How To Stream A Live Podcast:The Ultimate Guide

The podcasting industry is growing in coverage and outreach by the day. With over 5 million active podcasts across the globe in 2024, the number of listeners is over 500 million. This can be attributed to the fact that conversational-style broadcasts hold a sense of familiarity and nostalgia for audiences.

This might be proved when we look at the history and impact of radio shows in the country. Radio broadcasts have been disseminating news, entertainment, and even confessional letters. People associate a sense of intimacy with broadcasts like that, which has now found its way into live podcast hosting.

If you’re starting to host your live podcast, this article is a guide to get you started.

What is a live podcast?

A podcast refers to any audio file that can be transferred online. A live podcast, in the same vein, refers to a real-time broadcast of the episodes or content. This way, they often resemble radio shows more than other forms of podcasts. Audiences can listen and watch the program in real time as it is live-streamed and hosted. 

This is an excellent way of fostering organic interaction with your audiences and engaging with them openly. Live podcasts increase the scope of participatory culture and enable audiences to bond with the creators.

There are several platforms to choose from when it comes to live podcasting. They all have unique features that enable creators to customize and take charge of how they record, edit, and publish their episodes.

Live Podcasts vs. Podcast Streaming

In most cases, these two terms are used interchangeably and indicate the same thing: the real-time broadcasting of a podcast. However, in some usages, a live-stream podcast can indicate something different from “podcast streaming”. In this situation, the latter refers to podcasts embedded with videos. Save for this exception, there is no remarkable difference between a podcast live stream and “podcast streaming.”

Why Stream a Live Podcast?

There are numerous reasons why so many craters tend to have their podcast for ideas, think pieces, entertainment, etc. This has to do with the fact that many people worldwide prefer listening to podcasts while working or finishing chores. This creates a viable avenue for creators to generate a steady source of income. At the same time, podcasts enable creators to have space to talk about numerous topics without inhibition and connect with other creators.

Types of live podcasts

There are various types of live video podcasts that follow distinct script patterns.

1. Panel shows

This refers to a game show, usually found on television and radio, involving the participation of celebrities and other eminent figures. Podcasters can integrate their peers and contemporaries as panelists into their shows. This form aims to build conversion with numerous people in a way that is conversational, witty, and engaging. Hosts can hold debates and have games and other modes of engagement that can help make their episodes interesting.

2. Q&A sessions

As the anime suggests, this podcast form follows a question-and-answer pattern of progression. Here, the hosts, guests, and panel experts can answer questions submitted by audience members. This form works best when it is geared towards demystifying any specific field of inquiry or industry. For example, many listeners may be curious about the latest developments in some research or upcoming projects, and podcasts can bridge the knowledge gap.

3. Interviews

This is one of the most frequently used podcasting live techniques, where the host intervenes with guests or interviews them. This format creates space for an interesting conversational volley, which keeps viewers engaged. It also needs a skilled host who can build rapport and include all the guests. Generally, this podcast style revolves around designated themes to tie the discussion together. Interview-style podcasts make debatable or conversational content that can keep stimulating viewer attention.

4. Comedy shows

Another popular podcast format involves tapping into humor and wit. Often, sustaining a comedy show can be harder than all other forms of podcast. This is because comedic themes are much more challenging to execute than serious ones. It requires impeccable writing and timing for the jokes and bits to work. If done without finesse, it can be incredibly awkward and difficult for audiences to sit through.

These podcasts work best with multiple hosts and guests who can build their banter off each other. Audience participation in live streams can also increase the quality of these podcasts.

5. Storytelling shows

There are numerous podcasts that are solely dedicated to the art of storytelling. These are highly reminiscent of radio broadcasts and their fictional narrations. The storytelling format in this type of podcast can be fictional or anecdotal. In the former, hosts can choose short stories that they like and narrate them to the listeners. Podcasters usually assign a specific subject or area of interest for each episode.

In anecdotal storytelling, hosts can even tell stories about their own lives that they deem worthy of sharing in an autobiographical format. A hugely popular genre in the storytelling niche is horror and true crime narratives that take on a semi-journalistic form of narration.

How to Live Stream a Podcast

With the numerous platforms and softwares curated for podcasting, streaming has become easier than ever. The steps involved are:

1. Chose a suitable software

In order to record, edit, publish, and manage podcasts, creators must pick the right software. There are numerous live podcast platforms geared towards creating podcasts. It is necessary for creators to select based on their niche, budget, level of expertise in handling similar software, etc.

2. Set up your equipment

Your equipment is your ultimate means of communication while live podcast recording. This includes a good quality microphone, computer, headphones and pop filters, lighting, and camera if you’re filming a video podcast. All of these are necessary to record your voice and audio so that it can be shared online. Investing in good quality equipment is always a good idea for this reason.

3. Script your podcast

While going off the script can be a change of pace, most podcasts need a plan or structure to direct the conversion flow. This is necessary to keep the discussion on track and not tire your audience from too many divergences. Further, a solid script is especially necessary for informative, storytelling, comedy, or a livestream podcast where a fixed narrative structure is needed to relay information.

4. Decide on a time

Podcasters should be aware of the times when their audiences are most active. This requires them to choose a publishing software and platform that offers proper performance analytics to help creators determine areas of improvement. You need to post consistently at the same time to keep your audience engaged and returning. Consistency is key here, considering 74% of all podcasts never make it past their 10th episode.

Stream with OnTheFly

If you’re still wondering where to start your podcast streaming journey, OnTheFly has got you covered. With its quick set-up times that take no more than 5 minutes, there will be no scope for procrastinating on your ideas. It’s platform-friendly, which makes it compatible with most operating systems and hardware.

As one of the best live podcast management platforms, it allows creators to publish their episodes on multiple platforms and drive traffic from multiple places. Try OnTheFly to start streaming your ideas today!