Keep Stream Vods?
This question interests many streamers on YouTube and Twitch. Should you leave live stream recordings on your channel or is it better to delete them immediately after the broadcast ends? Opinions in the community are divided: some bloggers keep absolutely all streams, while others prefer to clean up their channel and leave only the most successful episodes. In this article, we will thoroughly analyze all the pros and cons of saving stream recordings, provide practical advice for beginners and experienced streamers, and tell you how to properly organize your broadcast archive on your channel.
The main rule: it all depends on your content
If a blogger uploads videos and occasionally streams, then in this case you may not leave stream recordings on the channel. You already have regular content that attracts viewers, and additional hours of broadcasts can only confuse subscribers. If you only conduct streams and rarely or never release regular videos, then we advise you to save the broadcasts. In this case, stream recordings will become the main content of your channel.
Why should you do this? Your channel will not be empty. Users will be able to go to it and watch broadcasts that they missed live. This is especially important for novice streamers who have few subscribers — every new viewer who comes to the channel should see that there is something to do here.
Why you should save stream recordings: 5 main advantages
1. Filling the channel with content
If you have a very young channel, you should save most of your live broadcasts to fill it with content. An empty channel with two or three videos inspires less trust than a channel with dozens of stream recordings. The viewer, entering the page, sees activity and understands that the blogger works regularly.
2. The ability to watch for those who missed the broadcast
Not all of your subscribers can be online at the time of the broadcast. Some people have work, study, family matters, or simply a different time zone. A stream recording gives them the opportunity to watch the broadcast at a convenient time. This increases audience loyalty and overall viewership.
3. Creating highlights and best moments
You can also periodically make selections with funny, scary, or any other moments from your streams. Short cuts do great on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, attracting new audiences to the main channel. If you don't save the full stream recording, you won't have the source material for such cuts.
4. Informing about contests and giveaways
If you hold giveaways, many people will only be able to find out about them from the stream recording. Of course, if your broadcast lasted several hours, only a few will watch it completely. That is why you should announce important information at the beginning or in the middle of the broadcast, and also duplicate it in the description of the saved video.
5. Error analysis and quality improvement
Saving stream recordings can also help with channel work. Streamers themselves can carefully review broadcasts, paying attention to their mistakes to correct them in the future. You may notice that you speak too quietly, that the webcam is poorly configured, that the chat is ignored, or that you are distracted too often. All this can only be corrected after an honest analysis of your broadcasts.
When it's better not to save a stream recording
Agree that everyone can have a bad stream. Even professional players can often lose. If you were broadcasting, and the game clearly wasn't going well - you were losing match after match, getting nervous, yelling, or it was just boring - then you should consider whether you should keep it on your channel.
Users are usually interested in watching videos where the streamer successfully coped with the game. No one will watch losses for several hours in a row, and such recordings can even harm your image. It's better to delete a bad stream and forget about it than to keep it as a reminder of a bad day.
Also, you should not save streams if you violated any platform rules, accidentally said something extra, or showed something that is not intended for a wide audience. The recording can lead to a ban, even if it went unnoticed during the live broadcast.
How to organize the streams section on your channel
If you rarely stream but also want to save broadcasts on your channel, we advise you to create a separate section. This will make it easier for users to find the streams they need without confusing them with regular videos.
How to create a streams section on YouTube:
Go to Creator Studio (YouTube Studio). Go to the "Channel customization" tab → "Basic info". In the "Playlists" section, create a new playlist with the name "Streams" or "Broadcast Archive". Add all saved stream recordings to this playlist. Pin the playlist to the channel's home page.
On Twitch, stream recordings are automatically saved in the "Past Broadcasts" section. From there, they can be moved to separate collections or published on YouTube as separate videos.
How to improve stream quality using recordings
Stream recordings are not only content for viewers but also valuable material for self-analysis. Here's how you can use saved broadcasts to improve the quality of your broadcasts.
What to analyze when reviewing a recording:
Sound quality. Is it too quiet? Are there any посторонние noises? Is the game loud in the background of your voice? Video quality. Is the image blurry? Is the picture twitching? Are the webcam and lighting set up correctly? Interaction with chat. Do you reply to messages? Do you pay enough attention to viewers? Do you ignore new subscribers? Mood and energy. Do you look tired? Do you have enough energy for the entire stream? Are there too many "dead pauses"? Gameplay. Do you make the same mistakes? Can tactics or strategy be improved?
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