Hey there! Are you looking to start live streaming amazing in-the-moment videos to all your followers on Twitter? Well you‘ve come to the right place.
By the end of this comprehensive guide, you‘ll know everything there is to know about the process including:
- How to broadcast live video from mobile or desktop
- Steps for ensuring your account can go live
- Tricks to running an engaging, popular stream
- What to do with the video when you finish
Let‘s not waste another minute! Going live on Twitter is easier than ever.
Why Go Live on Twitter?
But first, why would you want to share live video streams on Twitter in the first place? What makes broadcasting different than just tweeting text or photos?
Live video stands out because it offers:
Authentic, Immersive Experiences – Take your audience along with you as exciting events unfold! Much more gripping than reading a tweet after-the-fact.
Real-Time Engagement – Viewers can comment and interact as streaming happens. Have lively conversations instead of 1-way communication
Stronger Connections – Streaming cultivates loyalty and relationships different than any social content. Fans feel closer to you!
On top of all that, Twitter launched the Live feature in 2016 and continues improving it because usage and demand keep growing every year:
| Year | Total Live Video Streams |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 800K+ |
| 2017 | 2M+ |
| 2018 | 5M+ |
| 2019 | 10M+ |
Whether you‘re a brand, public figure, artist or just an average user, live streaming lets you capitalize on this increasingly popular content style to captivate audiences on Twitter.
Now let‘s jump in to the steps!
Streaming Live Video from Your Phone
We‘ll start with broadcasting live on Twitter from your smartphone, as it only takes about 60 seconds to set up!
Twitter‘s mobile app has live streaming functionality baked right in:
Step 1: Tap the Compose Tweet Button
Open the Twitter app and tap the quill icon to open a new tweet:
This launches the compose window where you type tweets before sending.
Step 2: Select the Video Camera Button
Now from the top of the compose window, tap the video camera icon next to the text box:
Tapping this instantly opens your phone‘s camera within Twitter.
Step 3: Swipe to Switch the Camera to Live Mode
You should see a carousel of mode icons near the bottom. Swipe through until you find the one marked Live:
Selecting this activates the live streaming feature.
Step 4: Title Your Broadcast and Tap Go Live
Take a moment to give your broadcast a title at the top so viewers know what it‘s about. Then tap Go Live!
Once you allow microphone access, your live video instantly streams out to your followers and the Twitter world! 🎉
Step 5: Interact With Viewers in Real-Time
As you broadcast, comments from viewers will appear streaming alongside the feed. You can tap on any of them to like, reply, and have conversations as they watch:
Having these live interactions makes streaming super engaging. People love when creators talk back!
Step 6: Tap End to Finish the Broadcast
Finally, tap End in the top left when you want to close out the live stream.
Twitter will automatically post the full recording to your profile as a viewable video!
And that‘s truly all there is to live streaming on mobile. Twitter made it incredibly quick and easy to go live in-the-moment.
Now let‘s look at live broadcasting from a desktop computer…
Going Live Using Third-Party Streaming Tools
Want to live stream gaming sessions, web conferences, or other desktop activities?
Since the Twitter website doesn‘t have intrinsic streaming capabilities, you need to leverage external integration tools.
Restream is a popular, free option that lets you live stream to 30+ platforms simultaneously, including Twitter.
Here are the steps to broadcast to Twitter using Restream:
Step 1: Create a Restream Account
Visit Restream.io and click Sign Up to create your free account. Choose Get Started with the Free Plan.
Enter your name, email, password and account username:
Verify your email to complete the initial set up.
Step 2: Connect Your Twitter Profile
Once logged in, click Add Channel from Restream‘s left sidebar and select Twitter from the icons.
On the Connect to Twitter window, click Connect Channel:
This will launch Twitter‘s permission flow for linking the accounts.
Step 3: Authorize Restream to Access Twitter
Carefully review the access Restream requires, then click Authorize app:
This crucial step enables sending live video into your Twitter feed.
Step 4: Start Your Broadcast
Navigate back to Restream‘s Studio dashboard and click Go Live to launch the broadcasting editor.
Grant permission when asked to access your webcam and mic. Then click Go Live in the upper right corner:
That‘s it! Your live recording now streams to any connected channel, including Twitter.
Step 5: End Broadcast When Finished
Click End Broadcast when you want to finish recording; Twitter will post the full video.
See the Restream help docs for more details on advanced functionality.
And that covers streaming from desktop! Third-party tools enable all kinds of additional live content you can share on Twitter.
Ensuring Your Account Can Broadcast
Before you can share live videos, your Twitter account must be public, not private. All new profiles default to public, but check your settings just in case.
Here‘s how to confirm your tweets are public:
Step 1: Go to Settings > Privacy and Safety > Audience and Tagging
From your Twitter profile, click More > Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Safety > Audience and Tagging.
Step 2: Check the Box for Protect Tweets is Unchecked
Under the Audience and Tagging screen, ensure "Protect Your Tweets" box is unchecked:
If this is disabled, then your account is public and ready to broadcast out live video content!
And changing it back is equally easy should you want a private personal account again in the future.
Pro Tips for Creating Compelling Live Video
Ready to start streaming awesome live content to Twitter? Here are some pro tips:
Promote Your Broadcast in Advance – Tweet out the upcoming stream date/time to build anticipation. More people show up right away when you announce it ahead.
Maximize Viewer Interaction – Reply back to comments, have Q&As, invite special guests, and prompt viewers for feedback. This cultivates a highly engaged audience.
Enhance Production Value – Invest in a nice webcam, mic and have strong lighting pointed at you. High video/audio quality keeps people watching.
Reuse Content Across Platforms– Save your Twitter streams and break them into reuseable clips to also post on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and other channels later. Drive more value from your effort!
Put these best practices into play and your live broadcasts will completely captivate both existing and new audiences.
After You Finish Streaming: Post Production
Once you officially end the broadcast, Twitter will automatically post the full recording to your media tab and followers‘ feeds.
But you‘re not totally done yet! Here are some final post production steps:
Review Viewer Analytics – Check the tally for total live viewers, rewatch stats and location demographics. This helps inform what content resonates best with your audience for next time.
Trim & Refine the Video – Consider clipping the beginning and end to tighten up the runtime. You can edit streams right within the Twitter media studio.
Share Clip Highlights – Instead of reposting the entire video, extract short highlights to tweet out as well. This extends your content mileage.
Add Context in Captions – Improve discoverability on Twitter by captioning your highlight clips. Embed relevant hashtags and keywords.
Putting in this extra bit of effort post-stream has a big impact in terms of content quality and promotion. Don‘t skip it!
Final Thoughts
And with that, you now have the complete A-Z guide to live streaming on Twitter…congrats!
As you can see, Twitter provides multiple straightforward paths to share engaging in-the-moment videos.
Whether broadcasting directly from the mobile Twitter app itself or leveraging third party integrations like Restream on desktop, setting up a professional live stream only takes minutes.
The most important step is simply hitting that "Go Live" button and putting yourself out there!
You‘ve got this. Now get out there and start streaming some awesome moments to all your Twitter followers.
Catch you next time on your feed…live!
