How to Host Video on WordPress

People are increasingly choosing to consume content on their mobile phones and computers instead of television sets. As a result, traditional TV networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS have seen a significant decline in TV ratings, with many now struggling to stay afloat.

While the trend toward digital media is a positive influence for news organizations, it creates new challenges for traditional TV stations that haven’t adjusted to the new ways people are consuming content.

One area that’s been affected is broadcasting live events. With hundreds of millions of people using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media to follow news stories and live events as they occur, TV networks struggle to keep up with the fast pace of the Internet while maintaining quality and accuracy.

WordPress offers a way to solve this problem by enabling TV stations, bloggers, and other content creators to livestream events on their websites. In this article, you’ll discover the steps needed to get started including the equipment required.

Why Stream Events on Your Website?

Live streaming content on your website allows you to connect with potential future subscribers who are currently viewing your live feed. By making it possible to watch events as they occur, you open the door to more engaged audiences who want to follow the action as it happens.

It’s a free and easy way to add another dimension to content that is potentially visible to thousands or even millions of people. Whether you’re covering breaking news or live sports, video content is increasing in importance to businesses and individuals who rely on clicks and impressions to gauge success.

Plus, you can always pause the live stream if there’s no interaction or interest from the viewers. This gives you the opportunity to experiment with different styles of streaming and gauges the audience’s interest in real-time. You won’t know until you try.

All You Need Is A Webcam, WordPress, and a Microphone

To get started, you’ll need three items: a webcam, a microphone, and WordPress. You’ll also need to have a PC or Mac with a dedicated video card and sufficient processing power to handle HD video streaming.

While the webcam and microphone are relatively inexpensive items, having a high-quality camera that provides an HD image and captures audio with ease of use are both fairly expensive. If your existing camera and microphone combo isn’t up to the task, consider upgrading.

Next, download and install WordPress to your computer. Once you’ve installed WordPress, visit the Settings page and click on the Media button. You’ll see categories like Video, Audio, and Images.

Click on the Video tab and you’ll see options for uploading and streaming videos from your own device or online.

This is the part where most people forget about the importance of quality and end up either using YouTube or Vimeo to stream their videos because they don’t have enough storage on their own devices. While the two hosting services are convenient for users who want to share their content quickly and cheaply, they’re not ideal for media professionals who want to ensure that their content looks as good as new.

Instead of storing your videos on a third party site, consider using a service like YouTube, which provides you with unlimited storage and works with A-list celebrities and media organizations to ensure that your content looks its best. You can also use a tool like HandBrake to convert your videos for archival purposes or to ensure that they look the same no matter what device or platform you use.

Choosing The Right Place To Stream Your Event

The first step is to select the right venue for your event. If you have a specific space in mind, check with the venue to see if they have any restrictions or requirements regarding live music or TV sets. They may ask you to sign a waiver or something similar so that they’re not accused of copyright infringement for showing your event.

If you’re planning on broadcasting your event to the general public, you don’t necessarily need a venue with a stage. Instead, look for a medium-sized space with seating so that everyone can follow the action. If you have a budget in mind, consider renting a hall with a few hundred seats.

Decide Whether To Stream Your Event Online Or Offline

Once you’ve chosen the right location, you can move on to the next step which is determining whether to stream your event online or offline. There are a few things to consider.

If you decide to go the online route, you have a few hosting services from which to choose. Depending on your needs, you may want to consider using a free service like YouTube, where you can post both your live video and recorded footage. If you decide to go the offline route, you have a few options as well. You can either use a service like Twitch to broadcast your event to people interested in live video, or you can use a service like Wirecutter to record and store your event as is. If you decide to go this route, you may want to consider investing in some high-quality microphones.

Configure The Settings For Your Webcam And Mic

Next, you’ll need to configure your settings for your webcam and mic. Your webcam needs to have a good view of the room and the lighting should be consistent enough so that the image is easy on the eyes. Avoid using a front-facing camera unless you’re absolutely sure that it’s going to be well-lit and have good visibility. The distance from the camera to the person being filmed should be appropriate, but it shouldn’t be so far that the image becomes pixelated.

Make sure that your mic is placed near the area where the speakers are so that everything is audible and the audio doesn’t get distorted by the sound of the crowd or other nearby sounds. If you don’t have a dedicated soundproof booth, you may want to consider placing a few inexpensive speaker boxes around the room to help separate the speaker from the rest of the room.

Create A Few Brief Tutorials On Webcam Use

Once you have your webcam and mic in place, you can begin creating tutorials, which are short videos that help new users get the most out of their equipment. These tutorials may cover anything from using the camera to shoot an event, to creating a playlist of music for the perfect background. It’s a good idea to make a few short demos to show off the different features of your camera and mic.

If you’re using a WordPress site for your media organization, you can also post these tutorial videos to help new and returning users get the most out of your platform. Just remember to keep them short (under 3 min) and simple (just one or two steps). If you have a longer video, consider breaking it up into multiple shorter videos to keep your audience interested.

Get Inspired By Event Coverage On Youtube

Finally, take some time to look at others’ coverage of the same event and get inspired. From traditional news outlets like CNN and the BBC to online-only creators like the New York Times and USA Today, you’ll find numerous videos showing different angles of the same event. Why? Because people love to share. People want to express what they experienced, and they want to do it through video. This is something you can use to your advantage.

If you cover an event that is of interest to your audience, they’ll come back for more. Over time, you can build a sizable audience that follows your every move.

As you can see, there are numerous ways in which you can use video to enhance your coverage of events. Whether you decide to go the online or offline route, or want to use a combination of the two, the options are endless.

If you’d like to become more involved in the world of digital media, we have job opportunities in London for people with experience in video production, editing, and design. With video content increasing in importance every day, here’s a chance to jump in and get started.