However, a simple upload won’t cut it in this case. Video embed to your website is really the way to go. Video embedding may seem like a routine job, however, it’s not that clear cut. With so much information here and there on how to embed a video from one place to another, we’ve aimed to create an ultimate guide to embedding video on your website, which covers it all.

Let’s jump right in!

What is a Video Embed?

First and foremost, it is important to understand what stands behind the main element of a video embed – an embed code. An embed code is a piece of HTML code that you can use to add video and other types of content to your website.

Embed code is a piece of HTML code that you can use to add video and other types of content to your website.

This snippet of code helps display the video on your website. It pulls the video from its original source, without actually “forcing” you to host it on your website.  This implies that you won’t have to worry that a video will affect your website load time, and it also opens up an array of choices between various video hosting services that best suit your needs.

Although most video hosting services offer auto-embed generation, it won’t hurt to understand the basic video embed code structure:

<iframe src=”URL’></iframe>

Instead of the URL part, just add the link to the video, and voila – there’s your HTML code. Knowing a bit of HTML will also allow you to adjust the embed code manually: adding the needed height and width, or block particular features of the video you don’t want to display on your page. It can look like this:

You may wonder at this point – why can’t you simply upload the video to your site and be done with the hassle? Google often says that videos add significant website load time, decrease site speed, and, thus, affect user experience and negatively impact your SEO. Hence, you may lose traffic, rankings et cetera. Not to speak about overloaded servers, extra costs, and so on. 

Embedding videos to a website will help you overcome most of these issues. Here’s why. 

Embed Do Not Upload: The Key Advantages of an Embedded Video

1. Embed video on a website for higher video load times (and SEO)

When you upload a video to your site, your video may take ages to load, which, in turn, affects the page’s load time. So, your site visitors can experience slow video loading, unexpected pauses, and the overall refusal to play. Embedding videos can help you maintain your site speed at a balanced rate and bring no negative effect to user experience. And, according to Google’s John Mueller, site speed is one of the key ranking factors in our mobile-first era. 

Why should you worry about that? Here’s a graph that shows how site load time impacts conversions:

Source: Crisp Video

So, basically, lower load time means lower rankings, decreased traffic, fewer conversions, and… lost revenue! 

But do not think that adding a video will only cause you trouble. Having a video play on your website will significantly impact the amount of time people spend on your site (positive ranking factor), and also the video itself may show up on Google’s #1 page, which brings traffic, and all the rest that follows. Thus, it’s all just a matter of doing things right and choosing the embed option over the upload.

2. Embed video on a website to overcome bandwidth limitations

Uploading a video exhausts your own server’s bandwidth (which comes at a cost). And every time someone links to or embeds your video on their website, your own site suffers as they’re using up your bandwidth once again. This is costly and inefficient. 

3. Embed video on a website to avoid file size and storage limits

Your site hosting always comes at a storage limit – so, by and large, every time you upload a video, you are taking up space on your server. By uploading multiple videos, you can potentially take up too much space, and if multiple users view your video simultaneously, your site load times could drastically slow down.

Moreover, there is also a matter of file size limitation to video uploading. Your site hosting platform will most likely have tight restrictions on the video format and file sizes, so you will find yourself compressing the video to a point of no use. Video embedding won’t get you these restrictions.

Source: ProPhoto

4. Embed video on a website for higher video quality

From file size restrictions, we’re getting to video quality limitations when it comes to uploading videos to a site. If you want to display your high-quality hard-worked-on video on your website, storing it on a third-party site ensures you will stay within your “inode limit,” the data structure that keeps the information about the file on your hosting account. So, you won’t have to think about converting your video files into multiple formats and versions to let your visitors view your videos in high definition or lower resolution.

Choosing a Video Hosting Site

Basically, by choosing to embed videos to your website, you’re leaving all the server load worries and file format changes to someone who has the time and resources for that. But, as you probably understand, to embed a video to your website, you have to, first, add it to a third-party video hosting platform. And here, you have plenty of choices.

There’s no best or worst video host concept, it’s really a matter of balance of the right features and cost. So, we’ve summed up the key features to consider before choosing the right video hosting site:

Responsive player

Your video hosting site should offer a responsive video player, a mobile-friendly rich media widget, that’s designed to provide your audience with the utmost user and viewing experience. Regardless of whether they watch from a desktop screen, smartphone, tablet or any other screen size, the video expands to fill the width of the screen but maintains the videos’ original aspect ratio. This helps avoid static sizing that can potentially distort page layouts, deform the image, or display black bars around the video.

Speed and quality of service

When you’re choosing a video hosting, you want to be sure they’re providing the utmost service. So, there’s a twofold understanding of what a good speed and quality of service imply:

• Support for great video quality: In 2020, you cannot really afford grainy footage and animations in 360p or 480p. So, unless you are on a low budget and 1080p will cut it for your purposes, make sure the video hosting service you choose supports Ultra HD or more. The best platforms out there offer you to automatically switch between HD/SD quality.
• Great support & customer service: Double-check the quality of the servers that the service uses. Does the site crash from time to time (this will affect the video display on your website!)? Is it at all prone to DDoS attacks? And, what’s more important, what’s the average response time to their customer’s queries?

Player configuration options

First impressions matter, so the first thing that catches your and your customers’ eye is the design of the video player. From colors to buttons, autoplays and configuring all the necessary commands – the more customizable the video player is, the better. 

Video player customization options in Wave.video hosting

Lead generation features

If you’re adding a video to your website, it becomes a part of your lead generation machine. So, make sure that the video platform you’re choosing actually supports lead generation through the video. This feature includes things like calls-to-action and ways to capture your visitors (leads) information. Otherwise, it’s basically a video player you’re paying for.

Privacy

When operating online, privacy is an obvious factor to consider. The same applies to the privacy of your videos. It’s important that the video hosting platform of your choice does not allow everyone to watch or download your videos without your permission. Therefore, the hosting service should give you the option to impose strict rules on downloading things and an efficient way of enforcing those rules. The ability to protect your videos with a password is a feature to look for when choosing a video hosting platform.

SEO 

If you want to play with your own site’s ranking, you should be strategic in your choice of a video hosting platform. Look for a hosting service that is both stable and popular (as in, high in rankings in itself), and make use of their share of Google’s ranking. First of all, hosting your video on an external site will provide you with outbound links, or backlinks, and will potentially make it easier to get video rich snippets for your own domain.  Thus, this will give you a chance to impact your site’s ranking as well.

Source: Moz

Analytics and data collection

Your videos are designed to attract and please the customer, so you would naturally want to know how pleased the customers are. Therefore, the service you host your video on should give you a plethora of analytics to look at. And not just simple things like views, comments, but a whole different kind of complex data. Embedding videos allows you to add a special tracking code – from Google Tag Manager – and get additional analytics within your Google Analytics account, like the average watch time, the moment people generally stop watching, and so on. You need all this data to know how and why your videos are successful (or not).

Cost

Once you’ve made sure you’ve considered all the features you need, you’re content with the platform and support, and you’ve got your head around the video quality, the final thing is to ensure the platform falls within your budget. And this depends on how many video views you anticipate, and how large your video files are. More views of larger videos will imply you’re using more bandwidth and so the price will increase. It’s also worth checking if the platform allows monthly or annual contracts. If you’re a small business or just starting out with video, you probably won’t want to be tied into long-term contracts.

How to Generate the Embed Code

Once you’ve picked your video hosting platform and uploaded all of your video content, there’s only one step that separates you from adding/embedding a video to your website – finding that embed code.  

Embedding videos from video hosting services 

Embedding from Wave.video

To embed a video from Wave.video, go to My Projects and find the video you want to embed. Then, hover over the three dots icon and click on “Player”.

Switch on the toggle that says “Embed video” and Wave.video will auto-generate an embed code for your video. Under the toggle, you will also find video size settings, so don’t forget to make use of this feature. 

To customize the video player, open the “Appearance” tab and feel free to change the player color, define what controls are shown (if any), or choose a custom thumbnail. If you want to learn more about Wave.video hosting features, make sure to read this article.

There are several options of how you can embed videos with Wave.video on your website or blog.

• Inline embed

This is a regular embed that will place your video within the surrounding text or other UI elements of your page.

• Popover embed

Embedding a video this way will open it in a modal dialog that pops over the rest of the content.

There are three ways to integrate your video into your page’s content: thumbnail, highlight and text link.

Embedding from YouTube

Just go to your video’s YouTube play page, click on the “Share” button, and then “Embed.” You can just copy the embed code, or work on a few customizable options – displaying/covering player controls or playing the video from a certain point (not necessarily the beginning).

If you want further customization, there are plenty of parameters – autoplay, color, language, looping, and more – that you can add within the iframe embed. They are all listed on Google’s Developer page.

Embedding from Vimeo

Vimeo embed code can be found by clicking on the Share icon on the right hand of the video. You’ll see a window with various frames, and one of them is your embed code.

By clicking on +Show Options, you can customize the way your video will be displayed with this embed code. You can alter the player’s color, its size (keep it Responsive, just in case), add an intro, and add some “special stuff” like looping, autoplay and more.

By going Pro, Business, or Premium,  you can see some additional perks like customizing colors and components, adding end screens and logo.

Embedding from Wistia

Go to your media page, and click the Embed & Share button. You’ll see an Embed & Share screen, where you can copy your embed code type and alter it for your page.

Wistia offers two types of embed codes: Inline embeds and Popover embeds. Inline embed codes imply positioning the video in line with the rest of your content, while Popover embeds help your videos, well, pop over your page’s content.

Embedding from Vidyard

Note that for video embedding from Vidyard, you must have the Player Embeds feature with your plan. Vidyard supports two embed options – responsive embed and iframe embed. 

On your Vidyard’s dashboard, click on the Content>Player section, and hover your cursor over the player, and then click “share”. Under the Responsive Embed part, simply click on the Copy Code icon, and choose the Use Lightbox option to turn the code into a lightbox embed. You can manually enter the player dimensions to get the maximum width and height. 

If your website does not support JavaScript, you can select the Trouble embedding? checkbox and copy the iframe embed code instead.

Embedding videos from social media 

Embedding from Facebook

Each video on Facebook is supported with the embed feature. All you have to do is click on the “…” in the top right corner of the Facebook post and press “Embed.”

If you’d like, you can choose the “Include full post” option (just press on the checkbox), and it will add the corresponding text from the Facebook post along with the video. 

Embedding from Instagram

Since Instagram is owned by Facebook, the embedding process is very similar. Open up Instagram from a desktop (not the app), and click on the “…” in the upper right corner.

Press on “Embed” and copy the embed code. Once again, you’ll have a choice to add (or not) the caption to your embed. 

Embedding from Twitter

To embed a Twitter video, do not use the app. Open the tweet on a desktop and select “Embed Tweet” from the drop-down menu, located next to the “Follow” button on the Tweet. Then, choose the “Embed Tweet” option.

Just copy/paste the embed code – but note, with Twitter’s embed, it will display the entire Tweet with the caption, there is no option to display a single video.

Embedding from TikTok

With TikTok, the “Get Embed Code” button appears right on the video. Although there are no options to choose from as all you’ll get is a link for 340×700 player with autoplay, you can tweak some settings when adding the embed code to your webpage.

Using an Alternative Method: Video Embed Code Generators

If for some reason, you don’t wish to follow the easy steps for getting the embed codes for your video from the video hosting sites or social media, there’s certainly a workaround. 

There’s an alternative method  – you can find plenty of special sites that are inherently just video embed code generators. Platforms like Embed.ly, Toolki, and Siege Media allow you to generate an embed code for your video: all you have to do is have the videos’ URL at hand and these sites will automatically create an embed code for your video.

But, this workaround comes with a few catches:

• Usually, the newly embedded video on your site will have the platform’s watermark on it
• There’s a very limited video customization capability
• These platforms do not offer any analytics or even the possibility to add a tracking code to further track your video’s stats in Google Analytics or third-party analytical platforms.

So, if you have the chance to use a video hosting platform, always go for this option. 

Part V: How to Embed a Video to Your Website

Now that you’re all equipped with the knowledge about the advantages of video embedding, know how to pick the right video hosting service and how to generate the embed code, we’ll quickly walk you through the details of how to actually embed a video to the most popular site hosting platforms.

Embedding Videos in HTML

STEP 1: EDIT YOUR HTML

Open up the page you want to embed the video on in the edit mode. Select the precise spot in the code you want your video to appear at and place your cursor there.

STEP 2: COPY & PASTE THE EMBED CODE

Copy your embed code and simply paste it into the spot you placed your cursor at. Press, “save” or “publish”, and that’s it.

Double-check if the video is displayed exactly where you placed the code and don’t forget to monitor your page’s and video’s performance.

Embedding Videos in WordPress

If your website runs on WordPress, there are two options to embed a video. 

#1 OPTION: COPY/PASTE THE URL

For the most popular video hosting platforms like Vimeo, YouTube, and a few others, you don’t need to look up the full embed code. Just copy the video’s URL and paste it into the Visual editor – the embed code will get automatically produced.

#2 OPTION: USE THE EMBED CODE

Sometimes you want to add some tweaks to the video display, or you may be hosting your videos on a platform that’s not being supported by WordPress’s automatic embed. That’s when you’ll have to use the video’s embed code.

Go to the WordPress Text editor (do not confuse with the Visual editor) and you’ll see the HTML version of your page. Then, just follow the steps we mention above in the HTML section of this guide on how to embed video on your website.

Embedding Videos in Shopify

STEP 1: COPY THE EMBED CODE

The first step is very simple – just copy the embed code from where you’re hosting your video.

STEP 2: LOG INTO YOUR SHOPIFY ADMIN DASHBOARD

Log into your Shopify admin dashboard. All your current pages should be listed under Online Store -> Pages. Navigate to the page you want to edit and make note of the symbols in the editor toolbar.

Step 3: CLICK THE “INSERT VIDEO” BUTTON

Choose the rich text editor, and in the toolbar, click on the video camera icon. A new window will pop up – just paste the video’s embed code and select the “Insert video” option. There you go!

Embedding Videos in Squarespace

When it comes to embedding, Squarespace is very similar to WordPress. You can choose between the option to use an embed code or to embed videos by copy/pasting the video’s URL (only possible when embedding from YouTube, Vimeo, Animoto, or Wistia).

Since Squarespace is a website builder, just add any block that supports video, and simply copy/paste your video URL, or press the embed icon (highlighted in a red circle), then you’ll see a pop-up window where you can copy/paste your embed code.

In Squarespace, you can tweak the video’s title and description, and by unchecking the “Use Thumbnail” option, you can also add a custom-made thumbnail for your video on that page.

Embedding Videos in Wix

Wix runs on similar principles as the previous site hosting platforms. Only the copy/paste URL option for video embed supports videos hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, and Facebook. 

#1 OPTION: COPY/PASTE THE URL

Step 1: Open up the Editor

Click the “+” icon on the left side of the Editor and choose Video. Under Single Videos Player, pick the platform your video is hosted at — YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, or Facebook.

Step 2: Copy your video’s URL

Click on “Change Video” and copy the URL of the video you’d like to showcase. In this step, you can tweak the playback and control options.

Step 3: Adjust the position of your video

Use the drag and drop to change the position and the size of your video. And just save the page!

#2 OPTION: USE THE EMBED CODE

If you’re not hosting your videos on the platforms supported by Wix, you’ll need to copy the embed code for your video. And then, instead of selecting to add a Video, you’ll have to press on “More”. This is where you’ll find the HTML iframe, where you can paste the embed code. Press “Save”, and you’re good to go. 

Final Words

Seems like we’ve covered pretty much everything related to embedding videos on your website. After such an extensive read, all we have to say is that adding a video to your site will bring value not just to your SEO, analytics, and revenue department. People love videos and appreciate the time you invest into creating content that’s valuable, entertaining, and easy-to-digest. All you have to ensure is that your videos aren’t affecting the user experience, and video embeds are a great tool for that.

Please, let us know in the comments whether there’s anything you’d like us to add to this guide. Which questions are still left unanswered? Which video hosting platforms or site hosting services you’d like us to update this guide with? What are your struggles and challenges when it comes to embedding videos to your website and providing the utmost user experience?

The post The Ultimate Guide to Embedding Video on Your Website appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

Besides helping you speak flawlessly, a teleprompter app saves time by cutting out on those re-takes and post-production edits that may occur because of slip-ups, awkward fillers, or forgetting what to say next.

In this post, we’ll discuss what is a teleprompter, how to use a teleprompter online and share our top picks for free and paid teleprompter apps.

What is a Teleprompter?

Traditionally, a display device that scrolls text as a person reads and speaks it to the audience; today, a teleprompter could also refer to an app that lets you convert your laptop, tablet or smartphone into a text-prompting device.

Apart from helping you maintain eye contact with the audience as you speak, it also makes you sound natural and more confident while eliminating the need to memorize a script or cues.

Best Online Teleprompter Tools: Free & Paid

1. Wave.video

Wave.video is an all-in-one, browser-based tool that helps you create amazing videos, live streams and recordings in a centralized platform. It streamlines connecting with your audiences through its amazing features, and its online teleprompter is one of them. It enables you to deliver accurate speeches with conviction, is easy to use and completely flexible.

You can use Wave.video’s teleprompter to save time as you create perfect live videos while keeping eye contact with your audience. You can easily use it to eliminate those awkward pauses and ensure a smooth flow of speech as you live stream.

Pros

• Quick set up and hassle-free use
• Integration within the live-streaming studio
• An all-inclusive video creation, live streaming and recording suite
• Easy text adjustment options
• Free tool for all users

Free or Paid: Free

Platforms: Web

Verdict

Wave.video enables live streamers and video creators to manage their speeches directly from within the studio. You can easily add text, adjust the font, speed and margin and enjoy it for free. It’s one of the best teleprompter apps that does the job exceedingly well, without stressing you with overwhelming features.

How to Use Wave.video’s Online Teleprompter

You can use Wave.video’s teleprompter while live streaming or recording a video. Here’s how to do that in a few simple steps:

Step 1 – Log In and Set Up a Live Stream or Start a Recording

Log into your Wave.video account, go to “My streams & recordings” on the left and click “Setup Live Stream” or “New Recording”. You can also directly go to the studio by choosing “Open Studio” from the options.

Step 2 – Add Stream Details and Destinations

Now, add a title, description and choose a folder for recording. You can also upload a thumbnail and schedule the live stream in this step.

Once done, click “Setup destinations”.

After selecting your live stream destinations, click “Create Live Stream”.

Step 3 – Open Studio & Go to the Teleprompter

After checking the mic and camera settings, enter the live studio, and click the “Teleprompter” tab on the right.

You can now paste or type your text in the teleprompter box and click “Show”.

Your text will be displayed on the screen along with your video. You can adjust the font size, speed, and margin according to your requirements.

To play the text, hit the “Play (Space)” tab or use the space key on your keyboard.

And that’s how easy it is to use Wave.video’s teleprompter feature for your live streams and video recordings!

2. Speakflow

If you need a teleprompter that enables team collaboration and organization while keeping track of all the changes made to the scripts, Speakflow can help. Like Wave.video, this one is also a web-based app, but it doesn’t offer live streaming functionality.

However, it does offer a unique flow mode where it follows your voice as you read. So, you can take pauses and sound natural without requiring video re-takes.

Pros

• Scroll with your voice using the flow mode
• Sync multiple devices at once
• Hassle-free collaboration
• Auto-save feature with revision history and AI assistance

Cons:

• No live streaming functionality
• Some online reviews complaint about glitches in the flow mode

Free or Paid: Paid, starting at $10 per month

Platforms: Web

Verdict

Speakflow is a good online teleprompter that offers multiple features like device sync for remotely scrolling the text, text adjustments, integrated AI and voice recognition, etc. But, it’s not a free tool. So, if you need a teleprompter app at no added cost, you may have to look elsewhere.

3. Promptr

Built as a personal project, Promptr is one of the well-deserved entries on this list. The web-based teleprompter app doesn’t require sign-ups or downloads. Its clean user interface is fantastic and it lets you focus on what you need to speak. There are multiple formatting options, text adjustments and mirrored and normal views for hassle-free reading.

Pros

• A free, web-based tool that works on all devices
• Clean and intuitive UI
• Easy text adjustment

Cons:
There is no option to read the text as an overlay on other apps.

Free or Paid: Free

Platforms: Web

Verdict

Promptr doesn’t limit itself to a basic online teleprompter. Instead, it seamlessly serves speakers with features that help match the flow of their voice with the text on the screen. On the flip side, it doesn’t offer an overlay feature. So, if you need to use it with a live streaming app, you’d have to choose an alternative like Wave.video.

4. PromptDog

Our next pick, PromptDog, is an excellent teleprompter software for Windows and macOS devices. Although it requires a download, its list of features makes it worth the storage space. It lets you read your script in front of or beside the camera, supports multiple languages and even comes with a rewind feature to back up a few lines for those quick re-takes.

There’s also an eyeline indicator with adjustable transparency and a fast search option to aid your video production efforts.

Pros

• Compatible with most professional teleprompter hardware
• Easy above/below the lens setup
• Works offline
• Dual screen support

Cons:

• Requires downloading the app
• Available only for Windows and macOS devices

Free or Paid: Paid, one-time payment of $99

Platforms: Windows, macOS

Verdict

PromptDog is an excellent fit for Windows and macOS users who want to record videos even when they are offline. And although it’s not free, it doesn’t require recurrent payments like other paid apps on this list.

5. Teleprompter Online

Another free app for those needing a web-based teleprompter, Teleprompter Online has many customization options like text size, duration control, color management, etc.

You can also record your speech as an audio file which can be stored locally. The audio recordings get immediately available for download without reaching the app’s servers.

Pros

• Horizontal, vertical, mirror and reverse effects
• Responsive app
• Play, pause and stop feature
• Local recordings available

Cons:

• A bit archaic interface
• No overlay option

Free or Paid: Free

Platforms: Web

Verdict

Teleprompter Online is a no-fuss tool to prompt text directly to your browser. You get some good features like the mirror and reverse effects, making it a great app to use with a physical teleprompter device.

6. PromptSmart

PromptSmart is a cross-platform app suite for video production and offers some interesting features that make it one of the best online teleprompter tools out there. From its VoiceTrack technology that automatically scrolls as you speak, stops when you pause, and resumes when you return to the script to its customer portal, there’s much to like about this app.

However, it comes at a decent price point, and you just get a 7-day free trial to test the waters.

Pros

• Cloud sync
• Browser-based control room
• Multilingual support for VoiceTrack scrolling

Cons:

• No free version
• Involves a bit of a learning curve
• Requires download and sign-up

Free or Paid: Paid, starting at $9.99/month

Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS, Windows

Verdict

If you’re looking for an intuitive teleprompter with a voice-activated feature, PromptSmart is your best bet. This one has many useful features like a remote control room, duplicate prompter displays and speaker profiles, etc., making this paid app worth the price.

7. Teleprompter Mirror

Teleprompter Mirror may not have the range of features you’ll see on most apps, but the browser-based version excels at simple prompting, voice-activated scrolling and text adjustment.

You can go for this app from the company that sells teleprompter mirrors and enjoy a trouble-free prompting experience, as they know what their audience needs. The web interface is slick and performance is a real highlight too.

Pros

• Voice-activated scrolling
• Mirror flip option
• Multilingual support
• Offers keyboard shortcuts

Cons:

• No option to live stream
• Can’t use as an overlay with other apps

Free or Paid: Free

Platforms: Web

Verdict

Teleprompter Mirror is an impressive tool for anyone who doesn’t want to download or sign up for a teleprompter app. It’s easy to use and offers some great features like automatic scrolling, voice-activated scrolling, keyboard shortcuts, font color management, etc.

Conclusion

These teleprompter apps can help you speak to the camera with confidence and deliver your script without memorizing it. So, if you hate breaking eye contact with your viewers, use one of the tools mentioned on this list and create more engaging and professional-looking videos.

To learn how to make your videos more professional, check this guide.

The post 7 Best Online Teleprompter Tools (Free & Paid) appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

It may sound cliche at this point because so many people keep saying it: You won’t lose your career to AI but you will likely lose it to someone who is using AI.

AI-driven tools can make your marketing routine much more focused and effective on so many levels.

Here’s how emerging AI technology can help you drive more sales from YouTube and other video-based platforms:

1. Create More Videos Using Text-to-Video Tools

There are two huge benefits of repurposing your text content into video format:

• You get to promote it on (and generate traffic from) video-only marketing channels like YouTube and TikTok
• You get a chance to occupy more than one position in Google: YouTube videos rank organically and within their own separate sections called “video packs”. Both can generate a lot of clicks which you can then convert or direct to your site.

It used to be time-consuming to create a video every time you wrote an article. These days with AI-drive tools, it takes minutes!

Wave.video provides a handy text-to-video feature that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to understand your text, break it into logical sections and create a video visualizing each section. You can copy-paste your content or submit your article URL and let the tool do the rest.

Once the video is generated, you can edit any part of it. You can also upload a voiceover. If you don’t like recording your own voiceover, use AI voices with Speechify or Murf. You can select voices and accents there, and play with different styles until you are happy with your voiceover.

2. Enhance Your Videos Using AI Technology

While organic traffic from Google is a good enough incentive to create more videos, it shouldn’t be your only video marketing strategy. YouTube and TikTok are both huge platforms of their own, both are being used as search engines to discover brands, places, and products. If you aren’t doing your best to tap into an enormous audience, then you’re liming your chances to develop a new traffic and sales source that is totally independent of Google and its ranking fluctuations.

While there is no single way to succeed on either of these platforms (in fact, we have detailed guides on both TikTok and YouTube for your business), there is one common thing you need to master: creativity.

You need to develop your own style and wow your audience with original and creative videos. That’s the only way to succeed on either (or both) of those platforms.

Luckily, there are AI tools that can help you come up with better videos that drive views and engagements.

Videoleap is a mobile app that offers a variety of creative options allowing you to come up with original visual elements for your video content. One of the recently added tools allows you to change your video background easily, and you can use it to place custom AI-generated visuals as backgrounds.

Other AI-driven tools from the app include content-aware effects and transitions and the ability to select and remove objects from clips simply by selecting them.

Adobe is another cool platform offering AI video enhancement features, like smart color matching, automated clip-to-clip transition, and many more. Adobe requires much more training than Videoleap or Wave, so it will probably be too much for most businesses that do much more aside from creating videos.

3. Create SEO Content for Your Videos Using AI Tools

Whether you are uploading your video to YouTube or embedding it on your site (or both, which is what I always recommend), you need the original text content for your video to be SEO-friendly and accessible. You need the text content for search crawlers to index. It will also help human beings who don’t want to or cannot, watch your video.

There are two types of text content that you can add to your video page to accommodate search crawlers and human users:

• The video description (the summary and key points discussed in the video)
• The full video transcript

There’s an AI-powered tool for both of these tasks.

Text Optimizer can write semantically optimized content you can add when uploading your video to YouTube. It takes seconds to write the video summary from scratch.

Just don’t forget to add your page URL for video viewers to find their way to your site.

AudioNotes creates full video transcripts from your YouTube video URLs. It will also summarize the transcript, so you can use that content in multiple places (your page, as SEO meta data, and on YouTube).

Once your videos are live and optimized, check back often and as you see views grow, check the rankings of your YouTube videos to identify which of those videos you should start monitoring more closely.

4. Shorten Buying Journeys Using AI Technology

Finally, generating views is one task. Getting video viewers to go to your site or perform some sort of action is a different matter. Video viewers are busy people: They almost never pause enough to do anything except for watching the next video.

What’s the best way to activate this type of audience?

You need to experiment a lot but here’s what you are looking at:

• Contextual in-video CTAs: Call to action right inside your video! There’s an AI CTA generator to get you inspired.
• Make it easy to act! Video viewers may be lazy to look for a link to click but they may give you a call or chat with you. AI technology makes these CTAs easier to scale through options like IVR and chatbots.

Finally, try video ads! Both YouTube and TikTok provide advertising options that can put your videos in front of a wider audience and generate clicks. TikTok ads are incredibly affordable too, so give that option a try! And yes, both of these platforms have been utilizing AI and machine learning for quite some time now. So these are inherently AI-driven tools as well that can make your video strategy much more effective.

Ads allow you to test your videos and better evaluate which videos perform better. Don’t change the audience settings when creating ads for different videos. This will help you identify a winner and create more effective videos in the future.

Conclusion

AI can help you boost your video marketing strategy performance. Keep experimenting with new tools until you discover what works best for you. Good luck!

The post How to Use AI To Generate More Traffic and Sales from YouTube appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

Besides making it easier to host engaging webinars, a reliable platform gives you the freedom to scale and measure success.

But how to choose the best webinar software for seamless attendee management, information delivery, and audience engagement?

In this post, we dive deep into the best webinar platforms to help you find the right solution for your virtual or hybrid event’s requirements.

Let’s get started.

What is Webinar Software?

Webinar software is a tool to host and run virtual seminars or web conferences. In addition to streaming presentations, the best webinar software may give access to screen sharing, file sharing, polling, video recording, etc. It may also offer a live chat box to let the participants interact with the host and ask questions live.

Webinar platforms are a preferred choice for businesses, professionals and educational institutions looking to host virtual presentations, events and training sessions.

Why Do You Need Webinar Software?

Don’t let the word “software” overwhelm you. Webinar software is there to help you in many ways:

• You can use webinar software to connect with audiences spanning across the world. No need to be present at the exact physical location to present your ideas. It’s a boon for businesses or organizations with multiple locations.
• Hosting virtual or hybrid events through webinar software adds to the professionalism of a brand. When you deliver high-quality content to your audience, it adds to brand credibility and authority.
• With features like screen sharing, chat rooms, and local or cloud recordings, such software makes collaborating and communicating with the participants easier.
• Webinar software offers a tremendous opportunity to generate leads by delivering valuable content allowing attendees to opt-in for further resources.
• Finally, using webinar software can be a cost-effective option for hosting an in-person event or meeting, which can be expensive and time-consuming to organize.

10 Best Webinar Platforms

1. Wave.video

Wave.video is an incredibly powerful, wonderfully built and feature-rich online tool. An essential one for any brand or professional, this multifunctional video marketing platform lets you create and host stunning webinars.

There’s no webinar software quite like Wave.video, thanks to its simplicity and functionalities. The drag-and-drop editor gets the webinar setting-up process off to a quick start. It offers a range of features – branding, themes, backgrounds, audio, live chat, available on-demand, etc.

You can tweak and customize just about anything on this best webinar software. Include PDF and Google Slides, stream the webinar to your website or social media channels, customize it, generate leads through access settings and even enjoy password protection. See our guide on running your own webinar with Wave.video.

Pros

• An all-inclusive customization suite for your webinars
• Multiple stream destinations
• Password-protected webinars
• One-click, shareable link
• Embeddable webinars

Cons

• There is no webinar feature on the free version. You need to move up to the paid plan to create and run amazingly engaging webinars.

Pricing

• Streamer ($16/month): Basic video editor, thumbnail maker, a stock library of 2M assets and templates; live streaming to up to 5 channels, 10 guests, and up to 4 hours/stream, 1080p resolution, 2 cameras and 3 screen/video shares per guest, live streaming scenes, sharing presentations, webinars, pre-recorded video streaming, video recording with pause/resume (up to 4 hours), basic permissions; video hosting, embedding and customization
• Creator ($24/month): Video editor, thumbnail maker, a stock library of 200M assets & templates, stylish captions and subtitles, image background removal, text to speech + everything in Streamer
• Business ($48/month): Everything in Business + shared login + advanced live streaming to up to 10 channels, 12 guests, and up to 12 hours/stream, 1080p resolution, 4 cameras and 4 screen/video shares per guest, video recording with pause/resume (up to 12 hours), advanced permissions; advanced video hosting options with marketing tools

Verdict

Wave.video is an industry favorite when it comes to perfecting webinars. Like its video editing service, Wave.video’s webinar tool is straightforward. Use it to supercharge your entire webinar journey with powerful components. From quick set-up to hassle-free lead generation, it offers all you need to boost your webinar game.

2. Demio

If you need a webinar platform to gauge user intent, Demio is for you. It lets you assess who engaged with you at what touchpoint. For example, who participated in polls, conversed the most in the chat, etc. So, when you use polls, handouts, etc., to increase audience engagement, you can track their actions to gain deep insights.

Pros

• Automated, branded email notifications
• Integration with your preferred marketing tools and platforms
• Live and on-demand events
• Custom registration fields
• Detailed analytics

Cons

• There’s no free plan
• It requires a significant investment to get started with webinars

Pricing

• Starter ($59/month for 50 attendees’ room): 1 host, standard features, 3-hour session limit, live and event series, standard support, Zapier Integration
• Growth (starts at $109/month/host for 150 attendees’ room): 5 hosts per account, everything in Starter + automated events, 8-hour session limit, custom room and email branding, custom form fields, registration source tracking
• Premium (starts at $3,300/host/year for 500 attendees’ room): Premium integrations to HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, and Pardot, everything in Growth + custom domains, 10-hour session limit, front-of-line for beta features, priority support, dedicated account manager
• Unlimited (starts at $22k/year for 150 attendees’ room): Everything in Premium + unlimited hosts per account,  automated, live, and event Series, access to Boost, custom room and email branding, custom form fields, registration source tracking, concierge onboarding included for all hosts

Verdict

An excellent tool for marketers who want to experience the benefits of webinars, Demio comes with a captivating UI and some fantastic features. There are many integrations and you can understand your audience better with real insights. The steep prices may be a downside, but it’s a great pick for those requiring a tool that creates webinars and makes marketing a breeze.

3. ClickMeeting

ClickMeeting is the best webinar software for live, paid, on-demand, and automated webinars. Ideal for training and classroom sessions, ClickMeeting is a browser-based platform offering a suite of features like subaccounts, polls, breakout rooms, virtual backgrounds, screen sharing, etc.

Pros

• Unlimited webinar landing pages
• Chat moderation
• Auto-publish recordings to YouTube
• Instant chat translation
• Customizable CTAs

Cons

• The free trial lasts for 30 days only

Pricing

• Free trial (for 30 days): Up to 25 attendees, unlimited meetings and webinars, 8 cameras in webinars, 1 host, 1 presenter, 1 parallel event, 30-minute recording storage, 500 MB file storage, automated recurring webinars – 15 min / per event, etc.
• Live ($25/month): Unlimited meetings and webinars, 8 cameras in webinars, 1 host, 1 presenter, 3 multiusers, 1 parallel event, 6-hour recording storage, 1 GB file storage, HD quality recording, custom branding, paid webinars, etc.
• Automated ($40/month): Unlimited meetings and webinars, 8 cameras in webinars, 1 host, 1 presenter, 3 multiusers, 1 parallel event, 10-hour recording storage, 2 GB file storage, unlimited automated recurring webinars, HD quality recording, custom branding, paid webinars, etc.
• Custom plan (Custom quote): Up to 10,000 attendees, unlimited meetings and webinars, 8 cameras in webinars, 1 host, 4 presenters, 5 multiusers, custom parallel events, 10-hour recording storage, 2 GB file storage, huge online events, unlimited automated recurring webinars, HD quality recording, custom branding, paid webinars, SSO, reseller solutions, white label, etc.

Verdict

Although not for someone who needs no-frills webinar software, ClickMeeting comes loaded with great features for training and product demos. It is also equipped with unique functions like auto-stream on social media, parallel sessions, Edu Mode, and more.

4. WebinarGeek

If you’re concerned about your data privacy, WebinarGeek is a GDPR-compliant webinar software that can let you host easy & intuitive webinars. It is a browser-based tool that runs live, automated, on-demand, hybrid, paid, and even RTMP webinars.

With automatic recordings and audience engagement elements like polls, live chat, CTAs, etc., users can make the most of their webinars. They can also send personalized follow-ups to the attendees based on the insights gained during the sessions.

Pros

• Webinar channels
• Multiple integration options
• Email automation
• Easy to use

Cons

• There’s no free plan
• The prices are on the higher side, given the small number of viewers

Pricing

• Basic ($52/month for 50 viewers): All Basic features, unlimited HD+ quality webinars, 1 presenter, 2-hour session limit, live & on-demand webinars, webinar channel, payments via Stripe or Mollie, WebinarGeek branding
• Premium (starts at $84/month for 125 viewers): All Premium features, unlimited HD+ quality webinars, 10 presenters, 8-hour session limit, automated webinars, custom branding, marketing integrations, add-ons, RTMP
• Enterprise (starts at $319/month for 500 viewers): All Enterprise features, RTMP studio-quality webinars, 10 presenters, 12-hour session limit, custom domain, unlimited Extra Users, HubSpot integration, security & advanced GDPR, SLA & phone support, onboarding & dedicated CSM

Verdict

WebinarGeek is one of the best webinar platforms for small businesses and brands. It offers all such features to host uncomplicated and engaging webinars. While its pricing can be off-putting for some, the features can compensate for that.

5. Zoom Events and Webinars

We know there’s a huge demand for Zoom alternatives, but Zoom Webinars might be the webinar software you are looking for. It’s reliable, secure and comes with excellent marketing automation integrations like Marketo, Pardot and Eloqua.

Plus, it allows you to host webinar sessions up to 30 hours long, which is pretty awesome. There’s also an Expo Floor feature that enables attendees to interact with sponsors and engage in live conversations.

Pros

• Customized branding
• Built-in practice sessions
• Seamless integrations
• High-fidelity recordings
• Post-event review features

Cons

• Some users frequently complain about Zoom’s connectivity and audio issues
• The interface is not as intuitive as the other platforms mentioned on the list
• There’s no free plan on Zoom Events & Webinars (you can use Zoom One for free for meetings up to 40 minutes and 100 attendees per meeting)

Pricing

• Zoom Webinars (starts at $79/month/license for 500 attendees): Webinar sessions, event or session branding, event analytics and reporting, interactive in-session features, session branding, basic ticketing, practice session, session chat, performance and audience engagement reports, cloud/local recording, in-webinar chat only, etc.
• Zoom Sessions (starts at $990/year/license for 100 attendees): Webinar or meeting, team collaboration, everything in Zoom Webinars + production tools, event hubs, event management platform, event branding, speaker bio information, paid/free ticketing, backstage, detailed analytics dashboards and reporting, in-session chat only, etc.
• Zoom Events (starts at $1490/year/license for 100 attendees): Webinars and meetings, everything in Zoom Sessions + expo and sponsors, session video previews, event sponsors, lobby chat, event surveys, networking features, etc.

Verdict

Zoom’s webinar tool is great for businesses hosting webinars with up to 500 attendees. While it might be a bit pricey, the feature-rich platform may suit users looking for options like screen sharing, CRM integration, live streaming to third-party platforms and white-label webinars.

6. eWebinar

If you want to run multiple webinars without managing them, eWebinar is your best bet. This automated webinar platform combines pre-recorded video with real-time engagement to allow users to host repetitive webinars without sacrificing the live webinar elements.

One of eWebinar’s real highlights is its subscription level. It automatically adjusts up and down based on the number of active webinars. So, you only pay for the webinars you host in a billing cycle.

Pros

• Live chat
• Fully browser-based
• Email for post-session replies
• Just-in-time & on-demand sessions
• Customizable registration pages

Cons

• There is no live webinar option

Pricing

• Level 1 ($99/month): Up to 1 active webinar, unlimited attendees, unlimited recurring sessions, unlimited team members, all standard features
• Level 2 ($199/month): Everything in the Level 1 plan, 2-5 active webinars
• Level 3 ($299/month): Everything in the Level 1 plan, 6 – 15 active webinars + $15/month for each additional

Verdict

eWebinar is a superb software for anyone who already uses live webinars and wants to automate them for easy scaling up. It’s perfect for repetitive training sessions, product demos and onboarding webinars.

7. GoTo Webinar

One of the most trusted and best webinar platforms, GoTo Webinar is a preferred choice for large businesses. In addition to customizable modes and insightful analytics, it offers powerful integrations and lets you scale your rooms to 3,000 attendees.

You can add polls, Q&As, etc. and share handouts for post-event brand awareness & recognition. And there’s also an option to create and award certificates.

Pros

• Pre-recorded events
• Source tracking
• High-end analytics
• Automatic recordings
• In-built polls and surveys

Cons

• There’s no free plan
• You need to download the software to use it
• It comes at a higher price point than most of the software on the list

Pricing

• Lite ($49/organizer/month): 250 participants, reporting and analytics, full-service registration, automated emails, mobile app, polls, handouts, Q&A
• Standard ($99/organizer/month): 500 participants, everything in Lite + accept payments, 1 license, online and local recording, audio, custom branding, 5 channel pages, GoTo Stage, custom URL
• Pro ($199/organizer/month): 1,000 participants, everything in Standard + unlimited cloud storage, integrations, source tracking, recorded events, live streaming, video sharing, video embedding, video editor, no download, 10 channel pages, certificates, transcripts, virtual events
• Enterprise ($399/organizer/month): Up to 3,000 participants + everything in Pro

Verdict

GoTo Webinar is a great tool for running all-encompassing webinars. The interface is intuitive and there are some amazingly robust features to engage attendees and drive actions.

8. EasyWebinar

EasyWebinar is one of the top picks for anyone who wants a secure platform for live and automated webinars. Its user-friendly interface helps create professional-grade events with minimal effort.

You can also create custom landing pages, add call-to-action buttons, and dig deeper into audience insights with advanced analytics and reporting. There’s also an option to track your webinar performance and evaluate user engagement.

Pros

• You can turn any attendee into a presenter
• Up to 4 presenters in a live webinar
• HD screen sharing
• TrueVoice technology for clear sound with noise reduction
• EasyCast feature to stream live on multiple social media platforms simultaneously

Cons

• There is no free plan and the basic plan is only for up to 25 attendees
• The prices ramp up quickly after the basic plan

Pricing

• Basic (starts at $20.83/month): 25 live attendees, 2 automated webinars with up to 25 attendees per webinar, unlimited live attendees using YouTube Live Integration, Webinar Foundations Course, access to 1-on-1 onboarding, EasyCast Facebook Live & YouTube Live Streaming Tool, chat support
• Standard (starts at $82.50/month): 100 live attendees, everything in the Basic plan + unlimited automated webinars with up to 100 attendees per webinar
• Pro (starts at $165.83/month): 500 live attendees, everything in the Standard plan + unlimited automated webinars with up to 500 attendees per webinar, custom fields from the registration

Verdict

EasyWebinar does an excellent job with its comprehensive platform for live and automated webinars. You also get various features like recording and archiving the webinars, sharing presentations, live streaming to multiple social media platforms, etc. However, it’s not the most affordable option, especially with its limited number of attendees, even on the paid plans.

9. Webex Webinars

Webex Webinars is the best tool for running webinars for business use and beyond, especially if you’re looking for real-time translations for your international audiences. You can host unlimited webinars for up to 24 hours and enjoy engagement features like breakout rooms, polls and Q&As.

Pros

• Closed captions and translations
• Custom-branded registration pages
• Unlimited webinars for up to 24 hours
• Advanced content management
• Attendee activity reporting

Cons

• There is no free plan and the paid plans require a hefty investment
• The setup is not smooth enough

Pricing

• Webinars (starts at $275/license/month for 1,000 attendees): Unlimited webinars up to 24 hrs, registration, live streaming and recordings for on-demand replay, engagement, export registrant & attendees list, advanced production and content management, closed captions and translations, attendee activity reporting, email (templates, reminders)
• Events (Custom Quote): In-person, virtual & hybrid events, up to 100k attendees, registration and onsite, live streaming, simulive and on-demand replay, engagement, unlimited webinars up to 24 hrs, content management, closed captions and translations, monetization (ticketing and sponsorship), event hub with virtual venue including mobile event app

Verdict

Webex Webinars is a perfect platform for businesses with international teams or audiences. The tool packs a good amount of team collaboration and audience engagement features that drive conversations.

10. GetResponse

You may know GetResponse as an email marketing platform, but it’s more than that. It’s also a webinar solution that allows webinar URL customization, among other features, which makes it a terrific pick for businesses that branded webinar URLs.

Other functionalities include landing pages, automated follow-ups, polls, screen sharing, call-to-action (CTA) buttons, registration templates, and more.

Pros

• Built-in email marketing tools
• Easy URL customization for branded webinar links
• Polls, surveys, and offers
• One-click recording
• Quick and easy sharing

Cons

• Webinars are not available on the free plan

Pricing

• Marketing Automation (starts at $41.30/month for 1,000 contacts): Up to 100 attendees, webinar funnels, 3-hour recording storage, 3 presenters, HD webinars
• E-commerce Marketing (starts at $83.30 /month for 1,000 contacts): Everything in the Marketing Automation plan + up to 300 attendees, on-demand webinars, paid webinars, 6-hour recording storage
• MAX² (Custom Quote): Everything in the E-commerce Marketing plan + up to 1000 attendees, up to 20-hour recording storage, breakout room option

Verdict

Overall, GetResponse offers many standard features and the interface is easy to use. You can choose it if you require an all-in-one marketing solution that provides webinar hosting functionality.

Conclusion

The best webinar platforms in this guide are all fantastic, representing the high point of what’s possible in the world of webinars at different price levels. All the entries to the list include secure tools delivering high-quality videos and robust features.

If you want to learn about webinar marketing, here is a comprehensive guide.

The post 10 Best Webinar Platforms for 2023 appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

In fact, if you want to future-proof your live streaming journey, try multistreaming. It’s your ticket to go live everywhere your audiences are and get the most out of your live videos.

In this post, we bring you the best multistreaming platforms you should keep an eye on. But first, let’s understand multistreaming a little better.

What is Multistreaming?

Multistreaming is going live on different platforms or channels simultaneously. So, all you need is one live video that will be broadcasted in real-time to multiple destinations like your website, YouTube channel, Facebook page, LinkedIn page, Twitch channel, etc.

Apart from helping you reach multiple audiences, some multistreaming tools like Wave.video also help you strengthen your brand’s identity with unique-looking broadcasts. Using such a tool, you can opt for customized overlays, scene layouts, themes, etc., for better brand recognition as you multistream.

How to Stream on Multiple Platforms?

Step 1: Log into Wave.video and Set Up Your Live Stream

Log into your Wave.video account and click “Setup Live Stream” to get started with multistreaming.

Step 2: Enter Stream Details

Next, enter your stream’s title and description, and choose a folder to save the recording. You can also upload a thumbnail for social media.

If you want to go live later, toggle on the “Schedule for later and create a live event on social media” tab.

Wave.video also offers co-streaming. If you want to co-stream, toggle on the “Allow guests to co-stream this event to their destinations” tab.

Once done, click on “Setup destinations”.

Step 3: Add or Select Stream Destinations

Now, click “Add destination” to add multiple destinations for streaming. You can also select the destinations you added earlier.

After adding live streaming destinations, click “Create Live Stream”. You can now invite guests or proceed to enter the studio.

Step 4: Open Studio

As you enter the studio, you can select/check your microphone, change the display name, and add a title. Then, click “Enter Studio”, whenever ready.

Inside the studio, you can add logos, custom overlays, backgrounds, audio, etc., to enhance your live streams.

Step 5: Go Live

Finally, hit the “Go Live” button on the top right to live stream to multiple platforms simultaneously!

9 Best Multistreaming Platforms in 2023

The quality of your live streams greatly depends on your choice of the multistream platform. So, let’s get to 9 of the top multistreaming platforms we have today.

1. Wave.video

Wave.video tops the best multistream platform charts, and it’s hardly surprising given the features and reliability the web-based tool offers. The power-packed mix of easy-to-use multistreaming studio, video editing capabilities, multi-camera streaming, and appealing branding elements deliver great value.

The interface is sleek and intuitive without excessive details, while still ensuring you can create professional-grade live videos. You can invite up to 9 guests, stream pre-recorded videos and design live streaming scenes.

One of the most incredible aspects of Wave.video is fantastic customer support and innovation. The platform dives into user requests to give them an advanced and reliable multistreaming experience. And you can also host and share your live streams without leaving the tool.

Pros

• Integrated Editing

Enjoy one-stop recording and editing of your broadcast recordings with the integrated Wave.video Editor. Create stunning video content using the stock libraries and impress your audience.

• Branded Live Broadcasts

Need the extra muscle to boost brand recognition across multiple social media channels? Set up branded live streams with Wave.video with custom fonts, overlays, themes, backgrounds, and more.

• Multi-Camera, High-Quality Streaming

Give your audience an immersive experience with multi-camera live streaming and boost engagement. Enjoy high-quality and stable streams in Full HD 1080i with 30fps.

• Adjustable, Cross-Channel Chat

No switching between different browser tabs to chat with your audience on multiple channels. Wave.video offers cross-channel live stream chat, bringing comments from all channels in one chat box. You can also detach the chat box and place it anywhere on your screen.

• Simple Setup & Scheduling

Forget OBS complexity and embrace a smooth broadcasting experience with an easy-to-use interface. Speed up multistreaming by toggling your social accounts, connecting live streaming equipment and scheduling your broadcast in a few clicks.

Cons

As of now, Wave.video’s browser-based live streaming is available on desktops only. However, there’s a smartphone version expected to roll out soon.

Pricing

• Free: Live streaming with watermark to up to 2 channels, invite up to 6 guests and stream for up to 1 hour/stream; 720p resolution
• Streamer ($16/month): Live streaming to up to 5 channels, 10 guests, and up to 4 hours/stream; 1080p resolution
• Creator ($24/month): Live streaming to up to 5 channels, 10 guests, and up to 4 hours/stream; 1080p resolution + advanced video editing options
• Business ($48/month): Live streaming to up to 10 channels, 12 guests, and up to 12 hours/stream; 1080p resolution + advanced live streaming permissions + advanced video editing options

Verdict

Best of all and certainly ahead of the competition, signing up for Wave.video makes you multistream-savvy without leaving out on the key features. Together with the built-in editor, you can do much more than multistreaming. Add auto-captions, get access to a stock library of 200M assets & templates and be live-video-ready with the best multistreaming platform.

2. Vimeo Livestream

Vimeo may have a good list of alternatives but it offers a comprehensive set of live streaming features. While multistreaming may not be its claim to fame, Vimeo Livestream does offer simulcasting to social and apps or RTMP.

You can enjoy ad-free, full HD, adaptive live streaming and branding elements like Wave.video. There’s also an option to switch between feeds and mix audio. Additionally, you can use chat, polls, and moderated Q&A for better audience engagement.

More crucially, Livestream allows you to stream from any device. For instance, you can go live from a desktop, mobile, or API.

Pros

• Control access with SSO
• Set stream passwords
• Embed permissions
• Real-time stream monitoring and back up

Cons

No free plan and multistreaming starts at a hefty price.

Pricing

• Advanced ($65/seat/month): Live streaming, virtual events, and marketing integrations, unlimited events & viewers, up to 1080p streaming, live stream to multiple destinations, 500 videos/seat/year
• Enterprise (Custom Quote): Everything in the Advanced plan + additional security, control, and support

Verdict

Vimeo Livestream may be pricey for some and might overwhelm with its features like video embedding, OTT streaming, video-on-demand hosting, monetization, etc., especially if you are looking for a no-frills multistream platform. That said, it’s still a safe, secure, easy-to-scale tool to create professional-grade live videos.

3. Switchboard Live

Want to stream to unlimited destinations? Then, Switchboard Live can be your best bet. With the platform’s USP being multistreaming, it’s a popular choice for live streamers.

Throw in a stream-sharing feature for guests, the option to embed a player directly on your website, plus hands-free streaming with Auto Start/Stop support, and it may be the tool you need to go live anywhere.

Pros

• Unlimited live destinations
• StreamShare feature to stream to guests’ social media platforms without passwords
• Auto Start/Stop support for hands-free streaming
• Scheduled Start/Stop for preconfigured destinations
• SRT Input to reduce the latency over RTMP

Cons

• No built-in video editor
• No screen-sharing capabilities
• It comes with a premium price tag compared to other platforms

Pricing

• Starter ($29/month): Perfect for individuals or those just starting out, offers 1,500 minutes, 1 team member, and 1 RTMP input
• Pro ($59/month): Best for live streamers that regularly multistream, offers 4,000 minutes/month, 60 hours/month, unlimited destinations, 1 team member, and 1 RTMP input
• Biz ($99/month): Ideal for businesses with team members & sub-accounts, offers 10,000 minutes/month, 165 hours/month, unlimited destinations, 3 team members, and 2 RTMP inputs
• Enterprise (Custom Quote): Suits businesses that want to scale globally, offers 25,000+ minutes/month, 400 hours/month, unlimited destinations, 10 team members, and 5 RTMP inputs
• Public Sector (Custom Quote): For government and public safety agencies, etc., offers unlimited destinations, 5 team members, and 3 RTMP inputs

Verdict

Although it has a high price point, Switchboard Live boasts impressive features that set it apart, including unlimited destinations. As a result, it’s a good pick for those who multistream often and require a tool that comes equipped with easy options to go live quickly.

4. Lightstream Studio

Lightstream Studio is a solid all-round multistreaming platform with a browser-based creative suite. You can use the platform as Gamer or Creator. While the former lets you stream your video game live through consoles (Xbox and PlayStation), the latter is perfect for inviting guests and streaming IRL videos, talk shows, podcasts, webinars, etc.

Both plans come loaded with incredible features like images, videos, streaming text, cloud sync and storage, unlimited streaming hours and live chat support.

The Gamer plan is perfect for those looking for a multistream Twitch platform and live broadcast their gaming sessions regularly from Xbox, PlayStation, or mobile. On the other hand, the Creator plan gives live streamers the flexibility to bring guests, go live from RTMP sources, etc. 

Pros

• Console streaming without a capture card
• Unlimited projects, scenes, and layouts
• Start and stop live streams or switch between scenes using a mobile device as a remote control
• It needs less than 500ms to add stream graphics
• Automatically selects the best encoding settings on your device

Cons

• The overlays and graphics aren’t as rich as the ones offered on other platforms
• Requires third-party integrations for better overlays, graphics and to improve audience engagement, etc.

Pricing

• Gamer (starts at $7/month): Cloud-based console capture for Xbox & PlayStation to Twitch with overlays and alerts; 1080p 30FPS max resolution
• Creator (starts at $20/month): Access to both Gamer and Creator projects, up to 7 remote guests; add up to 4 RTMP sources; 1080p 30FPS max resolution

Verdict

Lightstream Studio may not be a perfect fit for pro gamers or live streamers needing more than multistreaming and third-party integrations. It’s easy to use, but that’s about it. If you are starting out, then it could be a helpful tool. However, if you are looking for something that gives you an extra edge in live streaming, look elsewhere!

5. Restream

Restream is a powerhouse of multistreaming that scores for its generous access to over 30 social streaming platforms, range of features, and absolute ease.

Even though many unique Restream alternatives are available, you can pick the platform for uploading and streaming your recorded videos live, enjoying the multi-chat option and measuring your streams’ success with analytics.

The platform comes natively integrated into top streaming software, like SLOBS, OBS Studio, Elgato, XSplit, etc. You can use Restream’s browser-based app or your preferred streaming software to multistream Twitch or other platforms.

Pros

• Multi-camera streaming
• Branded-broadcasts
• Scheduled events
• Cross-platform analytics
• Chat support
• Backup stream feature (available on Business plan) to switch between primary and secondary streams without interrupting the user experience

Cons

• No built-in video editor
• No stream recording and storage on the free plan
• Limited recording storage, even on paid plans

Pricing

• Basic ($0/forever): 2 channels, 30+ supported platforms, invite up to 5 guests, basic graphics; stream in HD, 720p
• Standard ($16/month): 5 channels, custom channels, 6 hours of recording, 15 day recording storage, invite up to 9 guests, custom graphics; stream in HD, 720p
• Professional ($41/month): 8 channels, custom channels, 10 hours of recording, 15 day recording storage, invite up to 9 guests, custom graphics; stream in Full HD, 1080p

Verdict

Restream is a great choice for those who need a no-fuss multistreaming platform. It offers a good selection of 30+ platforms and lets you invite guests. But if you want to go a step ahead with features like in-app video editing, you may have to choose an all-in-one tool like Wave.video.

6. Wirecast

If you are looking for a customizable multistreaming tool for Mac and Windows, you’d love Wirecast. This popular live video streaming and production studio software lets you capture any media, produce professional-grade live videos and go live in seconds.

You can capture a variety of sources, including cameras, mics, IP cams, webcams, etc., and even use Wirecast’s free wireless camera app for iOS. Apart from letting you stream to unlimited destinations, it also allows you to stream and record at the same time. There’s also ISO recording to ease out those post-production workflows.

Pros

• Unlimited live camera inputs (iOS, NDI, HDMI, SDI, IP)
• Live guests, screen-sharing, PPT slides, and web feeds
• Multi-track audio
• PTZ control & control surface integrations
• Built-in chroma key
• Built-in multistreaming with presets
• ISO recording

Cons

• Watermarks and no ISO recording on the free trial versions
• It requires a steep investment to upgrade to the lifetime license for full versions

Pricing

• Wirecast Studio ($599, lifetime license): Perfect for professional lives streamers, this plan offers unlimited inputs and 2 guests, unlimited destination outputs, 1-4-slot for multi-viewer output for monitoring, etc.
• Wirecast Pro ($799, lifetime license): Ideal for dedicated live streamers, this one offers everything in Studio and up to 7 guests, 1-17-slot for multi-viewer output for monitoring, and advanced features like multi-track audio recording and routing

Verdict

Wirecast is a powerful multistreaming and live video production tool. It’s also jaw-droppingly expensive. Although you get unlimited sources and a choice of premium features like multiple integrations and engagement tools to make your live videos extremely interactive, the price point makes it out of reach for many. But, if you want a premium tool for a large-scale production or business event and can afford high-priced options, Wirecast could be for you.

7. OBS Studio

There’s a lot to recommend OBS Studio as a multistream platform of choice. Its stunningly powerful API and customization options ensure it’s a godsend for beginners or those looking for a free, yet robust multistreaming platform.

In addition to simulcasting, it supports RTMP streaming, high-performance video/audio capturing and mixing, switching between unlimited scenes, scene monitoring, and more.

Pros

• A reliable open-source multistreaming software
• Includes many built-in encoding tools
• It comes with an intuitive audio mixer
• It lets you set hotkeys for quick actions like starting/stopping streams, switching between scenes, muting audio sources, etc.
• Offers a high-level view of production through the Multiview feature

Cons

• Requires a bit of technical knowledge
• Limited native features
• Plugin required to enable multistreaming support

Pricing

Being an open-source platform, OBS is free for all its users.

Verdict

OBS Studio excels at live streaming to multiple destinations if you’re ready to learn how to use the tool. You must be acquainted with customization, integrations and plugins to make the most of this free multistreaming platform. It’s an excellent choice for live streamers testing the waters in multistreaming or are well-versed in live streaming and encoding technical know-how.

8. BoxCast

As a dedicated live streaming tool, BoxCast is hard to beat. It’s a well-known platform that markets itself as a flexible solution for broadcasts of all levels. You can go live from your iOS device using the BoxCaster or BoxCaster Pro hardware encoder or through real-time messaging protocol (RTMP) from any other encoder.

BoxCast lets you share streams and reach your audiences wherever they are. Automatically stream to your preferred destinations with easy scheduling on BoxCast. You can also start and moderate conversations and embed viewer chat on your website for better engagement.

Pros

• Full HD streaming
• Add, edit, or remove user permissions
• Viewer analytics and insights
• Monetization allowed
• Post-production editing

Cons

• No option to save the recording on the Free plan
• High-priced plans compared to competitors

Pricing

• Free: The base plan offers 4 hours per month of free live streaming, HD streaming, multistreaming to Facebook and YouTube, automated scheduling, unlimited viewers, viewer analytics + insights, BoxCast branding
• Essential ($99/month): It offers unlimited streaming to multistream platforms, including your website, 1 concurrent broadcast, 90 days of video storage, viewer chat and monetization, etc.
• Growth ($149/month): It includes everything in Essential + live simulation to rebroadcast recorded or uploaded broadcasts, 1-year video storage, highlight clipping, graphic overlays, white-label embed, password protection, etc.
• Experience ($199/month): It includes everything in Growth + 2 concurrent broadcasts, automated captioning, high frame rate (up to 60fps), embedding restrictions, API access, etc.
• Premium ($999/month): It includes everything in Growth + unlimited concurrent broadcasts, a full-feature suite, self-healing infrastructure, complete technical control, advanced support, and more.

Verdict

BoxCast is an excellent choice for multi-site and multistreaming. It also offers industry-specific streaming solutions. Unfortunately, even though the platform provides a range of incredible features, the prices are significantly higher than others on the list. With the paid plans starting at $99 for basic multistreaming, it could be quite the jump for live streamers moving on from the free plan. However, it is a good option if you need an enterprise-focused solution.

9. StreamYard

If you’re looking for a simple way to live stream to multiple platforms, StreamYard is well worth your time. A browser-based live streaming and recording studio, it lets you interview guests, create branded broadcasts, and stream anywhere with its RTMP support.

Although there’s no option to multistream on the free plan, you can have up to 6 on-screen participants. To enjoy multistreaming, you’d have to upgrade to a paid plan.

Pros

• Advanced audience interaction features
• Pre-recorded live streaming
• Broadcast with up to 10 on-screen participants and more backstage
• Branded broadcasts
• Studio quality recordings
• Screen sharing

Cons

• No multistreaming on the free plan
• No video editing or post-production features
• No VOD hosting

Pricing

• Free: Core studio features + streaming or recording for up to 20 hours per month, local recordings of up to 2 hours per month, up to 6 on-screen participants, 2 seats with StreamYard branding
• Basic ($20/month): Everything in the Free plan + no StreamYard branding, unlimited streaming, unlimited local recordings, up to 10 on-screen participants, graphic overlays, multistreaming to 3 destinations, custom RTMP destinations, 1-hour pre-recorded streaming, 50 hours of storage, etc.
• Professional ($39/month): Everything in the Basic plan + StreamYard On-Air with up to 250 viewers, Full HD streaming, extra camera, 12 backstage participants, multistreaming to 8 destinations, 4 seats, and 2 hours of pre-recorded streaming
• Premium ($79/month): Everything in the Professional plan + StreamYard On-Air with up to 1000 viewers, 15 backstage participants, 10 seats, and 4 hours of pre-recorded streaming
• Growth ($239/month): Everything in the Premium plan + StreamYard On-Air with up to 10000 viewers, Greenroom, and 8 hours of pre-recorded streaming
• Business (Custom Quote): Everything in the Growth plan + StreamYard On-Air with up to 10000+ viewers, Spaces, 10+ seats, extra user roles, 700+ hours storage, etc.

Verdict

StreamYard offers a range of plans to suit every live streamer’s multistreaming goals. Overall, it is a good option for professional streamers who want to multistream without any hassles, but there’s no option to multistream on the free plan. So, if you don’t want to spend money on basic live streaming features to go live on multistream platforms, consider choosing one of these StreamYard alternatives.

Live Stream to Multiple Platforms with Ease

Multistreaming has never been more important – for both individuals and brands. This comprehensive list should have given you a solid understanding of the key elements involved in multistreaming. Now that you have learned how to stream on multiple platforms with Wave.video, go ahead and stream your way to success.

If you need direction narrowing in on your multistreaming strategy, read this comprehensive guide and build your live brand right.

The post 9 Best Multistreaming Platforms in 2023 appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

Businesses and brands also have something to gain from this. They can reach their target audience more effectively and with more creativity. Like other features, Instagram has policies regarding the length of Instagram Reels.

Find out how long Instagram Reels can be and how you can make the most of your Instagram Reels posts.

What Is Instagram Reels Maximum Length

Instagram Reels is a new feature that allows users to create short videos and share them with their followers. But just how long can these reels be?

The maximum length for an Instagram reel is 90 seconds. That’s it – no longer. It’s a relatively short window, but you can still pack a lot of content into your reel if you use it wisely. You can make a whole story in 90 seconds or a catchy ad in 15. The choice is yours.

Once you hit the preset length for the Reel video, it will automatically end. For this reason, tracking how much time you have left is vital when creating your reel. If you don’t want it to end abruptly, you can always add some music or a caption at the end so that it wraps up nicely.

Another thing worth mentioning is Instagram’s policy on recommended video aspect ratio. Given that most users are on mobile, the platform recommends between a 1.91:1 and 9:16 ratio for all videos uploaded.

Learn how to resize videos for Instagram using this value-packed guide.

How to Set Up the Length of Your Reels

Setting up the length of IG Reels is pretty straightforward. Here’s how to about it:

• Open the Instagram app on your device and tap on the camera icon. You can also slide the screen to the left.

• Next, select “REEL”, as shown below.

• Tap the timer icon labeled “Length” and select an appropriate length for your Reel video. Currently, Instagram provides three options, 15-, 30-, 60- and 90-second long videos.

• You can now record your reel in one take or break it into smaller clips that you can stitch together. To do this, tap the ‘Record’ button at the bottom of the screen and capture your first clip.
• Press the ‘Done’ button to save your first clip. Then, you can continue recording additional clips until you reach your desired duration.
• Alternatively, you can upload pre-recorded clips from your device as Reels.
• After recording or uploading media, you can edit your reel further by adding effects, filters, or music. You can also add text and stickers to make your reel more engaging.
• Preview the reel, and if you’re satisfied with the way your reel looks, you can hit ‘Post’ to upload it to your Instagram feed.

Remember, Instagram will automatically limit your Reel video to your selected length. You can use the inbuilt timer if you’re recording from the app, but if you’re uploading the video, you’ll need to ensure it’s cropped to fit the appropriate length.

Instagram will crop out the extra footage, but for best results, crop it yourself to avoid leaving essential parts.

What Is the Best IG Reels Video Length (and Why It Matters?)

Instagram guidelines on Reels video length aside, there’s a suitable video length for each IG Reels video, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

Here’s how to determine the best IG Reels video length:

Decide on Your Goals

It seems obvious but worth the mention. Before you start shooting any reel, you should clearly understand what you’re trying to achieve. The specific case uses like ads or product teasers would require shorter reels than an explainer video on how to use a product.

Remember you’re competing for your audience’s attention, and how you craft the IG Reel is decisive. While you’re at, you may also want to set or rather break down your overall goal into measurable objectives.

This will be useful as you move to the third step, where you’ll have to test different strategies against your set objectives and hopefully find a winner.

Analyze Your Competitors

If other brands/ businesses in your niche get positive results with their Instagram Reels, they’ve probably cracked the code.

But this doesn’t mean copying your competitor’s strategy entirely. Compare your Instagram analytics tools with theirs and identify the gaps. You’ll save a lot of time by improving their strategy rather than reinventing the wheel completely.

Look at several of your closest and most successful competitors for best results, draw upon industry best practices, and build up from there.

A Bit of Trial and Error

If you’re lucky, you can get the desired results in one go. But this isn’t always the case; even with an enhanced strategy modeled after your competitor’s, certain factors come into play.

Once you’ve developed your strategy, test it. Don’t worry if you feel like you haven’t figured out everything. For best results, you may want to go the A/B test route, where you would try out several strategies and measure their effectiveness in achieving your objectives.

How to Make the Most of Your IG Reels Time

One way to look at Instagram’s Reel’s time limitations is they’re too restrictive. A better way to look at it is it’s designed to help you capture and engage your target audience fully if you utilize the time properly.

Here are a couple of suggestions to maximize your efforts with IG Reels:

You may want to use a storyboard technique to get the most out of your Reels time. A storyboard will help you create a cohesive video from start to finish. Begin by plotting each scene in your video, complete with transitions and captions. This will ensure that all the essential parts of your story are included in the allotted 15 seconds.

Another way to maximize your time is by creating a montage. Try combining several short clips to tell a longer story in the same amount of time. The idea here is to string together several related scenes that work together to create a complete narrative. Sticking with similar clips, like footage of different people doing the same activity, is best to ensure smooth transitions.

You can also try adding audio effects to your Reels. Background music can boost your video and can emphasize certain scenes or highlight transitions. You can also try adding sound effects and voiceovers to enhance your message. Just be sure to pick out audio that fits your topic and observe Instagram’s copyright guidelines.

Captions and subtitles are always a good idea with any video. They can help your audience understand what is happening in your video, even if they cannot hear it clearly, whether it’s due to a noisy environment, restrictive office policy, or hearing impairments. Subtitles are also helpful for viewers who do not speak the audio track’s language.

Lastly, to keep it interesting, no one likes recycled content. This can be hard, considering you may be just starting or don’t know what to post. Here’s a long list of Instagram post ideas if you’re down on options.

Getting all this done may take so long, and you may need premium video editing software. Thankfully, you can get this free on Wave.video with a few clicks. Here’s how to use Wave.video to maximize your IG Reels time:

• Open Wave.video on your browser and click “Create Video.”
• Select “Upload” from the popup menu or import from Instagram, as shown below. Follow the prompts to transfer the video(s) to Wave.video.

• You’ll be redirected to the video editor once the upload is complete.
• Scroll down the submenu on your left. You can now use the storyboard and add audio or hardcode captions and subtitles to your Reels video.

• For the montage, click the plus sign at the bottom and add new video clips or images to your Reel video frame.

• Preview the clip, and once everything looks good, hit “Publish,” select “Video,” and follow the subsequent prompts to export the video to your device.

You can now upload the new Instagram Reels video on your profile.

Final Thoughts

Instagram Reels are a great way to express yourself as an individual, brand, or business. But to take full advantage of this fantastic feature, you must know how long Instagram Reels can be and the ideal video length for each scenario.

Initially limited to 15 seconds, Instagram now allows Reels video to be recorded in 15-, 30-, 60- and 90-minute intervals. The interval you choose to work with depends on your preferences and set objectives.

Everything considered, Instagram Reels should be on your to-do list if you plan on reaching a wider audience. Here’s a list of Instagram tools to help you get started.

The post How Long Can Instagram Reels Be? appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

While the original creators may not have envisioned it, Instagram is as equally good with video as it is with images. But one concern remains. Instagram severely limits the length of videos shared on the platform.

Learn how to post long videos on Instagram easily and conveniently.

Video Length for an Instagram Post

Due to user demand, Instagram has released more features over the years, including more video options. You can now post videos as regular in-feed posts on Instagram, as Reels, Stories, or even as a Live Broadcast.

Each of these options has different video length limits.

Stories are the most versatile and user-friendly option regarding video length. These 15-second clips can give viewers a glimpse into your daily life, show off your latest product, or even use creative effects like Boomerangs and Superzoom.

However, remember that Stories disappear after 24 hours, so if you’re looking for something that lasts longer, you may opt for an in-feed post or turn it into a story highlight on your profile.

Also, if the 15-seconds are too little, you can always post a 1-minute video using four 15-second clips.

Reels are the latest addition to Instagram’s video arsenal and are great for showing off short snippets of your work. Each Reel can last up to 90 seconds and can be used to create more complex videos with audio and effects.

If you’re looking for a creative and effective way to boost your engagement on the platform, Reels are the way to go. You can always post videos on IG Reels in 15, 30, 60, and 90-second intervals.

In-feed posts and IGTV videos can be up to 10 minutes long, although the limit for in-feed video posts was capped at 60 minutes up until October 2021.

Live videos are similar to Reels in that they allow you to engage with your followers in real time and can last up to one hour. This is the perfect option if you’re hosting a Q&A session, giving a virtual tour, or simply having a conversation with your fans.

With a maximum allowed length of four hours, Instagram Live is the perfect solution for posting long videos; initially, the limit was one hour. However, it may only sometimes be ideal for posting all long videos on IG Live because it’s a live feature.

So, unless your target audience can watch your live at a moment’s notice, it generally isn’t a viable option to post long videos on Instagram.

Method 1: Upload Your Long Video to IG Stories (up to 1 min.)

Instagram Stories is an excellent option to share updates with your audience for a limited time on your profile.

With IG Stories, you can post 60-second videos that disappear from your profile after 24 hours. Alternatively, you can add them as story highlights on your profile, and they’ll be featured indefinitely on your profile.

Here’s how to upload a long video to IG Stories:

Before getting to it, you first want to crop your video to run 60 seconds max. Try and ensure all the essential parts are within the 60-second duration. You can also use editing tools like Wave.video to cut and swap the last final frames (probably 10 seconds to the end) and include a call to action or something similar.

• Open Instagram on your device.
• Slide to your left or tap the “+” icon at the top of your screen.

• Select “Story” from the menu below and tap on the gallery icon at the bottom left corner of your screen.

• Navigate to the video you want to upload to Instagram and tap once on it to upload it.
• Touch up on any editing you want and tap on the arrow in the bottom right corner to post the video on IG Stories.

Have a look at this piece on Instagram story video for more information on IG Stories.

Method 2: Split Your Videos Into Shorter Fragments

If your video can’t fit any of the video post options on Instagram, the only solution is to trim it to a size compatible with the platform’s video length limits.

Ideally, splitting and merging different clips requires honed skills and a capable editing tool. Fortunately, most of these tools, like Wave.video, have a short learning curve, and you can split your videos effortlessly and end up with excellent results for your IG posts.

Here’s a look at some of the best video editing tools:

Wave.video

Wave.video is a fantastic all-in-one platform for creating, editing, and sharing videos. The simple user interface makes it easy to upload your original footage quickly and then quickly break it down into smaller clips.

You can even apply professional-quality effects and captions to make your clips stand out.

InShot (Android and iOS)

This is the ideal choice for people who want to make their videos shine from the comfort of their mobile devices. It’s a great Android and iOS application that offers users simple editing options such as crop, adjust exposure and saturation, or break down footage into smaller parts.

CutStory (iOS)

If you’re a major iOS user, CutStory is the right tool. It’s an exceptional iOS application designed with one main goal: make editing quick and easy.

CutStory also enables users to select a specific part of their original video and export it into an individual clip without editing it manually. Thankfully, there are no ads, but all basic/free plan edits have a CutStory watermark.

Story Cutter (Android)

This is the perfect editing tool for Android users looking to split their videos into multiple fragments. Its interface is similar to CutStory, but Story Cutter allows you to apply transitions easily between parts or separate frames, giving your video a more professional feel.

In-Built Video Editors on Your Device

Most smartphones in the market today, whether Android or iOS based, have impressive processing power and video editing capabilities that rival computers that existed a decade ago.

To split a video, you only need to open it on your device’s gallery and select the edit option to trim the video to an appropriate length.

Method 3: Upload Your Video to IG Feed (up to 10 min)

As discussed above, IG Feed can feature images and videos, and their main advantage is they’ll be available indefinitely on your feed until you delete them.

Users can preview the video for up to 60 seconds and choose if they want to continue watching it. This makes sense considering users are constantly bombarded by other exciting content on their feed, and if you can capture their attention.

Here’s how to post a video on Instagram.

Method 4: Go Live

Instagram Live allows you to share videos for up to 4 hours. With this amazing feature, you have two options. You can live stream in real-time, which is how the feature was conceptualized, or you can go live with a pre-recorded video.

With the pre-recorded video, you’ll want to engage with your audience as much as possible and, if necessary, include transitions to enable effective engagement.

Another thing to note is you must have the latest Instagram app version installed on your device and have access to a strong and stable internet connection. Without these, you won’t be able to go live on Instagram.

Here’s how to go about it:

• If you plan to go live in real-time, prepare your live streaming space, and if you intend to use a pre-recorded video, ensure you’ve added the necessary transitions and edits to make it feel like an actual IG Live.
• Open Instagram on your device and slide to the left or tap on the “+” icon at the top of your screen.

• Select “Live” from the options and start streaming your video. For best results, you should use a dedicated streaming software like Wave.video or something similar and connect all the video and audio input to the streaming software.
• Once you’re ready, click the “Live” button on the Instagram app and do the same on your streaming software if you choose to use one.

If you opted to stream a pre-recorded video on Instagram, here’s how you can go about it:

• Open Wave.video on your device, click “My Projects,” then select “My streams & recordings,” as shown below.

• Click “Setup Live Stream” and add the necessary details, and if you want, you can also schedule the live stream for a later date.
• Add Instagram as a destination for your Livestream. Click “Create Live Stream” to complete this step.

• Go to the “Upcoming” section, then select “Open Studio” from the live stream you’ve just set up.
• Click “Enter Studio” in the next tab, open the pre-recorded video on your computer, go back to the Live Studio, click “Share”> “Share Screen,” then select the media player tab with the video playing.

• Alternatively, you can click “Share”> “Share Video” and then select the pre-recorded video from your device.
• Click “Stop video” before hitting the “Go Live” button at the top right corner.

Feel free to add graphic effects, add captions, or change the text style on the Live Studio.

Method 5: Upload It to YouTube and Embed Your IG Link

What better way to bypass Instagram video length limits than uploading it to the largest and most reliable video-sharing platform, YouTube?

To do this:

• Upload the long video to YouTube, preferably one associated with your brand or business.
• Next, open the video you’ve uploaded, and if you’re on a computer browser, copy the YouTube video’s link from the browser’s address bar. You can also click the “Share” button and copy the link.
• Create an amazing thumbnail for your video. Wave.video has a tool built specifically for this purpose.
• Upload the video thumbnail on IG Stories and embed the YouTube video link there.

Here’s how to embed a link on an IG Story:

• After you’ve selected the thumbnail from your device storage, tap the “Media” icon at the top, as shown below.

• Select “Link” from the options.

• Paste the YouTube video’s link on the provided space as shown below, then tap “Done.”

• Finally, share the Instagram Story; your audience only has to tap on the embedded link and be redirected to the long video.

If you have over 10,000 followers and your Instagram account is a Business Account, your followers only need to swipe up the Instagram Story to access the embedded YouTube video.

Final Thoughts

Instagram is a powerful social media marketing platform that rewards effort and consistency. However, the platform has limits relating to the length of a video you can post. Fortunately, many workarounds deal with how to post long videos on Instagram.

Video length limits aside, remember to adhere to Instagram’s community and content guidelines. Here’s a guide on video format for Instagram in case you need a refresher.

Failure to which you may fail to achieve your objectives or face an outright ban on the platform.

The post How to Post Long Videos on Instagram (Detailed Instructions) appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

And, if you’re ready to record a podcast, but need help deciding what to create next, here are some podcast topic ideas to cut through the noise. 

First, let’s check out how to find the right topic for your podcast.

How to Find the Right Podcast Ideas?

Standing out with your podcast topic can be difficult if you don’t start right. But fear not, as we bring you some surefire ways to discover the right podcast topic ideas that can keep your listeners hooked.

1. What’s Your Passion?

Begin by identifying your passion. What are the topics that you can talk about at length? Do these topics excite you, or are you just covering them because everybody else seems to be doing that? Blindly following the masses when you don’t have an interest in a particular topic can result in burnout or inconsistency – and you wouldn’t want any of these if you’re trying to build an audience through your podcast.

So, identify your passion and narrow it down to a niche before selecting a podcast idea.

2. Study Your Audience

Okay, so now that you have found a niche, it’s essential to dig deeper. Learn more about your ideal listeners and figure out their pain points. Once you understand what interests your audience, you can easily find topics that will keep the listeners tuned in.

3. Get Some Inspiration

If podcast ideas seem like a puzzle, consider your surroundings as the final piece of that puzzle. Take inspiration from your surroundings. For example, conversations with friends and family or the news bites you have watched can pull your creative brain out of the strike. You can even check competitors’ podcasts or browse social media channels for inspiration.

4. Consider Monetization

Monetization may not be the end goal of your podcast, but it could be one of the goals. So, consider choosing a topic that can generate revenue at some point. For example, you can sell training courses or merchandise to your audience. There’s also an option to become an affiliate and promote products in your episodes. Pick a topic that assures you at least one monetization option for the future.

Now, let’s check out some creative podcast topics ideas to keep your listeners coming back for more.

50 Creative Podcast Ideas & Topics to Try Out

1. Live Streams

With live streams becoming more popular, many listeners are interested in learning more about the technical aspects of setting up and running a live stream. Share tips and tricks for engaging with audiences through live streams and building a following.

2. Sports

Post-match interviews are great conversation builders. And so are the recaps of last night’s game. So, if sports interest you, create a podcast on them. You don’t even have to stick to one sport. Plus, you can always try some unusual or underrated sports like camel jumping.

3. Audio Dramas

Put your creative hat on and create an audio drama inspired by decades-old radio drama shows. Although a bit more convoluted, this niche is perfect for those with a thing for acting and storytelling.

Check out the Last Known Position podcast for some inspiration on creating superb audio dramas.

4. Kids

With most parents fussing over the ever-increasing screen time of their children, audio entertainment for kids is a perfect podcast idea for anyone interested in the niche. You can create puzzles, share fun facts, jokes, etc. A more comprehensive approach would be telling kids’ stories with an ensemble cast – a great way to build on kids’ auditive skills with a podcast.

5. Alternative Living

Many people willing to go off the grid would find a podcast on alternative living a godsend. This category offers much to cover, from tiny homes to exploring sustainability.

6. Guided Meditations

Guided meditations often make one of the best podcast topic ideas, as they are for everyone. You can keep your guided meditations short or long to lull your listeners into a peaceful sleep. Some excellent ideas for guided meditations could be stress, mental clarity, bedtime, mid-day relaxation, etc.

Listen to The Mindful Minute to learn how guided meditations can help people unwind and be more mindful through a podcast.

7. Documentary

If you are a documentary lover, try creating a series. You can also review other documentaries and conduct interviews with documentary makers to get the low-down on their overarching stories.

8. Listicles

Listicles aren’t just fun to read. People also love to listen to them. Think of creating top 10 lists of whatever niches you’re interested in. For example, the top 10 football players or top 10 unique gadgets. Besides keeping the audience engaged, listicles also create suspense as you unpeel one layer at a time and get to the end of an episode.

9. Pop Culture

If you don’t want to narrow your focus on a particular niche, keep your episodic audio projects broad with the popular culture genre. Scour the web for hot topics that people would love to listen to and you’d have an entertaining podcast ready.

From Hollywood to celebrity gossip and the latest debates or scandals, you can share your opinions on anything and everything as long as it’s popular among your audience.

Looking for an example? Pop Culture Happy Hour is a great podcast to stir your mind.

10. Coaching

With people increasingly realizing the importance of coaches in their lives and coaching becoming a mainstream occupation, it’s one of the best podcast ideas. You can share tips and tricks to excel in this field or share your coaching sessions if you are a coach – but only with your clients’ consent.

11. Event Planning

Event planners can share their expertise in a podcast and even promote their services. Fancy creating a course for other event-planning enthusiasts? You can start a series with a step-by-step guide on making a mark in the industry and hosting successful events. Additionally, you can niche down on a particular event type (such as marathons, hybrid events, film festivals, weddings, etc.) and share all the intricacies involved.

12. Fitness

This one is a hot favorite of many podcast listeners. Focus on helping your audience stay fit, and you’ll gain traction. Offer tips on general fitness or choose a niche like cycling, yoga, running, weight lifting, etc. You can also invite fitness trainers, athletes and doctors for some words of wisdom, as Rhonda Patrick does in her podcast FoundMyFitness.

13. Paranormal

Albeit a controversial topic, paranormal has a good audience share in the world of podcasts. Give your listeners a spine-chilling experience by sharing paranormal mysteries. You can also interview people who have had close encounters with the paranormal or research supernatural phenomena.

14. Writing

Promote your writing prowess by starting a podcast. Apart from helping you gain more followers through writing tips and tricks, it will also help you gather exposure to build a clientele.

15. Automotive

We can’t live without the automotive industry. It isn’t only one of the world’s largest industries by revenue but also a viable podcast idea for automotive enthusiasts to share their knowledge. From mechanics to the latest cars, a lot can be uncovered in this niche.

The Collecting Cars Podcast is a terrific example of a podcast discussing automotive at its best.

16. Blogging

Don’t confuse writing with blogging. Blogging in itself is a huge niche to deep-dive into. Apart from excellent writing skills, it requires ingenuity and technical know-how. So, if you love blogging, you can share tips to help others hone their skills. You can also share the success stories of famous bloggers or interview them.

17. Pregnancy & Birth

Pregnancy and birth-related podcasts have been a staple since podcasting picked pace. Although plenty of resources are available in this niche, expert advice summarized in a podcast episode is always welcomed by auditory learners.

18. Time Management

Get behind the microphone and help your listeners with some effective time management and productivity tips. Make it insightful by bringing on guests and discussing anything that makes time worth its while.

Check out how Laura Vanderkam shares time management strategies in her podcast, Before Breakfast, and helps listeners make the most of their time.

19. Wildlife Podcast Ideas

Birds. Animals. Insects. Things that walk. Things that don’t. Hosting a podcast about wildlife gives ample reasons to keep the conversations going. You can share facts and survival tactics in the wild and interview experts or survivors.

20. Nature

There’s plenty of love for nature. You can create a podcast on different nature sounds or make it the go-to source for all things outdoors. There’s a vast range of things to cover. So, you can provide some straight information or make it more fun with anecdotes.

21. Myths and Legends

Bust some popular and even not-so-popular myths in genres like science, history, religion, etc., and build excitement amongst the listeners with little-known facts.

Like the podcast Our Fake History, you can substantiate your opinion with logic, tell people why certain myths exist, and discover the truth behind them.

22. Gardening

If you are a gardening fan, host a podcast in the niche and go deep with information on starting and managing gardens. You can keep it general or gear it toward a particular type of plant.

23. Feminism or Equalism

One of the best podcast topics ideas for those interested in human rights is feminism. You can also support gender equality by starting a podcast on equalism. Spread awareness and invite famous activists or academics to discuss topics from a feminist’s or equalist’s point of view.

24. Personal Finance

Money management can be a pain point for many. Create a podcast on personal finance and cover the what, when, where, and why of financial management. You can talk about retirement, investment, savings, debt, etc. But remember to give a disclaimer as you help them on their path to money nirvana.

If you want to take inspiration from a successful podcast on personal finance, The Ramsey Show is what you need to tune into.

25. Celebrity Interviews

Another popular podcast topic, celebrity interviews are engaging, fun and often top the charts. So, if you want to go beyond the mundane, this podcast is a good choice. As long as you have good connections, you can invite celebs and discuss their lives, work, and prospects.

26. Product Reviews

We all make purchases. Why not put them to good use by reviewing products in a podcast? Besides helping listeners make the right purchasing decisions, product reviews may also help land brand sponsorship deals.

27. Technology

Are you obsessed with technology? Make a podcast on it. You can pick a particular tech like laptops, TVs, phones, etc. Or an industry like home security, home automation, workplace innovation, etc. There are other options, too, like tech news, the latest launches, gadget comparisons, reviews, etc.

Check out the Tech Swamp podcast for tech history, policies, and more.

28. DIY Tutorials

Here’s a somewhat different take on DIY crafts. Host a podcast for those who love DIY projects. You can tackle one project in an episode with step-by-step instructions. Or, put together multiple smaller projects in an episode. Choose from arts and crafts, animation, home improvement, gadgets, and more.

29. Relationships

This one runs the gamut of emotions – from serious to fun. Offer relationship advice or invite professional counselors and therapists to help people navigate the rocky terrains of personal and professional relationships. You can also host people who want to share their relationship journeys or answer listeners’ questions about relationship problems they are struggling with.

30. Social Media

Considering how much social media has impacted our lives, creating a podcast on this topic is only fair. Help social media users smartly handle this swiftly changing world by discussing social media. From new platforms to recently introduced features in the popular ones, there’s a lot to cover, and interestingly so.

The Social Pros Podcast can help you learn a thing or two about social media practitioners, trends and ideas.

31. Travel

If you have some incredible travel stories to share or are a travel enthusiast with excellent tips and recommendations, this podcast idea is for you. You can pick a niche like budget, adventure or luxury. Or, ask travelers or travel influencers to come to your show and talk about their experiences. You can also interview locals while traveling for a more intrinsic episode.

32. Comedy 

If you love tickling everyone’s funny bone, try your hands at a comedy podcast. Perfect for standup comedians, this one gives a platform to share funny stories and sketches or even provide a hilarious take on recent events.

33. True Crime

If a light-hearted pep talk isn’t your thing, go for true crime podcasts. Filled with suspense and the intent to reveal the darkest secrets of real-life crimes and underreported cases, it’s one of the best podcast topic ideas. In addition to covering famous cases, you can shine a light on less notorious ones for a fresher take on true crime podcasts.

Crime Junkie is a successful example of how true crime can be a success amongst the masses.

34. A Day in the Life

Most of us want to find answers about famous personalities. What’s their daily routine like? Do they work out 4 hours a day? To better understand the daily lives of successful people, create a podcast and interview them. Tell the world what it takes to reach the top by revealing their daytime and nighttime routines and make way for some genuine inspiration.

35. Short Stories/Poetry

It’s no secret that podcasts help listeners get deeply immersed in topics of interest. So, here’s something for those who love short stories or poetry. Create a podcast for short literature lovers and publish your content on the show. You can even read others’ stories and excerpts from books and complement them with background music and sound effects for a dramatic feel.

36. Psychology

The human mind is incredible. You can talk about it in depth through a podcast on psychology. Pick a specific topic like age groups, phobias, personality types, etc. Alternatively, you can focus on mental health in general. The ground rule, though, is to inform your listeners that you’re not a licensed therapist (if you’re not) and it’s not professional advice (if it’s not).

All In The Mind is an excellent example of a psychology podcast discussing the mind, brain, behavior, and everything in between.

37. News and Politics

With this podcast, you’re never going to run out of content. There’s always some news doing the rounds and you can share it with your listeners. Pick a niche like environmental, local or sports, and you can even bring the people in the news to reveal the untold truth.

38. Q&A

Create a podcast for your followers. Ask them to send questions on what they’d like to listen to and create an episode on it. Remember, there’s no better judge of your work than your audience. So, let the listeners be the planners here and make it work by telling them what they want to know.

39. Investing

If you are an investment geek, ensure the world benefits from your knowledge by hosting a podcast. You can discuss investment strategies, stock market tips, the latest news, etc. Of course, you can also go for a particular niche like retirement, children’s education, and real estate, etc.

Talking of real estate, the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is a good example of an investment podcast.

40. Business & Entrepreneurship

Business owners or those with entrepreneurship acumen can start a podcast and share actionable insights with people wanting to learn the ropes. You can also interview successful businesspersons to trend headlines.

41. Food & Cooking

Foodies can take their love for food online with a podcast. You can talk about food in general, interview chefs, or review restaurants. If you love cooking, you can also share tips and recipes. You can also select a category like BBQ, healthy eats, or a specific diet.

42. TV Shows/Movies

TV shows and movies are two classic choices for podcasts. You can always discuss new releases, share your reviews and speculate what will happen next. Or, take a different route and create a podcast on a famous TV show or movie to create a community for its fans.

For example, the Friends with Friends podcast by the KTLA Audio Network. In this podcast, former KTLA News Director Jason Ball and Producers Jackie Rodriguez and Vanessa Martinez discuss the different episodes of the hit sitcom Friends.

43. Digital Marketing

Demystify digital marketing and deep dive into how professionals or businesses can use it to position their brands for success. You can go specific with PR, content marketing, or branding. The key is to pack every episode with actionable takeaways on how to build on their digital marketing efforts.

44. Science

If you’re a science geek, you can explore different science topics with your audience. From biology to astronomy, there are several branches to explore. You can bring in scientists or talk about breakthroughs in your chosen field. The key is to keep things simple yet engaging to avoid losing listeners’ interest.

45. ASMR

ASMR is one of the most creative podcast topics ideas out there. And it’s one of the much-loved formats, especially if you want to avoid talking in your podcast episodes. You can use this format to help people destress and unwind, similar to what The ASMR Podcast excels at.

46. Parenting

Parenting is a life-long journey and there are not enough resources to make it easier. If you are a parenting expert or specialist, consider hosting a podcast to help other parents sail smoothly through this beautiful journey.

47. Animals & Pets

Animals and pets deserve not just our love and care but also awareness. You can spread the word about animals in general or pets in particular by creating a podcast around the topic. Share tips with pet owners on caring for their pets better, or choose a specific animal (cat, dog, hamster, etc.) to center your podcast around.

48. Books

Love books and want to build a community? Share book reviews or recommendations through a podcast. You can also create audiobooks and help people gain wisdom without reading them.

In addition, you can bring famous authors or give a platform to debut authors to talk about their first books like Debutiful does.

49. Philosophy

Love to question life and looking for a podcast idea that’s a bit more expansive than the ones shared above? If yes, then host a philosophy podcast. You can discuss different philosophical schools and famous philosophers and even interview modern thinkers.

50. Beauty & Fashion

If you’re on a mission to unearth the secret sauce of beauty or fashion, this podcast is your best bet. You can share tips or advice on fashion and all things beauty. Focus on a particular age group or niche like college fashion, workwear, etc. And to ensure it’s unique to keep the listeners’ attention, don’t forget to give it a quirky touch.

To spur your creativity, check out how the Fashion Revolution Podcast explores the hidden stories behind our clothing.

Found the Perfect Podcast Idea?

These podcast topics can offer a great way to connect with your listeners and build a following. But there needs to be more than just figuring out the perfect podcast idea to get off the ground. You’d need the right tools too. Try Wave.video’s online video recorder to record a podcast or host a live video podcast.

And, if you want to learn more about video podcasts, check this guide to find out what they are and how to start one.

The post 50 Creative Podcast Ideas & Topics to Try Out appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

What is StreamYard?

StreamYard claims to be the “easiest way to live stream,” and it’s a good platform. You can stream on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other platforms, add your own branding and even interview guests.

Professional streams empower you to be on-brand and capture more viewers in the process.

You can also use the platform to multistream and don’t need to download any software in the process. Many people love the power of this SaaS solution, but others are looking for StreamYard alternatives because it lacks some of the features they prefer.

Wave.video is the leading alternative, but there are some common features between the two.

StreamYard vs Wave.video: Comparison

Wave.video and StreamYard are different platforms with their own unique aspects and features, yet there are some common features that they share.

Common Features of StreamYard and Wave.video

StreamYard alternatives offer many of the same features because they’re crucial for streaming online. Wave.video has overlapping features with the platform, such as:

• Multistream to multiple channels
• Schedule your livestream
• Streaming studio empowers users to record interviews, tutorials, podcasts and more
• RTMP protocol support
• High-definition streaming
• Live chat support to engage with your audience
• Stream your pre-recorded videos
• Wave.video co-streaming allows guests to add their channel to your live event

You can see that many of the key features that attract users to StreamYard are built into Wave.video. However, Wave has advantages that make it an even better streaming solution.

What Makes Wave.video Better Than StreamYard?

Wave.video leverages the features that are missing from its competitors and is in high demand among users. The features that make us a leading alternative to StreamYard include:

Built-in Editor

Switching between SaaS tools is time-consuming and complicated. If you switch to your editor to fine-tune your recordings, you know just how complex the process can be. With this built-in editor, you have the power to refine your recordings and then share them on multiple platforms, like all professional streamers do to expand their audience.

Massive Library

Wave.video has a massive library that you can use to enhance your stream and customize it in ways that you never thought were possible. The library includes:

• Audio effects
• Royalty-free music
• Videos

You’re free to use all of the items in our media library to produce streams and restreams that are out of this world.

OBS-Like Experience – in Your Browser

If you’ve ever wanted to experience OBS in your browser, you now have the option to do that with Wave.video. You can customize your broadcast’s layout and scenes, allowing you to enhance your stream in the studio. You can also add fun options, such as overlays and designs, to separate yourself from the competition.

Hundreds of Templates

Templates speed up the creation process drastically. If you’re not using templates for your stream, you’re leaving yourself at a significant disadvantage in your niche. All users have access to hundreds of templates that you can customize to match the vision you want for your stream.

Bring your production to the next level with options, such as:

• Countdown videos
• Lower-thirds
• Overlays
• More

It’s never been easier to create professional streams than it is with Wave.video.

Portrait Mode Streaming

Vertical streams are huge, and we’re seeing a major shift in how people record. Portrait mode streaming is built into Wave to make your broadcast look better on mobile phones. Now, you can pull out your phone, stream in vertical format and create even better productions.

Wave.video’s features continue to advance and take user requests into consideration. However, if you want to try something else, the following alternatives to StreamYard are worth a try.

7 StreamYard Alternatives

1. OBS Studio

OBS Studio is a live streaming and video recording platform that’s free and open source. It’s available on Windows, Linux and macOS, making it accessible to virtually everyone with a traditional desktop or laptop.

When comparing StreamYard vs OBS Studio, you’ll find that OBS has many options, but it also has a learning curve.

One nice thing about OBS is that you can set up an unlimited number of scenes and switch between them using custom transitions. It also has a built-in audio mixer with noise suppression, noise gate and gain filters.

The Settings panel gives you access to an array of features with which you can tweak and experiment.

And when it comes to customization, OBS has advantages. The modular Dock UI allows you to configure your layout however you want.

Studio mode allows you to preview scenes before they go live, and with Multiview, you can see up to eight different scenes and cue any of them with a click.

Pros

• Free and open source
• Preview and setup scenes before taking them live
• Mix your audio for a more professional broadcast
• Support for virtually every streaming platform

Cons

• There’s a learning curve
• Requires software installation

Verdict

OBS Studio is a powerful and free tool that’s a great alternative to StreamYard. But there is a learning curve, so it may not be the best option for absolute beginners. And because OBS requires software installation, you don’t have as much flexibility in where and when you stream.

2. Restream

When comparing Restream vs StreamYard, one thing you’ll notice is that Restream has more options for multistreaming. Plus, it’s already integrated into platforms like SLOBS, XSplit, Elgato and more.

With Restream Studio, you get everything you need to make your stream a success – right in your browser. You can:

• Add a call-to-action or other important message
• Highlight messages from your channels
• Invite guests to your stream
• Add branding

Chat allows you to keep up with and reply to messages from multiple streaming platforms all on one screen.

Users can also upload pre-recorded content for live streams, which can eliminate some of the anxiety of going live.

Restream’s customer base includes Fortune 500 companies, celebrities, gamers and more. It’s a great StreamYard alternative if you have an audience and a budget.

While pricing is on par with StreamYard, Restream does offer more options for multi-streaming destinations and the option to invite guests to your stream.

Pros

• Professional streaming option
• Free tier
• Stream to multiple destinations at once
• Invite guests to your stream
• Branding options
• Cross-platform chats

Cons

• The free tier is very limited
• Paid tiers can be pricey

Verdict

Restream is a great alternative to StreamYard if you already have an audience and a budget. It’s easy to get started, and you have so many options when it comes to branding and multistreaming. But if you’re new to streaming, you may find that it’s out of your price range or more than you really need.

3. Veed

Veed markets itself as a platform where anyone can make great videos. The user-friendly interface makes it easy to add text, auto-generated subtitles, music, graphics and more. You can remove backgrounds, silence noise, add filters, include annotations and even collaborate live.

Veed also has helpful templates, so you can create more professional-looking content, even if you don’t have any design experience.

With Veed, you can go live with the click of a button and stream to multiple platforms. You can also use the platform to edit pre-recorded content.

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Cross-platform chat options
• Multistreaming
• Invite guests to streams
• Browser-based app
• Templates for professional streams

Cons

• The free tier is very limited

Verdict

With its user-friendly design and templates, Veed is an excellent StreamYard alternative for beginners. The platform is browser-based, so you can stream anytime, anywhere you have an internet connection. The only gripe is that the free tier is very limited if you want to do more than just stream. Paid tiers are reasonable, but you are billed annually.

4. Be.live

Be.live is a browser-based platform that makes live streaming a breeze. With Be.live, you can create branded live streams with overlays, logos, backgrounds, widgets and more.

Comment Assistant allows you to engage with viewers across all platforms from one place and feature comments automatically with the help of AI technology. When streaming, you can also boost engagement by adding widgets.

When you’re done streaming, you can repurpose your content using Be.Live’s video editing tool, or even export the stream’s audio for podcasts.

While Be.live can be used for any type of streaming content, it seems to be more geared toward Amazon Live creators.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Branding options
• Engagement features
• Repurpose stream content quickly and easily

Cons

• Streams are limited with the Starter tier

Verdict

Be.live simplifies the streaming process and has a user-friendly interface. However, your options for streaming are a bit more limited than Veed or even StreamYard. Unless you’re willing to pay for the Pro tier, you’ll be limited to just seven streams per month.

5. Dacast

Dacast is a professional streaming platform that allows creators to host, broadcast and even monetize their streams. The platform has a number of impressive features, like:

• Easy streaming of live events using CDNs
• Secure video hosting
• Easy monetization options through pay-per-view
• VOD integration

Dacast can be an option for content creators, but the platform primarily targets organizations in sports, businesses, media, nonprofits and event production.

Still, their emphasis on professionalism, easy monetization and security makes them a great option for enterprises and media organizations that want to lean into live streaming.

Pros

• High focus on security and performance
• Monetization options through pay-per-view streaming
• VOD integration

Cons

• Not an ideal platform for content creators

Verdict

Dacast is an excellent StreamYard alternative for enterprises, nonprofits, educational institutions and others who want a truly professional option for live streaming. But for content creators, Dacast comes at a high cost and has unnecessary features.

6. Melon

Melon promises to help you create stunning live streams. The platform allows you to begin streaming on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other channels in just five clicks. You also have the option to use themes, customize themes, invite guests and screen share, too.

Streaming is capped at 1080p, but you can add your own branding, logos, tickers and more to your stream.

You also gain access to advanced features, such as scheduling, multistream, recording and more on the web-based platform.

Pros

• Cheaper than many alternatives
• Scheduling allows you to plan streams
• Option to create teams
• Sound effect feature

Cons

• Live link joins fail on occasion
• Lacks 4K quality

Verdict

Melon is an app that delivers high-quality streams that are perfect for new streamers who want an easy way to begin streaming without being burdened with feature overload. You can even begin using the free tier to try Melon out for yourself.

7. Vimeo Livestream

Vimeo Livestream Studio 6 is available on Mac and Windows 7+. The software offers powerful, layered broadcast elements, allowing you to add graphics to your stream in seconds. Deep integration with Vimeo and Mevo makes it simple to stream to multiple platforms.

RTMP is available, along with options to connect multiple data sources, including external ones. You can also use color correction. If you interview others often, the live interview option supports browser-only functionality.

Multiple camera angles, screen sharing, live switcher and PTZ camera control make Livestream Studio a great option for professional broadcasts.

Pros

• Easy to set up and clean interview
• Creators can sell their products
• Allows you to set up templates for custom streams
• Picture-in-picture features available
• Connect multiple data sources to show tweets, RSS feeds and more

Cons

• Requires a download to get started
• No SaaS solution available
• No free plan available

Verdict

Vimeo’s Livestream Studio is a powerful tool for streaming, albeit a little complex to begin using. The platform’s lack of a free plan makes the entry barrier pricey for new streamers on a tight budget.

Conclusion

Wave.video remains our top choice for StreamYard alternatives, but you must find a solution that works best for you. The platforms and software above allow you to begin streaming professional broadcasts quickly and easily.

The post 7 Best StreamYard Alternatives in 2023 appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

Let’s explore six other options for multistreaming and share the absolute best Restream alternative.

What is Restream?

Restream is a streaming platform that focuses primarily on multistreaming (i.e. streaming to multiple platforms at once). But they also have other tools designed to make your stream a success, like:

• Uploading and streaming your recorded videos live
• Chatting with viewers in multi-chat
• Measuring your success with analytics

With Restream, you can share your streams on 30+ platforms all from the same browser. You can invite guests to boost your stream’s engagement and even brand your stream to take your professionalism to the next level.

Restream’s analytics feature makes it easy to measure your success on each streaming platform. You can also gain insight into which parts of your stream get the most engagement, your total watched minutes and more.

With Chat Analytics, you can see the most popular phrases used, trending emojis and top chatters. These insights can help you see what people are interested in and what’s keeping them engaged.

While Restream is certainly a robust platform, it does have some drawbacks. Apart from costs, Restream is lacking editing features, stock libraries, and other assets that can help streamers stand out in the crowd.

That’s why many brands and content creators search for Restream alternatives that offer all of the features they want or need.

Wave.video is the best alternative to Restream, and the two platforms share many of the same features.

Restream vs Wave.video: Comparison

While Wave.video and Restream are two different platforms, they both share some common features.

Common Features of Restream and Wave.video

Many of the features that make Restream so attractive are also offered by Wave.video, like:

• Effortless multistreaming to multiple channels
• Easy scheduling for live streams
• Wave.video’s Co-streaming, which is just like Restream Pairs and allows guests to add their channels to your stream
• High-quality HD streaming
• Portrait mode option, which uses the vertical layout for more mobile-friendly streaming
• Streaming of pre-recorded videos
• Live chat support

Wave.video offers the same standout features that Restream offers, but Wave also goes the extra mile to provide streamers with tools and assets that boost engagement. When you consider these extra perks, Wave is truly the better platform.

What Makes Wave.video Better Than Restream?

Wave.video and Restream both have user-friendly interfaces that make it easy to start streaming, even if you have no experience. But Wave has the edge on Restream for a number of reasons:

Built-in Editor

Unlike Restream, which focuses only on live streaming, Wave.video helps you make the most out of all of your video content, including your streams.

With the built-in video editor, you can tweak and fine-tune your stream recordings and repurpose them for other social platforms.

Right in Wave’s browser-based editor, you can add:

• Text
• Overlays and stickers
• Audio
• Captions
• Stock photos
• More

Having the option to edit your live stream recordings allows you to extend your content even further.

Live Streaming Studio

Wave.video’s Live Streaming Studio gives you an OBS-like experience right in your browser. With customizable layouts, overlays, multiple design features and the option to have multiple scenes, Live Streaming Studio makes it effortless to create professional streams from day one.

With Live Streaming Studio, you can also:

• Grant team members and co-hosts all the privileges they need to create content together.
• Manage your guest list, so you never have to worry about unwanted visitors.
• Schedule multistreaming in just a few clicks to save time.
• Invite guests to your stream by sending them a simple link.
• Choose from a variety of backdrop visuals, banners, overlays, frames and more.
• Share more than one screen or play a video during your stream.

Live Streaming Studio serves as your one-stop shop for creating professional-quality live streams.

Extensive Media Library for Advanced Customization

Wave.video gives streamers the tools and assets they need to boost user engagement. Wave has an impressive library of stock:

• Videos
• Audio effects
• Royalty-free music
• GIFs
• More

All of these assets can be used to customize your livestream and help you stand out in the crowd.

Customizable Templates

With Wave.video, you can take your live streams to the next level with hundreds of customizable templates right at your fingertips.

From transparent overlays to countdown videos, lower-thirds and more, there’s no shortage of professional templates available for streamers.

Streaming Audio for Content Repurposing

One big advantage of Wave.video’s Live Streaming Studio is that it can double as recording software, allowing you to create:

• Interviews
• Podcasts
• Tutorials
• More

Having the option to repurpose just your audio is yet another way Wave helps you make the most of your content.

Wave.video’s features make it the best Restream alternative out there. But if you still want to experiment with different platforms, these six platforms are worth considering.

6 Best Restream Alternatives

1. Switchboard Live

Switchboard Live is a popular streaming platform that allows you to stream to multiple destinations at once. Features like embedded video players, quick setup and unlimited stream destinations are just a few of the reasons streamers consider Switchboard Live.

But if you’re comparing Restream vs Switchboard, you’ll find that Switchboard is lacking a few features, like:

• Live chat
• Editing tools
• Collaboration with guests
• HD streaming

However, Switchboard Live does have some standout features, like:

• Unlimited stream destinations, team members and inputs
• Video annotations

While anyone can use Streamboard, they seem to be targeting houses of worship, educational institutions, sports and media, musicians and individual creators.

Pros

• Unlimited stream destinations
• Quick and easy setup
• Video player embedding

Cons

• No option for HD streaming
• No chat features
• Minimal customization options

Verdict

Switchboard Live can be a great Restream alternative if you’re in one of their targeted industries, like sports and media, music, or podcasting. But it lacks customization options, which can make it difficult to brand your streams. It also lacks the option for HD streaming. Still, the platform is trusted by companies like ESPN and Harley-Davidson, so they’re worth considering if you’re in the right industry.

2. Wirecast

Wirecast is a streaming solution offered by Telestream. Along with live stream capturing, the platform offers editing options and the ability to multistream to an unlimited number of destinations.

Compared to Restream, Wirecast has some advantages, like:

• Use of their stock media library
• Auto-archiving
• Playlist creation
• Organizational features
• Remote production
• Social media integration

But here’s what really makes Wirecast stand out: there’s no monthly subscription. Wirecast offers a lifetime license, but it comes at a steep price point of $599 for the Studio tier and $799 for the Pro tier.

What do you get for this price?

• Unlimited inputs
• Option to add remote guests
• Advanced audio mixer
• Lower thirds title library built-in
• Unlimited destinations
• Access to a stock media library

The Pro tier also has helpful features like scoreboards and instant replays for sports productions, pro audio controls, PTZ camera control and more.

One big drawback with Wirecast is that it’s a traditional software program, which means you’ll need to install it on a desktop or laptop.

Wirecast is a true professional streaming solution targeted toward broadcasting networks.

Pros

• Unlimited inputs and streaming destinations
• One-time fee for a lifetime license
• Access to a stock media library

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• High price

Verdict

Wirecast is worth considering as a Restream alternative if you are a professional broadcaster or an enterprise. But with a high price and steep learning curve, Wirecast may not be the ideal option for small businesses, creators and those who are just getting started with streaming.

3. Castr

Castr is a live-streaming platform for individuals and businesses that makes it easy to stream, schedule, host and even monetize your content from one place.

Castr has many similar features to Restream and some that are unique:

• Stream to 30+ platforms at the same time
• Up to 4K quality available
• Multistream and embedded player livestream options
• Monetization options with subscription buttons and website links
• Create and manage OTT apps
• Transform live streams into on-demand videos (VOD)
• Upload and live stream pre-recorded content
• Get access to analytics
• Pay Per View streaming options

Castr also has a multi-chat overlay option for live streams, which makes it a viable Restream chat alternative. It allows you to view chat messages across multiple platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, etc.

Castr also offers multiple package options to suit a wide variety of needs and budgets.

Pros

• Stream to multiple platforms at the same time
• 4K streaming options
• Monetization options
• Tools for content repurposing

Cons

• No video editor

Verdict

Castr is an impressive Restream alternative and has many of the same features that Restream users love. But Castr is lacking a video editor, which makes it tricky to repurpose recorded streams. And unless you move to a higher subscription tier, you’ll be limited in the number of concurrent streams and stream destinations.

4. Resi

Resi is a solution that many professionals choose because it’s highly reliable. Critical functions work very well in the platform, but the UI is lacking and a tad confusing. The platform has a lot of key features, such as:

• Resilient streaming protocol
• RTMP designation streams, such as LinkedIn and TikTok
• Real-time analytics
• Automatic closed captioning
• Automatic subtitles
• Pre-recorded streaming options

Customer service and support at Resi are top-notch, providing peace of mind that if you have questions, you can be confident the professionals at the company will respond.

Pros

• Responsive support team
• Straight-to-web streaming
• Multi-site streaming
• Studio allows you to schedule ahead of time
• Accessibility features built-in

Cons

• Recording issues often occur
• High cost
• Encoder default is SDI

Verdict

Resi offers a great product and is highly reliable. One of the areas where Resi doesn’t meet the needs of consumers is the price. You’ll need to have a high budget for this product, but it does offer some of the best multisite, live streaming and live simulation in the industry.

If you produce professional productions often and don’t mind a steeper learning curve and a complex UI, Resi is a good option.

5. Videolinq

Videolinq is an all-in-one platform that powers live streams. You can reduce creation costs and time while creating stunning live broadcasts. The platform integrates neatly with multiple platforms, including:

• Twitch
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• RTMP
• Vimeo

Users can sign up for a free account, but you have a 0GB allowance on the account and can only stream for 10 minutes. Pricing for even the basic plan is expensive at $49 a month, and you can only live stream on two channels at once.

Additional features include the ability to stream recorded files, HD video, custom RTMP outputs, create playlists, add closed captioning, video player with embed code, steam monetization and more.

Pros

• Simple to stream to multiple social channels at once
• API to create your own solution
• Works seamlessly with OBS and Zoom
• Pre-record and scheduling options
• Video analytics
• Monetization options

Cons

• Vague language for stream output limits
• CDN charge when streaming to your website
• Steep learning curve

Verdict

Videolinq is a strong platform for streaming, but even the basic tier has strict limitations in place. You do have access to a social media studio, but there are a lot of questions about stream output limits. The company says “it varies,” for the Basic and Premium plan, but that’s simply too vague for users.

6. Boxcast

Boxcast is a live streaming and broadcasting platform that is designed to expand your live events’ reach to anyone, anywhere in the world. You can begin using the platform for free, and it’s considered a “software + hardware” solution.

You can begin live broadcasts on your iOS device, or you can use the BoxCaster encoder.

There is also the option to use RTMP to stream video. You can stream on multiple platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others. A touch of a button allows you to stream to BoxCast.tv, Roku, Chromecast and more.

Pros

• Schedule or start and stop streams manually
• Stream settings remain for the next stream
• Editing and recording is easy
• Built-in chat features

Cons

• App seems to log you out for no reason

Verdict

BoxCast has a steep starting cost, but the software seems to have issues with older devices. If you overlook these minor drawbacks, the platform is powerful and consistent. You can quickly bring your stream to the next level with easy editing, stream recording and scheduling.

Conclusion

Restream alternatives empower you to create broadcasts that users will love and your team will have an easy time creating. The options above all have their advantages and disadvantages, but they offer features that we often find lacking. After our thorough review, Wave.video remains the top option to replace Restream.

The post 6 Best Restream Alternatives in 2023 appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

8 Best Canva Alternatives

1. Wave.video

Wave.video is the best Canva alternative, and it has a lot of advantages that users will love. Along with a super easy-to-use interface, Wave.video offers:

• An extensive library of image templates for virtually any use case, from transparent overlays for live streaming to social posts with discount offers.
• Free stock library of images and videos – more than 200 million assets!
• An impressive range of stickers and layouts to customize your content even further.
• A resizing tool that makes it easy to change your image’s dimensions for use on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms.
• Advanced text features, including pre-designed styles and different effects.

With so many assets and tools at your fingertips, It’s easy to create professional graphics for social, marketing, sharing and more.

Pricing

• Free: Basic video editor, 15-minute video max with watermark, thumbnail maker and access to the stock library with 2 million assets and templates.
• Streamer ($16/month): Gives you access to the basic video editor (up to 5 minutes) as well as a thumbnail maker and stock library with millions of assets.
• Creator ($24/month): Allows you to make videos up to 30 minutes long and gives you access to the thumbnail maker, stock library, background removal tool and more
• Business ($48/month): Allows you to make videos up to 2 hours long at 60fps. You’ll still get access to the thumbnail maker, stock library and more.

Verdict

Wave is our top pick on this list of Canva alternatives. You can try the platform for free, and experience the power of Wave for yourself. With 200+ million media assets and a ton of advanced features, you’ll want to test this solution out for yourself.

2. Adobe Express

Adobe Express has a very similar interface to Canva and many of the same options, including a library of templates, design assets, stock photos and more. The platform is accessible on mobile and the web, and it’s free.

Express has an array of tools, including:

• Background remover
• Image resizing
• Cropping
• File converting
• Video converting
• Templates

Teams can easily collaborate on projects and create a wide range of content, including logos, banners, flyers, social posts, stories and ads.

Adobe is a leader in visual content creation tools, so Express is naturally a reliable and quality tool you can use to create graphical content.

Pricing

Express has two tiers of packages:

• Free: Allows you to use basic editing tools and photo effects. You’ll still get access to thousands of templates, design assets, fonts and more.
• Premium ($9.99/month): Allows you to resize images, get acces to premium assets, use tens of thousands of fonts, plan content and more.

Adobe offers a 30-day free trial for the Premium tier, so you can take it for a test run to see if you like it.

Verdict

Adobe Express is a great Canva alternative with lots of features and options. The tool is backed by an industry leader, but there is a learning curve. While the interface is similar to Canva, Express is more complex and will take some time to master. However, their free tier is generous and will give you a good opportunity to really get to know the tool.

3. Visme

Visme is an all-in-one design platform that allows you to create presentations, videos, documents, data visualizations, mockups and more.

One thing that makes Visme stand out is its focus on collaboration. Teams can easily give feedback on designs, brainstorm and work together in real-time and all without having to leave the platform. They also have robust asset management tools that make it easy to keep your content organized.

Visme connects with the tools that you’re already using, like Google Drive, Salesforce, Dropbox, Survey Monkey, YouTube and more.

The platform provides thousands of templates for presentations, infographics, social graphics, charts, maps, documents and more.

Pricing

Visme has three main package tiers:

• Free: Gives you 100MB of storage, limited templates and design assets, and access to most templates.
• Starter ($12.25/month): Gives you 250MB of storage and full access to templates and assets.
• Pro ($24.75/month): Gives you 3GB of storage, brand kit, privacy controls, analytics, full downloading options and more.

A Teams package also allows for greater collaboration, a custom sub-domain, advanced integration and more.

To make Visme more accessible, the platform offers special pricing for educators and students as well as a nonprofit discount.

Verdict

Overall, Visme is a great tool for creating professional graphics, presentations and more. The interface is very user-friendly, and users have access to a wide range of extra tools like analytics. That said, Visme is best suited for businesses and enterprises. Content creators will find more affordable and better options on this list.

4. Stencil

Stencil is a graphic design tool that promises to make it easy to make beautiful social graphics on the fly. The platform targets business owners, bloggers and social media marketers, but anyone can use their tool.

Stencil has an impressive collection of features, which is why they are a popular alternative to Canva. The platform offers:

• More than 1,300 templates
• 5+ million stock photos
• Easy sharing to social media
• Branding options
• Thousands of fonts
• 3+ million icons and graphics
• 140+ preset sizes

Because Stencil is a browser-based tool, it can be accessed from any internet-connected device. Users can even download extensions for Chrome and Firefox to kickstart the design process at any time. Stencil even has a WordPress plugin that allows users to create graphics as they’re writing posts.

Other helpful features include:

• Scheduling with Buffer
• Facebook Ad Grid
• Favorting for graphics and templates
• Image filters
• Importing
• Live previews
• More

Pricing

Stencil has three tiers of packages:

• Free: Save up to 10 images per month, upload 50 images, get limited access to photos and icons, create up to 10 collections, and get 10 Instagram SMS per month.
• Pro ($9/month): Save up to 10 images and get access to millions of photos, icons and graphics. Pro users can also use templates, Google fonts and have more images, collections and favorites.
• Unlimited ($12/month): Includes all Pro features in addition to unlimited saves, uploads, collections and favorites.

All of Stencil’s plans are backed by a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Verdict

Stencil has plenty of great options for creating graphics for social and a handful of other types of content. But their options aren’t as robust as others on this list. To make this platform worthwhile, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro tier. Overall, Stencil is a great option for those with a little more experience and have higher graphic demands.

5. Pixlr X

Pixlr is a browser-based photo editing and graphic design tool that has been around for years. The X version of the platform allows you to create an array of graphical content, including:

• Collages
• TikTok videos
• Instagram posts and stories
• YouTube thumbnails
• Facebook posts, stories and covers
• Pinterest pins
• Twitter posts and covers
• Etsy banners
• LinkedIn banners
• Flyers
• Business cards
• More

Along with all of these image formats, Pixlr X also offers an image search option for free stock photos, an AI generator and more.

Pricing

Pixlr X is primarily a free tool, but they also have paid subscription tiers.

• Plus ($0.75/month): Removes ads and gives you unlimited saves.
• Premium ($4.90/month): Gives you full access to the Pixlr Suite, templates, assets and more – without ads.
• Team ($9.91/month): Allows you to have team members and collaborate on projects together.

Pixlr X also offers a free 30-day trial of their Premium package.

Verdict

Pixlr X is a great alternative to Canva if you’re looking for a browser-based editor. The platform has many templates and options for social media content. While generally easy to use, Pixlr X’s interface is a bit clunky and outdated. Still, it’s a tool that anyone can start using right away on the free level.

6. Easil

Easil is a drag-and-drop editor designed to help teams create print and digital marketing materials effortlessly. Like Canva. Easil allows you to start the design process with a template. You can use their templates or your own. You can also import your brand kit, videos and images with just a few clicks of a button.

Easil even makes it easy to edit video content through trim tools, filters, masks, transparency options and more. Complete your videos with animated GIF stickers.

Like other browser-based graphic tools, Easil allows you to:

• Remove backgrounds
• Add drop shadows, glow and curves to text
• Incorporate animated GIFs into your designs

Users can also resize templates in seconds, allowing you to repurpose your content across multiple platforms at just the right size. You can even update all of your text and images for multiple sizes at the same time.

Other helpful features include the option to add layers for easy editing, a color palette generator, free fonts and more. Editing restrictions also ensure that your brand’s messaging and imagery are consistent.

Pricing

Easil has four pricing tiers:

• Basic (free): Includes a 30-day free trial of Plus, so you can take the platform for a test drive.
• Plus ($7.50/month/user): Gives you access to tools for creating and managing your own templates.
• Edge ($59/month/user): Gives you unlimited access to premium template collections plus access to their Edge Design Guarantee.
• Enterprise (Custom): Gives you a tailored package with a dedicated account manager and a branded portal.

Verdict

Easil is a powerful graphics tool with an easy drag-and-drop interface. They have thousands of templates and lots of options for exporting your content. The biggest drawback is the high price. Unless you’re willing to jump to the Edge tier, you’ll have very limited options for creating graphics.

7. Venngage

Venngage is a bit different from other Canva alternatives because it focuses primarily on infographics. The platform helps you make professional-looking infographics in just a few steps using their templates and stock imagery and graphics.

You can also use Venngage to create posters, reports, letterheads, flyers, business cards, ebooks, collages, social media graphics and more.

Venngage’s library includes customizable icons, high-quality stock photos and more. With team accounts, you can collaborate on infographics, presentations and reports in real-time, making it easy for everyone to be on the same page and provide feedback with ease. Folders also allow your team to keep graphics organized neatly, and you can arrange your content by date, department, purpose and more.

Brands will love the automated branding tools, which allow you to upload your logo, fonts and brand colors to customize your designs. And with Smart Features and Templates, it’s easy to rearrange your content and even add new content to your infographics.

Design AI allows you to automatically generate professional text blocks and slide layouts in just a few clicks.

Pricing

Venngage has four tiers of pricing:

• Free: Includes 5 designs, 6 image uploads, free icons and widgets, and the ability to share publicly.
• Premium ($10/month/user): Includes unlimited designs, private sharing, 50 image uploads, premium icons and widgets, high-res exporting and email and chat support.
• Business ($24/month/user): Includes up to 10 team members, folder organization, real-time collaboration, brand kits, exports for HTML and PowerPoint, 500 image uploads, and comprehensive support.
• Enterprise ($499/month for 10+ seats): Includes team sizes up to 100+, a dedicated account manager, custom-built features, onboarding and team training, multi-factor authentication and more.

Verdict

Venngage is an excellent Canva alternative if you’re a business that creates infographics on a regular basis. The branding tools help you create more professional designs, and there are collaborative options for bigger teams. The biggest drawback with Venngage is the cost. The Enterprise tier is quite pricey, but even the Business tier is out of reach for many people if they have big teams.

8. Fotor

Fotor is an online photo editor that makes it easy to:

• Add text to photos
• Crop images
• Resize photos
• Create collages
• Make graphics for social media

AI tools allow you to take your graphics even further. With the click of a button, you can:

• Enhance your photos
• Remove backgrounds or objects
• Add photo effects
• Generate realistic faces with the AI Face Generator tool
• Generate AI art

Fotor also makes it easy to create marketing and social media content with their tools, including posters, logos, YouTube thumbnails, Twitch covers and more.

Pricing

Fotor has three main tier options:

• Free: Basic edits, photo effects and touchups with limited design resources and collage options. The free tier also has ads.
• Fotor Pro ($8.99/month): Includes everything in the Free tier, along with more collage layouts, premium photo effects, advanced editing tools, photo frames, stock photos and more. This tier is ad-free.
• Fotor Pro+ ($19.99/month): Includes everything in Fotor Pro along with more branding options, templates, stickers, file management and more. This tier is also ad-free.

Verdict

Fotor is an advanced photo editor that offers a wealth of AI tools and other features. While it can be a great Canva alternative, it’s not as versatile as Wave.video or other options on this list. There are only a handful of options for creating social media content, and their graphic marketing options are limited.

Conclusion

These are the top eight Canva alternatives. Each one of these platforms has its benefits and drawbacks, but Wave.video is still our top pick. Wave has a robust set of features and packages for every budget and team.

The post 8 Best Canva Alternatives in 2023 appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.

While Vimeo is a great solution for many users, the platform may lack some features that others want or need. We’re going to share some of the best Vimeo alternatives out there, including our top pick – Wave.video.

Vimeo Review: Key Facts And Features

Vimeo is a platform that seems to do it all. You have the option to:

• Build a community
• Host virtual events
• Share messages
• Create videos
• Sell your videos

Vimeo wants to be the one platform that meets all of your needs. You can integrate it with today’s go-to solutions, including Meta, Asana, Constant Contact, HubSpot, TikTok, Figma, Shopify, WordPress and many others.

In total, there are 260+ million users in the Vimeo community, and you can start a free trial of the platform.

Pricing remains high for the best plan, and there are four main options:

• Plus: $7/mo for 5GB/week streaming, video creation, player customization, privacy controls and unlimited screen and webcam recording.
• Pro: $20/mo for 20GB/week streaming, everything in Plus, private team projects, review and approval and customizable showcase sites.
• Business: $50/mo for unlimited, everything in Pro, custom branding in videos, player call-to-action, lead gen and Google analytics.
• Premium: $75/mo for unlimited, everything in Business, unlimited webinars and live events, up to 100 webinar registrations for each event, browser production, multiple livestream options, polls, graphics, chats and webinar analytics.

Vimeo’s key features also include video embedding, monetization, video-on-demand hosting, live streaming, OTT streaming and private streaming. Multiple file types are supported, with the most popular being MP4. MOV, AVI, FLV and WMV file formats.

You can also set up video management teams and collaborate with your team inside of Vimeo.

Why You Should Look For Vimeo Alternatives

Why would people start abandoning this platform and begin searching for Vimeo competitors? There are a few reasons:

1. Tech support and customer service are severely lacking and can take weeks to reply
2. Vimeo never seems to live up to its potential
3. When things break, it seems like Vimeo doesn’t have a way to fix them (e.g., pages disappear – sometimes for no reason)
4. They have a habit of charging you even after canceling during the 30-day free trial
5. Canceling even after the free trial is notoriously difficult

Vimeo is a platform that came out before YouTube, yet the platform has never been able to capitalize on being one of the first in the market. Why? They seem to fall behind the competition and don’t invest enough into what matters most, such as fixing customer service issues.

It’s easy to understand why people are searching for something similar to Vimeo but better.

12 Best Vimeo Alternatives in 2023

1. Wave.video

Wave.video is similar to Vimeo, but it is an online video platform that takes customer support and innovation seriously. Multiple tools are bundled into one neat package that allows you to do everything, including:

• Create and record videos
• Edit videos
• Record or host videos
• Stream

Users have the power to use advanced streaming features at their fingertips, including following an OBS-like experience in your browser. You can customize your video’s layout, add design features and place overlays to enhance your stream.

When you sign up for Wave, you’re given 1,000+ pre-designed templates that help you put together a professional stream or even an intro to your stream/channel.

Pros

• Affordable monthly and annual pricing options
• 200+ million stock assets allow you to rapidly make professional videos
• Ad-free video hosting
• Advanced video analytics and customizable player
• Embed videos right into your website, email campaign or more

Pricing

• Free: $0/mo for a basic video editor, 15-minute max videos with a watermark, 2M asset and template stock library and thumbnail maker. Live stream on two channels and with up to six guests at a time. You can have one camera and screen share for guests.
• Streamer: $16/mo for everything in the free version, short videos and GIFs up to 5 minutes and 1080p quality. Live stream on five channels and with up to 10 guests at a time. Pre-record streams, create video permissions and allow two cameras and three screen shares for each guest.
• Creator: $24/mo for everything in the Streamer tier, plus videos up to 30 minutes, 200m assets and templates, image background removal, text-to-speech and stylish captions and subtitles.
• Business: $48/mo for everything in the Creator tier, 120-minute max videos, auto caption and subtitles, and shared login. Advanced live streaming to 10 channels and for up to 12 guests for up to 12 hours is also available. Permission advancements are a major part of this tier.

Verdict

Wave.video remains the best alternative to Vimeo, and the introduction of new features continues to make the platform even better. You can rapidly create, edit, record, host and stream using Wave.

Add in Autocaption and advanced video editing, and you’ll be on your way to creating professional videos faster and more efficiently than ever before.

2. Wistia

Wistia aims to help you control your video marketing with the option to create and manage your video content, generate more leads and measure performance with in-depth data insights. Users can access Soapbox to record in their browser, then export their works to Wistia for more editing.

You can trim and edit your videos to prepare them for your final production.

Wistia Live makes it easy to create your own events and webinars. You can also host and market the event. Users can:

• Create a custom video player
• Use the video CMS
• Host videos
• Collaborate
• Embed videos
• Much more

Creator tools make it easy to password protect content, add custom CTAs and record for 5 – 60 minutes depending on the plan. With A/B testing and heatmaps, you can use viewer data to improve your next stream.

Pros

• Advanced analytics to make your next stream better
• Marketing automation on top tiers
• Easy to begin using creator tools and edit productions
• Video chapters make it easy for viewers to rapidly find content

Cons

• Maximum video length of 60 minutes

Pricing

• Free: Custom player and controls, video chapters, no-code replacement, video recording, video duration of 5 minutes and the ability to trim videos are included.
• Plus: $19/mo provides you with everything in the free tier, along with email integration, basic editing and lead capture forms.
• Pro: $79/mo provides you with everything in the plus tier, along with video heatmaps, A/B testing and custom CTAs.
• Advanced: $319/mo provides you with a lot more power, adding everything in the previous tier along with live streaming, unlimited channels and marketing integrations.
• Premium: $??/mo is available after contacting the company and provides unlimited users, media and everything in the advanced tier.

Verdict

Wistia is a Vimeo competitor with more robust features, but the platform is very expensive. The ability to manage your productions and integrate with social media, email and Zoom make Wistia a strong option for pro streams

3. DaCast

DaCast is a professional streaming channel that allows you to broadcast, host and monetize streams with end-to-end live streaming. The platform has a free trial, so you can give it a try for yourself to see if you like it.

The platform uses top-tier CDNs to stream live events, 24/7 customer support, video-on-demand, OTT and an HTML5 video player.

Users can:

• Live stream
• Use 1080p HD broadcasts
• Allow unlimited concurrent viewers
• Leverage RTMP
• Mobile or browser stream
• Access advanced analytics
• Simulcast
• Bulk upload videos from Google Drive
• Much more

Pros

• Friendly and responsive support team
• Availability in China
• Stable performance and access to high-end CDNs
• Easy to monetize your broadcasts

Cons

• Lacks encoding options

Pricing

• Free: 14-day trial
• Starter: $39/mo allows you to stream 2.4 TB per year and store 500 GB of files. You gain access to the features listed above, along with country restrictions, 24/7 support and VOD.
• Event: $63/mo expands your streaming to 6 TB upfront with 250 GB of storage. You also unlock China Live, live countdown, paywall, multiple advertising options, CDNs, live stream monitoring and more.
• Scale: $165/mo allows for 24 TB per year and 2000 GB storage. Users on this tier can have three team members, VOD chapter markers, AES, DRM, unlimited channels, phone support and more.
• Custom: An option for large enterprises that is customized to their needs.

Verdict

DaCast is available in China, making it a solution for events hosted in the country. Users who want something similar to Vimeo will find that the platform has a lot of advanced analytics and monetization options, but it would be nice to have encoding.

4. Cincopa

Cincopa is a video platform that offers brands an array of options for:

• Video player customization, complete with branding and interactive elements
• Marketing tools to help grow your business, like video SEO
• Customizable video galleries and portals
• Video asset management
• Easy video embedding and CDN
• Monetization and analytics
• Live streaming and webinar features
• Video hosting
• OTT platform

Cincopa markets itself as a solution for content publishers, enterprises and online courses. It’s a feature-rich solution for anyone wanting to leverage all that video content has to offer. In fact, you could argue that Cincopa is even more feature-rich than Vimeo because it offers features like video hosting and management.

Pros

• Robust solution for video hosting, management and publishing
• Video SEO options for improved marketing
• Multiple publishing options

Cons

• Interface is a bit clunky

Pricing

• Plus: $25/mo for video, image and podcast hosting plus the ability to embed your digital assets.
• Corporate: $99/mo for everything in the Plus plan as well as unlimited embedding, on-video features like CTAs and closed captioning, integration with marketing tools, SEO tools and access to screen recording through their Chrome Extension.
• Advanced: $350/mo for everything in the Corporate plan plus unlimited traffic and hosting, multiple admins and users, unlimited integrations, high-level security features, analytics and OTT options.

Verdict

Cincopa is a robust video platform that offers many features for creators of all types and levels. But if you’re just getting started, you may find that Cincopa is too complex and has too many features that you don’t need. There are better Vimeo alternatives with more user-friendly interfaces.

5. Panopto

Panopto markets itself as an easy way to record and share videos, and it shares many of the features that Vimeo offers, like:

• Video capturing from multiple cameras, screens and presentations
• The ability to search your video library
• Easy sharing of your video content
• Broadcast live and on-demand
• Measure analytics to see what your audience finds most engaging

Panopto is easy to use and it also integrates with many of the platforms you’re already using, like Teams, Zoom, Webex and more. One of the more powerful features that goes overlooked is the ability to manage thousands of videos. Add user permissions, move content and be confident that user links will still work.

When recording classes and using an LMS, teachers can begin recording, hit stop and allow Panopto to upload the videos to the right course. In terms of workflow, the platform is a solution that is difficult to match because it works so well.

Pros

• Easy interface
• Precision search features
• Livestream or offer video-on-demand
• Analytics offers insight into your content

Cons

• Limited video storage

Pricing

• Free: Allows you to create and share on-demand videos and includes 5 hours of video storage plus 100 hours of streaming per month.
• Pro: $14.99/mo for everything in the free plan plus 50 hours of storage and unlimited streaming.
• Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing. The Enterprise plan has unlimited storage and streaming.

Verdict

For educational institutions and enterprises, Panopto is a viable alternative to Vimeo for your video needs. It’s an excellent choice for corporate communication, onboarding and lecture capturing. But for most other businesses and creators, Panopto doesn’t offer the customization and engagement features that other Vimeo alternatives offer.

Instead, the platform works best for educators because of its ability to take the tediousness of organization and make it a simple task.

6. Resi

Resi is a solution that many professionals use, and it allows for high-end streaming. Users can automatically upload and automate their pre-recorded and live streams, analyze real-time analytics, and even add closed captioning.

The platform is known for being highly reliable and offering crisp, clear streaming either online or site-to-site. Resilient Streaming Protocol (RSP) is used to improve streams and has the power to deliver 100% content even through internet disruptions.

Live-stream analytics allow you to learn from your stream, see how many people watch and make adjustments to improve future engagement.

When you sign up for the platform, you will be required to go through an onboarding session. The session helps you learn how to use Resi more efficiently and breaks through the initial learning curve that most platforms have.

Pros

• Reliable platform
• Helpful customer reps and agents
• Automates close captioning and subtitles
• Ability to pre-record streams

Cons

• No upfront pricing
• SDI is set as the default stream

Pricing

• Must request a demo, which is customized to your needs

Verdict

Resi is a professional platform that is designed specifically for churches, enterprises, education institutes, conference centers, sports and more. The platform offers live stream solutions, multisite streaming, and access to a content library.

Content libraries share, organize and store your content for your audience. You can also live stream, broadcast streams at multiple sites at once and even pre-record and schedule your next stream.

With the advanced onboarding from Resi, it is a high-performance platform that users across the world, especially churches, use as their streaming solution.

7. Kaltura

Kaltura aims to power “any video experience,” and the platform has a lot of tools to help you achieve your streaming goals. Users join 1,000+ major brands that leverage the following plans:

• Virtual events
• Webinars
• Virtual classrooms
• Video portal
• Town halls
• Media services
• Video management console
• Video messaging
• Meetings

Each plan is separate and offers a wealth of its own features. For example, if you want to hold a virtual event, you can demo the platform with one of the company’s reps and access unique features, such as:

• Real-time data analytics for events
• Attendee and sponsorship options
• Pre-set templates
• Compare events at the end
• 4K broadcasts and unlimited scaling

Performance on Kaltura is consistent, and the players do not crash, which is a major bonus. The interface is clean and sleek, and automated captioning is available. Support is lacking, which is concerning because people have been complaining about support-related concerns since at least 2016.

Recent updates have added more power to the platform, especially the ability to record from multiple cameras and switch at will. If you’re streaming a presentation, the option to switch from the lecture to a camera is very powerful.

Many educational institutes use Kaltura because it integrates neatly into the Blackboard learning management system. You don’t need to use any additional tools to use the LMS, which makes it easier for teachers to add videos and lectures.

Pros

• Increase video speeds for faster viewing
• Segment videos into chapters and topics
• One-click screen capture and recording
• Captions are automated
• Integrates with third-party players

Cons

• No pricing available without contact
• Video loading often has problems
• Desktop app is resource-intensive

Pricing

SInce Kaltura offers many plan options, it can become overwhelming to understand their pricing. You’ll need to request a quote for each solution, and some do have a free trial option.

Verdict

Kaltura is a solution that is narrowed down to specific niches. The narrowing is one of the drawbacks because you don’t get access to each plan’s features, although they do overlap quite a bit.

If the platform was more transparent about its pricing and what they offer for each plan, it might be higher on this list.

8. JW Player

JW Player is a platform designed for video-driven companies. If you want to stream at scale, you can rely on the power of JW Player. The ability to engage with audience members and monetize content is why 10,000+ companies trust this player.

You can stream 24/7 on the platform, use OTT, Web and CTV or monetize using TVOD, SVOD and AVOD.

The platform offers:

• Broadcasting live
• Instant live
• Asset management
• Video delivery
• HTML5 player
• Cloud hosting
• OTT apps
• Mobile SDKs
• Real-time analytics
• Custom reports
• Article matching
• Ad insertion and monetization tools

JW Player has a few quirks that people should be aware of before signing up for the platform.

Pros

• Manages video content and keeps it organized
• Wealth of analytics and insight data
• Integrates neatly into a CMS
• HTML5 format leverages the latest technology

Cons

• High learning curve to get started
• Price can be high (it’s custom) when hosting a lot of videos

Pricing

JW Player offers a 30-day free trial on a commercial-free license. The free version is limited to 25GB of hosting and 75GB of streaming. Otherwise, you’ll have to contact the company and receive a custom quote.

Verdict

JW Player is a good tool when you have a large media library that you need to keep organized. The ability to monetize streams and in-depth analytics will make it easier for large production companies to learn about their audience and improve ROI.

The HTML5 player works very well and has a clean interface. You can add the code to your site and allow users to play most media file types.

If you don’t mind the steeper learning curve and higher price point, JW Player is a reliable solution that is easy to use and very flexible.

9. StreamYard

StreamYard is a well-known platform that empowers users to live stream and record right in their browser. You can conduct guest interviews or stream to some of the world’s largest platforms, such as YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Users benefit from never needing to download software, and you can multistream, expanding your reach to Twitch, Twitter and more.

World-class integrations are made even better with the introduction of branded broadcasts. Users can add logos, colors, overlays and more to their broadcast. A logo allows you to increase brand exposure and let viewers know who they’re watching.

Even if you have a bad internet connection, StreamYard will reduce the risk that your video will be blurry or choppy.

Pros

• Easy for even non-tech people to use
• No-app installation necessary
• Event scheduling and multi-screen options
• Customize your stream’s brand

Cons

• Connection issue of single guest impacts entire session
• Custom service is slow

Pricing

• Free: Includes all of StreamYard’s core studio features, limited streaming, local recordings, six on-screen participants and two seats
• Basic: $20/mo Gives you everything in the Free tier plus unlimited streaming, 10 on-screen guests, unlimited local recordings and live stream recordings, multistreaming, branding, 50 hours of storage and more.
• Professional: $39/mo Gives you everything in the Basic tier along with the option to stream in full HD, extra multistream destinations, more seats, an extra camera and more.
• Premium: $79/mo Gives you all the Professional features plus 10 seats, four hours of pre-recorded streams, StreamYard On-Air for 1,000 viewers, backstage participants and more.
• Growth: $239/month Gives you all of the Premium features with more StreamYard On-Air viewers (10,000), greenroom and eight hours of pre-recorded streams.
• Business: Contact sales. The highest tier gives you everything in the Growth plan plus 700+ hours of storage, extra user roles, more StreamYard On-Air viewers and more.

Verdict

StreamYard is built for creators and business owners. The option to multi-stream to multiple platforms at once and a free option are just two reasons to try this platform. You can also customize your player and go live with a few button taps. For most users, StreamYard is a solid choice.

10. Muvi

Muvi is a popular Vimeo OTT alternative that gives users all of the tools they need to create their own audio or video streaming platform. If you aspire to launch the next Netflix or Spotify, Muvi has the framework to help you do that – no IT or coding experience required.

Muvi offers fully managed solutions powered by their streaming video CMS. Their features include:

• Live streaming
• Audio streaming
• Live broadcasting
• Video on demand
• Ad-supported subscription plans
• Multi-DRM security
• Online video player
• End user support
• OTT website and apps

Muvi also offers other products, like those geared towards hosting and managing video, live stream only and AI-powered solutions.

While Muvi is advanced, it’s still a user-friendly platform that can help you get your OTT up and running as quickly as possible. But all of these features and power come at a price. Muvi’s price point is much higher than Vimeo, so it’s not a solution that’s accessible to everyone.

Pros

• Robust OTT solution with a user-friendly design
• Allows for audio streaming and live broadcasting
• Security and monetization built-in
• Full video CMS
• Reliable CDN and hosting

Cons

• Pricey
• Not easy to integrate with other tools and software solutions

Pricing

• Standard: $399/month + $299/month per app + Infra fees. Includes unlimited content and users, 2,000 concurrent users, 2 admin accounts, visual designer for apps and website, monetization engine, built-in Amazon CDN and more.
• Professional: $1499/mo + $499/month per app + Infra fees. Includes everything in the Standard plan but with higher limits for concurrent users (10,000), admin accounts (5) and the option to use your own CDN.
• Enterprise: $3900/mo + $499/month per app + Infra fees. Includes higher limits for concurrent users (50,000), admin accounts (10). It also includes a dedicated server, a staging environment and a much higher level of support.
• Ultimate: Starts at $10,000/mo. Designed for enterprises with high volume demands.

Muvi also has a slew of add-ons, like live chat, policy engine, credits and more. These come at an additional fee.

Verdict

Muvi is a beefed-up version of Vimeo OTT, and it has the price tag to show it. But if your goal is to launch a streaming service of your own or an OTT, then Muvi will give you the framework and tools you need to get started quickly.

11. Wowza

Wowza markets itself as a video platform that can help your business scale and grow quickly. They offer reliable streaming services and their streaming engine actually helps power Vimeo.

Wowza’s solution offers a wealth of features, including:

• Live streaming and video on demand
• Stream scaling with half-second latency
• Video CMS for storing and managing video assets
• HTML5 video player
• Content delivery network (CDN)
• Real-time analytics

Wowza is a bit more developer-focused and not as user-friendly as Vimeo. Still, it’s a powerful solution for enterprises and large-scale events that produce more bandwidth-intensive streams. For users that fit into this category, Wowza is a great Vimeo alternative.

Pros

• Smooth, quality streaming to large audiences
• Optimized to improve streaming performance
• CMS and asset management options
• Video-on-demand options

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• No video editing options

Pricing

• Pay As You Go: $25/month gives you access to Wowza’s streaming platform, ABR streaming and passthrough
• One Month of Streaming: $149/mo gives you 15 streaming hours, 500 viewing hours and the option to pay for storage as needed
• Annual: $1,560/year gives you 300 streaming hours, 10,000 viewing hours and 150GB of storage.
• Enterprise: A custom plan for enterprises with large audiences of high-volume needs

Verdict

Wowza is an impressive platform with excellent reliability, video hosting and asset management. However, it lacks the creation and editing tools that other Vimeo alternatives offer. Wowza is best suited for enterprises and large entities that need to scale their streams with minimal disruption.

12. Restream

Restream is a multistream platform that makes it easy to reach your audience on multiple streaming platforms, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and more. The platform is also natively integrated into platforms like OBS Studio, XSplit, SLOBS and more.

Restream’s studio allows you to add branding, a call-to-action and engage with messages in the chat. There’s also the option to upload and stream content to your audience live.

While Restream has a lot going for it, Vimeo does have some advantages. If you want to create a video from scratch, Vimeo gives you the tools to do that. But Restream doesn’t. There are also options for webinars, video hosting or managing a video library. You can even hire a pro to create your video content.

Restream is more narrowly focused on streaming, so you don’t have as many options for video creation through their platform.

Still, Restream is worth considering as a Vimeo alternative if you want to focus mainly on multistreaming and want the tools to make your streams a success.

Pros

• Stream to multiple destinations at once
• Handle all stream chat messages in one place
• Branding options
• Reliable service

Cons

• No options for video creation, hosting or management

Pricing

• Free: Allows you to stream to two channels, invite up to five guests, use basic graphics, upload up to 15 minutes of video for streaming and store one video.
• Standard: $16/mo will allow you to stream to five channels, record up to 6 hours of streamed video, invite up to nine guests, use custom graphics, get 30-minute uploads for streaming and more.
• Professional: $41/mo will allow you to stream to eight channels, record up to 10 hours of streamed content, invite nine guests, stream in full HD, upload 60 minutes of pre-recorded content and more.

Verdict

Restream is a great alternative to Vimeo if you want to focus primarily on livestreaming. The lack of video editing features, hosting options and some of the other services that Vimeo offers makes it a less attractive option for video content creation. But for those who primarily do multistreaming, Restream is a reliable platform with an impressive customer base.

Conclusion

Vimeo alternatives have a lot of competing features, great prices and seem to make up for the poor customer support that has caused many people to leave Vimeo. The list above offers the best platforms that are similar to Vimeo but better.

The post 12 Best Vimeo Alternatives in 2023 appeared first on Wave.video Blog: Latest Video Marketing Tips & News.