Live Stream Like A PRO!
I was doing a livestream the other day in my Insta Sales School course, and I hooked my iPad up to my computer to use it as a whiteboard. The students in the course weren’t even learning about live streaming, and they all immediately asked for a tutorial. So, today we’re talking about how to live stream like a pro!
Live Stream Like A PRO! | EASY Camera, Software, and Sound Tips for Live Streaming
Want to watch the video version of this post? I’ve got you covered!
Before we jump into the rest of this post, I want to say THANK YOU to today’s video sponsor, DataCamp. DataCamp is an online learning platform that will help you become a data analysis nerd. If you are a finance nerd and want to learn programs like Python, they’ve got a class for that. If you’re like me and run a business, you can learn all about how to use Excel to analyze your social media stats. What I really love about DataCamp is that they make all of these skills ACCESSIBLE to you.
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Back in the day, I made a video about how to livestream on Facebook using OBS. It would let you make the cool filters and effects, like text going across your screen. To this day, it’s one of my most watched videos and one that we get the most comments on.
But to be completely honest, I stopped using OBS shortly after I filmed that tutorial. It was a complicated system and hard to sync with things – but more than that, it bogged down my computer like nobody’s business. It just wasn’t worth it to use.
I’ve used a lot of different softwares to livestream, but I’ve been using the same one for a few years now. I’m going to tell you about it! But the overarching idea here is about how you can level up your livestreams so that you’re live streaming like a pro.
I think that the software I use to livestream is the easiest one – but it’s not the only way. As a Mac user and someone who wants ease of use, it works the best for me. This particular software is Mac-only, but the rest of the info in the video is NOT Mac only!
Live Stream Equipment
There are varying levels to what it means to live stream like a pro.
A few weeks ago, I spoke at a virtual conference. All of the speakers hopped on a call to hear about the basics of what was happening and everything about the event. You could tell that the live stream/Zoom call setups were NEXT LEVEL. I think it’s funny because it is so different from one space to another.
Because I ride the line between the entrepreneur space and the creator/YouTuber space, I see both sides. I was blown away by how incredible some of their Zoom setups were. BUT it takes a LOT to get there. And you don’t need a super fancy setup to do live streams!
All that to say there are varying levels of live stream quality. You want to take yours up to the level that 1) you feel comfortable with in your skillset and 2) that you have the equipment to do.
Level 1 – Built-in Webcam
The webcam built into our laptops is pretty crappy. There’s a big difference in my seven year old getting on a Zoom call for school using that webcam and me getting on a live stream using it. It’s expected that we, as business owners, can have better quality than that.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with starting out using your built-in webcam! But built-in cameras can be frustrating to watch if the lighting isn’t great (which we’ll talk about it in a bit).
Level 2 – Upgraded External Webcam
Using an external webcam like I use to livestream is the next level. It makes your video quality better, but you don’t need super extravagant equipment or a ton of space. I use a Logitech external webcam that you can see here.
If you want to see actual examples of what it looks like when I record using the webcam on my Mac versus my external one, click the video above and skip to 9:13. The difference is MASSIVE.
Level 3 – A Mirrorless Camera or DSLR
If you want to go even MORE next level with your camera, you can actually use a mirrorless camera (like the one I use to film my YouTube videos) as a webcam. This is NOT a tutorial on how to do that, but you can. I have not personally done this because of the space in my home office. In my new studio, I have every intention of setting up my Canon M50 as a livestream camera because I’m going to have the room! (And I’m going to upgrade my YouTube camera to the Sony A7S3.)
Lighting
I can’t talk about upgrading your livestream without talking about lighting. I have always used natural lighting for my videos which works just fine for me in my home office. But, you can buy really small ring lights that sit behind your computer to help with lighting. You can also buy panel lights to sit behind your computer.
If you are well-lit, no matter which camera you’re using, the video will look SO much better.
Software
In the beginning of the video, I told you that I haven’t used OBS since I made my original tutorial. The software that I’ve been using for awhile now is called eCamm Live.
eCamm Live is ONLY for Mac. If you aren’t on a Mac, there are comparable softwares that can get you the same result.
Why I love eCamm…
It’s Easy
I love eCamm live because it is INCREDIBLY easy to use. I’m a fairly techy person and I can do complex setups – but I don’t always want to do that. I just want to click a button and go live when I want to do a live stream. At the same time, it’s nice to have a logo on the screen because it adds professionalism.
It’s Customizable
You can add logos, frames, and graphics to all of your videos. You can show comments on the live stream while you go which is wonderful!
You can do ALL the things!
On eCamm, I can run multiple camera sources, multiple mic sources, and livestream it to different places. Maybe I want to be showing things on my desk while I show my face – I can do it with this software. The possibilities with that are pretty endless!
Again, there are tons of other softwares that can get you the same results as eCamm! Any software that lets you show comments on the screen or add logos will uplevel your live stream quality, and people will notice.
One of my favorite features of eCamm that I mentioned before is being able to hook up my iPad and use it as a second screen. For me, this comes in handy when I want to showcase something. In my current course, Insta Sales School, being able to pull up Instagram on my iPad to illustrate a point while showing my face is GREAT. And I especially love that I can use my iPad like a white board. People always ask how I do this because it looks so professional. It's a super easy software that will let you live stream like a pro with very little technical set up.
Sound!
If you are live streaming and don’t plug in any external microphones, the sound will come from the internal mic on your computer. Just like internal webcams, your internal mic on your computer is pretty crappy. Getting an external microphone can be a massive improvement!
I have used the ATR-2100 microphone for years. But a couple of weeks ago, I broke it… right before a live stream. So I got a Shure MV7 microphone to use as my podcasting and live streaming mic. But you don’t need anything crazy expensive! The ATR-2100 is around $50, and I used it for five years.
Not only that, but the microphones that are built into headphones are better than the mic built into your computer. These microphones are really close to your mouth, which helps with sound quality.
Doing minor things to impress people and level-up your quality during live streaming makes a big difference! You don’t need to do anything extravagant or fancy. It can be as simple as plugging in some headphones with a built-in mic.
Now, you can go out and live stream like a pro! Your viewers will thank you (and your business will, too)!
