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3 Ways To Include A Free Countdown Timer In Your Livestream

Adding a free countdown timer into your live stream can make it look cooler and more professional. Find out how to include one on your next show and more in this post!

What’s A Countdown Timer?

A countdown timer is exactly as it says it is. It’s a video or a widget you add to your broadcast to show viewers how long it will take before you start your video.

They’re usually utilized to premiere a video. It basically gives people a head’s up that a scheduled live show is about to begin.

How Can It Make Your Live Stream Cooler?

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Adding a countdown timer into your live stream allows you to share your video on your page, your own timeline, on Twitter, and practically everywhere before you actually start your broadcast. This helps you gather your audience before your live stream begins.

This is especially helpful with the update Facebook rolled out about scheduled live broadcasts. Learn more about it here.

Try scheduling your show now and add a countdown timer for the video.

Having a countdown timer also creates a sense of motivation for your audience. Seeing those seconds tick down is like a mental exercise for them to stay and expect something by the time the numbers turn to 0. For regular shows, the time your audience spends during the timer will be spent on chatting with you and other watchers, improving engagement for your live stream.

On a visual level, adding a timer makes your broadcast look more organized and professional overall. It’s like showing your audience how well you prepared for the show.

How to Add a Free Countdown Timer to Your Live Stream

There are several ways to add a countdown timer to your live stream for free. Let me show you some ways.

Make Your Own

If you have some editing skills, then creating your own countdown timer is the way to go. You can edit your own video, and then upload it into the BeLive studio to show on your screen live. Just make sure it’s within the upload limit of 100mb.

On the other hand, if Adobe Premiere isn’t within your skillset, you don’t need to despair. You can definitely use Canva to create videos.

You can choose to add animations or include advertisements for your business to entertain your viewers as they wait for the show to start.

Use An Existing Video

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You can find anything on YouTube, so you can definitely find a timer video. But you need to make sure you have permission to use this video. Otherwise, your broadcast may get a copyright strike or reported and taken down.

You can do that or create one and upload it on YouTube. If your countdown video is bigger than 100mb, then uploading it on YouTube would be more efficient.

To use it on your BeLive broadcast, you just have to do either of these two options:

  • Share your screen when you play it on your browser. Check out this tutorial on how to share screen from the studio as a host.
  • Input the URL for YouTube in the multimedia sharing section. Here’s a helpful guide on how to do that.

 

Use BeLive’s Timer Widget

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Here’s the cool part: BeLive has added a timer to the studio! The free countdown timer right inside in the studio will save you a whole lot of time.

All you need to do is click on Timer from the Widget options. Drag it to any part of the screen and set the time you would like the countdown to show.

Before clicking on the start button, however, you need to start your stream first. Once your stream begins, you can then click on the countdown timer. You also need to make sure that at least one item has already been added to the staging site to be able to add the Timer to the broadcast.

Some additional tips to remember before going live with the timer:

  • Mute your mic to avoid unnecessary background noise.
  • Hide your camera and click on the arrow in the widget to expand the timer into full-screen mode.
  • Start the broadcast a few minutes before your scheduled time and turn on the timer as a countdown to the show. If you scheduled your broadcast, people already know when you’re going live but starting the timer will encourage people who came early to stay and wait for the show to begin.

You don’t have to use the Timer just for the intro as well. It can be used as a countdown for games, cooking shows, and promotional offers for your live selling episode! A game like giving a prize to the last person to comment after a countdown ends will help you boost engagement even with just a handful of viewers.

 

How would you use BeLive’s free countdown timer widget? Share your plans in the comments section below!

Sign up with BeLive now and try out the countdown timer on your next broadcast! You can also join our online community for more live streaming tips from other enthusiasts and content creators.

 

Did you know you can get a FREE BeLive Standard+ subscription by inviting a friend?

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