Facebook Live Streaming – How To Go Live On Facebook Like a PRO!

Facebook live streaming is an incredible way for people and businesses to connect with and grow their audience. But it can be a bit hard to get your head around all the specifics. 

So if you’re wondering how to live stream on Facebook, this guide is for you.

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In this complete Facebook live stream tutorial, we’ll do a full walk through using both free and paid apps and software. Whether you’re looking for the best Facebook live stream setup for Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android – you’ll learn exactly what you need. 

Here’s exactly what we’ll cover in this Facebook live streaming tutorial: 

Plus we’ll also share our top Facebook live tips along the way. You’ll learn how to go live on Facebook like a pro in no time! 

First up, let’s take a look at the entry level options. This includes the tools Facebook gives you: the Facebook app for mobile and Facebook Live Producer for desktop. 

These built-in tools are free, easy to use and there’s no additional software or hardware required. 

Then we’ll kick things up on notch and look at some pro-level Facebook live streaming tools. More advanced software allows you to do things like bring in a ton of guests, overlay titles and lots of other cool stuff that will take your live broadcast to the next level.

Let’s dive in. 

How To Livestream To Facebook On Mobile

To get started, open the Facebook mobile app on your iOS or Android device. From here, there are two ways to create a Facebook live video depending on whether you’re going live from a Facebook profile or a Facebook page. 

Going Live To A Facebook Profile

Hit the + button in the top right corner and select Live

Plus icon on the top right corner with Post, Story, Reel and Live options open in the Facebook Mobile app
Press the plus (+) sign then Live button on your Facebook app’s home screen

Going Live To A Facebook Page

If going live to a Facebook page, select the + button in the bottom menu bar and then select Live. 

You’ll be given two options: Live audio or Video. We’ll select Video and hit Next

Menu options (including Create a post, Story, Reel, Live, and Upload video) showing after hitting the plus sign on the bottom menu bar in a Facebook Page in Facebook Mobile app
Hit the plus (+) symbol and select Live when you’re in a Facebook page

Facebook Live Video Settings & Interface

Now you’re inside the Facebook Live interface. 

You’ll notice along the top you can view the follow details: 

  • Which account you’re on 
  • Post type (public, private, etc.)
  • Whether Story sharing is turned on (so the live broadcast will be shared to your Facebook stories)
Facebook Live interface with different icons and settings you can enable including the blue "Go Live" button
Simply click the Go Live button to start your Facebook Live Stream

To customize any of those details, you just need to tap on them. When it comes to who can see your post, these are the options you’ll see: 

  • Public (Anyone on or off Facebook)
  • Friends (Your friends on Facebook)
  • Friends except… (Don’t show to some friends)
  • Specific friends
  • Only me 
Facebook Live privacy settings for selecting who can see your post with Public selected and Share to story enabled.
Select your audience or privacy settings from the Facebook Live interface

If you’re learning how to live stream on Facebook, it’s a great idea to get some practice. That’s where this ‘Only me’ feature comes in. You can broadcast live without anyone else being able to see it. 

PRO TIP: Wondering how to go live to a Facebook Group? While in this section, scroll down to Your groups and select the groups you want to go live to. 

Let’s cover the tools you’ll have access to along the top menu:

  • Exit: Press the little arrow icon to leave the live stream
  • Effects: Access filters and effects for use in your live stream
  • Flash: Turn flash on or off 
  • Flip Camera: Flip the camera from front to back 
  • Mute: Mute your audio 
Four icons on the top part of the Facebook Live interface (from left to right): Effects/Filters, Flash icon, Flip Camera, Microphone symbol to mute
Simply tap any of these 4 icons at the top to quickly use them

It’s also a good idea to add a description before you go live. You’ll see the Tap to add a description… button towards the bottom of your screen. This is also where you can add a Feeling/Activity and tag people. 

Along the bottom you’ll see some more options:

  • Invite Guests: Select and tag friends you want to receive an invite to your live video
  • Enable Donations: You can allow people to donate to a particular charity during your stream
  • Create Polls & Questions: This is a great way to engage your audience and can be created before you go live
  • Settings: This is where you can access a bunch of settings such as adding a location, turning on voice enhancements and allowing viewers to rewind while you’re live 
Settings menu for Facebook Live in the mobile app
Tapping the 3 lines or hamburger icon on the bottom left of the screen will open up the Settings menu

Now that you’ve made those adjustments, you have two options: go live immediately or schedule your live stream for a later time. 

Once you’ve made those adjustments, tap Start Live Video. There’ll be a countdown timer and then a red LIVE icon will appear in the top corner. 

Facebook Live Settings WHILE Live

Now you’re live! 

Any comments will appear on the bottom of your screen. You can swipe across this section to switch between comments and reactions. 

Comments section with the text "Comments will appear here" on the bottom of the Live preview
You’ll be able to view all of the comments on your live stream allowing for live comment moderation

Along the bottom you can access a lot of the functionalities that were available before: 

  • Effects & Filters
  • Mute Audio 
  • Enhance Audio 
  • Flip Camera
  • Bring In Guests 
Six icons for tools on the bottom of the mobile screen in an ongoing Facebook Live stream, including Effects, Mute, Enhance Audio, Flip Camera, Invite Guests, and Comments
Quickly access these tools while you’re live on the bottom of the mobile app

Plus you can also add comments by hitting the Comment button or you can end the live stream by tapping Finish

Once your live broadcast has ended, you have the option to post your live stream to Facebook by hitting Next or you can delete it by selecting the Bin icon. 

Now let’s run through how to go Facebook live from desktop.

Pop-up window on the bottom third of the mobile screen with "Your live-stream has ended" text as a notification that your live has ended, along with Privacy settings, settings for scheduling your next live event, and delete icon
You can adjust settings, save, delete or share your live video after it’s finished

How To Livestream To Facebook Using Facebook Live Producer

To go live on Facebook using desktop, head to facebook.com. Go to where you’d usually start creating a regular post and you’ll see the Live Video button. 

Live video button on the Create post section in Facebook website on a desktop browser
Open Facebook on your desktop and press Live Video

This will take you to the Facebook Live Producer page. You can also access this page directly by going to www.facebook.com/live/producer

In the left menu bar, make sure the correct profile is selected and choose where you want this live stream to be posted. 

These are the different options when it comes to where you can post to: 

  • Post on timeline
  • Post to Page you manage
  • Post in group
Facebook Live Producer page where you can select which timeline to post your live, choose to Go live, or Create a scheduled event
In the Facebook Live Producer page, you can select to Go live immediately or schedule a Live event

Then on the main page, you’ll see two different options: Go live or Create live video event. Below that you can see any scheduled broadcasts. 

If you want to go live immediately, select Go live. If you want to schedule a live broadcast for a later date select Create live video event

For this example, we’re going to select Go live

Now you’ll be taken to a new page. In the top left corner, there are three steps you need to complete to create a live video:

  • Connect video source
  • Complete post details 
  • Go live
Stream setup step in Creating a live video on Facebook website on desktop where you can add post details, toggle share story, select your video source, and other settings
Select Webcam or Streaming software for your video source in the Stream setup step

Step 1: Connect Video Source

Go to the Select a video source section at the top of the page. There are two options: Webcam or Streaming software

PRO TIP: If you’re using streaming software, most of them will do this step for you (more on this later).

Since we’re going live directly from Facebook, not from live streaming software we’ll select Webcam. You might need to give access to your browser for Facebook to access your camera and microphone. 

Webcam selected as video source for Facebook live video with the selected devices to use, the cursor on the Start screen share button, and a preview of your live in the Stream setup step
Select Webcam as your video source to set the camera and microphone of your choice

Then under Camera Controls you’ll be able to select your camera and microphone of choice. If you want to screen share, hit Start screen share. 

Below that you’ll see a preview of your camera. 

Step 2: Add Post Details

Once you’ve selected your video source, a new box will appear where you can Add post details

This is where you can: 

  • Enable the Share to story feature
  • Insert a title
  • Add a description
Share to story settings that you can tick on and off under Add post details in the Facebook Live Stream setup step
Add the Title and Description under Add post details and you can tick to Share your live to your story here

Even though it’s not compulsory to add a title and description, it is a good idea. Letting people know what your live is about makes it more likely that people will click to join. 

At the bottom of the Description box is where you can add a location, a feeling/activity or charity. 

Now do one final check before going live. Review these settings: 

  • Where you want to post your live stream to 
  • When you’re going live 
  • Audience (there are the same options here as mentioned above)

Then you’re all set to go live, but there are a few extra settings you can configure. 

Facebook privacy or audience settings with options like Public, Friends, Friends except, Only, Specific friends, etc.
Similar to mobile, you can set the privacy for your Live video to Public, Friends, or a specific group

Extra Facebook Live Video Settings

Let’s quickly run through some more advanced things you can customize up. 

Under Settings, if you go to Stream settings you can adjust: 

  • Stream latency 
  • Whether your live video can be embedded outside of Facebook (you can also grab the embed code here)
  • Automatically unpublish your live video once it ends
Additional Stream settings found on the left sidebar in the Facebook Live producer page
Going to Settings > Stream on the left sidebar will show you additional settings you can adjust to customize your stream

If you go to Viewer settings, you can customize the following settings: 

  • Allow viewers to rewind your live stream while you’re live 
  • Allow people to turn on auto-generated captions
  • Allow viewers to message you 
Viewer Settings in the left sidebar of the Facebook Live producer page where you can toggle "Allow viewers to rewind" and a couple other settings
Toggle Allow viewers to rewind and Turn on auto-generated captions in the Viewers settings

Below Settings you can go to Interactivity which is where you can create polls, questions and graphics ready for when you’re live. 

Okay, now you’re ready to go live! 

Step 3: Go Live

Once you’ve confirmed everything is all set correctly, press the Go Live button. 

PRO TIP: We recommend leaving it on the Dashboard section while you’re live as it allows you to view and access all the different features & tools you might need. 

A square banner on the bottom left corner of the screen that shows "You're now live!", the duration of your stream and a red End live video button
Once live, you will see this “You’re now live!” banner on the bottom left corner with the duration of your stream and an End live video button

You’ll get a 3, 2, 1 countdown and then you’ll be live! 

In the main interface, you can: 

  • See the live Insights
  • Access the Stream Metrics
  • Create a Poll
  • Edit Stream details
  • View any Alerts about your live stream

Any comments or engagements from viewers will show up in the right menu. 

"End live video?" dialogue prompt to confirm you are ending a Facebook live video
Press End Live Video and then End when you’re ready to finish the live stream

When you’re ready to finish the live stream, press End Live Video. Then select End to confirm. 

After the live stream ends, you’ll be offered a few Quick actions

  • View post
  • Trim your video 
  • Create a clip from your video 
  • Delete video & return to News Feed
Quick actions options after a live video has ended: View post, Trim your video, Create a clip from your video, and Delete video & return to News Feed
Once your Live has ended, you can choose to trim or delete your video immediately

So that’s how to go live on Facebook using the tools that Facebook provides. Again, this is a simple option that doesn’t give you access to any of the more professional features. 

But there’s plenty of software and apps available if you’re looking for something with more customization and control.

How To Livestream To Facebook Using Pro-Level Tools

If you want a more professional tool for Facebook live videos, you’re going to need another app or tool to help you get there. There are lots of options that can help you with this! 

You’ve got Ecamm Live, Wirecast, ManyCam, VMix, Be.Live and XSplit just no name a few.

Out of all the options, our favourite all-rounder for Mac and PC right now is StreamYard

StreamYard Website Homepage
If you’re looking for a more professional software, StreamYard is a great option

StreamYard makes it super easy to go live on Facebook and all of the other major platforms as well. It packs a punch with some awesome features. 

In StreamYard you can play videos, feature comments and bring in heaps of guests – all really easily. 

You don’t even need to download and install any software! StreamYard runs in your browser meaning it’s cross platform. This means it works really well on mobile devices as well. 

How To Set Up A Live Stream With StreamYard

First up, go to the StreamYard website. Select Get Started to create an account and then log in. From here you’ll be taken to your Stream Setup dashboard. 

Click Create and then Live Stream. Next decide whether you want to create a live stream or a pre-recorded video. 

PRO TIP: This process is exactly the same if you’re live streaming from iPhone or Android. Just open the StreamYard browser on your mobile and follow along!

Home section inside a StreamYard account where you can create new live and recording and past streams
In the StreamYard dashboard is where you can see your created and previous streams

Select the Facebook pages you want to stream to or hit the + button to connect a new destination. 

One of the really cool things about StreamYard is that it has built in multi streaming. 

So where you set up and selected your Facebook account, you can also set up and select other social media accounts (like your YouTube channel for example). And then StreamYard will live stream to both accounts at the same time. 

It even brings all the comments from both streams into one manageable chat feed for you to interact with. 

Create live stream pop-up menu to setup your live stream's source and destination
You can stream to multiple platforms at the same time with StreamYard

Next insert a title, description and you can tick the box to schedule for later if you like. 

Once those details have been entered, click Create broadcast

Make sure your camera and microphone access is enabled in the browser. 

Then there are a few things to set up before entering the Broadcast studio.

Camera and microphone testing page before entering your StreamYard broadcast studio
After creating your Broadcast, you can test your camera and microphone before proceeding to the studio

First of all, press the Settings button. Just like in Facebook, you can choose the camera and microphone you want to use. You can also enable Echo cancellation and Automatically adjust mic volume

There’s lots of other settings you can adjust such as the video quality, virtual backgrounds, hotkeys and much more. 

Already you can see that there’s a lot more control & customization using a more advanced tool over the Facebook app or Facebook Live Producer. 

Settings window in Audio tab in StreamYard
Click the Gear icon to go to the Settings to set up your camera and microphone

PRO TIP: Check out our complete StreamYard Tutorial here. 

Then type in your name, press Enter studio and you’ll be taken to the Broadcast studio. 

StreamYard Interface

Once you’re in the studio, the first thing you’ll want to do is add your video feed to the broadcast. To do this, go to the little video stream down the bottom left corner and press Add to stream

Inside StreamYard Broadcast Studio with video source highlighted on the bottom left corner and an "Add to stream" button
Start by adding your video stream to the platform 

In the right menu you can access the: 

  • Comments: This is where all of the comments will appear (you can click on any comment to feature it on screen while you’re live)
  • Banners: These are like preset titles that you can create before going live (these could be questions or any text that you want to appear on screen while you’re live)
  • Brand: This is where you can customize what everything looks like – adjust the color, theme, logo, overlays and video clips (simply click them to make them appear during the live)
StreamYard Broadcast Studio interface with the Brand sidebar menu open where you can customize your Brand, Theme, Logo, Overlay and more.
You can access Comments, Banners and Brand in the right menu

How To Add Sources & Switch Layouts In StreamYard

Switching between different layouts or scenes in StreamYard is super easy. 

In the bottom menu bar go to Present. Here you have a few different options that you can add to your broadcast: 

  • Slides
  • Extra camera
  • Video file
  • Screen share
Present tool options in StreamYard where you can select Slides, an Extra camera, a video file, and Share screen
Clicking Present in the bottom toolbar, you’ll see the option to share your screen

Let’s say we want to add a screen share so we can show something on our computer screen while live streaming. 

Press Share Screen, select the tab you want to share and hit Share

Then your browser tab will appear as a video source next to your webcam. To add it to your broadcast, hit Add to stream

Screen share added as a source in StreamYard Broadcast Studio next to the main video source in the bottom left corner
Just like the main video source, click Add to stream to add your screen share in the Preview area

At this point, the browser tab will take up your entire live stream. But you can customize this by adjusting the layouts shown just below the broadcast. 

You can choose from things like a 50/50 screen split, picture in picture and multiple guest layouts. To switch between layouts it’s as simple as clicking the new layout and you can even do this while you’re live. 

PRO TIP: If you’re someone who likes to really customize things up, you have the option to edit the existing layouts to suit your needs more specifically. Tap the Edit icon below the broadcast screen and simply drag the different elements to change them up. 

Screen layout in StreamYard with the presenter's video as a small screen on the left and screen share on the right taking up 3/4 of the layout
Select your preferred layout on the bottom bar between the sources and Preview area

How To Add Guests In StreamYard

While you could bring guests into your live streams when using the Facebook website or app, there’s so much more functionality available in a tool like StreamYard. 

Invite button in the bottom toolbar in StreamYard Studio
Click Invite in the bottom menu to bring in guests to your stream

To bring guests into your live stream, press Invite in the bottom menu. A unique link will be generated that you can copy and send to people you’d like to join your live. You can have up to 10 guests on screen at once. 

When someone joins, their stream will appear down the bottom as a video source that you can add to the broadcast when you’re ready. When you want to bring them into your stream, simply click on Add to stream

Invite guests pop-up page where you can get a unique link you can share to people you want to invite to your stream
Simply copy and share the invite link to your guests

Once you’re all set up, double check that you’ve got the correct Facebook account or Facebook group selected in the top right corner. Then press the Go live button. 

Don’t forget you can feature a comment on screen by selecting it in the Comments tab. 

This allows you to add a whole new level of engagement with your audience – not just acknowledging their comments but featuring them on your live stream. 

A blue "Go live" button on the top right corner of the StreamYard interface
Press the Go Live button once you’re ready to start your live stream 

There are a ton of options here that allow you to customize your live. So test out all the awesome features and see which ones suit your style of live stream.

When you’re ready to stop the live stream, press the Stop Live button in the top right corner. 

StreamYard Pricing

There are three pricing options for StreamYard: 

  • Free: On this plan you’ll have StreamYard branding on all your live streams
  • Basic – $20/month: Removes StreamYard branding and unlocks a bunch of features
  • Professional – $39/month: Removes StreamYard branding and unlocks all of StreamYard’s features such as full HD and individual audio recordings
StreamYard Price Plan: Free, Basic, Professional Tiers
There are three pricing options for StreamYard

We recommend going for the Basic or Professional. The extra features are definitely worth it and your live streams will look much better without any StreamYard branding. But choose the option that works for you. 

What Is The Best Way To Livestream On Facebook?

If you’re after a simple and basic way to Facebook live stream, then the Facebook app or Facebook Live Producer would be a good option for you. 

For those who want more options, more control and a more professional live stream – there is lots of great software out there. 

Right now, our top all-rounder that happens to work on both desktop and mobile, is StreamYard

StreamYard Website Homepage
StreamYard is an awesome option if you’re looking for an all-rounder streaming software

It makes it so easy for you to manage everything during the live stream. You don’t need a team of people. And you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on the most professional software. That’s why we love StreamYard! 

Of course, there are some great options out there if you’re looking for even more advanced streaming software as well. 

Now You Know How To Go Live On Facebook

In this guide we covered everything you need to know on how to go live on Facebook. 

Whether you want to create a basic or advanced Facebook live videos, there are some awesome live streaming platforms out there. If you’re looking for an awesome all-rounder, StreamYard is a great choice no matter what your Facebook live setup is. 

If you found this Facebook live tutorial helpful, please share it on social media or with others who would also like to learn more about Facebook live streaming. 

FAQ

How do I stream live on Facebook?

When it comes to Facebook live streaming, you have two options: streaming directly through the Facebook interface (the Facebook app or Facebook Live Producer) or you can use more professional streaming software. The right option for you will come down to your specific needs. 

How do I go live on Facebook on my iPhone?

To go live on Facebook from your iPhone, you can use the Facebook app or a third party live streaming software. Follow the instructions above for a step-by-step explanation. 

Where is Facebook Live settings?

You can access the Facebook Live settings after selecting Live on mobile. On desktop, you can access settings once inside the Facebook Live Producer interface. 


Recommended Gear & Resources

Check out an up-to-date list of all the gear, software & tools we use and recommend right now at Primal Video on our resources page here!

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