YouTube Question Why Do Livestreams A Non-Philosophical Question

[Troy Spiral]

Hello,

I've been googling "why do live streams" and I can't really find a good answer. Is there actual data/research on this? Some of the largest channels never do livestreams while others do many. Most of the VERY large channels that do live streams are only the news channels.

I can sort of "guess" why one might do live streams "more interaction" "creating connection" but in terms of growth I've not found anything that isn't just guesswork.

Is there any data on this? From looking at the largest channels (on average) livestreams generally seem to not be the norm although fairly common.

I"m just wondering if there is real-world data or studies on "To Stream or Not To Stream" especially for me, being disabled i usually would have to pick between streaming OR making a video not AND making videos at least some weeks. I've done a few live streams they generated a reasonable amount of watch time but nothing compared to well-performing evergreen video.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SILTHW]

Couple of things. First, it looks like view hours might not be an issue for you, but for people chasing view hours is it a great way to significantly increase those. Second, it let you respond in real time, interactively with your audience. They ask you question, you ask them questions and that can help you deliver subsequent content of interested that drives up audience retention, etc.

But like all things, in the end it is just a tool. Use the ones that help you create value. Ignore the ones that don't.

 

[Troy Spiral]

I appreciate you taking the time but that's the kind of answer we all know. I meant is there actually any data-based growth-reason.

I hope that answer doesn't confuse people into thinking this question is answered.

Any new content will increase bulk watch time. I can provide value in many ways. Wasn't the question.

WHY from an actual data perspective would we want to do live streams. 'Provide Value' is like 'Water is wet'

What would be the reason to do live streams rather than the more proven growth of more scripted content.

Please don't defend this. It's just not the question I was asking.

 

[Beanie Draws]

This is a pretty cool question. I know that the "why" is important for having a channel to begin with, but "why" live stream is a different one

I'd say "why" splits into a few reasons, the easiest to explain would be personal, and strategic/business.

Many do live streams as a business thing.
I think very little about live streaming is purely data related. Maybe to boost watch time, some have had massive watch time from doing live streams, but it really depends on the type of content and the value being delivered. I've heard a lot during last year of live streams "tanking" channels. Apparently a lot of live streams perform poorly compared to regular videos. In this regard it would depend on the replay value. TubeBuddy live streams and others that have a specific goal or topic generally do better because there's a reason to watch it and re-watch it in case you miss it. Basically it's a way of recording and doing interviews without necessary per-recording them.

General hangout live streams I don't think add anything to a channel analytically outside of consistency. Some people can't get videos out when planned, so they will cobble together a live stream for the sake of "getting something out" or "having something to watch" and in the past a live stream was considered content to the YouTube (also making a new playlist was apparently considered "new content" in the eyes of the algorithm) so if you haven't done anything in a while, you don't have anything pre planned, you don't have time to edit something, you can always do a live stream to remind YouTube and your audience that you are indeed still alive and making content. Those videos probably don't perform as well as a normal video, but any content is technically better than no content if you're inactive long enough.

Livestreams are "perfect" for informational sessions. Sharing how new features work, discussing breaking news events such as tech releases, feature releases, news in general that you want to cover right away instead of waiting to make a video. In that regard it's probably better from a data standpoint because it's current. Livestreams are also good for meetings and interviews, though not at good for engagement unless you have someone covering the chat, otherwise people in chat might just think the livestream is pre-recorded. If a livestream has more than one person in a meeting sense, it's generally accepted that chat won't be watched or interacted with for the most part, and thus it's more information session with a replay value.

"data based growth" would be subjective and individualised. Livestreams in themselves probably won't grow your channel, but as a content strategy, it CAN. I can't speak for the data side because I haven't seen as many people share their analytics of streams afterwards, the streams I've done have done fairly well on a view and watchtime level, but I don't think it moved the needle much on subscriber growth.

Livestreams are also perfect for revenue and charity raising if you have donation abilities. So again, I don't know how much it adds to channel growth in itself, but as a strategy it can grow your channel, and that's less of a data driven perspective, and more of an emotional driven perspective.

The whole point of livestreams are that they are LIVE, they're about engaging with the audience, interacting with the audience, so I feel the emotional connection element is more important than the data. You can always analyse your data later to see how the stream performed compared to pre-recorded content, but at the end of the day, a livestream may perform poorly data wise, but still add value on a personal level which in itself can grow your channel.

Hopefully this has given a bit more insight and some perspective. It's a really cool thing to think about with the "why"

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

Yup... Beanie beat me to my answer. I second his statement above.