XSplit Blog

The Best Ways to Use Social Media As a Streamer

Building an audience as a streamer can be difficult, which is why it’s important to have a solid grasp of different social media platforms. Once you do, you can use them to elevate your streaming game while engaging with viewers and building your brand. You can even become a social media streamer and stream directly to Facebook rather than Twitch or YouTube. Let’s have a look at the different platforms and the ways they can help streamers.

While there were earlier social media platforms (MySpace anyone?), Facebook was the one that captured the zeitgeist of the times, allowing people to connect all over the world. Like a Pokemon, the platform has evolved several times since its inception, and we still haven’t seen its final form.

So why is Facebook a useful platform for social media streamers? The major advantage of this well-known channel is that you already have a built-in audience – your list of friends or followers. When your audience watches your stream, they can use the existing Facebook react buttons to directly interact with it. XSplit Broadcaster can also be integrated with Facebook making streaming on the social media platform easy to set up and manage. You can also publish your content directly to social media platforms with it. This makes quick work of delivering high-quality videos and getting them uploaded in no time. There’s also chat integration that will let you monitor your engagement while you stream.

A person with gaming headphones on looking at a camera with a large mic in front of them thinking about social media for a streamer. — Photo by Higor Hanschen on Unsplash

Instagram: Where image is key

Something of a Silicon Valley fairytale, the popular photo-sharing site launched in 2010 and was quickly acquired by Facebook two years later for $1 billion. Since then, it has become a hub for influencers, bloggers, and creative businesses with a good eye.

Instagram is now pushing more towards video content, with stories, and live broadcasts. These are perfect tools for growing a brand or a streaming channel. Allowing you to boost posts for extra engagement, start discussions and get immediate feedback from your audience. For a more in-depth look and case study on streaming on Instagram, check out our blog post on Streaming to Instagram from your PC.

Twitter is the platform of choice for thought leaders and those who want to keep their fingers on the trending pulse of the world. It allows people to engage in open conversation and link to ideas and topics rather than people. Twitter dipped its toes into live video streaming with spin-off app Periscope in 2015. But it never really took off and was officially discontinued in March 2021.

Despite this, Twitter is a very useful tool for growing your broadcast audience. Keeping them updated on your schedule and hooking potential new viewers with relevant hashtags. With XSplit, you can use the Stream Sharing function to announce your stream and share images or YouTube links on Twitter.

TikTok: The new kid on the block

TikTok filled the gap left by the popular video app Vine, allowing users to upload short videos with music, filters, and other features. While its popularity exploded out of comedy and dance videos. It’s also become an important tool for attracting viewers to your gaming streams.

Because of the video length of under a minute, many streamers use it to show highlights from their recent streams, in the hope of attracting new followers. You can also use it to build your own brand, preview events, or hold live Q&As when you’re not streaming. You can even stream to TikTok from your desktop following this guide.

Leveraging a mix of social media sites will allow you to increase your audience quicker than simply streaming your gameplay. It can also help you to shape your brand and other revenue streams like merchandising. To find out more, check out our blog on personal branding for tips on how to develop your brand.

Live Streaming Physical Art Creation

Live streaming is not just for gaming content. A huge number of people are widening their channel’s reach and generating extra income by creating content on everything from workout routines to make-up lessons. These days, artists are also getting in on the action. In this blog post, we will discuss how to live stream art.

A focus on cameras

While it’s possible to stream art creation with just a mobile phone, tripod, and a work surface, you will probably want a bit more than that to live stream art.

A webcam, such as the Logitech C920, is a good start, but many art streamers opt for a multi-camera approach. With one focusing on their face and another on the work surface. This enables a picture-in-picture layout to show both the artist and process. You can plug a DSLR or a mirrorless camera into a capture card for an additional camera. For this, you’ll also want an HDMI cable to plug into your camera for a clean output. The benefit of this is that you have more freedom to adjust the lenses with a DSLR, and with it, your picture.

Using a camera and capture card can also offer more options for improving audio quality by connecting your streaming setup to one or more microphones through a sound desk. However, if it’s just you live streaming art, one microphone would be more than enough! There are some great USB options out there like the Blue Yeti. You can then use a capture card to import directly into XSplit Broadcaster from different video sources. You’ll also be able to insert title cards or logos and other graphics overlays.

Live stream art like this large physical installation of lights illuminating a hall with two people entering from one end bathed in orange and blue light. — Photo by Werner Du plessis on Unsplash

Some software options to live stream art

XSplit Broadcaster is an excellent choice for streaming software as it allows you to easily display physical art pieces such as sculptures or paintings. You can do this by either using a webcam or, alternatively, by using XSplit VCam with XSplit Connect: Webcam to use your iOS or Android phone as a camera.

Whatever option you chose, make sure that it will integrate with a selection of streaming platforms and has production tools. Then you can focus on creating your artwork rather than worrying about the tech.

Setting up alerts will give your audience the opportunity to engage with you. One way this can be done is through the Plugin Store in Broadcaster. Go to ‘Tools’ then ‘Plugin Store’ and click on ‘Sources’ to find plugins such as the ‘Twitch Alerts’ and ‘Facebook Live Alerts’. These overlays let you see who’s followed, subscribed, shared your stream, and more.

Choosing a streaming platform

There is a huge selection of streaming platforms to choose from, but some are better for artists than others. YouTube is not especially geared at artists but is very easy to use, and if you already have a channel on YouTube, this may be a good place to start. Twitch is popular for live streaming video games, but its art category is growing, which means more space for new creators. This platform also has very good options for live interaction and monetization.

Picarto is one platform that is optimized for broadcasting art. Although it does not attract the huge audiences of YouTube, it is a good choice for those with an established following or who want to attract a crowd specifically looking for art content.

Finally, if you want to stream over multiple platforms, XSplit Broadcaster has everything you need. Just go to the ‘Broadcast’ menu and add each of your outputs to get it set up in minutes.

Though it is likely to require the investment of some time, effort and money, considering live-streaming your physical art creation can provide valuable opportunities to express and share your artistic talent with a wider, more appreciative audience.

What is the New Twitch Meta and Should You Take Part?

There’s a (sort of) new player that raced to the top of the Twitch meta in 2021: the subathon. Not a new concept in live streaming, a ‘subathon’, combining the words subscription and marathon. This is where the streamer pledges to remain live as long as viewers continue subscribing to the channel. Its recent popularity among top-tier streamers brought it squarely into the spotlight in the first half of 2021. In this blog, we’ll consider this streaming meta (and more) and whether or not it should be followed.

Twitch meta goes mainstream

It’s likely now that even people who have never watched a Twitch stream at all know what a subathon is. This is largely down to Twitch streamer Ludwig Ahgren. They found themselves in the middle of a marathon stream that lasted a record-breaking 31 days. Their story was picked up by traditional outlets like the New York Times and the BBC, places where usually Twitch is discussed only in the context of parent company Amazon’s stock price. This news coverage shone a light on what seemed to be emerging as a new streaming meta – the use of subathons on streaming accounts of all sizes.

A streamer using a gaming keyboard with a large gaming PC in the background looking at gaming headsets to chase the next Twitch meta. — Photo by ELLA DON on Unsplash

Success breeds imitation

With Ludwig netting an eye-popping 1.6 million dollars (US) from subs and bits alone, as well as a significant amount of free publicity from his more than 700 hours live on Twitch. It wasn’t long before the platform’s most-watched streamer, xQc, confirmed their own plans to try and top it. xQc planned to go live for 60 days sometime in the near future and will looked to break many of the records Ludwig set. This included the mark for most subscribers which was sitting at over 282,000. This may not indicate a full-on subathon arms race taking over Twitch, but there’s no question that when one of the biggest names in live streaming does something, people will be watching.

Should I follow the Twitch Meta?

Streamers of all sizes have benefited from following the meta and running their own subathons. If you’re considering running one, remember you’re committing to being live for an unknown amount of time, so plan accordingly. While you probably won’t be stuck on camera for 31 days like Ludwig, subathon streams generally go much longer than the typical 5-8 hour Twitch stream.

The concept of a subathon, however, is not a new one. The Just Chatting category on Twitch provides ample opportunities for any streamer to potentially reach new followers and subs as part of the stream. With Just Chatting being the often dominant category on the Twitch channel page, this is typically where you’ll also quickly spot the emerging streaming meta (not related to specific games). But, whether it’s a subathon or the controversial hot tub streams also forming part of the Twitch meta, should you be chasing the meta?

Staying true to yourself

Of course, chasing any short-term trend isn’t a recipe for long-term success. No matter how compelling it may look in the moment. Subathons in particular provide diminishing returns to viewers as the novelty wears off. Also, an obvious burnout threat for the streamers themselves due to the effort required. This example may seem self-evident to many experienced creators, but consider also the case of Among Us. Consistently one of the most-watched and streamed games on Twitch in 2020, it’s lost nearly 60% of its audience as viewers and streamers alike cooled on it.

The lesson here is clear: use trending content as a tool, but don’t make chasing it core to your streaming strategy. Instead, bet hard on your ability to build an audience around games and content that you have a lasting passion for. This way, you also avoid following trends and streaming games or activities you don’t actually enjoy, which contributes significantly to the feeling of burnout.

Between the public attention around subathons driven by Ludwig and xQc and their direct short-term benefits to streamers, it’s likely they’re here to stay as a major part of the Twitch meta in 2022. But instead of chasing the meta, why not consider other ways to build an audience for your stream?

How to Run an Effective Virtual Meeting

Virtual meetings have become more and more common over the years. With hybrid work becoming more regular and some people fully transitioning to working from home, they have become essential. Hopping on a Zoom call or into a Slack space has become essential to staying connected and coordinated with your team. It’s still easy, however, to fall into some of the same problems that made meetings something people would dread. So, let’s discuss how to run an effective virtual meeting!

Prepare for your virtual meeting

“This could have been an email” is one of the familiar cries you’ll hear after many virtual meetings. A lot of this is down to a lack of preparation. People will tend to have a vague idea about what the meeting should be about “we need to discuss this project,” which will be all the prep they do. This will only lead to a vague chat with some people not even sure why the meeting is happening.

The best remedy is to write out a full agenda for your meeting beforehand. In bullet points, type up everything you want to discuss. This will help guide the discussion, and it can help everyone prepare for it. Also, it can tell you if this indeed needs to be a meeting. Only have one thing you need to let people know? Maybe that is an email after all!

We mentioned helping others prepare; using something like the Google suite for your virtual meeting will really help with this. You can type up your meeting notes and add them to a calendar event you create. This calendar event can also be the link to the call, meaning everything is linked. Now, everyone can see a few days in advance what is going to be discussed in the meeting. This is also great for setting expectations, as people will know what they are meant to bring to the virtual meeting.

A person attending a virtual meeting with one other person on their laptop screen using a long desk with a printer and many other items on it. — Photo by Maxime on Unsplash

Make time for conversation

Also, be sure to set how long the meeting will be. Don’t block off an hour thinking you’ll only need half an hour. Respect people’s time and your own! Try to use the exact amount of time you need. However, one thing you should prepare for is allowing time for conversation.

It’s not a bad idea to consider having a set amount of time, 10 minutes or so, for people to catch up. With remote teams or even hybrid ones, these meetings can be the time when people get to connect. It will more than likely happen anyway, and not having it scheduled can lead to it running into the time you had planned to discuss things.

Another option would be if you really don’t have the time to set aside, plan to make that time available to people. Make sure it’s during work hours, but having a weekly catch-up can be great for team morale. This could even take the form of a virtual water cooler or break room. Slack will let you set up drop-in audio channels where anyone can come in and say hello. These can provide these spaces for people working remotely!

During and after the meeting

Designate someone to take notes! It’s important that notes are taken for a few reasons. Thanks to things like XSplit Broadcaster, a meeting can be easily recorded. However, it is still essential to take notes. The main reason is to designate responsibilities agreed upon during the meeting. So, for example, you’ve agreed that it will be your job to file a report? Note it down.

You can then take these notes and, in a Google Document, tag the relevant people. They will then receive an email letting them know they are tagged. From there, they can see a reminder of the area of responsibility they agreed to take on. This makes life easier for everyone as nobody has to remember everything, it’s all there and easily accessible.

A virtual meeting taking place on a laptop with multiple participants with a mug sat next to the laptop on a kitchen table. — Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

Make sure you keep track of the time. Whoever is leading the meeting should watch how time is moving along. Be sure to move points along as needed and keep the discussion on track. The chances are everyone else has somewhere else they need to be after the meeting. For this to happen, the meeting now needs to stay on time. If something feels like it needs further discussion, you can always take time at a different point to discuss this. Or it could be something to discuss separately or even in an email!

Virtual meetings don’t have to be tough or feel like a waste of time. Using some of these tips, you’ll get a successful meeting running in no time. The point of a virtual meeting, after all, is for everyone to leave more informed than when they joined the meeting. Decisions have been made, and discussions have been had. Nobody wants to think “this could have been an email” again!

Reasons Why Streamers Are Using TikTok

As a streamer, you’re probably using multiple social media platforms to get your schedule and clips out to the world at large. And there are so many platforms out there that deciding which ones to use can feel overwhelming. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram… Even as you opened this article, you might have been thinking to yourself, “I’m already posting all over social media. Why should I use TikTok, too?” We encourage you to read on as the answer to why streamers are using TikTok may surprise you.

User engagement is higher on TikTok

The key to getting the word out about your great content to more people on social media is engagement. Likes, favs, retweets – they all mean more people will see your post. TikTok is seeing explosive growth right now: at least a 75% increase in total users in 2020 alone in most of the UK, Europe, and the United States. Those figures alone mean you should be paying attention to this platform.

But more importantly, TikTok’s average engagement numbers are much higher than Twitter or Instagram, especially for smaller accounts. The average account with 5,000 or fewer followers gets an engagement rate of 8.6% on TikTok, 5.3% on Instagram, and a minuscule 1.2% on Twitter. More engagement means more users seeing your posts, which in turn means more people watching your streams.

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

It’s got some secret sauce for your YouTube channel

Whether you go live directly to YouTube or use it to post your greatest hits when you’re offline, you’re going to want to start getting in the game with TikTok for one simple reason: the app lets you add a tappable link to your account inside your bio. No copy and paste are necessary for fans who are discovering you on the platform. If they like what they see, they can be getting even more of your content with a single click. This is a big reason why streamers are using TikTok!

This adds even more power to go-live posts on the platform if you’re streaming to YouTube since that one click will take them right to be able to view your stream. You grab their attention with a snippet of quality content from your channel, then direct them straight to the action. What could be better than that? The smoothness of the process shouldn’t be underestimated and is just one more reason to make TikTok a staple of your social media content plan.

Creating content for TikTok is actually fun

TikTok creators have embraced the portrait format of the app, and some of the most visually interesting content on the web is coming out of the platform right now. Live streamers most familiar with creating within a landscape format might be put off at first by having to figure out how to squeeze their clips and cams into a new configuration.

Rather than seeing it as an obstacle, take it as an opportunity to experiment with shaking up your content. Stack full-frame widescreen gameplay videos right on top of your uncropped face cam to capture bigger reactions to big moments. Or try cutting full-screen reaction shots into your game footage for dramatic effect. Just be sure to pick bitesize, dynamic clips that show the very best of what your stream has to offer. If you need help getting started, check out XSplit’s detailed guide to recording gameplay for TikTok, featured above, for more tips and tricks.

Even huge streamers like Ninja, TommyInnit, and AdinRoss have seen the value of TikTok and are producing content there. Now that you’ve added TikTok to your social media toolkit, check out XSplit’s guide to what you’re forgetting to do as a streamer to keep your channel moving in the right direction.

The Best Video Backgrounds for your Next Call

Since more and more meetings have been remote and online, we’ve become familiar with Zoom backgrounds. For those who don’t know, many people opt to remove and replace their zoom background. This means you’re now using a virtual background for your webcam shot rather than whatever happens to be behind you. This can be useful for a number of reasons. Maybe you are sharing the space you’re in with others? Perhaps you just don’t fancy cleaning up your spare room before the weekly check-in?

Best video Zoom Backgrounds for calls

We’ve got a nice list detailing some great still image backgrounds you can use for your next call, but what about video? Well, it just so happens that you can use YouTube videos in XSplit VCam as your background. XSplit VCam uses AI to remove and replace your background, keeping things consistent across all call platforms beyond just Zoom. It will, in fact, work with anything that accepts a camera feed!

All you have to do to use these videos is once you’ve downloaded VCam, click “Add Background” and select YouTube Video. From there, you can just paste the link in! You can also use videos from your computer if you have some you’ve made yourself!

The videos we’ve selected here are mostly animated soundscapes but don’t worry. The sounds won’t come through in VCam, just the video! The advantage we found was that these videos are pretty long, so whatever length of call you are in, these should do the job! Also, as a bonus, these videos are pretty great for relaxing or studying, so they work outside of being a video background for Zoom! Be sure to give these videos a like if you end up using them as Zoom backgrounds!

Video Backgrounds for Meetings

https://youtu.be/sZdgGAlp_A0

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Backgrounds for Zoom Calls

These backgrounds may not be perfect for every meeting, but they are still pretty fun nonetheless as virtual backgrounds for a zoom call.

Hopefully, these add a bit more to your calls without being too distracting as Zoom backgrounds! Using them with XSplit VCam, as we noted, is easy! You can check out XSplit VCam for free by heading over here and downloading the app today!

Five Common Ways to Fix Your Gaming Stream

We’ve been working in the streaming industry for over ten years now here at XSplit. Consequently, we’ve seen and helped solve a lot of problems over the years. Here, we run down common issues streamers run into and the solutions for them to help you fix your gaming stream!

How to fix your gaming stream with laggy video

If you or your viewers are seeing a choppy or laggy stream, check your encoding stats. If you see dropped frames, it means you may have set your bitrate too high for your internet connection. You can adjust your bitrate while you are live, but it’s good to do an internet bandwidth test beforehand, especially if your connection is throttled from time to time. This is always a sure-fire way to fix your gaming stream.

Now if your stream is pixelated, this means the bitrate is too low. If you have the bandwidth you can increase the bitrate, but if you don’t you will have to reduce your streaming resolution and frame rate. Changing your bitrate in XSplit Broadcaster is simple, just click the gear next to your output in the Broadcast menu and move the bitrate higher. There are limits, for example, you can’t go higher than 6000 kbps on Twitch so it’s best to check with wherever you’re streaming.

A person sat at a PC with a light on them wearing a gaming headset looking for ways to fix your gaming stream. — Photo by Tarikul Raana on Unsplash

Gameplay feeling sluggish?

When many start streaming, their gameplay can begin to feel sluggish or laggy. Streaming in full HD/60fps does require a fair bit of resources. This can affect the performance of your games if you’re playing them on the same PC you’re streaming from. There’s a variety of solutions to this depending on your priorities that can help fix your gaming stream.

If you don’t want to sacrifice your gaming experience, you will need to reduce the resources required for encoding. One way is to lower the resolution and frame rate of your stream. 1280×720 30fps is generally a safe setting for most modern systems. In XSplit Broadcaster you can do this but clicking the resolution drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner. Remember, however, that you’ll need to do this offline.

Next is using hardware encoders like AMD VCE, NVIDIA NVENC, or Intel Quicksync. These are generally present on all the latest devices, but NVIDIA NVENC will give you good stream quality if you have an NVIDIA graphics card that supports it. Intel also recently introduced Intel Arc AV1 encoding which shows some very exciting results! If you don’t want to sacrifice stream quality or gameplay quality, you’ll likely need to get an additional PC that is dedicated to streaming.

Noisy Microphone?

The first thing to check on your microphone is if you’ve set the gain too high. I know we all want to tune it to 11, but setting the gain higher raises the noise floor. Basically, it makes the mic more sensitive to sounds besides your voice. Changing this can really help fix your gaming stream. Target around -18 to -12 DB for your voice when setting your microphone input level. You’ll be able to use plugins to raise this level, which we’ve covered in the video below.

If you’re still getting noise it could be environmental noises like from an air conditioner, or your PC. You can remove this noise with noise removal and/or a noise gate. These are both available in XSplit Broadcaster‘s DSP settings. You can use Broadcaster’s built-in noise removal, or NVIDIA’s if you have an RTX GPU.

A noise gate lets you set the threshold that needs to be passed to activate your microphone. This is useful for consistent low noises like keyboard clicks, but once the gate is open, these noises will come through. Finally, if you’re still having issues, I highly recommend getting a dynamic microphone, we have a guide on picking the right microphone for streaming here.

How to fix your gaming stream alert sounds

We all like our donation, follower, subscriber alerts right? Nothing like the sound of progress, until you’ve heard it a million times. Sending your alert sounds to only your viewers is easy in XSplit Broadcaster! Right-click on the browser source and set the audio to stream only. You can adjust the level as well and see it in the audio mixer. Now you’re all set, you’ll still see the on-screen graphics you just won’t hear the sound yourself!

A person is sat in a gaming chair with a headset on playing a game and streaming while trying to find out how to fix your gaming stream — Photo by ELLA DON on Unsplash

My camera looks grainy

So you’ve just picked up a Facecam, but oh no, it’s super grainy! Cranking up the ISO or gain just makes it worse! What your camera needs is light! Any lighting will help, even a room light, but it’s best to get a dedicated light for your streaming area.

Now if you can try to diffuse the light a bit, this will help with harsh shadows. Many lights come with their own modifiers for diffusion, but if you’re going with the DIY method, you can use things like wax paper. Though make sure it isn’t a bulb that produces heat if you’re going to put something over it because fire is a real factor!

These are some common things we’ve found that can help fix your gaming stream. We hope you’ve found these useful! What common issues have your encountered? Or maybe just something you hear a lot from your streaming friends? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Webcams for Streaming in 2022

For a lot of people, a webcam is second only to a microphone when it comes to streaming gear upgrades. While the built-in camera on your laptop might work for a while, when you start getting more viewers you might want to level up. So, let’s discuss the best webcam for streaming that you can buy right now!

What makes the best webcam for streaming?

So what are the things we’re looking for in the best webcam for streaming? Ideally, we’re looking for a 1080p image, a microphone built-in, and a fairly wide angle on the lens. Why do we want these things? Well, while we’re going to see some cameras that can go above 1080p that’s about the minimum you want to go if you’re looking for an upgrade. This will give you a relatively sharp image that you can go full screen with for a just chatting screen.

Having a half-decent microphone isn’t a bad thing to have as that can be useful if you’ve yet to upgrade your audio. It’s also useful if you’re running a virtual talk show, something we discussed before, or just having guests. This is now a second mic source you can use in sources like Discord or Zoom that doesn’t have to go out to the stream but can communicate to guests with. Not essential, but useful to have.

Finally, a fairly wide lens will let you zoom in on shots as you like with a bit more ease. It can also be great to just get that nice wide-looking shot some streamers have showing off more of their background. With all that said, let’s take a look at some of the best webcams for streaming!

A person sat in front of a monitor with a microphone on a boom arm as they stream using the best webcam for streaming. — Photo by ConvertKit on Unsplash

Logitech C922

You won’t be surprised to see the Logitech C922 here, it’s become one of the streaming go to’s, and for good reason! With a 1080p 30fps camera (which can go to 60fps if you drop down to 720p) this tends to be the shot you see a lot of streamers with. Not only that, but it has a 78-degree viewing angle and a pretty decent built-in mic. This webcam ticks a lot of boxes and the C922 even comes with a three-month XSplit Premium license included giving you access to XSplit Broadcaster and VCams’ full suite of features!

Elgato Facecam

Elgato is fairly new to the world of webcams but they’ve come out the gate with a solid camera in the Facecam. Coming in with 1080p and 60fps it presents a crisp image out of the box which can then be tweaked and adjusted with their software. It also has a neat feature where you can save these settings directly to the camera, meaning you can move between machines and have the exact same look. One downside is the lack of a built-in microphone, but as Elgato points out, they’re aiming to make the best camera for the price point. Consequently, they chose to remove that feature, so it’s worth keeping in mind.

Logitech Brio

The Logitech Brio is on the expensive end of our list of the best webcam for streaming but it does make a pretty solid case for its inclusion. Featuring a bunch of resolution options, 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps all the way down to 720p at 90fps! On top of that, it features a very wide lens up to 90 degrees and a dual microphone system. Now, this mic isn’t as good as a standalone microphone but it does do a pretty solid job!

Your Smartphone could be the best webcam for streaming!

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but smartphones have some pretty amazing cameras in them! Using XSplit Connect: Webcam you can wirelessly connect your Android or iOS smartphone to your PC easily! From there, it can be added to software like XSplit Broadcaster and streamed! All you have to do is download the Connect: Webcam app then download XSplit VCam, connect to your camera either wired or wirelessly, and add XSplit VCam to your streaming software!

So we’ve listed some pretty solid webcams and one you might already own, your smartphone! What camera do you use? What do you think is the best webcam for streaming? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

How to Live Stream to TikTok from your PC

TikTok, the social media giant, is no doubt interested in live streaming. In fact, some accounts are able already able to go live but it’s still a limited feature. While the content is currently still mostly focused on the short form TikTok is known for you will find more and more live streams among it. So, let’s discuss how and why you should be streaming to TikTok.

Why would you want to stream there?

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media sites around at the moment. The growth TikTok has seen has been huge! As noted by Hootsuite, “Eight new users join TikTok every second, with an average of 650,000 new users joining daily.” They also noted that user retention is far higher than many of its competitors, meaning people are using the app for longer.

It has also been noted that organic audience growth is currently much more open than on many other platforms. Some have likened it to the early days of YouTube when there was a much higher chance your content would get served to people. This could be down to a huge demand with fewer content creators out there to serve these needs. So, at the time of writing, it really would be a great time to get on board and start not only creating content but streaming!

Two phones sit next to a potted plant, both showing TikTok, you can stream to TikTok from your desktop PC with XSplit Broadcaster. — Photo by Collabstr on Unsplash

How can you stream to TikTok?

While going live from the app can be easy, going live from your desktop requires a few more steps. Firstly, you’ll need your custom RTMP info. There are no clear guidelines yet on how TikTok distributes access, but hopefully, it opens up to more users in the future.

If you have access, go into the TikTok app, either on your phone or the desktop app. Click go live and enter details like Title, Topic, Cover Image/Thumbnail. If you want to enable sub-only mode and if you want your video to end when the stream stops. If you have a shaky internet connection I wouldn’t enable the last item. You’ll then be taken to a screen where you can see your server URL and stream key.

Next, you’ll need some live stream software for your PC, like XSplit Broadcaster. In Broadcaster, open up the Custom RTMP broadcast plugin. Title your output, then put in your RTMP URL and stream key.

In terms of stream settings, I’d recommend going with 1280×720 resolution, 30 fps, and a bitrate of 3000 to start. TikTok live streams are in landscape mode, so you don’t have to orient your content vertically like you would with pre-recorded content.

From there, you’re ready to stream to TikTok from your PC! This platform is only going to continue to grow and we will be sure to keep an eye on it here on our blog!

The How and Why of Hybrid Events

We’ve discussed all-digital events before but one of the big trends we’re seeing lately is the hybrid event. A hybrid conference is something that combines the advantages of an in-person event with the accessibility of an online event. For example, a big gaming convention like PAX will have all its vendors and exhibitors in a physical hall while panels and tournaments can also be watched online. So, how do you conduct hybrid events and why would you want to? Let’s discuss!

What is a hybrid conference?

So as we touched on above, a hybrid event is a combination of both physical and online events. We have some experience with those here at XSplit having run some gaming stages from conventions in the past. These catered not only to the people on the show floor but were also streamed online for people to watch on Twitch.

These indie[dot]XSplit stages were a big collaborative effort to pull off but ultimately a great tool to connect with people at the event and online. Now, this was just one part of the larger show as a whole, as we mentioned above PAX itself is very much a hybrid conference.

On an even larger scale, keynotes like Apple Events are traditionally hybrid of both physical and online. The press is bought in to be in the room for the stage presentation and to get a hands-on look at the products. This is also streamed online giving the viewing public the chance to see Apple’s message while also opening it up to the press to give their own impressions.

Why run a hybrid conference?

There are a number of good reasons, as we mentioned above it gives everyone a chance to be involved. Inclusivity is important, and not everyone can attend an in-person event due to a multitude of reasons. By running some, or all, of your pillar content online you’re allowing a much wider audience to experience it.

Not only that, but a hybrid conference can showcase a wider variety of guests for panels that wouldn’t be possible in an offline-only event. Your panel could not only include guests in the room, and guests calling in over Zoom. All of this can in turn be broadcast online easily using software like XSplit Broadcaster.

There are also examples, like New York Comic Con, where you can purchase a digital ticket. This enables guests from across the globe to watch all the panels live as they happen. Also, it means you can open a new revenue stream for your event for everyone who would love to watch but can’t make it to the venue in New York.

A person stood on the stage of a hybrid conference presenting a slide to a large watching audience on a big screen while also broadcasting to viewers watching at home online. — Photo by Teemu Paananen on Unsplash

Including online elements at your hybrid event

So, the most obvious online element that we have mentioned already is streaming panels and keynote speakers. We’ve actually put together a thorough course online! The video below shows you exactly how you can produce an event that can be done in person and online.

Beyond that though, there are ways you can have an online and an offline audience interacting! You can incorporate live chat for questions for panelists and speakers. Or, you could really go next level and play games together! WiFi Wars is a show that uses proprietary tech to beam games through your browser. Allowing people in the room to compete as one team against people online. This is some creative thinking and it could only be the start of a melding of online and offline hybrid conferences!

We really see the future belonging to hybrid conferences and events and we can’t wait to see what people come up with! As technology intersects with in-person gatherings more and more, the future is bright! More people get to see the shows and presentations you’re putting together with hybrid conferences!

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