Podcasts are a great way to keep up with what's going on in the world without being confined to your computer at home. Podcasts can be streamed and accessed through various devices like smartphones or tablets. Experts often create them to deliver information, entertainment, and instruction. Live streaming podcasts are becoming more popular because it's possible to produce engaging content for viewers interested in specific topics with a bit of effort.
One tool that can significantly enhance the production value of your show is live streaming software. Many live podcast software programs are available that allow you to set up your show quickly and easily without expensive equipment. In this post, we will explore what each has to offer so you can determine which best meets your needs as a content creator.
First, let's discuss the basics.
How to Start a Podcast
- Plan ahead: podcasting takes time. It's important to know what kind of podcast you want (interview, variety, narrative), how long each episode will be (30-60 minutes is standard), and the schedule you'll stick to for recording and publishing episodes.
- Figure out your podcast name: Make sure it has an accessible domain name that is memorable and easy to type. You want to make it as easy for people to discover your content as possible.
- SEO is essential: Speaking of discoverability, SEO plays an important. When naming your episodes, make sure to include keywords related to your podcast topic.
- Choose a Topic: Discussing topics your audience is interested in will help with podcast discovery, engagement, and monetization. We recommend researching trending issues related to your podcast niche. If discussing true crime, try to find out the latest stories people are talking about.
- Make a podcast logo: For branding purposes, it's essential to have your podcast logo ready before you start recording or streaming episodes. Streamlabs offers a logo maker to help you create an eye-catching podcast logo.
- Record podcast episodes: Using the best podcast recording software like Talk Studio will help your recording and editing process.
- Get a good Microphone: It goes without saying that good podcast audio is essential. Choosing the right microphone is key to ensuring you achieve podcast perfection. We recommend checking out Blue Microphones. Visit their website to see some of their podcast bundles.
- Stream live video: Once you get your podcast set up, you may want to consider live streaming it. Some advantages to this include wider audience reach, better community interaction, and more monetization options. Please read our blog to learn more about the benefits of live streaming your podcast.
Best Live Podcast Software
Our favorite live podcast software includes:
All of these products have advantages, and which one you choose depends on what you are looking for. Overall, we recommend Talk Studio because of its ease of use, low cost, and abundance of features. Continue reading for a breakdown of each streaming service.
#1 Talk Studio
Talk Studio is our go-to pick. While we may be a bit biased here, we truly believe no other option comes with Talk Studio's range of features. Plus, with integration with Streamlabs like Alerts and Cloudbot moderation, the answer is clear. Talk Studio is the best choice for browser-based streaming.
With Talk Studio, you can go live to every major streaming platform in just five clicks. Built by the team at Streamlabs, there is no complicated setup and nothing to install for you or your guests. Other streaming solutions are complicated and can take hours to set up. With Talk Studio, everything is hosted on best-in-class cloud infrastructure, meaning podcasters, brands, businesses, and individuals get blazing fast response time, low CPU usage, and minimal latency.
Talk Studio is fully customizable and easy to create professionally branded live streams with multistream functionality, custom overlays, and layouts. Talk Studio comes with a ton of guides to help you get set up like a multistream guide, how to use Talk Studio as a Zoom alternative, how to increase your live stream viewership, and much more.
The standard plan starts at $9 a month and includes the ability to multistream to up to three destinations, with no watermark. You can invite up to five participants, get unlimited streaming, up to 4 hours of recording time, disconnect protection, and many other features.
Talk Studio also comes with overlays and branding to help your stream stand out from the crowd.
The Pro plan starts at $17 a month, and you can multistream to an unlimited number of destinations. You can add up to 11 participants, get audio-only recording options, up to 10 hours of recording time, media file upload limit of 300MB, and Full HD (1080p)
Visit the Talk Studio pricing page to view a more detailed breakdown.
#2 Streamlabs Desktop
Streamlabs is a leading provider of tools and features for live streamers and content creators. They offer a ton of tools to help you create content. Whether it's a Video Editor or Dual Output, Streamlabs provides a comprehensive set of tools and features to produce engaging content. While Streamlabs Desktop is free, they also offer a premium subscription package called Streamlabs Ultra (which includes access to premium features of tools such as Talk Studio and much more).
Streamers can expect features like:
- Custom Tipping Alerts: Tailor-make the look of on-screen alerts and encourage donations by customizing the layout, animation, message, text, image, and more
- Engaging Widgets: Over a dozen engaging widgets designed to increase viewer participation and improve monetization
- Selective Recording: Pick and choose the sources that appear in a recorded video of your live broadcast
- Premium Overlay Themes: Over 250 free overlay themes made from the best designers in the business
- Integrated Chat: An integrated chat window within the software to help streamers keep track of all the viewer chatter on their channel
While there is a ton of functionality available in Streamlabs Desktop, the learning curve will take you longer to master. Be prepared to spend some time playing with all of the settings and getting very familiar with the software. On the other hand, web-based applications like Talk Studio will get you set up and ready to stream in just a few minutes.
#3 Restream
Restream allows users to broadcast live video to more than 30 social networks simultaneously. Anyone can use the service, but most of the features are most beneficial to entrepreneurs, marketers, and corporations.
Some key features included with Restream include event scheduling, branding options like overlay layouts, and cross-platform analytics.
Restream comes with several different pricing points. If you are an individual creator or brand/company, the best subscription for your needs will vary. We'll look at the subscription services best for an individual creator, but check out their pricing page to review all of the details.
The standard package costs $16 per month. You can record up to six hours per stream, which is saved for 15 days. You can also add up to ten guests to the screen. The professional package begins at $39 per month, which allows pre-recorded video streaming (60 minutes) in addition to other premium features.
#4 LightStream
Lightstream is a live streaming application that offers tools and technology for content creators to share their work on various platforms. These include Twitch, Youtube Live as well as Facebook Live videos.
Key features include remote control functionality for your stream,3rd-party integrations for on-stream alerts and motion graphics, and dynamic layout control to customize your UI.
Lightstream comes with two paid plans. The gamer plan starts at $7 a month but limits your stream to 720p at 30 FPS. The Creator plan starts at $20 a month, and you get access to adding remote guests (up to 7), streaming to custom RTMP destinations, and PC screen share. Visit their pricing page for more details.
Ultimately, LightStream creates adequate streaming software, but the limited functionality at the various price points may make you consider other options that come with more features for free.
In Summary:
Streaming your podcast opens the doors to a much larger audience and community. When you stream live to an audience, you can create stronger relationships with your podcast listeners and build a more involved community.