TLDR

If you want to stream 24/7 you will need streaming software (a software video encoder). Instead of the old-school way (having your computer always on with OBS), we recommend specialised streaming software like Upstream to keep your streams up.

First you’ll need to gather your content and decide on your strategy and streaming software
If this is your first ever stream, you’ll need to verify your YouTube Channel with a phone number to get access to the Live Streaming feature (it takes exactly 24 hours for YouTube to enable the feature for you, so do it at least a day in advance),
Connect your streaming software to YouTube & start your stream (Manual RTMP or one-click YouTube Connect),
With Upstream, when you set everything up, you can turn off your computer and your stream will stay live.

Starting a 24/7 Live Stream

One of the best ways to grow your YouTube channel is by streaming 24/7 on YouTube. The reasons are simple: Live Streaming has a better discovery rate (YouTube Algorithm) and generates more engagement (Chat activity) than your dormant VOD catalogue.

Live streaming is a way to be more present and to create a community around your channel, brand or project. Your viewers can ask questions, give you feedback, and share their own experiences, which helps you relate to them more, create more targeted content and build a more engaged fanbase.

The best streamers we see on Upstream engage in conversations with their fans in the chatbox, every day! There are so many suggestions and feedback that pops up. This info is super-valuable for the creators who know how to listen.

Another awesome benefit is that the YouTube algorithm has a special “place” for Live videos, prioritising them over Regular videos in search results and on home / discovery pages. As a result, bringing you more reach, engagement and watch-hours.

But, that’s just some of many powerful Benefits Of 24/7 Youtube Live Streaming.

Prepare Your Content

To start streaming 24/7 on YouTube, you’ll need to make sure you have the content ready. This is usually audio files, music, video, gifs or images. You can have separate playlists for audio files and video or image backgrounds, or you can bake-in one really long video file with audio attached already, that’s up to you!

We generally recommend that you do not loop a short piece of content (like a 10-minute video), as this will not be interesting for the viewers, and consequently for the YouTube Algorithm, but you know that surely!

Rule of thumb is to aim for 2 hours of content minimum.

Choose your 24/7 Streaming Strategy

Consider your strategy options for 24/7 streaming:

Always-on (True 24/7)

Simplest strategy: your stream stays online, sometimes for years. This way you can create a permanent LIVE home for your content and a place for your fans to meet, daily, at any moment of (their) day or night. On Upstream you can change up your stream as you wish, in real time. You can change all content without stopping your stream.

You can also run multiple streams on the same channel, each with a different sub-theme.

Scheduled Streams (Recurring)

Some creators find it better to stream for a few hours, repeatedly. Just because you can stream 24/7, doesn’t mean you have to. YouTube may give your stream a boost in start which could wear off after a while for certain audiences, so this could be a good way to keep your stats and views high (for certain fan bases, creators and content types).

We see Upstream users scheduling streams in different ways, with great results:

Every 12 hours (usually 11:55 in length, later automatically turned to VOD by YouTube)
Every 2-6 hours (shorter streams, sometimes scheduled back-to-back to cover 24/7)
Daily Streams (24 hours recurring)
Weekly Streams
…

Update your pre-recorded content and release at regular intervals to keep your stream fresh and engaging. Develop a schedule that both works for your audience and is manageable for you to deliver.

Finding the right 24/7 streaming strategy is more about figuring what works for your fanbase and your content, and this may need a little experimentation from your side.

⚠️ Keep in mind that if your shorter streams gets turned to VOD (streams under 12 hours) so for these sterams your reach and $ will rise with time, as more people discover them through search or suggestions.

Choose your streaming software & platform

To live stream on YouTube, you need to use an encoder. An encoder is software that captures your video and audio and sends it to YouTube for broadcasting. There are several live streaming encoders on the market, but you’ll need one specifically crafted for 24/7 live streaming.

Similarly, there are several live streaming platforms you can use to broadcast your content, including YouTube, Twitch, and Kick. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on YouTube.

Open Broadcasting Software (OBS)

The free option is always to stream from OBS & your home computer. This option works only for streamers with extremely fast internet connections (upload speed) and very good & expensive hardware / CPUs or hardware capture cards so it ends up being not so free in the end. Keeping that computer running is a job, too.

Daily, we see streamers who switch from OBS to Upstream, freeing up time and computing power for their life and content creation, with a sigh of relief.

Cloud Streaming Software (Upstream)

Our recommended way to stream is to use a cloud-based software – Upstream. Upstream is a YouTube Verified Software encoder and it was originally designed for creators who want to stream 24/7. With Upstream, the setup is online, in your browser tab, and once you set everything up, you can close the browser and your computer, and your stream will continue to stream from Upstream’s servers.

And, once you choose your streaming software and streaming platform, you’ll need to connect them via Google Sign-in (one-click-connect) or using manual RTMP stream key .

Example 24/7 Channels

LoFi Girl: a channel that streams chill beats 24/7, perfect for studying and relaxing.
NASA TV: a channel that streams live events and educational programming related to space exploration.
FOX Weather: a channel that streams live weather coverage, including severe weather alerts and storm tracking.
Ambient Outpost: atmospheres and otherworldly ambiences, perfect for work or chilling.

Setting Up on YouTube

⚠️ Note: There are two ways to stream to YouTube. One way is Manual Streaming, via RTMP key, in which case you need to enter this key into your streaming software. Another (easier) way is via one-click-streaming integrations with streaming software like Upstream. In that case, you will not need to set up your stream on YouTube, you just click start on Upstream. Here’s how to set up YouTube Connect with Upstream.

For the Manual, RTMP key method you need to set up the live stream on YouTube and then send a signal through the Streaming software of your choice.

To start a stream on YouTube, you need to have a verified account (with streaming features enabled) and no live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days. Once you meet these requirements, you can start setting up your live stream:

Click on the Create (camera) icon in the top right-hand corner of your YouTube Studio.
Select “Go Live”.
Choose the “Schedule Stream” option (first time, a wizard popup may open to guide you).
Give your live stream a title and description.
Set the privacy & other settings for your live stream.
Copy the stream key (and URL) for pasting into your streaming software (top right of the preview box)

Once you do that your YouTube channel will be ready to receive the signal. Now, you just have to start the stream in your streaming software.

⚠️ Remember, if you don’t feel like handling RTMP keys (and OBS), you can always use the simpler YouTube Connect, one-click-streaming option on Upstream.

Maintaining Your Stream

Use relevant keywords and tags to improve discoverability

For your 24/7 live stream to take off, it needs to first be discoverable. One way to do this is by optimizing your video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords and phrases that YouTube and Google users are searching for. This can help your channel appear in search results and related videos. Similarly, keep your thumbnails attention grabbing. (Note that you cannot a-b test thumbnails for live streams.)

Monitor your stream regularly

It’s important to monitor your stream regularly to ensure that everything is running smoothly. Check the video and audio quality, and make adjustments as needed. Also, keep an eye on the chat and respond to any comments or questions from your viewers.

Add new content and be consistent

Just like with any other type of content, consistency is key. Creating new content regularly for your 24/7 live stream can help viewers anticipate and look forward to the next stream. Whether you refresh your stream once a day, once a week, or once a month, make sure you stick to a schedule that works for you and your audience.

Engaging with Viewers During 24/7 Streaming

Engagement is key to a successful 24/7 streaming experience on YouTube. You’ll want to enable live chat during playback to foster engagement and encourage viewers to stay tuned in. Interacting with your audience will help you build a loyal follow-base and keep them coming back. Here are some tips for engaging with viewers during your 24/7 stream:

Appear live During your Pre-recorded Streams

Many creators use Upstream’s Live Studio or OBS to occasionally appear live during their pre-recorded 24/7 live streams. There’s no better way to connect showing up!

Respond to comments and questions

Take time to read and respond to viewer comments and questions in live chat. This can help foster a sense of community and build loyalty among your audience.

Encourage participation

Encourage viewers to participate in the conversation by asking questions, soliciting feedback, or running polls during your stream.

Provide context

Provide context for your pre-recorded content to help viewers understand the themes and ideas behind your videos. This can help keep viewers engaged and invested in your stream. How did you create this? How did you come to the idea? Is it a lot of work? Check out this great example by Nemos Dreamscape’s in which the creator breaks down the creation process. If you watch this video you really get the sense of the effort that goes into his live streams.

Promoting Your 24/7 Live Stream

Promotion is key to increasing views and engagement for your 24/7 stream. To get more viewers for your live stream, you need to promote it on your social media channels, websites, and email lists. You can also create a trailer for your live stream and post it on your YouTube channel to generate interest. Here are some strategies for promoting your stream:

Use your social media channels (Quora, Twitter, Reddit, Facebook…) to promote your stream and encourage viewers to tune in. Share clips, teasers, and behind-the-scenes footage to build excitement around your stream. Build a consistent system to do this regularly.

Collaborate with other creators

Collaborating with other YouTube creators can help you reach new audiences and increase engagement. Consider collaborating on content or cross-promoting each other’s channels.

Optimize your SEO

Make sure your videos are properly tagged and optimized for search so that they are more easily discoverable by your audience. Try using tools like Google Search Console, Answerthepublic, Ahrefs, or Semrush to inform your video creation and SEO optimization of your title, description but also words spoken out loud.

Invest in Promotion

Consider investing in advertising to increase visibility for your stream. Even on the platform itself, YouTube offers a range of promotion options, do check them out!

Promoting your 24/7 live stream is crucial to maximise your reach and grow your audience. With so much content available online, it’s important to make sure that your stream is gets noticed by your target audience – you can’t rely only on YouTube’s suggestions.

By promoting your stream through social media, email marketing, and other partner-channels and partnerships, you can attract new viewers and keep your existing audience engaged in conversations and in the process of creation itself.

Multistream

Btw, if you could reach whole new audiences, without lifting a finger, would you do it? This is what multi streaming enables you. Take your stream and connect it to more platforms, like Twitch or Kick.

Conclusion

Streaming 24/7 on YouTube can be a powerful way to reach a wider audience, increase engagement, and drive more revenue for your brand.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can start your 24/7 live stream in no time. However, it takes time and dedication to maintain a successful stream.

But with a right streaming software and a little bit of planning and effort, you can speed up your progress and hit those numbers sooner.

Remember to monitor your stream regularly, promote your live streams, and engage with your viewers to build a loyal following and increase engagement on your channel.

By investing in the right streaming software, developing a content plan, engaging with viewers, and promoting your stream, you can create a successful 24/7 stream on YouTube. Remember to experiment with different types of content, engage with your audience in real-time, and stay on top of your analytics to continually enrich and improve your stream.