In February 2024, YouTube released a feature that is simultaneously very new for the platform but also very familiar—they introduced YouTube Shorts Lives. While many people have been streaming on YouTube for a long time, this new way of streaming introduces two ultimately new aspects that may interest content creators. Especially those that are looking to expand their audience outreach.
What is new about streaming vertically on YouTube?
The first distinction is the addition of a native vertical live video format. So for people who were streaming in 1920x1080 format, there is now a possibility to go live in a flipped 1080x1920, also known as portrait or vertical orientation. This was done on the main YouTube video functionality a while ago, providing users with a more convenient way to watch videos recorded vertically on their phones. This is important since the percentage of people using their phones and vertically oriented apps like TikTok or Instagram to view their content grows every year. Many new viewers prefer a vertical content format to a more traditional landscape one.
Another important distinction is the place where people can discover these live streams. YouTube has been a Jekyll and Hyde kinda app for a while now. Like Instagram in its chase of the TikTok vertical-short-video success story, it has split itself into two services in one. Vanilla YouTube feed and YouTube Shorts may be parts of the same application, but the way viewers interact with the two tabs is very different. This caused a situation where one channel that releases both classic longer videos on YouTube and some shorter vertical videos on YouTube Shorts live some sort of double life. You may even have a considerably different audience on the two. This is a hell to manage and maintain but also a great way to diversify your outreach and expand your viewership base. In addition to that, YouTube has been cautiously pushing its short-form content, giving some channels a big surge of views on their Shorts content. This is always welcome on a platform as overcrowded as YouTube.
So now there is a completely different feed in YouTube Shorts where people can discover your Lives. This is also important because TikTok prompted a shift for such platforms to move away from showing people their custom feed of the pages they are already subscribed to, towards a more algorithmic discovery approach.
Why you should consider streaming on YouTube Shorts
On one hand, it’s way easier to be discovered by new people now, but on the other, content consumption becomes more disconnected from its creators. Think of how many TikTok creators you can name from the top of your head. Now compare that to the number of YouTubers and Twitch streamers that come to mind. Chances are the latter is considerably higher than the former. This makes YouTube Shorts a perfect way to get new viewers with the intention of converting them into returning subscribers on the vanilla YouTube. This is actually one of the advantages that YouTube Shorts can offer content creators in comparison to TikTok.
Besides that, this is probably the easiest and the most organic way you can go live on your phone. Considering that this phone-centric approach to content consumption and creation was the initial reason for vertical content to be that successful in the first place, this is not a surprise. So if you enjoy streaming on the go, this may be a feature for you.
Important note: Super Chat, Polls, Super Stickers, and Memberships are available for vertical streams. Watched hours will be counted for YouTube Shorts’ lives as well. Currently, ads are not supported, but there is a possibility they will be added soon. After finishing the live stream, you can save the VOD to your channel.
How to stream vertically on YouTube?
On Mobile
This is very straightforward and possibly the easiest way to go live on YouTube. Just hit the + icon in the middle of your YouTube phone app. Choose ‘Live’ at the bottom of the screen. Choose a title and preferred settings. Tap ‘Next’ and ‘Go Live’. Vertical streaming is actually a default configuration in the app.
Note: you need 50 subscribers to do this
In the configurations, you can change your stream’s visibility, add description, location, schedule your stream, and modify chat and monetization permissions.
On desktop
For this check out our article on how to stream vertically in OBS with Aitum vertical.
Long story short, you need to download the Aitum Vertical plugin for your OBS, set up your vertical scenes in a separate vertical canvas, and link your vertical scenes to your landscape ones for them to transition simultaneously. Now paste the Stream key in the gear icon menu and start your broadcast.
By streaming from your desktop with the Aitum Vertical plugin, you can have a regular landscape stream and a vertical one running simultaneously.
Just schedule two separate streams in your YouTube Studio with two stream keys dedicated to your vertical and landscape streams and start the broadcasts from OBS.
Note: this will take twice the upload capacity from your network, so consider setting appropriate bitrates for the streams for a smooth broadcast. Check out our comprehensive guide to bitrate on stream.
Why YouTube Shorts streaming may be better than going live on TikTok?
There are three reasons YouTube Shorts streaming may be better than streaming on TikTok for you specifically:
More accessible. To gain the ability to go Live on TikTok, you need at least 1000 followers and go through the verification process. YouTube Streaming is more accessible for a very small content creator.
Discovery to returning viewer pipeline. As we said before, YouTube’s double-platform approach has its advantages. You can manage to convert people who have discovered you on Shorts to your regular YouTube subscribers with a way more rigid viewer-content creator connection.
Landscape and vertical broadcast at the same time. Two streams are always better than one for discoverability.
In conclusion, this may not be the feature that you asked for. This may not be the feature that feels like something completely new. But it’s definitely a feature that can be very helpful for your growth on YouTube if you use it correctly.