Ultra subscription.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to start live streaming, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will walk you through the process, from choosing the right platform to setting up your stream for success. Whether you're new to streaming or looking to optimize your current setup, we’ll cover everything you need to know to go live—from start to finish.
Jump Ahead:
- Which Live Stream Platform Should You Use
- Downloading and Optimizing Streamlabs Desktop Streaming Software
- Adding Widgets and Alerts to Your Live Stream
- Tips for Branding Your Live Stream
- How to Monetize Your Live Stream from Day One
Which Platform Should You Live Stream On?
As you may already know, there are many platforms to choose from in the realm of live streaming. You can take the popular short form route and stream on TikTok or go the more traditional path and stream to Twitch. If you have an established community on a particular platform, it's best to start there.
Which platform is right for you is a personal choice, and there is no right or wrong answer. Here, we'll review the biggest players like Twitch, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
Twitch
Twitch is a top platform for live streaming in categories like gaming, music, talk shows, and more and typically the starting point for many live streamers. You can easily stream on Twitch using Streamlabs Desktop. For a detailed guide, check out How to Stream on Twitch.
Getting Started with Twitch
- Create a Twitch Account: Sign up on Twitch and review the community guidelines.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Required for all streamers to protect your account.
Customizing Your Channel
Personalizing your Twitch channel helps build your brand, attract viewers and loyal subscribers. Focus on three key aspects:
- Profile Photo & Bio: Add a profile picture and a short bio (up to 300 characters).
- Channel Banner & Offline Banner: Set up your channel with a 1200x480px banner and a 1080x720px offline image.
- Stream Schedule: Plan and display your streaming schedule so viewers know when to tune in.
- Panels: Add sections like About, Sponsors, and more to provide useful information.
For a deeper dive, visit our How to Customize Your Twitch Channel blog.
Facebook Live
People may like streaming on Facebook because it allows them to easily reach and engage with a broad audience, including their existing social network, on a familiar platform.
Whether you’re looking to go live to a Facebook Group, live stream a game or something else, Streamlabs Desktop makes it easy to connect and stream on Facebook. Below is the quick run down of streaming on Facebook live.
Getting Started with Facebook Live
- Choose Where to Stream: Stream to your profile, page, or create a scheduled event.
- Go Live: From the post section, click Live, add a description, and start your stream.
Scheduling a Live Stream on Facebook
If you prefer to schedule your stream in advance to get people excited and build consistency on the platform:
- Select Schedule Live Video Event. Add an event name, time, and date, then upload a cover photo or choose an illustration.
- For more step-by-step instructions, refer to our How to Schedule a Live Stream on Facebook guide.
YouTube Live
YouTube is a popular choice for streamers, especially gamers, offering live streaming options via mobile, webcam, or streaming software. With Streamlabs Desktop, for example, you can easily set up and customize your streams for YouTube.
For more details, check out our How to Stream on YouTube guide to learn how to get started streaming on YouTube from start to finish.
Getting Started with YouTube Live
- Log in to YouTube: Ensure your channel is verified and free of restrictions before going live.
- Stream via Streaming Software: Connect your YouTube account in Streamlabs Desktop, set up your mic and webcam, then go live.
- Stream on Mobile: Use the YouTube app or Streamlabs mobile app for easy streaming on the go, including the ability to stream vertically in YouTube Shorts feed.
TikTok Live
TikTok Live is a great way to connect with your audience in real-time. With Streamlabs Desktop, you can easily stream on TikTok from your computer while enhancing your streams with custom overlays, widgets, and alerts.
For a full guide for going live on TikTok using streaming software, check out our How to Go Live on TikTok from Desktop guide. If you’re already familiar with how to live stream on TikTok using Streamlabs Desktop, you may want to jump ahead to our guide on optimizing your TikTok stream.
Getting Started with TikTok Live
- Unlock TikTok Live: You need at least 1,000 followers to access TikTok Live through TikTok.
- Set Up with Streamlabs: Bypass follower count requirements when you apply to stream to TikTok through Streamlabs Desktop. Simply connect your TikTok account, apply for streaming access (if applicable), customize your stream, and go live directly from Streamlabs Desktop. By going live on TikTok for your computer, you open up endless possibilities for customizing your live stream.
Optimize Your TikTok Live
- Multistream: Broadcast your TikTok Live to multiple platforms at once. Learn more in our Multistreaming Guide.
- Vertical Streaming: Ensure your stream is optimized for TikTok’s vertical format with Streamlabs' vertical streaming feature.
Multistreaming Options
Don’t underestimate the power of taking a few additional steps to meet your audience where they are. If you want to stream simultaneously to Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok or even a custom RTMP, Streamlabs offers multistreaming to TikTok plus one other destination for free or to two or more other destinations when subscribed to Streamlabs Ultra.
You also have the option of trying the free Streamlabs Dual Output feature which will allow you to stream to destinations with varying canvas sizes (e.g. Vertical on TikTok and horizontally on YouTube), so your content can reach a wider audience. You can go live to one horizontal and one vertical platform for free, or unlimited platforms with Ultra.
Download Streamlabs Desktop
Twitch, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok all allow you to use free live streaming software like Streamlabs Desktop. All you have to do is download and install it on your desktop computer. Once downloaded:
- Launch Streamlabs Desktop on your computer.
- Follow the instructions to log in and connect your streaming platforms, camera, and more in Streamlabs Desktop.
- Browse the overlay library to dress up your live stream before hitting the Go Live button.
Optimizing Your Streamlabs Desktop Settings
Adjusting your settings in Streamlabs Desktop is essential to avoid performance issues and ensure high-quality each stream.
Here some optimizations that we recommend to make to key settings in Streamlabs Desktop:
- Resolution: Set your base resolution to your computer’s native resolution and lower the output resolution to 1280x720 for a balance between quality and performance.
- Encoder: Use NVENC (recommended for NVIDIA users) to offload encoding to your GPU, or x264 to use your CPU. NVENC is better for gaming performance.
- CPU Usage Preset: Start with the "Quality" preset for NVENC or "Very Fast" for x264 to strike a good balance between performance and quality.
- Dynamic Bitrate: Enable Dynamic Bitrate to automatically adjust based on network conditions, reducing the chance of dropped frames.
- Manual Bitrate: For manual settings, use the recommended bitrates for different resolutions:
- 1080p 60fps: 6000 kbps
- 720p 30fps: 3000 kbps
For more detailed instructions for optimizing your live stream when using Streamlabs Desktop, refer to the Getting Started with Streamlabs Desktop Guide.
Widgets and Alerts
Live streaming is as much about hopping on stream as it is about engagement and interaction with your viewers. Adding widgets to your live stream such as polls, follower goals, and an emote wall are the perfect way to hold onto your audience’s attention.
We highly recommend enabling the live stream alert box widget and chat notification widget to give yourself the chance to connect with your audience and interact directly with your viewers in real-time. With unique on-screen alerts, it's your best opportunity to create a great first (and lasting) impression.
Add an Alert Box widget under the Sources section of Streamlabs Desktop.
Now, viewers will see as subscribers join, follow, etc.
Take full customizing control over your alerts by adding Alert Box Themes, customizing individual alerts and even creating variations (i.e.different alert sounds or images based on the amount of a donation from a viewer).
There are so many ways to customize your alerts when using Streamlabs Desktop—our Setting Up Alerts Guide is the perfect starting point if you’re ready to dive all in.
Branding
It's super important to have a consistent theme going with your brand. Having consistent colors, aesthetics, logo, and fonts all go a very long way in creating a brand for yourself and helping your audience remember you.
Some ways you can optimize this would be:
- Brand consistency on social media
- On-brand overlays for your live stream
- Twitch panels
- Branded/custom alerts
Streamlabs provides a ton of tools to help you create your unique brand—here are a few to try:
- Theme Library: with thousands of stream and widget overlays from top designers like Nerd or Die, Visuals By Impulse, and more.
- Panel Maker: which allows you to create your color-coordinated Twitch Panels.
- Collectibles: which are on-screen decorations that you can use to add more visual intrigue to your live stream
How to brand your live stream is a chapter in our Streamer University if you're looking for additional guidance.
Monetizing Your Live Stream Using Streamlabs Tipping
Who says you have to be an OG live streamer to begin earning money from your content? One great way to start bringing in money while building your brand is by accepting tips from your current viewers and supporters.
Donations are an excellent way for live streamers to monetize their content no matter where they are in their journey. To get started all you need to do is:
- Set up a Streamlabs tipping page
- Customize it to your liking using overlays
- Share with your supporters
It’s as simple as that—check out this guide for creating your Streamlabs Tipping page if you want to start earning today.
While live streaming may seem a bit intense when first starting out, now that you have a clearer idea of what it entails, you can make small steps every day towards getting your live stream set up for success.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our customer support team or to browse our Creator Resource Hub for more information and guides related to content creation and live streaming.