How to live stream an event for maximum reach in 2025    

Livestreaming an event will be one of the best ways for your company, organization, or brand to reach the widest audience in 2025, in real time and at a lower cost. Even “live in-person” events can benefit from a streaming component! If you’re unfamiliar with best streaming practices or need a fresh perspective, this post is for you. We’ll outline the essentials everyone needs to know about live streaming and get you started on your journey.

 

 

Why livestream an event?

There are numerous benefits to a live-stream event. The most obvious is increasing your reach and accessibility: a virtual event or a live stream can reach anyone, anywhere, worldwide, as long as there’s an internet connection and a device to participate on. It eliminates the need for physical travel, and overcomes physical disabilities, scheduling problems, and other traditional constraints of a physical venue.

 

In addition, it’s also worth considering possible benefits in:

 

Interaction and engagement: Unlike an in-person event where, outside a scheduled “Q&A” session, questions can, at best, be disruptive, events live-streamed on a quality hosting platform have capabilities to provide a real-time chat/Q&A feature. Attendees participate more actively, ask questions, comment, and interact with one another as opposed to “sitting back.” They feel more involved in a two-way interaction, creating a far more lively and memorable experience. In addition, digital tools can capture both immediate feedback and engagement data, allowing you to better understand your audience, what they respond to, and which parts of an event work better.

 

Brand promotion: There are several branding advantages. If you’re establishing a presence in your field, an online event can be a showcase for a global audience. If you’re already established but want to strengthen your brand message, demonstrate thought leadership in the field, and reinforce credibility, live-streamed events are also an excellent vehicle.

 

Additionally, streaming and virtual event platforms offer a unique opportunity to strongly brand your event (visually and otherwise) so that the brand’s identity will be a co-star of the show.

 

Monetization opportunities: In addition to virtual tickets or online subscription fees for accessing exclusive content, there are further monetization options for creating revenue streams with live-streamed content. You might also open up your stream to advertising or sponsored segments or expand ticketing for in-person events with limited space with an “Attend online” option.

 

Longevity of your content: Online events can provide value even after their live broadcast ends. ideo can be saved, archived, and reused as content on demand for viewers unable to join in real time. This gives the event a “long tail” as new viewers may find it after the original event date, further revenue can be provided by on-demand views, and the video becomes a resource that can be repurposed for other marketing or educational content.

 

With this rundown of the major benefits of live-streaming events, the question inevitably following is, “What’s the best way to live-stream an event?” Glad you asked, we’ll go into more detail below.

 

 

How to choose the right streaming platform

When considering the best way to livestream an event, your streaming platform is a primary concern. An enterprise-built platform can handle multiple use cases and be customized to your liking (we’ve covered enterprise hosting recently). While there are more up-front costs associated, if you have the budget, it packs far superior features.

 

When deciding on a platform, a few key things are beneficial for live events:

 

HTML5 video player: The HTML5 player is becoming the industry standard for streaming platforms; it’s versatile, can be “white labeled” (i.e., sold by the service provider without branding, so you can brand it as your own), and is easily embedded into apps, platforms, and websites.

 

Watermark capability: A white-label player should provide the option to create and embed a logo or watermark onto your original content, somewhat enhancing security and establishing brand ownership over the content.

 

Global content delivery network: A global CDN can reach a large number of viewers in geographically distant locations, improving your audience potential overall.

 

Monetization and integrations: Make sure there’s support for the type of monetization you want, whether advertising or pay-to-play. Similarly, platforms that can integrate with digital and marketing tools you’re already using will improve the effectiveness of your virtual events and online content.

 

Ad-free streaming: Unless you specifically decide to include ads, the content should remain YOUR content. Free consumer video hosting platforms are well known for inserting ads for… whatever they feel like, whether distracting, incongruous, or even a competing brand.

 

 

Step-by-step guide to setting up a live stream

 

Set your goals

Understand what kind of event you want to stream, the purpose of live streaming the event, and what you want to achieve. Know what your ROI would look like, and set an appropriate budget.

 

Plan the stream

This includes acquiring the necessary equipment, software, and talent (more about gear below), making decisions, and creating a detailed plan for the actual event. Put together locations (even if it’s just “a webinar from inside the office”), plan an agenda and any speakers or other entertainment, and think about how to promote. You should also have a well-structured plan aligned with your goals for when the entire event will go online.

 

Include CTA: Your objective is connecting with your audience for brand recognition, so consider an action you want the audience to take afterward: subscribe to social media, sign up for an online newsletter, follow social media, become a customer, etc. Structure the event so when it ends, they’re inclined to take this action.

Promotion! Promoting your content is key; a live stream is not going to achieve your goals if no one sees it. Social media is the go-to; however, consider other avenues such as paid media and advertising, using email lists, and cross-promoting with sponsors, partners, and guests.

 

Set up relevant equipment

Plan out what equipment you’re using from the early stages and make sure it’s appropriate to the size and scope of your event. Nearer the broadcast date, you’ll want to get more hands-on and make sure you’ve acquired everything and put it in place.

 

Platform: Make sure to cover your basics. A live stream won’t happen without some type of online video platform and access to reliable internet. Pick a video platform that’s up to the challenge; don’t default to consumer platforms just because they’re free.

Video and audio gear: This includes cameras or camera-equipped devices, microphones, and other audio equipment. Also essential for capturing content to be streamed!

Encoder: You’ll need an encoder to convert external camera or webcam footage to streamable video; your streaming platform might have this capacity, or you might need to get other software. In either case, make sure it is set up and configured correctly!

Inputs and live channels: Your source media (cameras, mics) need to be plugged into an input to go through your encoder and stream out audio and video; similarly, you’ll need a live channel set up on your online video platform to output to the internet.

Embedding video: Lastly, you may need to embed video to your website for the playback. These options should be contained in your video platform, or better yet, go with a video platform that can create the event website for you!

 

Test Stream: After the equipment and streaming set-up but before the actual live event, a test run should happen to make sure everything runs smoothly and identify possible points of failure or weak links in the setup

 

Stream!

With all this accomplished, you should be coming up on your event date; try a rehearsal if time permits, and then let your streaming event rip!

 

Best practices for a high-quality livestream

• Use professional equipment A live-streamed event doesn’t need to have the production quality of live television–but on the other hand, it doesn’t hurt. In short, you want the best gear you can afford.
• Reliable Internet: Beautiful images and great content won’t matter on choppy internet that drops attendees offline. Internet is the backbone of your streaming, so it’s up to you to ensure you have a reliable connection with the speed and bandwidth to handle an event at the size you want.
• Double-check this guide: We’re covering a lot of best practices as we go. Consider this a valuable checklist.
• Promote your event: We keep mentioning that promotion is crucial. Share early and often on social media, and crosspost your live video where appropriate. Do everything you can to generate interest and relevance before and during your event. If you aren’t charging to participate, embed your video on your website or blog to further it.
• Avoid copyrighted material: Remember, this is functionally a broadcast, so don’t use content belonging to other people or organizations without permission.

 

 

Common mistakes to avoid when live streaming

If you’re new to the game, here are a few things to avoid that will make even your novice event streaming efforts better right out of the gate.

 

Inadequate live streaming setup

If you’ve read through the sections above, we can’t stress it enough that you need the best setup you can put together, accounting for the budget, the scope of the event, and your streaming platform’s capacity. Don’t cut any corners you don’t have to (tying in with the next two common mistakes). Make sure your equipment is up to par, no matter what your production tier (it should work reliably, provide clear video and audio, and be compatible with other parts of your setup), make sure your internet connection is adequate to bandwidth and reliable, make sure your platform can scale up or down to your audience size, and test things out in advance to make sure nothing fails you on the day.

 

Poor lighting

Embedded cameras, smartphones, and other video devices have come a long way, such that some people may feel that they don’t need to be concerned with obtaining production lights for a live-streamed event or even making sure an area or speaker they’re broadcasting is well lit via natural light, household lighting, etc.–but poorly lit video is still easy to spot and might put your viewers off.

 

Ignoring audio quality

Believe it or not, audiences are more forgiving of poor-quality video than poor-quality audio. Make sure to test your microphone placement (whether a standalone mic or something internal to a device) and ensure your audio is neither clipping nor too low. Test your connections in advance to make sure there is clear sound with an adequate volume level and the audio does not drop in and out.

 

Poor planning

This can cover a lot of ground, from not adequately researching a topic to not testing your streaming setup in advance to trying to dash off an event on the fly with no organization, scripting, or rehearsals. Your event doesn’t have to be a completely scripted performance that runs along an agenda like a well-oiled machine, but remember that people have a limited attention span, and many things competing for that attention, so getting to the point, looking like you know what you’re doing, and delivering value (whether information, a performance, instructional material, etc.) quickly will hold their focus. Remember, when you go live, there’s no stopping to edit out errors and filler!

 

Not promoting

…or not promoting enough, which is almost as bad. Create a schedule in advance and give yourself some runway. In that time, promote your event through every means you have available. It won’t matter if you have great content if no one knows it’s streaming.

 

 

FAQ

●     What equipment do you need to livestream an event?

We’ve covered this in more detail above, but if you just went straight to the FAQ– for absolute basics, you’ll need a camera and microphone (or a device equipped with a camera and a microphone), a streaming platform to handle intermediaries and broadcast your stream, and, of course, the internet.

 

●     Can I livestream with just a smartphone?

Technically, yes, but unless your event is very small, your audience is very undemanding, and you are using a consumer app to broadcast your stream, it’s not your best choice. Of course, it’s up to you how small or large you want your livestream to be. Streaming with a smartphone and a video streaming platform would offer more versatility, but a smartphone is limited in what it can capture.

 

●     How can I promote my live-stream event?

We cover this in more detail in the sections above, but if you just went straight to the FAQ– social media is always the best starting point. But depending on the size of your event, you can resort to all means available: email blasts, traditional advertising, etc. If you give your event a little lead time, you can actively promote it across social media platforms in the run-up to increase its relevance.

 

●     How do I troubleshoot live stream buffering issues?

Technical problems can be a deep topic beyond the scope of this guide. That said, the best way to handle buffering issues is to avoid them completely by using a high-quality video streaming platform. Also, a fast, stable internet connection is the backbone of live streaming. Some platforms also offer options for technical support on your live events.

 

 

Meet Kaltura – industry-leading video solutions for webinars, events, hubs & more.

If you’re looking for the best way to livestream an event or better support for any aspect of streaming events and other experiences, Kaltura’s solutions should be your go-to.

 

• If webinars are your main focus, Kaltura Webinars will help you consistently create branded learning experiences for your audiences at scale with AI-powered and automated features and useful engagement tools.

 

• For virtual and hybrid event experiences at any scale, look to Kaltura Events, complete with A-grade branding and lead generation tools, smart engagement features, and tons of first-party data.

 

• If your strategy is based on video-on-demand, Kaltura Video Portal provides the same excellent video streaming and is an asset to improve content management and overall video content strategy, as well as understanding your audience’s engagement behavior.

 

Find out firsthand why Kaltura is the best way to stream a live event by starting a free trial or booking a demo on our website!

 

 

Summary

We hope that this has been illuminating advice about the best way to livestream an event and you’re on track to stream unforgettable experiences. Applying these best practices and choosing a high-quality streaming platform should set you on a path to future success.