Live streaming has come a long way since its inception, and it’s only getting bigger thanks to new tools and strategies the industry has developed in the past several years. From pristine video quality to multi-platform delivery to cloud-based systems, we can now get more eyes on our streams than ever before. And when your clients are relying on you to achieve successful live streams, you want as many advantages as you can get.
Last month, we conducted a global survey that reached over 750 live streaming professionals from all over the world. With these statistics, let’s take a look at the strategies that result in significantly more viewers on the stream, and how you can use these strategies to your benefit.
1. Multi-Destination Streaming
Many streaming platforms (including our Core platform) now allow you to send your single video stream to multiple live destinations at the same time. This means multiple Facebook Pages/Groups, YouTube channels, Twitch channels, and as many destinations as you want. Why is this beneficial? Because viewers all have their preferred video platform. Instead of waiting for them to come to you, you can stream directly to them.
Figure 1 shows results of respondents who stream to just 1 destination. 32.7% (the highest percentile of the group) average less than 50 viewers per stream, with just 27.8% getting 50-100.
It gets better. At 3 destinations, 44.5% average over 300 viewers per stream, and only 10.9% get less than 50. Streaming to more platforms results in more people seeing the stream.
2. Use Multiple Cameras
Having multiple cameras allows you to offer different angles to viewers, which has a significant impact on how many viewers you get. The average human attention span is only about 8 seconds long, so you wouldn’t expect viewers to watch your stream if you’re just providing a single angle.
When it comes to cameras, 42.4% of respondents stream with 3 cameras or more (Figure 4). Of those respondents, 30.5% achieve 100-300 viewers per stream. 28.8% achieve over 300 viewers.
Figure 5 shows those with 2 cameras. 25.3% achieve 100-300 viewers per stream, with 31.2% getting just 50-100 viewers.
The numbers for a single camera are much lower. Only 9.9% achieved over 300 viewers, with 18.6% achieving over 300 viewers. In this category, 47.2% of single camera streamers get less than 50 views.
Clearly, we see a direct correlation between the number of cameras and the number of viewers. The more cameras you have, the more viewers you’ll get.
3. Switchers Make a Huge Difference
With a switcher, you can roll graphics and transitions to keep the video exciting and encourage viewers to stay tuned into the stream. Figure 7 shows the results of those who stream with switchers. Of those respondents, 33.6% achieve an average of over 300 views per stream, while 25.9% achieve 100-300.
Figure 8 shows the results of streamers without a switcher. 40% of those receive less than 50 viewers, with only 15.1% getting 100-300.
4. Pre-Broadcast Announcements
Unlike traditional TV broadcasts, live streams enjoy the luxury of not having to follow scheduled time slots. But even then, viewers need to know when to tune in to your broadcast.
Figure 9 shows the rates of streamers who announce their broadcasts via social media reminders. 32.9% get over 300 views per stream, with 24% getting 100-300.
Compare that with Figure 10, which are streamers who don’t make any announcements. 48.3% get less than 50 viewers, with 18.3% getting 100-300. Social media announcements are a great resource to alerting fans beforehand so they can work their own schedules around your stream. Also don’t rule out email blasts and regularly-scheduled programs. If a show is consistent (big Twitch streamers are notorious for this), people will tune in accordingly.
5. No More Dropped Streams
As live streamers, our content depends entirely on how strong our Internet connections are. But we’ve all had our fair share of dropped connections while we’re completely powerless to do anything about it. Clients and viewers don’t want to hear excuses, so even though you can’t control the reliability of the Internet, you can control the technology that you own.
Figure 11 shows the number of respondents who’ve experienced a dropped stream before. A resounding 83.1% of streamers have experienced the same issue. Clearly, it’s much more common than we think. So how do we prevent dropped streams from ever happening again?
The best way is to incorporate technology like 4G LTE network bonding, which is actually the feature most important to streamers interested in the VidiU Go (31.5%). Network bonding combines multiple internet sources into a single, robust connection so your stream has multiple backups to stay up. If one of your internet sources go down, it’ll have several other sources to fill in. This ensures that your live stream is able to stay up flawlessly throughout the entire shoot, whether you’re streaming in the field or in the studio.