Are you looking to incorporate video streaming into your content marketing strategy? With the rising popularity of live and pre-recorded streaming, it can be difficult to determine which option is best for your brand. Live video streaming allows you to engage with your audience in real time, while pre-recorded streaming offers flexibility and control over the final product. In this blog post, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each method and provide tips on how to successfully stream both types of videos using OneStream Live. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s dive into the world of live versus pre-recorded streaming!
In this Article:
🎥 What is Live Video Streaming?
Live video streaming is a way of sharing real-time video content over the internet. For example, imagine you are attending a music festival, but your friend can’t make it. You can live stream the concert using your phone and share it with your friend. As you record the concert, your friend can watch it live on their own device from anywhere in the world. This is possible because the video is being streamed over the internet in real time. The same concept applies to live streaming events, webinars, sports matches, and even personal vlogs. Live video streaming allows people to connect with others and share experiences as they happen.
📺 What is Pre-Recorded Streaming?
Live pre-recorded streaming is a type of video streaming that involves broadcasting pre-recorded video content as if it were happening live. For example, a company may pre-record a presentation or webinar and then stream it live at a specific time and date to create a sense of real-time interaction with the audience. This can also be used in broadcasting live sports events, where the content is recorded beforehand but streamed live at a later time for viewers who are unable to watch the event live. While the content may not be happening in real time, it’s still presented to viewers as if it is happening live. Live pre-recorded streaming can be an effective way to engage with an audience while still maintaining a level of control over the content.
Read More: How to Live Stream Pre-Recorded videos on Social Media
🌟 Pros & Cons of Pre-Recorded Streaming
👍 Flexibility
Pre-recorded streaming allows you to record and edit your video content before it is broadcasted. This means that you can schedule the release of your video content at a time that is convenient for you and your audience. Additionally, pre-recorded videos can be edited, which means that you can refine your content and ensure that it meets your desired quality standards before it is released to your audience.
👍 Multiple Retakes
Regardless of the equipment you use for live streaming, there is no guarantee of the quality of your live videos. This is not the case with pre-recorded videos, as you can shoot and have multiple retakes until you achieve the desired results in terms of quality. Additionally, editing allows you to enhance the quality of your content with carefully selected shots that add value, giving it a TV-like feel.
👍 Captions and Annotations
Pre-recorded streaming allows you to add captions, graphics, and annotations to improve it. You can take your time to make sure these things look good and help people understand your video. This can make your video more interesting, helpful, and enjoyable for people to watch, making them happy.
👍 Less Technical Glitches
With Pre-recorded streaming, you don’t have to worry about technical problems happening while you are making it. This can be helpful because if something goes wrong during a live video, you can’t fix it. When you record a video beforehand, you can check it to make sure it works correctly before you show it to people.
👍 Edit and Enhance Video Content
When you use pre-recorded streaming, you can edit and enhance your video content to make it look better. You can add music, images, and text to your video to make it more engaging and informative. This gives you the chance to create a high-quality video that will be enjoyable for people to watch.
However, pre-recorded streaming doesn’t come without drawbacks. Let’s dive into a few:
👎 No Real-Time Interaction
When you pre-record videos, you cannot interact with your audience in real-time, which can feel impersonal and detached from their needs. You may miss chances to engage with viewers or address their concerns, which can hurt engagement and conversions. Although you can have a moderator to answer questions ahead of time, nothing beats the excitement of interacting live with an engaged audience.
👎 No Spontaneity and Authenticity
When videos or live streams are pre-recorded, they lack the spontaneity and authenticity that make live content engaging. The audience can feel less engaged because they know it’s not happening in real-time and there are no surprises. Pre-recording allows for extensive editing, which can be useful, but it can also remove the rawness found only in spontaneous recordings.
👎 Cannot Update or Edit Once Published
Once pre-recorded content is published, you cannot make any updates or edits. This means that if there are any mistakes or errors in your content, they will remain there forever unless you create a new video.
Additionally, not being able to update content may affect the performance of your videos on search engines, and it limits your ability to respond quickly to current events or trends. Therefore, while pre-recorded streaming has its benefits, not being able to update or edit can be a significant disadvantage.
👎 Lacks a Sense of Urgency or FOMO
One major downside of pre-recorded streaming is that it lacks a sense of urgency or FOMO (fear of missing out) that live streams provide. Viewers are more likely to tune in for a live event because they know they will be experiencing something unique and exclusive. With pre-recorded streams, there’s no sense of urgency or excitement since viewers can watch the content whenever they choose.
👎 Requires Additional Time and Effort
Creating pre-recorded content requires more time and effort than live streaming since everything must be planned and rehearsed beforehand. Unlike live streaming, there is no room for improvisation or making changes on the fly during recording. This means that all elements, such as script, lighting, sound, and camera angles, must be carefully planned and executed in advance.
🤔 Pros & Cons of Live Video Streaming
👍 High Demand
Facebook has found that users watch Facebook Live videos for three times longer than pre-recorded ones. This is because live videos offer an additional level of engagement that cannot be achieved with pre-recorded videos. Live streaming creates a real-time connection between the viewer and the content creator, allowing for instant interaction and feedback. This is why live video is in high demand compared to pre-recorded streaming. Think about your favorite sporting event; watching it live creates an exciting and immersive experience that cannot be replicated with a pre-recorded video.
👍 Enhanced Viewer Retention
Watch time is an important metric to keep track of, and live videos can help increase the amount of time viewers spend watching your videos. This is because viewers can’t pause or resume live videos, so they are more likely to stick around and watch for a longer period of time. Additionally, even if you save your live videos, you can use them in different ways to keep engaging your audience.
👍 Multi-Channel Presence
One of the great things about live streaming is that you can reach your audience on various social media platforms. You can use tools like OneStream Live to stream on multiple channels at the same time, which means you don’t have to worry about missing out on viewers who prefer a different platform. It’s important to track the performance of your live videos on different platforms and develop a strategy to stream on the channels that your audience engages with the most. This will help you reach a wider audience and increase your engagement levels.
👍 Increased Brand Exposure
Live videos are a great way to increase brand awareness. By going live, your brand can generate more traction and engagement with your audience through likes, comments, and shares. Longer live streams can also increase the chances of your brand being discovered, which can expand your reach and visibility.
👍 Economical
Live video streaming is often more economical than pre-recorded streaming because it requires less time and resources to produce. With live streaming, you can connect with your audience in real time without the need for extensive editing or post-production work. Additionally, live streaming allows you to repurpose content and create additional marketing materials from a single event.
However, live video streaming doesn’t come without drawbacks. Let’s dive into a few:
👎 Prone to Errors
Live video is a real-time broadcast, which means that technical issues such as slow internet or equipment malfunctions can happen during the stream. Additionally, since it is not pre-recorded and edited, any mistakes or errors made by the host or participants during the live stream will also be broadcasted.
👎 Can be Disrupted
Live videos allow you to connect with your audience at any time and place, but they can be interrupted unexpectedly. If you don’t have a video studio or you’re streaming on the go, things like children, pets or strangers can interrupt your live stream, which may make some viewers unhappy and cause you to lose viewers if your live videos are not well-planned and executed.
Read More: Guide to RTMP Streaming
👎 Limited Control Over Content
Live video gives you limited control over content because it is broadcasted in real time and cannot be edited or filtered. This means that any mistakes or errors made during the live stream will be seen by your audience, and you cannot remove or alter them. Additionally, the live video also limits your ability to add graphics, music, or other elements to your content, which can be done with pre-recorded videos.
👎 Engagement Limitations
Live video has engagement limitations because the interaction with your audience is limited to the live stream itself. Unlike social media posts or pre-recorded videos, there is no option for viewers to leave comments or ask questions after the live stream has ended. Additionally, not all viewers may be able to participate in real-time due to time zone differences, technical issues or other factors, which can reduce the engagement level of your live stream.
👎 Schedule and Timing Concerns
Live videos require a specific schedule and timing because they are broadcasted in real-time, which means that you need to be available to start and end the live stream at a specific time. Additionally, you need to promote the live stream in advance and notify your audience of the date and time so that they can plan to attend. This requires careful planning and scheduling to ensure that your live video is successful.
Read More: Create and Multistream your Broadcasts with OneStream Studio
👀 Live Video Streaming or Pre-Recorded Streaming?
Live video streaming and pre-recorded streaming have their unique advantages depending on your objectives. Live streaming is an excellent choice if you want real-time interaction with your audience and immediate engagement. It allows you to communicate with your audience, get instant feedback, and respond to questions in real time. On the other hand, pre-recorded streaming is a great choice if you’re looking for high-quality, polished production value. It provides an opportunity for you to create professional-looking videos with good lighting, sound, and editing, giving you complete control over the final output. Therefore, it’s essential to consider your objectives and choose the format that best meets your needs.
No matter which streaming method you prefer, OneStream Live offers a solution for your needs. With OneStream Live, you can stream pre-recorded videos and go live in real-time using our OneStream Studio or external RTMP source through popular third-party apps such as OBS, Zoom, Wirecast, Ecamm, XSplit, Restream, and more. You can broadcast to over 45 social platforms and websites, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Amazon Live, TikTok, Twitter, and many more. With OneStream Live, you can reach your audience across multiple platforms with ease and convenience, regardless of your streaming preference.
💡 Pro-tip: Unlock the full potential of OneStream Live by enrolling in our detailed Udemy course, designed to take your live streaming to the next level.
💯 Wrap Up
In summary, both live video streaming and pre-recorded streaming have their pros and cons. Live streaming is great for engaging with an audience in real-time and creating a sense of excitement, while pre-recorded videos offer more control over the content and can be edited before being published.
Ultimately, the choice between live video streaming and pre-recorded streaming depends on your goals, preferences, and resources. OneStream Live provides a user-friendly platform that allows you to easily stream both live and pre-recorded videos across multiple platforms simultaneously.
Whether you’re looking to promote your brand or connect with your followers, OneStream Live has got you covered. So start experimenting with different types of content today to see what works best for you!
Download OneStream Mobile App.
OneStream Live Image Gallery
OneStream Live is a cloud-based live streaming solution to create, schedule, and multistream professional-looking live streams across 45+ social media platforms and the web simultaneously. For content-related queries and feedback, write to us at [email protected]. You’re also welcome to Write for Us!
