streams. 

The three basics of good live-streaming gear are your camera, microphone, and lights. Use a high-resolution camera (even if it’s your mobile phone camera) for clear, jitter-free visuals. 

Select a reliable microphone with a windscreen to ensure a crisp, professional sound free of extraneous noise or uneven sound levels. 

Remember to take some time to work on creating even, natural lighting in-camera.

This can be something as simple as placing two household lamps correctly, or you can invest in a couple of inexpensive ring lights to get started and then upgrade to box lights on tripods or key lights as your streams grow.

Step 3: Test Your Internet Connection

Your internet connection is definitely an important component of being able to live stream reliably and with good, watchable video and audio. 

Live streaming at 1080p requires a stable connection with a minimum upload speed of 5 or 6 Mbps. 

You can use online tools like Speedtest to verify your internet speed and reliability; you may want to upgrade your internet package if your speeds are too low. 

Some internet providers offer higher-speed or business plans better suited for live streaming.

Step 4: Set Up Your Streaming Software 

Software like OBS Studio (free and open source) or XSplit (paid) makes it easy to manage your live streams. 

These programs let streamers create scenes with multiple video and audio sources and broadcast those scenes live to popular live streaming services. 

You can configure your settings on these programs for optimal resolution, frame rates, and overlays and also record it on your hard drive while broadcasting live. 

OBS is particularly popular with Twitch and YouTube streamers.

Step 5: Create a Broadcast Plan and Go Live!

Before you go live, it helps to sketch out an outline of what you’ll be doing on your live stream. 

Depending on your choice of content, you may want to outline your talking points or any conversational topics for your chat.

Plan out what you’ll be doing during transitions and breaks, and note some CTAs (calls to action) to encourage your viewers to follow your streaming channel or join you during future scheduled streaming events. 

A well-structured plan ensures smooth delivery, prevents awkward silences during streaming, and gives your stream some direction so your personality can shine through!

9 Tips for Great Live Broadcasts!

1. Know Your Audience

Learning about your viewers’ preferences, interests, and availability (for watching your streams) helps you focus on a target audience and tailor your content accordingly. 

While you should, of course, stay within your own interests and niche to keep your broadcasts authentic, partially accommodating your viewership when you can can create higher engagement and fan loyalty. 

Interaction with your audience is the essence of live-streaming. To ensure everyone feels valued and involved, remember to answer questions, encourage conversations, run live polls, and welcome viewers as they arrive. 

Make sure you’re not ignoring your chat participants, and avoid engaging in controversial topics that may alienate your audience.

2. Plan Your Content

Making a plan for your streams can really help keep your broadcasts organized, purposeful, and professional, as planning reduces on-air mistakes. 

Some examples would be making note of some key talking points for your chat, planning out special announcements or CTAs, or even lightly schedule the direction in which you want your stream to go. 

For instance, if you’re a variety gamer and you stream from 9 p.m. to midnight, you might make a shortlist of games you want to test run live on that evening’s stream. 

Make sure you’re keeping it real—the planning exists to help free you up to be your genuine self. Viewers connect best with real, relatable streamers.

3. Double Check Your Gear…

Once you have your professional-grade camera and microphone, spend a little time working out your camera angles and framing. 

Your camera will show you best at eye level, following the rule of thirds for visually appealing frames. 

Test your mic levels before streaming to avoid any audio issues or distortion and make sure your lighting, whether natural light, ring lights, or key lights, is set up to create an even look without harsh shadows. 

4. …And Check Your Internet, Too!

Your internet connection should also be double-checked.

Always test your connection, and if possible, have a backup internet connection (even if you’re tethering to your mobile phone) in case of technical difficulties. 

Another great way to ensure a seamless experience is to do a quick test stream check before going live. This is especially helpful until you get used to working with your live-streaming setup.

5. Add Visual Effects 

You can really enhance the look of your stream by adding custom elements like branded overlays, transitions, event lists, or lower thirds. 

Tools like Streamlabs or StreamElements can simplify these processes, as they offer design resources for easy download (or you can make your own on-screen components using tools like Adobe or Canva.) 

Go pro when you go live by adding different layouts and scenes to your streaming software, such as OBS Studio. 

OBS allows you to easily switch between different parts of your streams, such as actively playing a game, sitting and talking with chat, or zooming in on your face for dramatic effect. 

Consider using stream controllers like hotkeys on your keyboard or even an Elgato Stream Deck to easily manage these broadcast elements plus video and audio effects with the push of a button.

6. Collaborate with Others

To add interest and diversity to your content while expanding your reach, consider collaborating with other streamers. 

Whether you bring in a fellow content creator, influencer, special musical or artistic guest, or expert in your niche, having another face and voice on your broadcast adds a little something extra. 

In the end, you’ll both get the benefit of introducing your audiences to each other. 

7. Include Clear CTAs (Calls to Action)

Guide your viewers to take action, whether it’s following your channel, joining you for a special event, or purchasing custom merch from your Fourthwall store. 

Promote your streams on social media and engage with your audience to build excitement and awareness around your broadcasts. 

Announcing your live streams ahead of time will build anticipation. You can also consider using special countdowns or specific event invites to attract and hype viewers.

8. Repurpose Your Content

You saved the VOD of your stream?—great! 

Now, give it another purpose by editing that live stream into short clips and highlights. 

You can share these on your social media platforms, like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, maximizing the reach of your streamed content and utilizing it to draw more new viewers into your live streams! It’s a win-win. 

9. Analyze Your Broadcasts

Review your stats after each broadcast using tools like your Twitch Dashboard or YouTube Analytics to understand what worked and what didn’t. 

Metrics like engagement, viewer retention, and conversions help you refine your future streams.

These same metrics can also be used later in your live-streaming career once you start considering brand deals and streamer sponsorships, so it’s to your benefit to learn how to read and utilize them early on.

Take Your Live Streams to the Next Level with Fourthwall!

Fourthwall is the ultimate platform for streamers who want to supercharge their live-streaming experience!

Seamlessly integrating with tools like StreamElements and StreamLabs, you can bring your community closer together with real-time purchase and membership alerts.

Celebrate every new purchase or member with exciting stream alerts that make your fans feel appreciated.

Plus, with our exclusive Twitch Gifting feature, your supporters can buy products from your shop and gift them to other fans during your live streams, making engagement more interactive than ever.

Customize your storefront with an easy-to-use website builder, sell high-quality products with zero hassle, and enjoy full control over your brand.

Whether you’re looking to build a fanbase or monetize your channel, Fourthwall handles the tough stuff—like customer support—so you can focus on growing your career.

Ready to enhance your live streams and turn your audience into loyal supporters? Join Fourthwall today!