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How to Stream a Pre-Recorded Video on YouTube

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Occasionally, you may find yourself wanting to stream something that you have pre-recorded. Whether you want to provide your regulars something to watch while you have a day or two away or you want to make an announcement, this post will cover how you can stream original pre-recorded content.

On YouTube, you can easily stream pre-recorded content to your channel using the Premiers feature. This post will go over how to set up your own premier as well as show how you can stream pre-recorded content with Restream or OneStream.

How to Set Up YouTube Video Premier

Posting your video as a premier event on YouTube will allow you to watch it through with subscribers in your channel. You will have a chat where you can engage with your community through text, receive superchats and more. To do this, you will begin by uploading a video as you usually would, then completing the following steps:

  1. Step 1

    When you reach the visibility tab, click the “Set Schedule” option.

  2. Step 2

    Set the date and time that you will want it to play, then click the “Set as Premiere” option.

  3. Step 3

    A sharable watch page will be generated. You can use this page to promote your premiere on your socials.

Stream Pre-Recorded Content to YouTube with Restream Events

The platform Restream offers several tools for streamers. While most content creators know they can use it to stream to multiple platforms, you can also use their Events dashboard to stream pre-recorded content on YouTube. Here’s how:

  1. Step 1

    Log in to Restream (or create an account) and open your video storage. Click the blue “Upload Video” button.

  2. Step 2

    Find the file you wish to upload on your computer, then click “Open” to upload it to the storage. Wait for the video to fully upload (this can take time depending on your connection).

  3. Step 3

    Once your video is uploaded, visit the Events dashboard. Click the blue “Schedule Live Event” button.

  4. Step 4

    Click on the “Schedule a Recorded Video” option, then choose “Uploaded Videos.” Find and select the video you wish to stream.

  5. Step 5

    Either start streaming the video right away or schedule it to begin streaming later. You don’t even have to be at your computer when it starts. You can schedule videos for an hour from the time of scheduling up to 7 days.

  6. Step 6

    Fill in the required details for setting up your stream. These will include:

    • Your stream’s title
    • A description of what the video contains
    • The date and time that the video will play
    • A thumbnail cover (Recommended size: 1280px by 720px)
  7. Step 7

    Choose the platform(s) where you want to stream your video. In this case, you would choose YouTube.

  8. Step 8

    Press “Save” to finish creating the event.

  9. Step 9

    Click on the icon of the created event to get a sharable link that you can use to promote it.

Stream Pre-Recorded Content to YouTube with OneStream

OneStream is another fantastic platform that offers several benefits to streamers, such as the ability to embed your broadcasts, add captions or subtitles, and stream to multiple platforms at once. You can also stream pre-recorded content with it. Here’s how:

  1. Step 1

    Log in to OneStream (or create an account).

  2. Step 2

    On the sidebar from your account, click the “Pre-recorded Stream” option, then choose “Pre-recorded streaming.”

  3. Step 3

    Upload your video file to the platform. You can do this one of two ways:

    • Directly from your computer or mobile device as long as the video size is 5 GB.
    • Directly from cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive) with no video size limit.
  4. Step 4

    Add the following information to your pre-streamed video (you can do this while the file is being uploaded):

    • Your stream’s title
    • A description of what the video contains
    • The date and time that the video will play
    • Tags to help people find your stream
    • Your time zone
  5. Step 5

    Select the platform and social accounts to which you will stream.

  6. Step 6

    Click the red “Schedule stream” button and fill in the details. You will be able to see your upcoming streams in the “Scheduled” section.

  7. Step 7

    To customize your stream further, you can add the following:

    • Add a custom thumbnail that will show up on the event notifications you send out
    • Add your watermark or logo to the video
    • Turn on subtitles or captions
    • Schedule notifications to be sent out

Should You Stream Pre-Recorded Videos?

While the point of live-streaming on YouTube is generally to create content while engaging with an audience, there are some benefits to streaming pre-recorded content, such as:

  • megaphone

    Announcements

    If you want to make an announcement that you want your viewers to see while wanting it to be well produced. You can also be in your chat while you are streaming to answer questions.

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    Compilation Videos

    Creating a compilation video of your stream highlights is a great way to celebrate milestones with your community. You can even hang out with a few of your VIPs in Discord while you watch the stream together.

  • gift

    Creating Content For Holidays

    Creating pre-recorded content for your viewers even if you are going to be gone for a holiday is a great way to show that you care about them. Just be sure that they know that you aren’t there by adding an overlay or creating a chatbot command that will frequently let your viewers know.

Conclusion

Whether you choose to use YouTube premier or another platform to stream your pre-recorded video, remember to promote it beforehand so that viewers can enjoy it with you.

About the Author

Zac

Zac is a part-time tech blogger. He’s an avid gamer with a taste for old-school RPG’s and Indie Sandbox games. He excels at theory crafting and finding new ways to enjoy a well-loved game.

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