Going live on YouTube should be part of every business owner's strategy. I'm serious - it does this thing that I like to call "collapses the trust timeline." Instead of someone watching your videos over weeks or months, with a live stream, they get focused time with you, real-time feedback, and instant value. And let me tell you, when they get that value, the customer journey becomes so much faster!

In my own business, YouTube lives have helped me so much. They help me close sales very quickly - I don't want to gatekeep, I want to give you all the tea! In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to schedule a live stream on YouTube and go live using Riverside, which makes the whole process super easy.

To make things super easy for you, I've partnered with Riverside to show you just how easily you can schedule your YouTube live streams and go live right from their platform. Go ahead and grab a free account on Riverside using this link so that you can follow along with this tutorial. And if you end up loving Riverside (which I know you will), use code JAMARDIGGS to take 15% off your subscription.

Why You Should Learn How to Go Live on YouTube

Before diving into the tech stuff, let's talk about why going live on YouTube is such a game-changer for your business:

Building Trust Faster

When someone watches your regular YouTube videos, they might need to see a bunch of them before they trust you enough to buy anything. But live streaming? It's like taking a shortcut through the trust-building process.

I've seen it happen in my own business - going live collapses that trust timeline dramatically. Instead of trying to make an impact over months of content, you can create a powerful connection in just one live session. And trust me, this helps viewers make decisions about working with you much faster!

Real-Time Value Delivery

There's something special about answering questions in real-time that just can't be matched with pre-recorded content. Your audience gets that "wow" moment when they see you addressing their specific situation right then and there.

When I go live, people get focused time with me, immediate feedback, and answers to their questions in real-time. This creates such a powerful connection - way stronger than what happens with regular videos.

Accelerated Sales Process

Let's be real - we're all trying to grow our businesses, right? The biggest reason I love going live on YouTube is how it impacts my bottom line.

When viewers get immediate value from my live streams, they quickly see me as the authority. They start checking out my services and offers right away! I've had people go from complete strangers to paying clients after just one live stream. It honestly helps me close sales very, very quickly in my business.

How to Schedule a Live Stream on YouTube Using Riverside

Now let's get into the step-by-step process. I've partnered with Riverside because their platform makes scheduling and going live super easy, even if you're new to this whole live streaming thing!

Step 1: Connect Your YouTube Channel to Riverside

First things first, you need to connect your YouTube channel to Riverside. It's a quick one-time setup:

1. Sign in to your Riverside account (grab a free one if you don't have it yet!)

2. Go to Settings

3. Click on Live Stream

4. Select Connect Destination

5. Choose YouTube

6. Press Continue

7. Select your YouTube channel

This connection is crucial - it's what allows your scheduled live to appear on your channel and lets you stream directly from Riverside without having to juggle multiple windows open. Trust me, this makes things so much easier when you're live and trying to focus on your content!

Step 2: Plan and Schedule Your YouTube Live Stream

Now for the fun part - planning your live stream:

1. In Riverside, click on "Plan"

2. Select "Schedule a session"

3. Name your session (this becomes the name of your actual live stream)

4. Pick a date and time

5. Set your time zone

6. If you want guests, invite them by adding their emails

7. Continue to the next step

The session name is will be the name of your actual live stream, so make it catchy! Think about what would grab someone's attention and make them want to tune in.

Step 3: Configure Your YouTube Live Stream Settings

Next, you'll set up all the YouTube-specific stuff:

1. Toggle on Advanced Live Stream Destinations

2. Select your YouTube channel from the dropdown

3. Add a thumbnail (this is really important!)

4. Mark the stream as public

5. Create the session

Adding a good thumbnail is super important! It's going to show up on your channel as an upcoming live stream. I always create eye-catching thumbnails because they make a huge difference in how many people actually click and tune in.

Step 4: Make Your Scheduled Live Stream Public and Share the Link

After scheduling, there are a few more steps to maximize your visibility:

1. Head over to YouTube

2. Find your scheduled live stream

3. Click Edit Video

4. Make sure visibility is set to Public

5. Save your changes

6. Copy that link and share it everywhere!

Don't forget to share your link! Send it to your email list, post it on social media, tell your mom - everywhere! This way people can click "notify me" and get an alert when you go live. In my experience, the more places you promote your upcoming live, the bigger audience you'll have when you actually start streaming.

When people check out your channel, they'll see your upcoming live stream in the live tab and possibly on your homepage if you have that section set up. I always make sure my upcoming lives are featured prominently on my channel homepage.

How to Go Live on YouTube Through Riverside

Alright, it's the big day and you're ready to go live! Here's exactly what to do:

Step 1: Join Your Scheduled Session

I recommend getting everything set up about 15-30 minutes before your official start time:

1. Go back to Riverside

2. Find your scheduled live in your dashboard

3. Click Join Session

4. Make sure your internet connection is solid

5. Connect your camera and mic

When it's time to go live, all you have to do is come back into Riverside, find your scheduled live, and hit join session. It's that easy! No need to mess around with complicated stream keys or encoder settings.

Step 2: Prepare Your Live Stream Environment

Before you click that go-live button, take a minute to set everything up properly:

1. Connect your camera (I use my Logitech)

2. Connect your mic (I love my Yeti microphone)

3. Do a quick sound and video check

4. Set up any branding elements or themes

5. Add name styles for yourself and any guests

6. Include lower thirds if you want that professional look

7. Set up any timers you might need

I love that Riverside lets you add branding elements to your live stream. You can set up themes, add your logo, and even create custom lower thirds. These little touches make your stream look so much more professional!

Step 3: Invite and Prepare Guests (If Applicable)

If you're bringing on guests (which I highly recommend for engaging lives!):

1. Send them your session link

2. Have them join before you go live so you can test everything

3. Check their audio and video quality

4. Give them a quick rundown of what you'll be covering

Including guests is ridiculously easy with Riverside. All you have to do is send them that link and y'all can live stream together! 

Step 4: Go Live on YouTube

When you and any guests are ready:

1. Click the Go Live button at the bottom

2. Press Start Recording

3. There's a quick countdown, and then...

4. You're live!

You'll see a brief countdown, and then boom - we are live! This makes it very easy for you to stream. 

Step 5: Engage With Your Audience During the Live Stream

This is where the magic happens - actually connecting with your viewers:

1. Keep an eye on the chat (it shows up right in Riverside)

2. If you have co-hosts, you can chat privately with them

3. Show or hide your visual elements as needed

4. Address people by name when you answer their questions

One of the biggest things that I think is really important is making sure you can always see the chat. Your audience is on YouTube, but you're on Riverside, so you need to be able to see their messages. Thankfully, all the YouTube comments show up right there in the Riverside interface, so you don't need to have multiple windows open.

Step 6: End Your Live Stream Properly

When you're ready to wrap things up:

1. Give a clear call-to-action so viewers know what to do next

2. Thank everyone for watching

3. Click Stop

4. This ends the stream on both Riverside and YouTube

Ending your stream is super simple - just press stop, and you're done! It ends the live in both places at once. No complicated shutdown procedures needed.

Benefits of Using Riverside to Schedule and Go Live on YouTube

I've tried a bunch of different ways to go live, and here's why I love using Riverside:

1. Simplified Workflow

You manage everything from one place, which means less stress and fewer things that can go wrong. Trust me, when you're live in front of an audience, the last thing you want is technical complications!

2. Easy Guest Management

I regularly bring guests onto my live streams, and Riverside makes this so easy. Just send them the link, and you're good to go! No complicated setup procedures or technical difficulties that normally come with hosting guests.

3. Branding Control

I'm big on branding, and I love that I can add my colors, logos, and visual elements to my streams. These little touches make such a difference in how professional your broadcast looks.

4. Audience Engagement

Being able to see and respond to chat messages without switching between platforms is huge! In my early days of streaming, I missed so many comments because I was bouncing between different windows. Now it's all in one place.

5. Content Repurposing

This is honestly one of my favorite things about using Riverside. After my live ends, the recording is right there ready for me to edit and repurpose. I can turn one live stream into multiple pieces of content!

6. Advanced Editing Features

After your stream, you can use features like Magic Clips to quickly edit your video down and repurpose it. The possibilities are really endless! I've turned single live streams into multiple YouTube shorts, podcast episodes, and social media clips.

Common Questions About How to Schedule a Live Stream on YouTube

How far in advance should I schedule my YouTube live stream?

I typically schedule mine at least 24-48 hours in advance, but sometimes I'll plan a week ahead for bigger sessions. This gives YouTube time to promote my upcoming stream and allows my audience to plan to attend. I've found that the more lead time I give, the more people show up!

Can I customize how my name appears during the live stream?

Yes! You can have these little designs for your name style if you want. I usually keep mine clean and simple, but you can make yours colorful or match your brand colors. Riverside lets you adjust the style, size, and color to create a cohesive look.

What happens to my live stream recording after I end the broadcast?

The benefit of using Riverside is that when you're done, you have everything you need to start editing right there in one space. The recording is automatically saved, making it super easy to access for future editing and repurposing. This is a game-changer for content creation!

Key Takeaway: Live Streaming on YouTube Collapses the Trust Timeline and Accelerates Sales

I just honestly believe that YouTube live streaming really helps you get to the sale a lot faster. At least it does with me! When you go live, you create an immediate connection with your audience. They get focused time with you, real-time feedback, and instant value. This collapses the trust timeline dramatically - instead of taking weeks or months to build authority through regular videos, you can establish yourself as the expert in a single session.

The process is simpler than you might think with Riverside: connect your account, plan your session, configure settings, and make it public. The platform handles all the technical aspects, letting you focus on delivering amazing content to your viewers.

By making live streams part of your regular content strategy, you'll create more opportunities for engagement, build stronger connections with your audience, and speed up your customer journey. Plus, you can repurpose that live content in tons of different ways afterward!

Start scheduling your YouTube live streams today, and see the difference for yourself. Trust me, once you experience how it transforms your business, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner!

If you do not have Riverside yet, grab a free account using this link. And if you end up loving Riverside, cause I know you will, go ahead and use code JAMARDIGGS for 15% off your subscription. Thank you so much for reading this guide - I hope it helps you leverage the power of YouTube live streaming in your business!

If you're ready to stop wasting time and start seeing real results with your YouTube strategy, take my FREE YouTube Marketing assessment to identify the specific gaps in your YouTube strategy. It takes less than a minute, and you'll get instant feedback on what you should focus on to see better results.