How-To

How to go live on Instagram?

Alexander Shpilka

Aug 3, 2022 • 5 min read

Go Live on Instagram from laptop

Want to go live on Instagram with a pre-recorded video, from laptop or a professional camera? Or, maybe you're thinking of branding your Instagram Live with a logo, text, or overlays? Or, perhaps, you're not ready to go live, and you have a previously recorded video that you want to push to your Instagram live feed? If any of these requests match your goals, this Insta tutorial is for you .

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Instagram doesn’t officially support any of the above features, so you take your responsibility for your stream. LiveReacting only offers a solution to push your video feed to a custom RTMP source.

Now, first things first. If you want to go live with a pre-recorded video on Instagram or stream from a professional camera, you need tree things:

Have an Instagram account.
Sign up to become a LiveReacting user.
Third-party app (like YellowDuck, or you can use any other app which you find reliable) to generate an RTMP link and a stream key. The stream key is unique for every stream, so it has to be generated every time you go live on Insta.

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You don't need to be a professional streamer to stream on Instagram via RTMP. On average, newbies spend around 12-15 minutes to get Instagram stream key and launch a stream.

In this blog, we cover the following topics:

How to get a Stream Key on Instagram?
How to stream a pre-recorded video on Instagram?
How to go live on Instagram on PC or a professional camera?
How to add branding to Instagram Live?

1. How to get a Stream Key on Instagram?

1. Download and install a free YellowDuck app (or any other app you like/trust), which allows you to get Instagram URL and stream key.

2. Open the Yellow Duck app and log in with your Instagram credentials.

3. Copy your RTMP URL and stream key from YellowDuck app. Later you will paste them into LiveReacting streaming software.

2. How to stream a pre-recorded video on Instagram?

Remember, live videos on Instagram help to grow your brand's awareness. An Instagram study also shows that live streams generate double the engagement compared to simple videos or reels. It's because live videos seem more authentic than pre-made content. Though there are situations when you're not ready to expose yourself to a large audience through a live stream, and in this case, streaming a prerecorded video as live is a great solution. You can record a video, make some edits to look the video more professional, and push it to your Instagram feed as live. Your audience will not know that the stream is pre-recorded, as it will be displayed as it's really live.

1. Get an Instagram live stream key.

2. Go to the LiveReacting Studio, click New Layer ➡️ Video File and upload your previously recorded video.

3. Open LiveReacting Settings (Gear Icon) and select Custom Instagram RTMP channel.

4. Paste the earlier copied stream key and URL in the empty fields and click Connect. Scroll down, and click Save.

5. Click Start Broadcast button in the YellowDuck app and press GO LIVE button on on the LiveReacting Studio. Now your stream is live. When you want to end the stream, you'll have to click END Stream button.

3. How to go live on Instagram on PC or a professional camera?

Use your PC or a camera to stream on Instagram Live in high quality.

1. Get an Instagram live stream key.

2. Go to the LiveReacting Studio and click New Layer ➡️ Web Camera. Select any camera source you want. It can be your professional Canon camera, or a web cam.

3. Now your camera is connected. Open LiveReacting Settings and select Custom Instagram RTMP channel.

4. Paste the copied stream key and RTMP URL in the LiveReacting and click Connect. Scroll down to click Save.

5. Click Start Broadcast button in the YellowDuck app and press GO LIVE button on on the LiveReacting. Now your stream is live. When you want to end the stream, you'll have to click END Stream button.

Start Broadcast on Yellow Duck and LiveReacting

4. How to add branding to Instagram Live?

Stand out from your competitors by adding elements like logo, overlays, text, or other graphics in your Instagram Live. Stream branding and customization help viewers memorize and recognize your brand in the future.

1. Get an Instagram live stream key.

2. Go to your LiveReacting Studio and set up your stream (connect your camera or a pre-recorded video). To add a logo, or any other graphic elements, click New Layer ➡️ Image and upload your logo, image, or overlay. You can drag your logo to any corner. You can also edit its size and transparency on the left sidebar.

Instagram Live with watermark or logo

3. Open LiveReacting Settings and choose Custom Instagram RTMP channel.

4. Paste earlier copied stream key and server URL in the appropriate fields and click Connect. Scroll down and click Save.

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What are the best time to stream in 2022? In 2022, weekends and evenings as the most-engaging time frames for Instagrammers. In previous years, lunch hours were more popular to post; however, this year, the lunch hours show lower than the average engagement, except on Sundays.

Send us a message in the live chat on our website and we'll be glad to share about other interactive elements, which you can add into your live streams to generate more views.

LiveReacting is a streaming platform for Social Media Managers, Digital agencies, brands and influencers that helps to enrich any live video with interactive elements and graphics in order to get more engagement and views.

For queries and feedback, send our team a message in a Live Chat on our website or write to us at [email protected]