How to Create a Live Show on YouTube

Wondering what you need to stream a live video show?

Looking for tips on working with the hardware and software?

To explore what you need to create a live show on YouTube, I interview Dusty Porter.
More About This Show
The Social Media Marketing podcast is designed to help busy marketers, business owners, and creators discover what works with social media marketing.

In this episode, I interview Dusty Porter, a video and tech expert. He hosts the YouTube Creators Hub podcast. He's active on YouTube and a TubeBuddy ambassador.

Dusty explains how to use OBS live-streaming software to produce quality audio and video.

You'll also discover tips for appearing on-camera and creating a structure for your show.

Share your feedback, read the show notes, and get the links mentioned in this episode below.
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Here are some of the things you'll discover in this show:
YouTube Live Video Shows
Dusty's Story

Dusty got his start in video with a screencast he created to help a freelance partner learn how to do something in Adobe InDesign. That was the first screencast and the first YouTube video he ever made. After he uploaded the video to YouTube, he forgot all about it.

A year later, in 2007, Google emailed Dusty to say the video was doing well and ask if he'd be interested in making money with its partner program. He was interested, and when he logged into his YouTube account, he saw the video had 208,310 views. He remembers this number precisely because he was so surprised by all of the interest, especially given the poor quality of the video.

At that point, Dusty realized the potential of making YouTube videos. That same day, he put together his gear and a studio, and began the journey to creating his current business, Porter Media. To hone his skills, Dusty took classes at his local technical college, focusing on videography and audio production. He believes his story shows that you simply need to be willing to learn to get started.

In 2011, when YouTube live video was released, Dusty was quick to begin using it. However, the software and systems were limited. You could click a button to go live, but you couldn't set up events or plan your live stream. Justin TV, which is now Twitch, was first to the live-streaming market, and Dusty also tried Google Hangouts.

Although Dusty's early work in live video was mostly dabbling, in late 2013 and 2014, he began to see live streaming as important to the future of video. YouTube significantly improved its live streaming so it's now actually in the live-streaming game.

Since starting his business, Dusty has created 700 YouTube videos and more than 100 streams on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and other platforms.

Listen to the show to hear why the original name of Dusty's YouTube channel didn't work.

Tips for Starting a Live Show on YouTube

When you want to start a live show, you can use the same tools to live-stream on any platform, whether that's Facebook, YouTube, Periscope, or elsewhere. Most people live-stream via their mobile devices. They simply tap the Live button on whatever platform they're using. Few people use tools like OBS Studio. (OBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software, and we discuss it in more detail later.)

To do a live show on YouTube, your very first step is to create a channel. Make sure your channel name and imagery fits your branding. If you search YouTube for help starting a live show, you'll likely see some of Dusty's videos in your search results because he tries to simplify the process.

Even with a more sophisticated setup that includes OBS, you can complete the setup in 30 minutes to an hour. After you have a YouTube channel, you download OBS, which is free. Then you open YouTube's Creator Studio, and on the Live Streaming tab, the on-screen instructions walk you through the setup process. From there, you can set up your first event or live stream.

I ask about Dusty's show for TubeBuddy,