How to Host YouTube Private Live Stream

✎ Key Points:

» You can host a private live stream on YouTube by visiting www.youtube.com, clicking the camera icon in the top right corner, and selecting Go Live.
» Try enabling and verifying your phone number, then choose “Right now” to start the live session. Click on “Built-in webcam,” edit live options for visibility, and set it to Private before clicking “Share Privately.”

⭐️ Private Live Stream vs Public:

Live streaming on YouTube is very engaging. On YouTube, the creators can cast both public as well as private live streams. The public live streams are the ones that are visible to all users. Everyone on YouTube will be able to see your live video and it will come up in searches too.

Then there’s a Private Live Stream on YouTube that is broadcast to a selected group of people who are invited by mail. It’s not available to be seen by the public, nor can it be seen in the search results.

Private Live streams are conducted when there’s an internal company meeting, paid virtual events, etc.

How to Host YouTube Private Live Stream:

Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open YouTube.com and click ‘Go live’

YouTube allows hosting live videos that are cast to be private and are only seen by the invited users. The streamers can change the privacy settings of their live videos to restrict them from being visible to the public.

But holding a private live stream is not as simple as it sounds, but with the correct steps, you will be able to stream private Live streams on YouTube too.

Here are the steps listed down that you need to follow to host a private live stream on YouTube.

You’ll need to head onto youtube.com and then log in to your YouTube account. On the top right corner, you’ll find a camera icon. That’s the Create option.  You need to click on it and then you’ll be displayed with two options. Click on the option Go Live which is the second among the two.

Step 2: Verify your phone if it asks to ENABLE live stream

After you click on Go Live, you’ll be taken to the next page. It might tell you that you’ll need to enable live by verifying your phone number. The page will appear black with a red Enable button on it. You’ll need to click on the red Enable button to verify your phone number so that it allows you to start a live stream.

You’ll get a pop-up message that says To access live streaming on desktop, first verify your phone number. On the message, you’ll get the VERIFY option, you’ll need to click on it.

You’ll be taken to the next page, where you’ll need to select the mode of getting the verification code as well as your country and then enter your phone number. Then click on GET CODE. Enter the code on the next page and you’ll be able and verify it.

You’ll have to wait for 24 hours until you can hold a live stream from your account.

Step 3: Choose ‘When do you want to go live’ > ‘Right now’ & START

Next, after twenty-four hours, you’ll need to come back to youtube.com and click on the create icon. Next, again click on Go Live. Then you’ll be asked to choose the date and time of going live according to your preference.

It will provide you with a Right now option as well as you can schedule it for later too. If you’re willing to hold the live stream at that moment, you need to go for the Right now option by clicking on the Start button next to it.

There are some other requirements about which you should be aware too. You’ll need to have a minimum of 50 subscribers on your YouTube channel. It has to be a verified channel too. But if you have less than 1000 subscribers, some of the live streaming features are going to be restricted from you. 

Step 4: Choose ‘Built-in webcam’ for Live

After you click on the Start button next to Right now, you’ll be taken to the next page and it will ask you whether you’re going to use a built-in webcam in your live session or Streaming Software. You need to go for the Built-in webcam option and so click on the Go option next to it. This option is perfect for live streams where you want to use your webcam and microphone.

When you’re going for live streaming on YouTube, you also need to make sure that you don’t have any live streaming restrictions imposed on your account in the last three months.

Step 5: Edit Live option & Choose ‘Private’

After you choose the Built-in webcam option, it will redirect you to the next page.

 You’ll be able to see the Edit option on the live-streaming dashboard of YouTube. Click on the Edit option.

This is where you’ll be able to modify your live stream’s details such as title, age, restrictions, etc.

There’s a header called Visibility. Click on the drop-down arrow next to it and you’ll be displayed with a few options. You’ll need to go for the option Private, so click on it. It means that the live stream will be seen by you and the people you’ll invite by email.

Step 6: Add email IDs to invite in Live stream

 After you click on Private, you’ll be able to see the option Share Privately just below it. Click on it to invite others to your live stream. As this is a private live stream, the email IDs that you’ll add as Invitees will get invited to watch and none else will know about it.

After you click on Share Privately, you’ll be able to see a box under the Share video privately header. In the box, you’ll need to enter and add the email IDs of those people with whom you want to share the live session. Therefore, add the emails one by one and then tick mark the square box next to Notify via email. Then click on Done.

🔯 Only those people who click on the invite would be able to see the live stream :

The emails that you’ve entered in the box of Invitees will get an invite to your video streaming. If they click on the invite, they will be taken to the live session page on YouTube where they’ll be able to see the live session as well as chat with you during the session. No one else will be able to see it or find the live stream on YouTube other than the ones you’ve invited.